Riding in the rain...

[alanmcorcoran]

After giving it some thought, I postponed my two day trip and went on a 300 miler one day-er that started and ended in my garage. As someone above pointed out, "if you're not having fun, what's the point?" I'm sure there will be a longer window of predicted clear skies in the future.

[Joho]

I drove from Ft Lauderdale, FL to Myrtle Beach, SC via I-95 in August 2008 (rainy season!)

The ride *to* FL was great! Sunny skies, warm wind - an all around great 10 hr drive.

However, the ride HOME took 13 hours, and it was raining 50% of the time. I had become so worried about visibility on the interstate that I tied a bright red/green t-shirt to my backpack. This made me feel a bit safer, but I had not dressed for the rain and was completely soaked. (down to the underwear)

I was VERY lucky that it was not cold enough to induce hypothermia. I made it home in one piece, but since then, I am weary about riding in even light downpours, simply because I hate arriving at my destination wet.

[Easy Rider]

Originally Posted by Joho

I was VERY lucky that it was not cold enough to induce hypothermia.

Sounds much like my ordeal, though mine was much shorter but somewhat colder......as my teeth would chatter at times and had to stop once or twice to let the "shakes" pass. :skull:

I certainly feel your "pain". On my trip, with steady light to moderate rain, I found I could NOT stand the interstates; trucks that normally don't bother me are formidable foes when they are throwing up a WALL of water. Thankfully I had a sparcely traveled 2-lane as an alternative.

Two "words":
Rain suit
Flexible schedule

While I don't dwell a lot on what I might do if the rider or bike "breaks" during a trip, I DO give some thought to what the options are if the weather turns nasty. Strapping the bike into the back of a rental truck is always the last option.......for breakdowns too, I guess.

[dhgeyer]

Riding in the rain, in my view, is not an ordeal, and can be almost as much fun as riding when it's not raining. But, you have to have gear that keeps you dry, and you have to be more careful. Traction is compromised, and so is visibility - yours and other drivers' ability to see you.

I got into touring about 7 years ago - a week, two weeks - three weeks. On longer rides, you just have to accept that a certain amount of rain is part of the adventure. I'd much rather ride in rain than sit a day out in a motel room doing nothing. There have been days when I rode hundreds of miles in steady, hard rain.

I've been through several rain suits, and have yet to find one that will keep me dry in a steady, day long rain or a shorter heavy downpour. Frog Togs don't even come close. I have a two piece Tourmaster rain suit that's a little better, but the pants won't keep me dry if it rains much. The top works quite well, and is brightly colored to help people see me.

What really works is a pair of riding pants I got at my BMW dealership. Didn't look at the brand at the time, and the only marking I can find on them now is "Reviti". Anyway, they are all weather pants with a removable liner that has kept me warm down to 20 degrees Fahrenheit, and dry in steady, hard rain for hours at a time. My Olympia riding jacket is completely waterproof, but if I'm expecting rain I put the Tourmaster rain jacket on over it anyway. I don't get wet at all. You need good boots with Gore Tex. Everything must fit so that it overlaps like shingles. And, of course, a full face helmet with a good rubber seal for the face shield. The HJC's have never let me down. Years ago, in a little hardware store in Andover, Ohio, I bought a pair of rubber coated, bright orange gloves. I think they're designed for linemen, but I'm not sure. They don't leak at all, and have just enough cuff to overlap my rain jacket. This whole outfit will keep me totally dry in a day long hard rain in any kind of riding.

People with more money buy one piece, all weather riding suits. They will protect against almost any kind of weather except extreme heat, and there are solutions to even that problem. One day maybe I'll invest in one of those.

I actually find it rather exhilarating to ride in the rain. But, you do have to recognize that there is some increased risk, and be extra careful. As pointed out, you don't want to do this on tires that are badly worn, as you need those grooves to prevent hydroplaning. And you don't have as much traction as on dry road.

One other thing. On bikes with chains, you want to relube the chain immediately after riding in any rain that amounts to anything.

As I write this I just got back two days ago from a ride up to Watertown, NY and back. Not a real long ride, and dry some of the way. A lot of light rain on the way up, and a horrific thunderstorm for the last hour into Watertown. I got suited up early, as I have learned the hard way several times that, after it starts pouring, it's too late to put your rain gear on - you're going to get soaked anyway! Anyway, it was about 350 miles each way from here, all two lane, and I enjoyed every mile of it, rain or shine!

There is a certain die hard culture among some riders, who say "If you don't ride in the rain, you don't ride.". I wouldn't go that far myself, but I gotta tell ya, the way this year has been around here, if you don't ride in the rain, you don't ride much!

[alantf]

Originally Posted by dhgeyer

you have to have gear that keeps you dry

Not being able to afford the fancy prices they were asking, in England, for riding gear, I went to a camping store & bought a two piece waterproof suit designed for hikers. This was around 10 years ago. I still use the suit - just spraying it, each year, with waterproofing solution. I've had no problems, & it keeps me dry. I wear a 3/4 helmet & the only exposed area (when I put on the suit) is around the mouth. The suit rolls up into a mesh bag, so it's small enough to keep in a saddlebag, all the time.

Just in passing - A coupla years ago I bought a can of reproofer in a giant supermarket, over here. When they passed it through the scanner I realised that somebody had made a BIG mistake, as the price came up as a few centimos (a dime?), so I went back in & bought the entire stock (around 15 cans). Over here the law says that they must sell at the asking price, so they were obliged to let me have them, so I'm set up for a few years to come. :2tup:

[davedrave]

I live in Ireland and so definately ride in the rain. Im actually dryer on the bike than I would be using public transport PROVIDED I have my wet gear on the bike.

Little tip: Although obviously not as protective, ski pants give great rain and cold protection and are usually much cheaper than motorcycle trousers

[burkbuilds]

Lately I have been riding in the rain a lot around Atlanta. It's not my favorite weather to ride in, but as dhgeyer pointed out, dress for it and you don't really get wet, just takes a little longer at both ends of the ride getting into and out of all that gear. As Easy pointed out, slow down, don't risk taking the turns with a heavy lean and give yourself some extra room for braking. If the car in front of you locks it up on the highway you probably will need more room to stop under control than that car will, so back off. As to enjoyment, well, I don't enjoy riding in the rain as much as I enjoy riding on beautiful sunny days, but as I got off the bike the other day in a heavy downpour I remember thinking, "I'd rather be on the bike in the rain than in my truck".

[Easy Rider]

Originally Posted by burkbuilds

If the car in front of you locks it up on the highway you probably will need more room to stop under control than that car will, so back off.

Very true.....and somewhat understated.

The car panics and locks up all 4. That will probably result in a momentary loss of control that can be corrected with just a little skill.

The bike on wet pavement, however, if all the wheels lock up, you won't have time to recover before you are down and sliding. Back WAY off ! :cool:

[alantf]

We have a BIG problem with cars/rain in Tenerife. The Spanish are just not used to those conditions, so when it DOES rain, one of two things happen. They either just keep on driving at the same crazy speed (and I've never seen a rainy day, yet, without 3 or 4 BAD accidents) or they slow down to walking pace, holding everyone up, & causing the mad drivers to overtake & cause even more accidents. I reckon that it's not more traffic cops handing out tickets that they need - just more educating. Having driven in England for most of my life, rain is just a way of life on the roads, so it amazes me, just how much it throws the Spanish drivers. Thank God it never snows!

[Water Warrior 2]

It's not just the rain in Spain. Rain anywhere seems to make drivers go brain dead and stop using common sense.