what brand of tire is best for traction in wet condions.need some ideas.

I live in Washington state where it rains sometimes what seems like forever lol.
I swear by my Metzlers wet or dry ;)

I've had good luck on Mezzeler 880s, and Dunlop Elite IIs. I think the Metzelers were better in the rain, but not enough to warrant their shorter life span. I prefer the Dunlops, they last longer on my bike. I drive in the rain a lot. I am breaking in a set of Elite IIIs. Haven't tried them in the rain yet. The most important part is slow down and be extra carefull in the rain.

A lot of folks like to badmouth them, but the stock D401's worked great in the rain for me. They are the only tire I've seen that actually have sipes in the tread.

I currently have the Bridgestone BT45V's, and they work excellent in the rain. I can honestly say that I spent 2 FULL days with them in the rain this past year. Unfortunately, they only lasted me a year, so I'm moving on to something else.

I'm going to try the Metzeler 880's next, and as mentioned by others, they have a good reputation.

The only high-end tire that I've read bad wet reports on is the Avon Venom X, although I've read other testimonials that rave about their wet performance. Confusing. Judging by their lack of grooves down the center, I'd be inclined to think they might hydroplane.

I did also read some less-than-favorable reports on the new Elite III over on a Gold-Wing forum. To me, those babies look like slicks with a few gratuitous grooves just for decoration. Again, other folks say they work fine.