Hydroplaning
Ultimate HDF Member
Joined: Sep 2005
Posts: 8,641
Likes: 26
From: Ozark Country
RE: Hydroplaning
Not saying it didn't happen to you, but because of the rounded shape of the tire (instead of a flat footprint like on a car/truck), it's very seldom that a motorcycle will hydroplane.
Bikes with a 'wider footprint' (like on a FatBoy or touring model) are even better in the water as even with the rounded tire profile they have more tread contact with the road than the normal skinny 21" tire.
I would imagine that on a motorcycle excessive speed for the road condition (moving too fast to allow the tire to disperse the water) would be the main cause of hydroplaning, along with the reduced lateral forceavailable tothe tire.
Here is a brief description of why hydroplaning is rare with vehicles that have a 'round tire profile';
"Vehicles with round-profile tires, such as bicycles and motorcycles, virtually never suffer from hydroplaning in normal road use. The contact area with the road is a canoe-shaped patch that effectively squeezes water out of the way. However, because road friction is so much less in wet conditions, the lateral force that the tires can accommodate before sliding is greatly diminished. While a slide in a four-wheeled vehicle is correctable with practice, the same slide on a motorcycle will generally cause the rider to fall, with severe consequences. Despite the relative lack of hydroplaning danger then, motorcycle riders do well to be even more cautious than car drivers in poor conditions."
Bikes with a 'wider footprint' (like on a FatBoy or touring model) are even better in the water as even with the rounded tire profile they have more tread contact with the road than the normal skinny 21" tire.
I would imagine that on a motorcycle excessive speed for the road condition (moving too fast to allow the tire to disperse the water) would be the main cause of hydroplaning, along with the reduced lateral forceavailable tothe tire.
Here is a brief description of why hydroplaning is rare with vehicles that have a 'round tire profile';
"Vehicles with round-profile tires, such as bicycles and motorcycles, virtually never suffer from hydroplaning in normal road use. The contact area with the road is a canoe-shaped patch that effectively squeezes water out of the way. However, because road friction is so much less in wet conditions, the lateral force that the tires can accommodate before sliding is greatly diminished. While a slide in a four-wheeled vehicle is correctable with practice, the same slide on a motorcycle will generally cause the rider to fall, with severe consequences. Despite the relative lack of hydroplaning danger then, motorcycle riders do well to be even more cautious than car drivers in poor conditions."
Banned
Joined: Apr 2007
Posts: 3,349
Likes: 2
From: Appling GA
RE: Hydroplaning
hydroed my f150 about 3 weeks ago and the wind and serious storm was the cause i went halfway to the side and back and caught it, I was thinkingI would have went down had I been on my bike...
ORIGINAL: hefitz
Never hydroplaned on a bike. Wrecked the hell out of a car several years back due to hydroplane.Typically during a hydroplane, you azz end is now you front end in a milisecond. I slammed a concrete divider when my rear end came around and rode that divider for several hundred feet until the car finally stopped. Tore the hell out of the whole passenger side of the car.
I don't know if you in fact hydroplaned, but if so I would say you are extremely lucky.
Never hydroplaned on a bike. Wrecked the hell out of a car several years back due to hydroplane.Typically during a hydroplane, you azz end is now you front end in a milisecond. I slammed a concrete divider when my rear end came around and rode that divider for several hundred feet until the car finally stopped. Tore the hell out of the whole passenger side of the car.
I don't know if you in fact hydroplaned, but if so I would say you are extremely lucky.
Thread Starter
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Road Master
Joined: Sep 2006
Posts: 868
Likes: 6
From: Kentucky
RE: Hydroplaning
I probably shouldn't have been riding at all. I had about 60 miles to go to end my 600 mile weekend trip. I had already gotten stopped in thunderstorms two times that day and had to stop under bridges. Finally, being in a hurry, I got back on the bike while the rain was still hitting pretty hard and the wind was gusting. It was a bad decision on my part.
Tourer
Joined: May 2006
Posts: 385
Likes: 0
From: Riverside, Ca........La Pine, Or
RE: Hydroplaning
Never hydroplaned on the bike, although the wind has pushed me over from one side of my lane to the other before. I did hydroplane across 2 lanes of a freeway in Ca before though, going around a curve in the freeway in a pretty bad rain storm and the water just took me away. Felt like I was floating with no control and scared the s**t outta me as I watched the guard rail coming at me fast like. Car tires got a grip about half a lanes width before I would've plowed the rail.
Road Master
Joined: Nov 2006
Posts: 861
Likes: 0
From: Grosse Ile, Mi
RE: Hydroplaning
I would liken your situation more to the wind causing it to happen than the rain. If it were a true hydro action, you probably would be telling us about how you went down. It can happen that fast but, as OFG says, because of the shape of the tire, not as likely. If you had on saddle bags and other equipment to catch the wind, that would probably have been the situation. Thats one of the reasons whyI don't like the solid rear wheel on a bike. More suseptable to the wind coming at you from the side. Things happen fast don't they. Be grateful it didn't get totally out of hand. Don't forget to stay out of the groove in the road when the rain starts because of the greasy potential of oil and water being there as well.
Road Warrior
Joined: Aug 2006
Posts: 1,269
Likes: 1
From: St. Albans, West Virginia
RE: Hydroplaning
I did it once....my seat had to be replaced because my butt chewed little holes all across it!
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Ultimate HDF Member
Joined: Sep 2005
Posts: 8,641
Likes: 26
From: Ozark Country
RE: Hydroplaning
ORIGINAL: seikan1
I did it once....my seat had to be replaced because my butt chewed little holes all across it!
I did it once....my seat had to be replaced because my butt chewed little holes all across it!
(But I've always been a fan of the round covers)..
RE: Hydroplaning
i guess in all reality, it does not matter if ya hydro'd or if it was caused by the wind. if you're outta control your gonna get farked up.
i personally slow down.... thus increasing my reaction time. after years of water skiing and racing blow-boats, it is impossible to create lift without speed. the more speed, the more lift.
and along those lines, the more speed, the more appearent wind direction. which is a good thing, until ya catch a puff of wind from the shoulder. then it all goes in a little basket nicely packaged with the address of $hitville.
$.02
i personally slow down.... thus increasing my reaction time. after years of water skiing and racing blow-boats, it is impossible to create lift without speed. the more speed, the more lift.
and along those lines, the more speed, the more appearent wind direction. which is a good thing, until ya catch a puff of wind from the shoulder. then it all goes in a little basket nicely packaged with the address of $hitville.
$.02