Riding in the rain.

[kerrfunk]

I rode 50 miles in the rain today*. Mostly in the 40-55 mph posted range.

Any particular words of wisdom?

(4pm, about 40degrees F)

[jabberjoe87]

don't wear untreated leather

[dennis roy]

before you put your boots on...put plastic shopping bags on over your socks. When your boots fill with water...and they will fill, your feet will stay dry.

[mriddle]

Watch out for slick spots at stop signs .. traffic lights.

Taking off on painted lines can be exciting too.

[bwringer]

Treated faceshield!

The drops just slide right off. Also, the rain drops slide off better the faster you go.

Heated grips are niiiiiiiice when it's cold and rainy. The water actually conducts more of the heat to your gloves and your hands.

Riding in the rain is fun. Especially when you have good waterproof britches. Relax and flow...

[lurch12_2000]

before you put your boots on...put plastic shopping bags on over your socks. When your boots fill with water...and they will fill, your feet will stay dry.

I've done this too ,but on a cold, 250 mile, 40 degree night ride returning home from work in CT and using the plastic cleaner bags from the hotel room closet. I beat the predicted rain, but it worked great for the cold.... sandwiched between a thin pair of socks and wool socks to keep them in place too. I couldn't figure out what to use for my hands under my gloves, though!!

[tkent02]

soft sticky tires.

[kparkfan]

I just completed my motorcycle saftey class where it rained every day.Lucky me. Seen a bunch of people lay their bikes down. After my experience in the rain , my words of widom would be to stay home lol.


Treated faceshield

what in the world can you treat the face sheild with? I was told not to use rain x. sure could have used something these past couple of days. lol

[Steve]

...what in the world can you treat the face sheild with? I was told not to use rain x.

Here is what I use. It works on the bike's windshield, my helmet visor, all the Tupperware (body panels) on the bike, even the chrome mufflers.

[kparkfan]

I knew there had to be something. thanks Steve

[Macmatic]

Why not rain-x? I've used it on my visor the past few years with no issues.

My BRC was three days in the rain too! Also my first ride over 200mi was also in the rain, on the highway, at night.

...lived though.

/\/\ac

[mighty13d]

I took my license test in the rain. It poured that day. I stepped off the bike and water squished up from between my laces on my boots. I passed but almost got run over by a stupid driver. the tester didn't even tell me how I did, just said something like "DID YOU SEE THAT GUY?!?!" lol I had to respond that I did because he forced me to get on my brakes and swerve to keep from being run over!

My leather jacket kept the rain out aside from where it seeped through the zippers. It did stiffen up some too from the hours it spent in the rain. It's better now but took it a while to soften up.

[Clint]

Buy a good, quality set of raingear. With this sort of milage you are getting a lot of exposure to a wet and cold environment. It's not nearly as fun when your freezing. I have a 20 mile commute, and I live in Seattle. We get a lot of 40 degree rainy days here. I have a set of BMW rain pants, around $300, and they work very well. Dry in the rain, and they keep warm enough. My boots are a brand called oxtar, around $300. They are made with goretex, and have light insulation, with good protection in the shin and ankle; warm, waterproof, and protective. They are good sport/tour boot, so they are fairly comfortable to walk in after a lengthy brake in. Good gear is worth the money if you need often. My jacket is my regular leather all around jacket treated with a water proofing wax. In the heavy stuff it usually leaks through at the seam, but fine in a light drizzle. One of these days I will get a rain jacket I suppose.
Other than clothing, I'd say be careful. Use more caution than normal, especialy in corners and bracking, on panted surfaces, and watch out for deep ruts in the road at high speed- they make puddles.

[dpep]

Go slower; allow more distance; maintain more buffer space; apply controls gently and gradually. Avoid standing water AND painted surfaces. Keep in mind that the primary advantages you have as a motorcyclist for avoiding accidents which are maneuverability and acceleration have been taken away from you. And your primary disadvantage which is less visibility to other motorists has been magnified. Be paranoid. Don't do anything even remotely daring.

Two items you can and should address BEFORE getting caught in the rain are gear and tires. Pick your gear with an eye for visibility in low light condtions. Bright colors are better. A hi-vis vest in the rain is a good idea; they even have some with battery powered blinking lights. I am a big fan of reflective tape on the bike and on the helmet. Screw what it looks like.

With regard to tires the less tread you have the less depth of water you can safely ride through. Water is the reason tires have tread. Otherwise we would all run slicks. If you run through water deeper than the tread on your tires you have a big risk of hydroplaning--bad enough in a car, devastation on a bike. If you happen to be out riding with tires in the later stages of tread wear and you get caught in the rain, pull over and wait till standing water drains from the roadways.

[themess]

+1 for Don's post. And be especially careful at night.

To stay dry, wear a rain suit over your regular protective gear. Here are two rain suits, and one set of over-boots.

http://www.denniskirk.com/jsp/product_catalog/Product.jsp?skuId=3410075XXXL&store=Main&catId=&productId=prod1100595&leafCatId=&mmyId=

http://www.denniskirk.com/jsp/product_catalog/Product.jsp?skuId=3401413S&store=Main&catId=&productId=prod730002&leafCatId=&mmyId=

http://www.denniskirk.com/jsp/product_catalog/Product.jsp?skuId=3411768XL&store=Main&catId=&productId=p3411768&leafCatId=&mmyId=