Some ways to avoid hydroplaning

It’s always best to shelter from the rain, rather than try to ride your motorcycle through it. But, when the rain passes and it seems safe to ride, you may still encounter dangerous situations. Too much water on the road can overwhelm the tread on your tires and cause you to hydroplane. When you hydroplane, you lose traction, and therefore control of your bike. Here are some ways to avoid that.

Try to ride in the tracks of the vehicle ahead of you, because those tires will scatter some of the water away from the pavement.

Avoid riding where water is most apt to collect and where tires are less able to grip: on painted lines, snakes of tar that have patched the roadway, manhole covers, metal crossings, and puddles that look like rainbows.

Slow down as much as you can.

If you must ride through a puddle, coast if you can. If you can’t maintain your speed and direction, the way you would in a skid on ice.