Trckdays in the rain
- Thread starter ktuso27
- Start date
snikwad
New Member
What tires are you gonna be on. I'm working on scoring a set of full wets. I actually want to get a wet trackday, I enjoy getting caught in downpours on the street. But with cars, oil spots, and streams across the road and constantly changing surface, its more terrifying fun, than learning fun.
Which is why I wanna do a wet trackday, but my friends think I'm crazy.
Good question on the leathers. How does that work?
Which is why I wanna do a wet trackday, but my friends think I'm crazy.
Good question on the leathers. How does that work?
Meat
Member
I have only done one weekend in the pouring rain. It was at Barber. I was running DOT race tires and didn't have too much problem. Now, I am not saying I was some speed demon, but I gained a tremendous amount of confidence in the rain. I had considered full rain tires for the event, but they did not have them at the track. I ended up being happy for that because there were a couple sessions that the track started to dry and would have destroyed (from what I am told) a set of full rain tires.
As for your gear: EVERYTHING I had was soaked inside and out on the first day. It was way too hot for me to wear rain gear on top. I brought 2 fans and had my helmet on one. On the other one I had my gloves standing up to blow some air through them and had my suit hanging above it on a Back-and-Gray hangar. I stuck the hotel hair dryer in the boots on the cool setting (more like slightly warm) and kept switching the boots to help them dry and not burn them.
It worked out great and had no problems whatsoever with mildew. I used the same drying technique when I got home, but left them on the fans for a few days just to be certain. Oh, I also took out the suit liner and pads in the hotel and home. That will help.
I hope this helps you. There is no way I would skip a track day just because it is raining. The worse the weather, the less people on the track.
As for your gear: EVERYTHING I had was soaked inside and out on the first day. It was way too hot for me to wear rain gear on top. I brought 2 fans and had my helmet on one. On the other one I had my gloves standing up to blow some air through them and had my suit hanging above it on a Back-and-Gray hangar. I stuck the hotel hair dryer in the boots on the cool setting (more like slightly warm) and kept switching the boots to help them dry and not burn them.
It worked out great and had no problems whatsoever with mildew. I used the same drying technique when I got home, but left them on the fans for a few days just to be certain. Oh, I also took out the suit liner and pads in the hotel and home. That will help.
I hope this helps you. There is no way I would skip a track day just because it is raining. The worse the weather, the less people on the track.
HondaGalToo
Control Rider
I did two days in the rain at BeaveRun a couple of years ago and had a blast. I was running DCIIIs, they're good in pretty much any condition. You have to be smooth, smooth, smooth, and as a result, you can learn a lot by riding in the rain.
Don't have much to add to Meat's post about wet stuff. I just hung my leathers and let them dry. Wouldn't hurt to then condition them a bit with some Lexol or similar once they're dry. Whatever you do, if they're wet, don't stuff them in an airtight container or gear bag, hang 'em up, let them dry thoroughly. Good idea about fans.
Don't have much to add to Meat's post about wet stuff. I just hung my leathers and let them dry. Wouldn't hurt to then condition them a bit with some Lexol or similar once they're dry. Whatever you do, if they're wet, don't stuff them in an airtight container or gear bag, hang 'em up, let them dry thoroughly. Good idea about fans.
PJZOCC624
New Member
+1 on what's been said about drying out your gear. It's an absolute MUST to make sure no mildew or mold grows. Consider rubber gloves under your, umm... gloves, and plastic bags over your feet to keep your extremities dry(er).
As far as riding in the rain, NJ is grippy enough that it shouldn't much much of an issue. Trackdays in the rain takes a different mindset and shift of focus. Your main focus should be SMOOTH. Smooth on the gas, smooth on the brakes, smooth on weight transitions, etc. You can work on body position, your lines, gas to brake to gas transitions.... all very important skills that need to be worked on, especially early in the season. I've done more days in the rain than I care to count, and the biggest issues I've ever had is vision. My shield tends to fog up and rain drops will certainly skew your line of sight. Be careful of sealer strips (I don't think T'bolt has any) and pavement patches. These will tend to be slick and can disrupt your grip.
As far as tires, full rains are not a necessity. I run Michelin Power 2CTs and they have excellent wet grip. I'm sure the Pirelli DCIIIs are similar. Remember to temper your throttle hand, especially if you're on a litre bike.
