Ok...let's get something out of the way first:

I have owned and ridden a Kawasaki KZ 550 for about 3 years out in Colorado....close to 25 yrs ago. I didnt start riding again until I bought my Savage back in May of this year. It's been in pieces for a month while I am driving a Honda CB250 Nighthawk. All told, I would guess that I have less than 3,500 miles driven on a motorcycle in my lifetime. I'm not a complete nooblet, but obviously not an expert in handling a bike in various conditions. With that being said...

...I drove a bike in the rain for the very first time last night. I didnt plan it that way...it was cloudy all day but no rain, the doppler radar in my riding area showed ZERO rain for 150 miles and a 5% chance of any precip at all in my area(I use the Raleigh RDU Aviation weather forecast instead of my local "news" weather). I took the Honda Nighthawk out for a ride at about 11PM like I do most every night when the weather is good. I do roughly 40-50 miles for practice and relaxation.

I got 22 miles from home when it just started raining. Not a downpour mind you, but it was a light steady rain. I am not embarrassed to admit I was a bit concerned. I had ZERO experience with wet pavement. None, nada, zip. There are few cars on the road in my rural community that late in the evening, so traffic wasnt an issue. I just didnt like the way the bike cornered at all. Long curves I might normally take at 45, I slowed it down to 30 or so and dropped a gear. The tires didnt feel like they were sticking to the road and I was worried about having the ass end slide out.
Once, while stopping for a red light, I had the front tire slip on me just a smidge. I immediately released the brake lever and re-applied it more gently...adding some rear brake as well (yes, I did drop 2 gears during the process of stopping).

What can any of you tell me about the correct way to ride on wet pavement or in rainy weather? I wouldnt intentionally ride in the rain...there is no need to....as my bikes are just for fun and I own a cage.

PS  Can anyone recommend a "sticky" tire brand for me? I'm not worried so much about longevity....I'll likely do less than 1,000 miles a year on any bike I own. A sticky tire with a nice side tread would make me feel a lot better.

Sounds like you did the right thing, Stu. I don't love the rain either, it psyches me out. I just slow down, corner slower, leave more braking room between me and cars and take it easy. Weirdly, I feel more confident in the rain on my dirt bike with the knobblies. I guess I'm used to it sliding, but maybe the upright ride position has something to do with it too.

When I first got my '03 Savage it didn't like wet roads AT ALL.  I wound up putting a new set of tires on and discovered that the dealership had installed the rear tire backwards!

Gee, I wonder if that had anything to do with it?

If they paint those wide white STOP bars at the intersection, and big arrows on the pavement.....some of those can be incredibly slippery when they are wet.  Don't try to brake or turn while your tires are on top of those.

THere is a curve in Tyler where a railroad track crosses at an angle,  
As a noob, dry roads, scary. That first time  when it was wet was a very focused moment. Challenging situations force us to focus, and drive out all the
Will it blend?
What's for supper?


One of the things I liked about riding was the forced focus.
Early on, I Accepted and prepared for getting caught in the rain
Later, I would go out and ride, leaving home while it was raining.
It can be fun.

All excellent tips and I thank you!

Some of you missed that in my original post, I said I was driving the Honda Nighthawk 250...not my Savage. The Honda has a mushy front drum brake. Its also MUCH lighter than the Savage. It just felt like I had zero traction....like I was driving a car on hard packed snow.

I wear a 3/4 helmet with a full flip down visor. I use a product called "Brilliantize" on the face shield. It's a plastic cleaner/conditioner/polish that I learned about while I was working as a copier repairman many years ago. The water beaded on the face shield, so vision wasnt an issue.

I'm out in farm country here. There are no overpasses or bridges nearby. I guess I could have found a gas station and hung out near the pumps under the awning, but I had no idea if it would get worse, better, or stay the same. Even my smartphone weather app said chance of rain in my area was only 5%.

I made it home, I didnt drop the bike, I didnt hit anything....so it's all good. The plan is to drive the 250 and the Savage until Fall and then take the MSC at my local community college. When I go out for my late night rides, I find a large parking lot and I practice very tight U-turns, 25 mph breaking, zig zagging at low speed...stuff like that. Just trying to build up muscle memory and confidence.

Riding in the pouring rain on purpose? Not on my To Do list at the moment

chzeckmate wrote on 08/09/15 at 21:44:36:

At least part of that feeling is psychosomatic.  I remember those days.  I would strongly encourage you to ride in the rain on purpose.  Would you own a pistol for self defense, but not take it to the firing range regularly?  I hope not.  Let's say you're out riding and a freak storm comes from nowhere.  Do you want to be prepared to deal with that or do you want to pull into the breakdown lane and wait who knows how long for the storm to pass?  You're already practicing regularly.  I say practice for every scenario, not just the ideal scenario.  Be prepared...be very prepared.

<<looks at my Ruger SP 101 and frowns....>>  Ok, chzeck, point taken.

The majority of injuries are to the face. A modular helmet saved my face.