3 Reasons why you SHOULD ride in the rain

[Rolls_imp]

This is a quick video of a local Monsoon Ride from two weekends ago. I missed this ride, but a friend videoed it. This has been our weather lately. My rain gear is a windbreaker. I need to fix that.

I did ride about 90 miles in rain today by choice, which rather unusual for me. Maybe I need a "checkup from the neck up."

Good local scenery in our rainy season. Enjoy!

 

[clearviewx]

well done....

 

[Cormanus]

Your mate did a great job, Rolls.

I rode an hour or so in a deluge on Friday. My wet weather gear didn't work; but, hey, I feel better about it after watching that.

 

[the Ferret]

I have ridden in the rain so many times in the last 50 years. Can't say I really enjoy it. It's just part of being a touring riders life. On every 9 or 10 days tour there are generally 2 days of rain. Sometimes deluge type rain. Have never found gear that will really keep it out for an extended period of time, especially gloves. I would rather get caught in it, than take off in it, but of course most times you don't have a choice.

Slow down a bit, stay as vertical as you can, leave extra space for stopping, avoid paint stripes on the road, and tell yourself it's only water lol.

 

[redbirds_imp]

Riding in the rain in summer can be a pleasure; it's the only time the air conditioner works.

 

[uscgmac_imp]

I believe riding in the rain can be a good learning tool so if you do get caught out there you are not taken by surprise. One of my first experiences of riding in the rain was a little nerve racking. After that day I never had a problem riding in the rain. A long time ago I got caught in a brief rain storm and someone in a car shot out of a side street past the stop sign and not making a full stop. I locked up the brakes and went down then slid into the back of a parked car. This was on a different bike over 25 years ago. Another time I got caught on the NY state through way going up state in a down pour next to 18 wheel semi trucks without the proper rain gear and that was a out 3 hours of fun. Now I'm fully prepared. Proper rain gear. I check the weather radar. My touring bike has anti lock brakes. I always check my tires. Stay out of center of lane. I don't follow to close. And I have much more confidence in the tires and my skills over the years have much improved.

Sent from my SM-T350 using Tapatalk

 

[kballowe_imp]

Rain is something that FOLLOWS me around. And, it runs in the family........

If you ride with me, you WILL get rained on. If I bring my Brother along - it's gonna be a storm.

Me, my Brother, and my Son went on a ride and we got a GD tornado !

So YES, we have rain gear !

 

[TINK_imp]

That was fun! :banana:

I learned to ride in Seattle, so, if you did not ride in the rains there, you did not ride. :biker:

Over the years I've ridden in the rain for work, for fun, for the heck of it.

Like the video says; practice, practice, practice. Riding in the rain is not really that hard.

Just remember, you have next to no traction for acceleration or braking, so, smoooooth inputs are the key here.

 

[Mikestib1_imp]

Not me. I spent 9 months riding in the UK and Europe everyday. It rained at least a third of them. I was on a Suzuki T350 Rebel and the hours spent avoiding accidents took all the pleasure out of those days where it rained 6 hours straight. In an all day down pour, give me any 4 wheeled cuss box. The rest of you can enjoy it on a bike.

 

[suhawk305]

And to add to the precautionary advice above: If the road pavement has been dry for a long period of time, the pavement could have oil and other residue deposits in the surface voids, especially at intersections and in heavily traveled streets. A sudden rain will bring up these residues making the sliding friction coefficient between your tires and the pavement surfaces near zero (or, its gonna be danged slippery!). What I usually do is to pull of the road during this situation (hopefully under a bridge) allowing the rain to wash off this slippery residue before I proceed.
When I was a yute (New York lingual here), I was tearing up a 4 lane street in a town on my hot Honda CA95. A sudden rain storm happened and traffic came to a stop. I hit the brakes on my 16 HP crotch rocket and I began to slide. Luckily, the CA95 was small enough that I was able to steer/coax it between rows of cars without hitting anything or falling down! As ferret said, leave plenty of room ahead of you.
Also , avoid wet piles of leaves raked at the edge of streets. That story did not turn out well for me and my broken collarbone.

 

[IndianRider_imp]

1: Riding to remind me of the good old days riding during the monsoon on 2 strokes back in India ( no choice of owning or driving a car )

2: To keep up with the wet weather riding skills

3: Why not test all the expensive and fancy waterproof MC gear we have here which is still used 99% in dry conditions

 

[jimgl353_imp]

track days in the rain are the bomb! you don't really understand how good today's tires are until you do it.

 

[Nortoon_imp]

Riding a bike in the rain is like driving a car in the winter. Ride a little slower with more room for stopping. No sudden moves either accelerating, steering, or stopping.

Expect drivers to behave badly if it is raining heavily, especially if thunder and lightning are involved. It makes them nervous and distracts them.

Even if the roads are not wet, leaves are dangerous. The ones on top may be dry, but the ones underneath may not be. I learned that the hard way the first year I started riding. Fortunately no damage done to me or my 305 Yamaha.

When Penny and I toured on our Goldwing, we had fleece lines rubber boots in the trunk to change into. We left our leather gloves on, but covered them with rubber linemen's gauntlets. There is no such thing as waterproof leather boots nor gloves despite the ads.

 

[Rocky_imp]

Given a choice, I never deliberately ride in the rain because I don't enjoy it.
But over the past 25 years I've ridden in lots of rain far from home while on a tour/trip when there was no other choice but to go on.
I have good rain gear and tires, and I understand the perils of a sudden shower on possibly slick pavement, so I've never had a problem.
If I have to do it, then I do it. I just prefer a sunny day and dry pavement.

 

[736cc_imp]

Safest tip for riding in the rain is DEFINATELY use your gearbox properly to slow down and less use of the brakes. As mentioned above, avoid road stripes (and tar snakes), and the first couple minutes of a light rain is very slippery. And don't ride in middle of lanes, more oil is spilled there.
If going on a vacation trip, if it's raining when I'm planning to start, I prefer to wait it out because I have the choice. Vacation should be stress-free.

 

[Cormanus]

1: Riding to remind me of the good old days riding during the monsoon on 2 strokes back in India ( no choice of owning or driving a car )

2: To keep up with the wet weather riding skills

3: Why not test all the expensive and fancy waterproof MC gear we have here which is still used 99% in dry conditions

... and discover none of it really works.

 

[Nortoon_imp]

A number of years ago I bought Columbia Wetskins rain gear for fishing. It's expensive, so I waited until it was on sale. Its been tested a number of times over the years and has kept me dry both on the water and the road.

Most motorcycle gear does not have a hood, so the water drips off your helmet and down your neck. Fishing gear does and it is small enough to wear under your helmet.

The Columbia stuff breathes, so you don't get wet from the inside-out.

Like a good tool it may cost more, but mine is still like new.

 

[Cormanus]

That's probably right. The only thing I've ever found that really keeps water out on the motor bike is a set of ocean racing wet weather gear.

 

[SteveO_imp]

Very well done. Both humorous and informative