Rain OMG

[turbo chicken]

i'll keep this short...

- Didn't check the weather before leaving to work
- About lunch time rain was on the way
- Don't try and 'beat' the rain like I did. I ended up getting caught in the beginning of the rain and still had to pull over on the side of the road and wait about 15 mins before starting back on the wayhome. Just accept the fact that it's going to rain and ride in it after the dirt and oil gets washed away. BTW the road is still pretty slick
- Buy raingear!!! i've been holding off ... shouldn't have. My mesh jacket came with a raincover that kept the top part pretty dry. My legs, hitops, socks, gloves got soaked!
- Fact rain hurts at 40-50 mph on the freeway. ^ see above and get rain gear it probably helps. It felt like rocks were hitting my legs.
- The white lines and arrows at intersections ... SLICK ... STAY OFF!!! I had a scary moment when i just slid right past the walk way almost into the intersection.
- Go SLOW!
- Go SLOW!
- Side streets seem more slick than the highway ... just an observation

That ride was a learning expierence ... my recommendation avoid the rain if at all possible. There's a difference between getting caught in the rain while riding on a long trip and leaving while it is raining.

[jonathan180iq]

I just bought a rainsuit lastnight for $8.55. The first time I threw my leg over the bike, the pants ripped. So, don't get a cheap one. The cheap jackets work great, but the pants don't. Don't skimp on the pants

After 2 or 3 rides in the rain you get used to being wet. It's not really that big of a deal. Like you said, you do need to slow down a bit and be extra cautious of traffic.

Otherwise, I enjoy rain rides. I find them enlightening.

How can one appreciate the dry days without having experienced the wet?

[JIBTEXHNKA]

i have a pair of cheap rain pants with a tear right in the crotch. for 99% of the things i want to do in the rain, this is no big deal. but as you can probably imagine, sitting on a motorcycle with a hole right between your legs can make things soggy real fast.

[CANDY]

hey,don't know how much you want to spend,but the frogg toggs are fairly inexpensive and i think they work great. have used them a few times here in central alabama where the temp and humidity makes it feel like irt's raining most of the time.also have used them twice in a monsoon,for a short period of time :roll: and they kept us dry. they are very light weight,i roll mine up and put them in my backpack and so far are pretty sturdy. they are worth the effort i think.

[turbo chicken]

i'm actually looking at a one piece something or other on newenough.com ... probably will get some boot covers as well.
I've seen some negetive remarks about the frog togs ... so i'm on the fence about them. Perhaps i should solicit more opnions and look for some reviews. Cause that pricepoint sounds a lot more attractive than what i was looking at.


But i'd also like to add that the ride wasn't all that bad but being unprepared for the situation didn't make it an enjoyable one. I will be prepared next time in get caught in the rain. I will however probably never leave in the rain unless absolutely necessary.

[jonathan180iq]

I don't know what kind of prices you are looking at but you can find colorful motorcycle labled reainsuits, one piece, on ebay for around $35.

[LilNinja77]

I have a fairly cheap rainsuit that I bought for like $25 or something, but I've never used it......despite riding in rain quite a bit. My Tour Master textile jacket always keeps me dry, even though it's not marketed as being waterproof........I dunno, but 5 hour rides in the rain are no problem and it still keeps me dry, and my Joe Rocket leather riding pants keeps my lower half dry most of the time (the soft crotch panel will let water in after a while). The Tour Master overpants I have let more water in than I like, but if I KNOW I'll be in a lot of rain I wear them over the leathers and keep bone-dry. The old combat-boots come out for the rain, since my actual riding boots aren't waterproof at all, and I don't bother with waterproof gloves; my Alpinestars gp-pro's dry out pretty quickly so no complaints.

I like riding in the rain, except for the idiots in the cages that slam on their brakes and go sliding all over the place. Other than that just be smooth with the throttle and brakes and it's no big deal. Use common sense, be alert, and ALWAYS leave yourself an escape route when stopping.
Ride safe

[rayzuki]

I am still chicken about riding in the rain. I need more experience in the sun before I try it. But I did recently get a first gear jacket with a 360* zipper to attach pants and make it a "rainsuit" Anyone ever had anything like this before?

[LilNinja77]

But I did recently get a first gear jacket with a 360* zipper to attach pants and make it a "rainsuit" Anyone ever had anything like this before?

My Joe Rocket leathers zip together like that, but I've never tried it out in the rain while zipped together, since I normally don't wear that particular jacket when I know it's going to be raining........it's perforated leather.
Ride safe

[bigwonton]

I am still chicken about riding in the rain. I need more experience in the sun before I try it.

Same here - only have about two weeks of riding under my belt so far. I've got some rain gear but I'd like to wait till I have some more experience before venturing out in the rain.

[rbert16000]

I usually carry Frogg Toggs which are good for 60-90 minutes of medium rain, but I am looking for even better gear as I have found the frogg Toggs do not breath and collect moisture from within if worn over 60 minutes. Gortex? I heear that the BMW rain gear is very good (yes-expensive too), but after being caught in major (Long lasting, heavy) downpours before, I cant stress the value of good rain gear with alot of reflective material.
Back in the 70s, I was caught in a hard downpour from the Danish border to Frankfurt, On the Autobahn, on a GS 750. I had what was sold as the best rain gear available at the time, which was totally soaked through, by the time I reached Kassel. I was forced to stop and dry my clothes in a restaurant bathroom using the hand air dryers, which took 4 hours. I had to do this twice before getting to my destination at Ray Barracks, Fieidburg.
So always expect the worst when traveling. Buy the best you can afford.

[davtnn]

I got tired of getting soaked ... bought a set of frog togs .. never rains whe i ride now ... Hence .. Frog Togs cause droughts ...

[Water Warrior 2]

You could consider mesh gear with water proof liners that zip in for rainy conditions. Also handy for a wind break over warm clothing when it is colder.

[rexolio]

I'm laughing to myself while reading this thread...

Having been caught in the rain on the way home a couple of times (and realizing that rain drops hurt at 45 mph - and that the windbreaker I had did squat for keeping me dry) I left during lunch today to buy some rain gear and pickup some saddle bags.

Bought some frogg toggs. While there, it started POURING. I waited a while for it to ease up and to give the roads a chance to get "cleaned off" a bit, and then donned the gear and headed back to the office.

I'm sitting here now finally cooling off (humid as hell and my toggs felt like a sweat suit) and with my shoes, socks and bottom of my pants legs SOAKED.

So here's my thoughts:

- Frogg Toggs are okay (just had my first experience with them, though), but be honest with yourself - if you _think_ you're an extra large, make sure you're an extra large. I should have gotten the XXL... it's a bit short in arm sleeve length and as I mentioned above, the bottom of my pants legs are soaked!

- Do be careful when you get on your bike - as JIBTEXHNKA mentioned, I could tell that I almost ripped the pants. Had to stop mid-lift and give a little hoist to the crotch!

- When you buy rain gear, consider your feet, too. My sketchers are soaked through and through! Even though I stood in the store staring at some Tote zip up boots, I didn't get them like an idiot.

- Gloves work when you wear them. I bought them, but I didn't wear them. Genius!

[jonathan180iq]

For what it's worth, I have had just as much success with basic depatment store rainsuits as I do with motorcycle specific rain suits.

Walmart bags can be put over your shoes in a pinch.

Even with the best rain suit on, you're going to get a little wet.

[rexolio]

Even with the best rain suit on, you're going to get a little wet.

I don't mind getting a little wet - just feel stupid because I got MORE wet than I should have. But hey, you learn!