Wet weather motorcycle riding tips

SOME PEOPLE ACTUALLY like riding in the rain. Really, they do. And there's a reason for it. The challenge of wet weather machine control can be as appealing as riding in the dry, perhaps more so. But for others, riding in the rain is such a fearful prospect that they simply don't bother.

That's the wrong approach. If you ride a bike in the UK you're going to get caught out more than once in a while, so developing wet riding skills should be high on your agenda. And there's no secret to it: the key to swift, safe riding in the wet is no different to that in the dry - you need to be smooth, relaxed and confident. Those three things are the building blocks of good riding no matter what the conditions. If you find it's necessary to make significant changes to your riding in the wet in order not to feel like you're constantly about to crash, there's probably something that needs addressing with your riding overall, not just when the heavens open. The trouble with modern suspension, brakes and tyres is that they are so good that many basic riding errors are masked or can be got away with in the dry. But once it's wet there's only so much a set of decent tyres can do, and heavy-handed steering inputs or clumsy throttle and brake control will manifest themselves as confidence-shattering twitches, slides or crashes.

So relax and be smooth - which is easier said than done if the thought of riding in the rain scares you rigid.

Click here for page two of our wet weather motorcycle riding tips guide.