Over 10 years old and I happened across this today. I didn't know they ran the bikes in the wet, but this guy and machine are one. The control and balance here is amazing:

 

That is super impressive and insane at the same time! I'm too scared to track my bike .

 

Now that's impressive.

 

"Ohh...that's superb..."

 

Not for me. Fun to watch, but not for me. I only have 2 *****......

 

Amazing stuff. So cool how the rear starts to step out in the correct direction for the upcoming turn under braking. And he still manages to pick up the front wheel a bit under acceleration in the wet!

 

MotoGP and WSBK always run in the wet. Flag to flag races are the most exciting things ever... They have a dry bike and a wet bike and will swap mid race...

 

Agreed.

Whenever I think I am hot $hit I look at motorcycle racing and realize that those guys are the real $hit.

I can't even imagine doing that in the dry, never ind the wet.

 

Yup, same here, with the small exception being I never think I am hot chit (read: I know I suck). Everything else, spot on.

What those guys do is the definition of insanity to me.

To be that close to the edge, WOW!!

 

I got this... Best comment on the video :

 

Probably everyone here knows this, but if you want to observe riders with serious attachments, check out some helmet cam videos from the Isle of Man race

 

Why do I think he also has experience with water skiing and bumper hitching? First time watching it I thought he was going to get back on the bike. I wonder what the treadwear rating of his shoes are? Also can't help think he was lucky that was a smooth track with no dry spots.

 

Is it possible that controlling a bike in the wet isn't quite as hard as it looks? Back in my off-road motorcycling days when I was a kid, I remember the bike moving around quite a bit but rarely going down, maybe because you can directly manage weight, CG, etc. by moving your body around. By comparison, with a car you can only control where the weight of the car is indirectly, through the steering, gas, and brakes. Curious to hear what people with recent experience in the wet with both cars and bikes have to say about this.

 

Interesting question but that would make this one of the only things in life that is easier than it looks. Agree with the point about direct weight management, but even if the bike doesn't go down, it sure can slide off the track. Do bikes spin?

I'm curious to hear as well...

 

Gyroscopic effect of the wheels on a bike could also be a factor? Negligible for a car, but maybe significant for a bike. I never came close to spinning on my bike, and the one or two times I went down, I went down slowly.