Riding in the rain  By  nate7504 (Read 1,361 times)

I love riding in the rain...

Before I got my pirelli tires riding in the rain was kinda scary, my bike would slide on the road and I'd almost fall all the time, but now the grip is just the same either way. My mother's incessant worry forces me not to ride in the rain sometimes, but I enjoy the experience. ;D

I was at my biker friend's house one day and it started pouring outside where my scooter was. I said something to the effect of "Holy ssssshhhhiite muslim, my bike!" and he replied "Yeah, don't worry. Bikes are water proof." Now, I wouldn't go that far, but they're definitely water resistant as my scooter has never had any trouble after driving through puddles or driving in the rain.

I've only had my bike for five months and I get caught in the rain all the time, so far I've been through wind, rain, snow, hail, etc. ;D

If you get water in just the right area it can and will mess something up. Most of the time you are ok tho and sometimes people who ride in the rain and then have starting problems are having issues not even related to the rain. Just coincidence.

I rode to another town in a typhoon with flooding , heavy rain and wind . I almost died 3 times from cagers . Just before I got to where I was going I had to dump at least 3 ozs of water out from my sleeves and I had water standing 3 or 4 inches above my ankles inside my Tyvek suit . Yeah it is designed for spray painting ETC but has worked great in less of a storm .

I have bought a few throw away ponchos and I have rain pants but the vinyl stuff makes me get so hot as it is not permeable an when its humid and not rainy . I prefer to wear Freeze Out longjohn pants and under shirt as they are windproof ( extra layers in the front ) and water resistant , along with my waterproof boots and gloves with a FF helmet .

Make sure lights work and the headlight lens is clean . I have used RainX on car windshields but found regular carnuba wax works way better as it fills in scratches and pits so its smooth and water runs off instead of stand . NEVER use RainX on a face shield or eyeglasses . I tried it already and had to wash it off with hot water . RainX also makes an Antifog solution that works on auto glass but I found Scoots AntiFog spray at www.cyclegear.com works on headlights , eyeglasses and face shields . An application can last up to a week depending on conditions just make sure to clean it streak free before applying it .

I have gotten caught in the rain with out a helmet and I can only stand to go 45 MPH with my lips tucked in as it stings my face . With my wrap around Oakleys with foam pads it blocks rain and wind but prone to fog when wet and or in the winter . Normal glasses the get foggy and allow rain to still hit my eyes . Keep extra distance from cars and it will take extra stopping distance in the rain . Try to ride on the right side on a lane in order to be in drivers view of those behind you and ride in the tracks of previous cars as the water will be less than where it is not disspursed . Slow scoots stay of the right side and yield to cagers so they can pass you .

Having a reflective vest or coat helps improve others to see you

Dragonspeaks that is a great idea . I put Vaseline on the battery terminals to prevent corrosion and bulb grease on the headlight

Good point & at or degrees I think they all(well maybe Not) become liquid.

Dave

Vaseline has petroleum in it and putting that stuff on battery terminals could cause a fire.

Rode the entire week here in Southern Florida despite the Tropical Storm and had no problems at all. Just get decent tires with a good rain tread and the correct wet weather compounds and you should be fine.

The Guardian Rain Suit that I got from Motorcycle Superstore for $39 has served its purpose well for 2 years now and only allowed a little seepage in the Tropical Downpours. It is not to heavily insulated with just a light flannel lining to prevent condensation so the cooling effect of the rain evaporating as you ride is just enough to make the ride tollerable in the summer. Just need to make sure you adjust the collar so it goes up under your full face helmet and strap the pant cuff over the tops of your riding boots so they do not ride up. I use a couple of ball and loup tent bungies for this. Water proof riding gauntlets that go over the cuffs of the sleeves and have good sinch straps are a must to prevent infiltration there.