RAIN - We don't like riding in it - and in Chicago, sometimes we don't have a choice - SO - read on to find our what to do when it happens to you!
You're on your way home from an afternoon ride. When you left the house in the morning, the skies were clear and the sun was shining, like they had been for the past two weeks.
Well now, being in Chicago, you watched the grey clouds come in and started heading for home at the first sign a storm may be brewing. As you get closer to home, the rain gets closer to you and soon the ground becomes wet, but you feel some relief knowing you'll be home before the real rain starts. You could pull over, but being so close to home, you decide to give it your best effort.
You keep the bike as upright as possible as you cross over the railroad tracks. You carefully avoid driving over the slippery white arrow on the surface of the turning lane. You also make sure you slow down and maintain a speed that keeps a safe distance between you and the vehicles ahead of you.
Finally, you keep your bike in a high gear to avoid sharp downshifts on the wet surface. Things are going good so far. As you approach the next intersection, the signal light changes to red sooner than you anticipated and it becomes necessary to brake quickly so you don't go into the intesection.
You apply the rear brake and squeeze the front lever progressively, but both tires begin to skid on the slippery pavement. Before you can ease up on the brakes, the tires lose their grip and the bike goes down on it's side. You aren't hurt and everyone manages to avoid hitting you or your bike, but you're still looking at broken mirrors, a scratched up exhaust and the fairing has a crack in it.
You are furious! You took your time, used all the proper techniques, and yet you still went down on the bike so close to home! Consider these three questions.
1. Why did this happen?
A. You're not experienced enough to ride in the rain.
B. After a dry road gets wet, an oil film develops and the road becomes like black ice.
C If you had a passenger on the back, the extra weight would have prevented the tires from losing their grip.
D. You should have driven faster to avoid the rain.
E. All of the above.
2. What did you do right?
A. You kept the bike as upright as possible over the train tracks.
B. You avoided the slippery white arrow on the turning lane.
C. You backed off to provide more space between you and the vehicles in front of you.
D. You kept your bike in high gear to avoid sharp downshifts.
E. All of the above.
3. What should you have done?
A. You should have not applied the rear brakes.
B. You should have gone to the nearest bar and waited for the rain to stop.
C. You should have pulled over for twenty minutes so the oil buildup would wash away off the street.
D. You should have sped up and drove as fast as possible when the rain started (after all you were close to home)
E. None of the above
RAIN - We don't like riding in it - and in Chicago, sometimes we don't have a choice - SO - read on to find our what to do when it happens to you!
