The wider tire feels much safer to me on wet streets.

 

Isn't that a Willie Nelson song?

"Thru the ages I'll remember . . .
Rear tire slidin' . . . in the rain.

Sorry had to

It is a scary feeling
As prev stated, stay off the rear brake in the rain.
Drop the air pressure if in town (30 is ok. Better traction)
Air back up when dry.

 

I think the 407/408 combo is pretty good. I ride a lot in the rain and hated the 402's on my previous RG. Switched to ME880's and was much happier. With the new RG I'll be keepin the stock rubber, prol the first time I've said that on any bike I've owned.....

 

grf000. wake up a little and try reading the post in its entirety. I wasnt comparing the bike to a car, I was comparing it to another harley. If 10 MPH is considered too fast for you than I would hate to get stuck behind you one day. In my opinion, of course.

 

Sorry ,did not intrepid slow speed as 10MPH . I am sure now there is something wrong. Thanks

 

JimTJr- Thanks for the reply. It could very well be that I just plain messed up. I am still new to this bike, but as I said my experience was on the Dyna, and I know that the same thing would have never happened if I took out that bike today instead of the Street Glide.

The scary part here is that I am not sure why this happened. The pressures are good, I did not lock the tire, I was not going fast at all. The distance from one light to the next was about the short side of a city block or less. The light ahead was red so I knew it was coming, it wasnt like it turned yellow and I had to stop quickly. This whole thing was completely unexpected, and I have ridden in rain many, many times on the other bike. I guess what I am asking here is what the hell probably happened, and what can I do to keep it from happening again.

Just a reminder... The speed was about 10 to 13 MPH approaching the stop. It had rained hard about 30 mins earlier, and was still drizzling. The bike has about 180 miles on these tires. The tire did not lock up, it just swung around and tried to get ahead of me. I am new to this bike. Moondogger described it best as braking on ice, which fits here (hope all is good with you and the bike now).

Is it possible I didnt brake enough with the rear, so that that tire was still moving faster than the front? Would that cause this?

 

If this was an isolated incident, maybe it was something on the roadway?

 

I'd venture to say that about 60% of my riding is in the rain or on wet / damp roads. Have felt my rear end start to wash out many times when coming to a stop regardless of rear brake applied or not. Most of the time it is when it first starts to sprinkle, or the dew starts to set. I just keep it in the back of my head and give myself a little more stopping distance and by all means do not nail the brakes as an evasive manuver in the rain! You will be introduced to Mr. Asphalt in less than an eyeblink.
Don't worry bout it to much, just keep focused on your ride and have fun!!

 

Not to jump on the experience band wagon, but I will tell you that these bikes are very different than your previous bikes. I live in Naples, Italy for the time being, I brought a 750 Shadow with me. I found that I did way too much riding for a small cruiser (15,000 miles last year alone). Sold it to a European and bought an Ultra (with 4 miles on the ODO). Have had it for 45 days so far and have 2,000 on her so far. The roads here are slick as snot rain/shine. This bike produces so much more torque than the previous one, a slight twist on the throttle and the bike is digging in to go. Plus, the TBW was something to get used to. I guess, long story short, take it easy, not a sport bike and like others have said, its not the tires.

Cale

 

If it had just started rainin it could have been dripins from cars & trucks.