Be it a car or motorcycle tire, the number and design of the "sipes" has a major role in how a tire performs in "wet conditions". A wider tire, in itself, doesn't assure wet traction. Sipes (grooves) which channel the water from between the road surface and tire tread are paramount to reasonable/good traction. Folks tend to forget that upon initial rain contact with the road surface, oil residue is lifting from the pores of the road surface. This provides for many accidents, cycle or car.
Attached are some photos of cycle rain tires. The amount of thread sipes are evident and surpass anything on a normal cycle touring tire.
Had some personal experiences with a 250 Avon Venom R on my Suzuki M-109 that scared the sh-t out of me. No matter how good of a rider you think you are, that quickly changes when the a$$ end of your bike starts passing you
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