I finally got some proper rain gear and I actually enjoyed myself out there!!!
After getting drenched a few times going to school/work I got some waterpoof pants to go with my waterproof overcoat for my gear.
I couldn't believe how comfortable I was. If my helmet had a window wiper I'd swear I was in a car
handy invention you posted up there Jenny. I'd do it but that's just a tad too ghetto for my tastes haha! I'll just glue a full size wiper blade onto my sleeve and just whipe every so often. At stop lights I'll hop off my bike and see if I can collect change with a window cleaning for other cages.
Wearing some poor quality leather under there, but none the less layers and some leather between me and the pavement. Still wearing boots/gloves/helmet/ denim and the rain over pants. Plus side about riding in rain is less friction when you hit the pavement. It's like a slip and slide
But yeah I was as comfortable on my bike wearing the proper gear as I would have been in any other cage but a Porche/BMW/ or Mercedes. I had fun
As for emergency stopping I find taking more time for preload on the front brake avoids the lockups and makes them more predictable. I use the rear brake a little more as well. Just keep your distance and all is well
People usually don't understand when I tell them I kinda like riding in the rain or winter type conditions, but it's all about proper gear!
Shit If I was sopping wet and freezing my ass off I guess it wouldn't be any fun either!
Be uber careful about emergency braking and (even worse) idiots in cars though! Some of the saving grace benefits of a highly manueverable bike are negated when your traction/visibility drop down in poor conditions.
I have the same feature on snowboarding gloves and can attest to their usefulness.
Any Ctire or hardware store will have cheap windshield wipers you can buy, cut up and glue onto the side of the thumb of your glove... Same function for less. http://blog.makezine.com/wiperglove.jpg
Looks like I'm not the only one with this idea. Here's the link to instructions too.
Gore-Tex over gear. Good for my 30 min commute year round. Gerbing's heated jacket under gear for the colder months. Cagers see you even less because they don't expect we are out in the piss
just took a fantastic boot overnight to Winthrop, really enjoy that town.... sunny all day
got to the I5 at bellingham coming home and downpour
completely unprepared...leathers got soaked to the core
helmet fogged, visibility the shits...I see no fun in that
It's slick, oil all over the roads...cagers dont see you as their mirrors are less visible...with rain droplets
It is treacherous riding in the rain and would never been done out of choice for this boy
Motorcycling is strictly Apr - Oct 1st for this boy...you can have it
But...
The good news my Sidi Strada Evo Tepor Boots (recommend them) kept my feet dry as a bone, with dry feet you can stand anything for a short time I suppose
I to this day still do not get the riders who brag or mention that their rides haven't seen a drop of rain. Anyways, I enjoyed the wet/rain conditions today and wish I had a motard to have more fun in said rain....oh and the right gear for the conditions would be great as well.
I sometimes think it's quite refreshing riding in the rain. The gear accumulates a lot of heat and cracking open the visor while looking up feels nice. ahhhhhhhhh the simple pleasures of life!
remember to be extra careful when there hasn't been any rain for a while. Car oil and other crap build up on the roads!
8 bucks and you can transfer it to different gloves , use in Summer for the bike and then take it snowboarding in winter , problem solved ---- For grins, tell your friends that it cuts your "finger drag" by 30% (It doesn't really. At least we don't think it does . . .) http://www.greenlightstuff.com/swipe.html
I have been a fan of rain-x for a while. Only problem is and it is a big one, if the rain is a mist, you are screwed. Can't see a thing and you are doing the fingy thing constantly.
In order to keep the beading of the rain streaming off the visor you have to hit 120K or it will tend to stick to the visor, unless the rain is hitting pretty hard.
i find turning my head sideways blows alot of it off the visor. do it often, and it minimizes crap drying and building up.
on bigger trips when i have a tank bag, i keep a damp rag tucked in an easily accessible spot and wipe away when it gets real dirty. and a water bottle with a squirt top if it dries up.
My touring jacket comes with a thermal/WP liner for winter and a plain WP liner for.. whenever. That plus my waterproof boots and winter riding gloves keeps me dry but not always super warm. Heated grips are a must for this winter I think
ya I enjoy the rain as well I have fun cause the 125 is so light I just have fun locking up the rear tire and seeing how sideways I can get when coming to a stop
These have a squeegee on both thumbs so it works while moving (left hand) and at a stop (right hand). They've never leaked on me or got cold. Mind you I have heated grips. One issue is if you take them off in the rain then try and put them back on. If you're not careful the liner gets pulled out of the fingers, but once you figure it out it's not a problem.
Mountain Equipment Co-Op makes fantastic rain gear as oversuit for
motorcycle riding. It's high quality, effective and cost is reasonable.
(Pants $54 IIRC).
I have never done the squeegy thing... and I don't use any chemicals
on the screen. My RF1000 shield is shaped in such a fashion that
a slight twist of the neck one way or the other at anything over 60kph
just beeds the water back and out of the way.
And a good tip for road trippers is to carry a load of change so that
you can hit up a coin-op laundry to dry stuff out, and store your gear
in waterproof kayak bags if you don't have hard luggage.
Amen to the change thing... Also, carry a spare change of clothes! People look at you funny when you strip down to your underwear, and sit there for an hour while you wait for your clothes to dry... Let me tell you, it was worth it though...
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