Scruit Posted May 31, 2012 Report Share Posted May 31, 2012 14 was for kickin' it sideways. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TMCGRAW Posted May 31, 2012 Report Share Posted May 31, 2012 I rode into rain/hail and a speed in excess of the speed limit. Other than the cool 'clunk' sounds the hail made on the helmet, not much else bothered me so long as I was tucked in. I slowed down 'quick' though and had to maintain a very miserable sub-speed limit speed.As for hydroplaning, I don't know. Follow me on this, a car tire hydroplanes because water can literally create a cushion of fluid underneath the surface of the tire. It's not practical for a car on slicks to operate in the rain because it would always have a cushion of water under it, and no 'scooping' action removing the water from underneath the tire surface. As you increase width of rubber, the more sipping/tread you need to remove water from the center most part of the tire to the outermost area (ideally throwing water away from the tire).Because bike tires are more narrow and curved not as much of the tire is in contact with the road at one time along with the high pressure of a bike tire and weight of the bike it's less likely to allow for water to be under it, especially if moving forward. It's more likely to 'cut' through water puddles and surfaces. --- The trade off here is a bike is way more susceptable to things like wet painted surfaces and the tar-snakes in the road when wet, due to them being slippery, but not hydroplaning.My logic in this comes from when I used to race bicycles, we were always told we never had to worry about hydroplaning, go as fast as we want. But it doesn't make the road any less slick, just won't hydroplane as it's defined. I would say at a high enough speed it is more likely he would be producing more power to the rear wheel than the tire could effectively put down to the wet road surface before it would do things like free-spin.Thought? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scruit Posted May 31, 2012 Report Share Posted May 31, 2012 I see where you're going with the curved-tire theory. If his tires were relatively new then his contact patch would be pretty small anyway. Having said thta, if his tires were old then there could be a wider, flatter bald area that could make hydroplaning more likely.Still, I can't even think of 14 traffic laws he could have broken (assuming he didn't flee). Speed, helmet, insurance, registration, maybe the bike was stolen, no eye protection... I'm running out already. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pokey Posted May 31, 2012 Author Report Share Posted May 31, 2012 It's possible...Sure....on a MotoGP race bike. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
magley64 Posted May 31, 2012 Report Share Posted May 31, 2012 As for hydroplaning, I don't know. Follow me on this, a car tire hydroplanes because water can literally create a cushion of fluid underneath the surface of the tire. Because bike tires are more narrow and curved not as much of the tire is in contact with the road at one time along with the high pressure of a bike tire and weight of the bike it's less likely to allow for water to be under it, especially if moving forward.My logic in this comes from when I used to race bicycles, we were always told we never had to worry about hydroplaning, go as fast as we want. I would say at a high enough speed it is more likely he would be producing more power to the rear wheel than the tire could effectively put down to the wet road surface before it would do things like free-spin.Thought? I think your contact patch is on the right track, but remember that sport bikes weigh MUCH less than cars do, so even when you take into consideration the force of gravity being focused over a smaller area, it still isn't a whole lot more.you would still get to a speed eventually (and I'm still guessing WAY before 190) wher the water would not move out of the way fast enough, and you would climb on top...of course this depends on how hard it's raining, the contour of the road for how thick the water is on the surface, etc...but if you're riding in a 1/4 inch deep puddle, I don't think it would take that much speed at all to get off of the pavement... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ScubaCinci Posted May 31, 2012 Report Share Posted May 31, 2012 Not that wikipedia is the authority but...http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AquaplaningMotorcycles benefit from narrow tires with round, canoe-shaped contact patches. Narrow tires are less vulnerable to aquaplaning because vehicle weight is distributed over a smaller area, and rounded tires more easily push water aside. These advantages diminish on lighter motorcycles with naturally wide tires, like those in the supersport class. Further, wet conditions reduce the lateral force that any tire can accommodate before sliding. While a slide in a four-wheeled vehicle may be corrected, the same slide on a motorcycle will generally cause the rider to fall. Thus, despite the relative lack of aquaplaning danger in wet conditions, motorcycle riders must be even more cautious because overall traction is reduced by wet roadways.I'm guessing the bike in the news story was a supersport based on the speed. Just a guess Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
magley64 Posted May 31, 2012 Report Share Posted May 31, 2012 i agree with wikipedia, but it definitely depends on how much water was actually on the surface...you can only displace so much so fast. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pokey Posted May 31, 2012 Author Report Share Posted May 31, 2012 I have ridden in some serious rain, hydroplaning has never been an issue. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scruit Posted May 31, 2012 Report Share Posted May 31, 2012 Not that wikipedia is the authority but...http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AquaplaningI'm guessing the bike in the news story was a supersport based on the speed. Just a guess I'm guessing the bike was an F-14 Tomcat, based upon the speed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CoolWhip Posted May 31, 2012 Report Share Posted May 31, 2012 Don't insult the F-14 like that. The B was one of my favorite flying machines of all time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
magley64 Posted May 31, 2012 Report Share Posted May 31, 2012 I'm guessing the bike was an F-14 Tomcat, based upon the speed.could have been an uncorked flying couch.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scruit Posted May 31, 2012 Report Share Posted May 31, 2012 Don't insult the F-14 like that. The B was one of my favorite flying machines of all time.Mine too Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
swingset Posted May 31, 2012 Report Share Posted May 31, 2012 I have ridden in some serious rain, hydroplaning has never been an issue.Yup. I was telling you this story recently, but I hit a washout in New Mexico last year that was knee-deep, and about 50' wide head on at about 50mph and sliced right through it keeping my tires on the ground. It shook the front end violently, but it went through it no problem. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twowheelsnake Posted May 31, 2012 Report Share Posted May 31, 2012 While I enjoyed the discussion about hydroplaning, contour of tires, contact patches and the time-space continuum...can't we just agree that he was a douche for riding his bike in excess of 190mph in the rain on a public road and might have deserved 14 tickets? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pokey Posted May 31, 2012 Author Report Share Posted May 31, 2012 Yup. I was telling you this story recently, but I hit a washout in New Mexico last year that was knee-deep, and about 50' wide head on at about 50mph and sliced right through it keeping my tires on the ground. It shook the front end violently, but it went through it no problem.We shall not be trying that next year.....just sayin. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slingingchic Posted May 31, 2012 Report Share Posted May 31, 2012 While I enjoyed the discussion about hydroplaning, contour of tires, contact patches and the time-space continuum...can't we just agree that he was a douche for riding his bike in excess of 190mph in the rain on a public road and might have deserved 14 tickets? Way too fast!!! Reminds me of when someone tried killing me doing 110 on a gravel road on the way up to Indian Lake, he claimed he wasn't going that fast and that he was maybe doing 80...bullshit! It's not that far off LOL Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ReconRat Posted May 31, 2012 Report Share Posted May 31, 2012 I hesitate to say how fast I was going in a very hard rain with two other bikes. But I was surprised that handling was quite good. It was strictly vertical straight line motion on a country road, with no cross wind and no turns. But very hard rain accumulating on the roadway. I will consider that a somewhat safe upper limit, because I'm pretty sure I'll never go faster than that in the rain. And perhaps the only reason I did it that day, is because the two bikes in front of me didn't fall down either.On the other hand, I've had friends say their bikes felt really odd and unstable in the rain on the freeway at 65mph, and slowed down.And no, I don't think 190+mph is possible in the rain. Forward vision, if nothing else, would be nearly non-existent. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
swingset Posted June 1, 2012 Report Share Posted June 1, 2012 We shall not be trying that next year.....just sayin.My asshole is still in my throat from that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.