Does it happen to anyone else or my Bob is the most slippery HD Ive ever driven.
Im in love with this bike but when it comes to drive it under rain is so hard to keep it going.
I had fallen today, I was cruising slowly, maybe 30/40mph when i saw a little wet asphalt i couldn't avoid. I did not break/accelerate/turn or else, just kept my trajectory, but the rear wheel (almost new Firestone 160-70-17) lost absolute grip and twisted my bike to the point of loosing balance.
Fortunately it only screwed my stock mufflers and the left heated grip (bummer) but my right knee and both of my elbows are a bit banged up, nothing I couldn't take without a pain killer.
A friend of mine (also a Bob owner) told me that he feels very unsecured under rain too, something I would never imagined on such a heavy bike.
May be i need to go 180-60-17?

 

Sorry to hear you went down. 30-40 seems pretty fast to hit a puddle. Hydroplane fo sho.

 

A wider tire is only going to make it worse. Think - waterski.

Big wide tires are great when its dry - dangerous as hell when it's wet.

Although I'm a little confused... just a patch of wet asphalt is not going to skid you out of control ... unless it was really deep

 

Ya know, I ride in the rain a LOT, and my bob feels just fine. I have the SE 180 rear tire, and it works great. Very sticky tire. No problemo's here!

 

Wet asphalt with good tires, no brake, no throttle, coating,... going straight... should not result in a lowside.

30-40 fast to hit a puddle? Hell no.

What happens when you're caught in a rain storm? If my stock Dunlops with 10,700 miles can handle a rainstorm at highway speeds, I'd like to think almost new firestones should be ok through a "little wet asphalt" at 40mph. Somethin' doesn't add up here, or he's got other issues with his bike.

 

Huh? I'm confused... I think... Maybe.

You are going straight, at 30-40 MPH, on a nearly new rear tire, and hit a patch of wet asphalt, completely lose traction and go down?

If that is correct, Have you ever tripped and fallen while walking on a smooth level surface and chewing gum?

WTF dude? There's something seriously wrong with that picture.

 

I've ridden in some pretty bad storms, never had this problem.

 

Mufflers,left heated grip,both elbows,right knee.Makes no sense to me unless you scraped both sides.

Go buy the SE 180 and matching SE502F front tire and you can scrape frame in a ninety degree turn in the rain at fourty mph and not lose control as long as you stay on the throttle. Just saying.

Good Luck

Tom

 

I have to agree with the others that something is wrong with the picture somewhere. I've ridden in some serious deluges at highway speed and my bike is solid even when running a high mileage OEM 150. No way a wet spot should put you down. Maybe if the tire was brand spanking new and you nailed it in a tight turn on wet pavement or something, but not going straight and steady like that.

 

i have 180 rear and ride highway rain and country road rain... i am so impressed with how my bike locks up on the road when it is wet