Wet weather Hawk

OneLeggedRider · 06-16-2019, 03:05 PM

Recently I was on here discussing the pros and cons of knobbie vs enduro tires with a member on here and the subject of rain and wet pavement came up. Well yesterday I was punished by the weather gods lol. Before leaving I checked the weather report and cleaned my visor with windex, tire pressure etc and they were all good.

I get about 5 miles from my destination and it starts a light rain, so I stop on my sister's porch to wait it out. When it stopped I hit a gas station and topped her off, and headed for a buddies house which is even further from home. Well as were sitting in his garage sipping a cold one it starts to rain again, lightly. So I decide I'm gonna wait it out again.

A few cold ones later it's getting dark and it still hasn't let up. So I head the 40 miles home and about 2 miles from his house it starts raining a little harder, a few miles after that it is RAINING and it's dark. Talk about a miserable ride home, the rain drops were stinging me through my jeans and on my hands, and I was soaked.

My visor performed well and I think it's because I keep it so clean, the rain drops kinda slide off. And I have to say the knobbies performed well also, I was a bit leary at first but they held the road well at 55mph. I did notice the painted lines weren't as forgiving so I tried to avoid them as much as possible. I was never so happy to see my front door lol.

Tashka · 06-16-2019, 05:40 PM

Them knobbies will make it on wet pavement, but you gotta be carefull with braking force. They're pretty slick once they lose a little bit of traction.

But riding safe they'll track all the way through

Megadan · 06-16-2019, 07:09 PM

I have never had an issue in the rain with knobby tires, although I also ride for the conditions, which in the rain means with a bit of restraint/caution. In theory a knobby tire is better at resisting hydroplaning, but the lack of contact patch with the road creates an odd paradox with traction. The contact patch you do have is small, but because of this there is actually a lot of pressure on it relative to a tire with more contact tread like a road tire. This provides great grip for the tire that is touching the road. The downside is that small contact patch, which is already under a higher load, and that means that when it lets go, it is often very sudden and hard to recover. That is why people say knobby tires are bad in the rain. Contrast that to a purpose built road tire, where the loss of traction tends to be a bit more predictable. You can feel the tire slide a bit without completely losing all of its grip.

GronkFries · 06-16-2019, 09:58 PM

Yup, those rides can suck but so nice to reflect on them after the fact!! Sounds like you had a great journey, and glad you made it home ok!

OneLeggedRider · 06-16-2019, 11:06 PM

I've done alot of riding in the rain in my past, but it's probably been 18 years since the last time I rode knobbies in the rain. Last year I got caught twice in the rain on my Intruder 800 but it had brand new Dunlop tires so all I had to do was go easy on the throttle and downshifting. This has been a really wet spring here in Ohio and it's supposed to rain for the next 5 days.

Megadan · 06-16-2019, 11:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by OneLeggedRider

I've done alot of riding in the rain in my past, but it's probably been 18 years since the last time I rode knobbies in the rain. Last year I got caught twice in the rain on my Intruder 800 but it had brand new Dunlop tires so all I had to do was go easy on the throttle and downshifting. This has been a really wet spring here in Ohio and it's supposed to rain for the next 5 days.

I was timid as hell the first time I rode my VFR in the rain with all that power and that silly wide rear tire. Brand new Bridgestone T31 Evo tires made me realize that I was nervous for no reason. That big bike never even flinched.

BTW, all that rain you are getting, you can have it. We are STILL dealing with flooding issues here.

Wild Dog · 06-17-2019, 01:21 AM

We had bad weather last week and we will have a crappy weather for the rest of the month. It was so bad that we had a massive blackout due to the storms.

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/06/16/w...a-uruguay.html

Argentina and Uruguay were the most affected countries, but Chile and Brazil had blackouts too. So the weather was quite harsh....

Can you use knoobies on the rain? Sure. The delivery boys and gals are now in love with the loncin sx2 and that motorcycle came stock with knoobies and they use it with heavy rain and they are still alive.
BUT once you use a more suitable tire for rain and you can compare the performance, then you will stick the knoobies for off road.

**JerryHawk250** · 06-17-2019, 08:00 AM

I had to drive 60+ mile home one late evening just before dark in a pour down rain. Lucky I had stopped by Academy before I left on the road to pick up a rain suit. I drove just over an hour in rain and in the dark. I use Rain-X plastic on my shield. Water just rolls off. The cheap Frogg Toggs rain suit worked well. It kept me dry except for a little water that leaked in by my neck. The Knobbies worked well in the rain, especially with the standing water in the road.
I though I was goin to get caught on Saturday but managed to dodge the rain for the day. The rain Gods must of liked me that day. lol