Don't fear the "R" word. Use it to your advantage to work on the basics. Have fun!
As far as riding in the rain, NJ is grippy enough that it shouldn't much much of an issue. Trackdays in the rain takes a different mindset and shift of focus. Your main focus should be SMOOTH. Smooth on the gas, smooth on the brakes, smooth on weight transitions, etc. You can work on body position, your lines, gas to brake to gas transitions.... all very important skills that need to be worked on, especially early in the season. I've done more days in the rain than I care to count, and the biggest issues I've ever had is vision. My shield tends to fog up and rain drops will certainly skew your line of sight. Be careful of sealer strips (I don't think T'bolt has any) and pavement patches. These will tend to be slick and can disrupt your grip.
As far as tires, full rains are not a necessity. I run Michelin Power 2CTs and they have excellent wet grip. I'm sure the Pirelli DCIIIs are similar. Remember to temper your throttle hand, especially if you're on a litre bike.
Don't fear the "R" word. Use it to your advantage to work on the basics. Have fun!
Matt H
New Member
Riding in the rain is great! I personally really enjoy them. However, I think your mentality needs to be a little different - it's not about going as fast as possible. To me, it's all about learning. And the rain is a great tool. As has been mentioned, you REALLY have to smooth on everything. To reiterate, smooth on the gas, smooth off the gas, smooth on the brakes, smooth movement on the bike. But those are things that a rider should be, and should be working on, anyway. It's just that a rider can't get away with not being so in the rain, where the dry allows for one to be a little sloppier and get away with it. Also, the rain is great for working on lines. Since there really is a premium on being smooth, the wet conditions will show you that moving a foot one way or the other, or changing your apex a foot or so, is a much smoother line through the corner. All of this then pays big dividends in the dry.
So yeah - go for it! It really shows what you need to work on in the basic fundamentals, again with stuff that one might be able to get away with in the dry due to the amazing capabilities of machines and tires these days.
So yeah - go for it! It really shows what you need to work on in the basic fundamentals, again with stuff that one might be able to get away with in the dry due to the amazing capabilities of machines and tires these days.
HondaGalToo
Control Rider
Oh, yeah, fogging! I have one of those neoprene foggy thingies that velcros into my helmet for rainy days, it helps a lot. It comes up over my nose so all breath is deflected down and out of the helmet. I recently purchased the version made specifically for my helmet.
Sklossmonster
New Member
Riding in the rain can be an absolute blast, but there are a few small things that make all the difference between fun and misery.
In addition to what's been said already, minimize your trail braking techniques. You can trail brake in the rain, but not much ... at all! I recommend easing off the brakes before you actually initiate your turn, unless you are an expert trail braker. And if you are an expert trail braker, just trail a lot less than normal.
NOTE: DO NOT TRAIL BRAKE IN THE RAIN ON ANYTHING BUT FULL RAIN TIRES Otherwise you're just playing Russian roulette.
I try to overemphasize my body position in the rain to keep the bike up on the fattest part of the tire when cornering. You want as much contact patch as possible in the rain.
Smooth, smooth, smooth. I can't tell you how important it is to be smooth in the rain. Your margin for error is much smaller, and your inputs to the bike have greater effect. So be smooth in the dry, but be like the finest silk in the rain.
Soften your suspension for the conditions. A good rain set up is a lot like a streetbike, plush and gooey on both ends. The less harshly you transfer weight under braking and acceleration the more compliant the bike will be in the rain.
I know a lot of people think they can ride in the rain on something other than full rain tires, and they can ... but it sucks. I can ride in the rain on slicks if I want, but it sucks even worse. The only people who say you don't need rain tires in the rain have never ridden on fresh rain tires. Fresh rain tires are next to godliness in the wet.
Don't run on somebody's used rain tires. It's just not worth it. They took them off for a reason, and they were probably too old to begin with, plus they most likely haven't been properly stored anyway. The thing about rain tires is they're even more delicate than regular race tires. Once they heat up and start to show wear they're cooking the stickiness right out of themselves. They may still channel water, but they won't grip the same way.
Used rain tires is the perfect "penny wise and pound foolish" example. Saving a hundred bucks or so and crashing your bike totally sucks. Take offs in general aren't such a good idea, but used rain tires are a really bad idea.
