Many people love motorcycle riding during the rainy season, which is dangerous because of wet roads. You need to drive carefully because hydroplaning can cause severe accidental risks and damage your motorbikes.
Can a Motorcycle Hydroplane? Motorcycles can hydroplane like other vehicles because of water on the road. Tires cannot maintain contact with the road when they are wet. You can prevent hydroplaning by not riding on wet roads, reducing the speed, riding carefully, and checking tire pressure.
It is also known as aquaplaning, and you face this situation when roads are wet. You cannot maintain the stability of the handles because of poor traction, which can lead to a collision with other vehicles on the road.
Do motorcycles hydroplane?
All vehicles, including motorcycles, can hydroplane on wet roads. However, many people think the issue cannot come in these automobiles because of the tire structures and weight.
You can face a skidding situation when tires cannot contact the road. These contain deep tread surfaces that repel water and prevent them from skidding.
The issue comes when the tread surface gets damaged and cannot repel the water during riding. In addition, tread surfaces get damaged and smooth because of frequent trips to unpaved areas.
In addition, driving conditions can also affect their durability. For example, the tread surface of my motorbike wears out early because I mostly drive in city areas and apply brakes frequently.
Sudden and frequent brake applications increase friction and damage the contact points. In addition, hydroplaning in these vehicles is more dangerous than others because of their less stability.
These only have two tires that can slip quickly on wet roads and cannot maintain traction. In addition, these are dangerous because one tire cannot maintain stability if you face a skidding issue on the front or rear side.
Why would a motorcycle hydroplane?
Hydroplaning risk in motorcycles increases because of the type of wheels. Companies install different parts in them depending on their price range.
Some of these are equipped with anti-skid tires with more contact points to maintain stability on the road.
You can face the problem when vehicles do not contain high-quality anti-skidding wheels that can maintain traction on the roads.
Tire and road surfaces can make the proper connection when roads are dry. However, the water comes on the road during the rainy and snowy season, which can directly increase the hydroplaning chances.
The water and snow material is the barrier between the tires and roads. The wheels cannot correctly contact the ground surface because of the accumulated layer.
Wheels lose their traction because of an accumulated layer of water between the two friction-producing objects.
In addition, the issue also comes because of a damaged wheel tread surface. These cannot maintain the grip on the road because of fewer deep contact points.
These are more susceptible to this problem if water is accumulated on one side of the road because of the faulty sewer system. In addition, driving at high speed on wet roads increase hydroplaning chances and makes the situation problematic for people.
How do you prevent the motorcycle from hydroplaning?
It is necessary to prevent yourself and motorbikes from hydroplaning outcomes because these are dangerous.
Front and rear tires are equally vulnerable to this problem, and you can feel the loss of control because of poor support from the skidding of wheels.
Avoid watery areas
Wet roads increase the hydroplaning issues in a motorcycle by creating a barrier layer between the tires and road surfaces.
You can reduce the problem by driving in the dry lanes of the highways. Avoid moving on potholes and on the areas where water is accumulated.
Sometimes the water is accumulated on one side of the roads because of the unequal construction. I always tried not to move on the puddled areas because there may be hidden potholes that can damage the different components.
Water can also puddle on the side of the road because of heavy rain and poor sewerage system.
Moreover, the dry lanes maintain good wheel traction and reduce skidding problems.
Reduce speed
I always prefer to ride a motorcycle after raining because of wet roads, which can cause slipperiness. The skidding issues also increase after rains because dirt and grease, when mixed with water, make a greasy film.
Avoid driving at high speed because it can increase the risk of losing traction. However, you can ride at 30 to 40mph, which is normal.
In addition, the grooves of tread surfaces do not respond actively to move water on the sides when you increase the speed, and suddenly you can feel the loss of traction.
The wheels cannot shed water efficiently when you increase the speed. Moreover, it is necessary to maintain the speed according to the road conditions to save your life.
Avoid riding at more than 60 mph because it is faster and increases hydroplaning chances.
Ride actively
Turn on the front lights so you can see puddled water and potholes.
Keep the helmet visors down when it is raining during driving. Avoid quickly turning the handles while moving at turning points.
Tires cannot maintain stability and stop to spin when you move at a turning point with high speed. In addition, sudden brake applications at high-speed decrease wheel traction, and they lose stability.
Maintain a significant distance from other vehicles to increase the braking distance and avoid collisions. Avoid riding through puddle areas because hidden potholes can increase accidents.
Moreover, decrease the speed at turning points so rear tires maintain traction.
Check the pressure of tires
Tires pressure plays an essential role in preventing hydroplaning issues in motorcycles. However, I prefer to reduce the wheel pressure slightly because it can improve traction by providing more contact points and a groovy area of treads.
Tire inspection is necessary before riding in the rainy season. These cannot maintain road contact when they are over and under-inflated.
In addition, inspecting the tread surface is necessary because these can wear out or grooves become smooth when your motorbike becomes old.
Replace the old or worn-out wheels with new ones for better support and stability during riding.
What to do when you face hydroplaning situation while riding a motorcycle?
Many people panic when tires lose traction on the road because they cannot maintain the stability of the motorbike handle.
It is necessary to keep yourself calm and not apply sudden brakes. For example, many motorcycles control the anti-lock braking system, but these are also at risk of hydroplaning.
I suffered from this situation while riding a motorcycle on a rainy day, and my mind urged me to apply brakes, but I did not. The better way to stop is to turn off the ignition key, as it can cut off the fuel supply.
Moreover, you can also release the clutch to stop. I prefer to release the throttle handle to stop your vehicle in emergencies. Sudden brake application worsens the situation and increases the risk of slipping and accidents.
It is better to park on the safe side of the road to keep yourself safe and wait for the rain to stop.
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