06-16-2019, 03:05 PM	#1
OneLeggedRider Join Date: Nov 2018 Location: Stockport, Oh. Posts: 1,442	Wet weather Hawk Recently I was on here discussing the pros and cons of knobbie vs enduro tires with a member on here and the subject of rain and wet pavement came up. Well yesterday I was punished by the weather gods lol. Before leaving I checked the weather report and cleaned my visor with windex, tire pressure etc and they were all good. I get about 5 miles from my destination and it starts a light rain, so I stop on my sister's porch to wait it out. When it stopped I hit a gas station and topped her off, and headed for a buddies house which is even further from home. Well as were sitting in his garage sipping a cold one it starts to rain again, lightly. So I decide I'm gonna wait it out again. A few cold ones later it's getting dark and it still hasn't let up. So I head the 40 miles home and about 2 miles from his house it starts raining a little harder, a few miles after that it is RAINING and it's dark. Talk about a miserable ride home, the rain drops were stinging me through my jeans and on my hands, and I was soaked. My visor performed well and I think it's because I keep it so clean, the rain drops kinda slide off. And I have to say the knobbies performed well also, I was a bit leary at first but they held the road well at 55mph. I did notice the painted lines weren't as forgiving so I tried to avoid them as much as possible. I was never so happy to see my front door lol.
	4

06-16-2019, 07:09 PM	#3
Megadan Join Date: Apr 2017 Location: Omaha, NE Posts: 8,032	I have never had an issue in the rain with knobby tires, although I also ride for the conditions, which in the rain means with a bit of restraint/caution. In theory a knobby tire is better at resisting hydroplaning, but the lack of contact patch with the road creates an odd paradox with traction. The contact patch you do have is small, but because of this there is actually a lot of pressure on it relative to a tire with more contact tread like a road tire. This provides great grip for the tire that is touching the road. The downside is that small contact patch, which is already under a higher load, and that means that when it lets go, it is often very sudden and hard to recover. That is why people say knobby tires are bad in the rain. Contrast that to a purpose built road tire, where the loss of traction tends to be a bit more predictable. You can feel the tire slide a bit without completely losing all of its grip. __________________ Hawk Information and Resource guide: http://www.chinariders.net/showthread.php?t=20331 2018 Hawk 250 - Full Mod list here. http://www.chinariders.net/showpost....62&postcount=1 2024 Royal Enfield Shotgun 650 https://chinariders.net/showthread.php?t=34124
	1

06-17-2019, 08:00 AM	#8
JerryHawk250 Moderator Join Date: Oct 2016 Location: Houma, La. Posts: 11,574	I had to drive 60+ mile home one late evening just before dark in a pour down rain. Lucky I had stopped by Academy before I left on the road to pick up a rain suit. I drove just over an hour in rain and in the dark. I use Rain-X plastic on my shield. Water just rolls off. The cheap Frogg Toggs rain suit worked well. It kept me dry except for a little water that leaked in by my neck. The Knobbies worked well in the rain, especially with the standing water in the road. I though I was goin to get caught on Saturday but managed to dodge the rain for the day. The rain Gods must of liked me that day. lol __________________ 2023 Lifan Lycan 250 Chopper 2023 Venom Evader 2022 Lifan KPX250 2020 Kawasaki Vulcan S 2004 Honda ST 1300 2016 Black Hawk 250 (sold) Keihin PE30 carb,125 main,38 slow.Pod filter,ported & decked head 10:1 CR,Direct Ignition Coil,15/40Sprockets,NGK DPR8EIX-9,De-Cat,Dual Oil Cooler,Digital Cluster 2016 Cazador180 XL 2014 Coolster150 JerryHawk250.com My YouTube Channel
	2

06-16-2019, 05:40 PM	#2
Tashka Join Date: Aug 2018 Posts: 158	Them knobbies will make it on wet pavement, but you gotta be carefull with braking force. They're pretty slick once they lose a little bit of traction. But riding safe they'll track all the way through
	1

06-16-2019, 09:58 PM	#4
GronkFries Join Date: May 2019 Location: Maine Posts: 111	Yup, those rides can suck but so nice to reflect on them after the fact!! Sounds like you had a great journey, and glad you made it home ok!
	1

06-16-2019, 11:06 PM	#5
OneLeggedRider Join Date: Nov 2018 Location: Stockport, Oh. Posts: 1,442	I've done alot of riding in the rain in my past, but it's probably been 18 years since the last time I rode knobbies in the rain. Last year I got caught twice in the rain on my Intruder 800 but it had brand new Dunlop tires so all I had to do was go easy on the throttle and downshifting. This has been a really wet spring here in Ohio and it's supposed to rain for the next 5 days.
	0

06-17-2019, 01:21 AM	#7
Wild Dog Join Date: Dec 2016 Location: Argentina Posts: 756	We had bad weather last week and we will have a crappy weather for the rest of the month. It was so bad that we had a massive blackout due to the storms. https://www.nytimes.com/2019/06/16/w...a-uruguay.html Argentina and Uruguay were the most affected countries, but Chile and Brazil had blackouts too. So the weather was quite harsh.... Can you use knoobies on the rain? Sure. The delivery boys and gals are now in love with the loncin sx2 and that motorcycle came stock with knoobies and they use it with heavy rain and they are still alive. BUT once you use a more suitable tire for rain and you can compare the performance, then you will stick the knoobies for off road.
	0