A dry, fresh set of gear makes a huge difference if you can swing it. At the very least, dry gloves for when the rain stops. The heater in your truck can do wonders for drying out your gear.
And of course, the warmer it is the funner it is. Being wet and cold is a major drag, but riding in a Summer rain on a hot day is more fun than you can believe.
All this talk of riding in the rain is making me want to do it, but it's like 38 degrees where I'm standing, and we haven't even had our first event yet!
Come on Sun!
In addition to what's been said already, minimize your trail braking techniques. You can trail brake in the rain, but not much ... at all! I recommend easing off the brakes before you actually initiate your turn, unless you are an expert trail braker. And if you are an expert trail braker, just trail a lot less than normal.
NOTE: DO NOT TRAIL BRAKE IN THE RAIN ON ANYTHING BUT FULL RAIN TIRES Otherwise you're just playing Russian roulette.
I try to overemphasize my body position in the rain to keep the bike up on the fattest part of the tire when cornering. You want as much contact patch as possible in the rain.
Smooth, smooth, smooth. I can't tell you how important it is to be smooth in the rain. Your margin for error is much smaller, and your inputs to the bike have greater effect. So be smooth in the dry, but be like the finest silk in the rain.
Soften your suspension for the conditions. A good rain set up is a lot like a streetbike, plush and gooey on both ends. The less harshly you transfer weight under braking and acceleration the more compliant the bike will be in the rain.
I know a lot of people think they can ride in the rain on something other than full rain tires, and they can ... but it sucks. I can ride in the rain on slicks if I want, but it sucks even worse. The only people who say you don't need rain tires in the rain have never ridden on fresh rain tires. Fresh rain tires are next to godliness in the wet.
Don't run on somebody's used rain tires. It's just not worth it. They took them off for a reason, and they were probably too old to begin with, plus they most likely haven't been properly stored anyway. The thing about rain tires is they're even more delicate than regular race tires. Once they heat up and start to show wear they're cooking the stickiness right out of themselves. They may still channel water, but they won't grip the same way.
Used rain tires is the perfect "penny wise and pound foolish" example. Saving a hundred bucks or so and crashing your bike totally sucks. Take offs in general aren't such a good idea, but used rain tires are a really bad idea.
A dry, fresh set of gear makes a huge difference if you can swing it. At the very least, dry gloves for when the rain stops. The heater in your truck can do wonders for drying out your gear.
And of course, the warmer it is the funner it is. Being wet and cold is a major drag, but riding in a Summer rain on a hot day is more fun than you can believe.
All this talk of riding in the rain is making me want to do it, but it's like 38 degrees where I'm standing, and we haven't even had our first event yet!
Come on Sun!
EngineNoO9
Member
Only did one day in the rain and it was miserable. It was at summit main in April and it was after the WERA weekend there where it was just soaking wet. There was running water across the track, raining really hard, cold, did I mentioned really wet? I was on a new set of DCIII's which made for a real interesting time breaking in tires as it spun up in the pits just barely rolling on the throttle... In retrospect I should've kept my pilot powers on that were already broken in. I stopped after 3 sessions as I wasn't having very much fun. Some of my friends stayed out there and I sometimes wish I had but oh well...
HondaGalToo
Control Rider
There's lots of options, from Frogg Toggs to cheapie rubber rain suits to more expensive Gore tex. Just use google, you can get them from a number of places. I have one I got about a dozen or so years ago, it's a Fieldsheer. It doesn't even have to be motorcycle-specific, although it's better if it doesn't have a hood, as it'll flap around. A high neck that velcroes or snaps snugly around your neck is important so water doesn't run off your helmet and down your back, inside the rain suit. I saw the Frogg Toggs at Cycle Gear. Just make sure you order it big enough to fit over your suit with all the armour, knee pucks, etc., although I've seen some rain suits with cutouts for pucks.
My old Fieldsheer is just a rubberized one, so it gets pretty stuffy if it's a hot day. I could sweat off a few pounds just walking around in it, but for as often as I ride in the rain I didn't want to spend the money on Gortex.
HondaGalToo
Control Rider
snikwad;42825 wrote: k, thanks Judy
You bet! If I knew of any places offhand, I'd list 'em, but I don't!