riding in the rain?

[Fenixgoon]

so i desperately want to go on a ride today. i was going to take a friend out, and i really want to test out my new suit.

problem is, there's a 35-45% chance of rain in the afternoon worth going out? or should i just take the car instead?

FYI i have no rain gear

edit: weather.com calls for 100% chance of rain at 5pm. accuweather.com says clear skies till this evening. i love weather forecasts

 

[Merc250r]

Don't do it, why even take the chance? not also does it suck. You get your bike dirty, very dangerous due to braking, people see you less more chance of getting hit.

First day I got stuck with this bike in rain needless to say some dumb lady pulled out in front of me, slammed on the brakes rear slid a little but I controlled it thank god, not fun bro

 

[Soapartist]

so i desperately want to go on a ride today. i was going to take a friend out, and i really want to test out my new suit.

problem is, there's a 35-45% chance of rain in the afternoon worth going out? or should i just take the car instead?

FYI i have no rain gear

edit: weather.com calls for 100% chance of rain at 5pm. accuweather.com says clear skies till this evening. i love weather forecasts

After dropping a chunk of change on the riding suit, I'd be hesitant about riding in a downpour with it, unless you buy some raingear.
There is a ton of cheap raingear out there. Yes it looks like marshmallow man, but wow, sure keeps you dry.

Raingear :: MotorcycleGear.com

 

[Merc250r]

After dropping a chunk of change on the riding suit, I'd be hesitant about riding in a downpour with it, unless you buy some raingear.
There is a ton of cheap raingear out there. Yes it looks like marshmallow man, but wow, sure keeps you dry.

Raingear :: MotorcycleGear.com

I had to buy one because I got stuck at the bike store and it started raining. Needless to say it works good, but damn that thing gets you so hot

 

[Soapartist]

so i desperately want to go on a ride today. i was going to take a friend out, and i really want to test out my new suit.

problem is, there's a 35-45% chance of rain in the afternoon worth going out? or should i just take the car instead?

FYI i have no rain gear

edit: weather.com calls for 100% chance of rain at 5pm. accuweather.com says clear skies till this evening. i love weather forecasts

Just went back and looked at this Joe Rocket Trench Coat :: MotorcycleGear.com
Wow, this is perfect for summer riding because... it is a rainsuit, includes rain pants, and a mesh jacket (to wear as a stand alone in hot weather) underneath the rain jacket, + a fleece vest as well. Heck a mesh jacket can cost you as much as the whole meal deal on this one.
I never looked past the picture on this one (honestly it doesn't look like much from the picture) to realized how much versatility it actually has, then I actually went in to read the descriptions.

 

[Soapartist]

Don't do it, why even take the chance? not also does it suck. You get your bike dirty, very dangerous due to braking, people see you less more chance of getting hit.

First day I got stuck with this bike in rain needless to say some dumb lady pulled out in front of me, slammed on the brakes rear slid a little but I controlled it thank god, not fun bro

I don't know how much rain you get in FL, but if I don't ride in the rain, I can't get much riding time here in WA state.
The most dangerous time is the first 30 minutes of a downpour, because it takes that long for the rain to wash some of the oiliness off the roadway.
Yes you have to ride a little differently, and less aggressively in the rain, but with the proper gear, and a little more caution it can actually be enjoyable.
I have to lube my chain a little more often and have to wash the bike more often, but I love to ride and not riding at all because of a little rain is worse than just dealing with it.

I actually took my MSF in the pouring down rain, and fishtailed on an emergency stop LOL... all the instructor said was "good save", but it was fun!

 

[MNGreg]

I'm in the same issue. I desperately wanted to ride my bike to work today. Would have saved me atleast 2 gallons of gas. But looking at multiple forcasts they are saying high 40-65 % of rain around time I get off. I decided not to.

I got stuck in rain 1x before by accident. I thought it would rain, wife didnt. I went with what wife said. Suddenly enroute it just opened up.. TOTALLY SUCKED. I found why they say not to ride in the first 20-30 minutes of rain. Coming to a stop I hit a spot and my bike slid a little bit and so did my foot when trying to put down for the stop. Now I have a new rule, more than 20% chance = no ride (some exceptions close to home, further no way).

Once you have riding jacket/pants that double as rain gear or specific rain gear, it may not be that bad. But I didnt have my waterproof liners and it sure made the rest of the ride very miserable and cold.

Definately a hard decision. Best of luck making up your mind.

 

[Sparkxx1]

LMAO riding in the rain is SO much fun! You're missing out then. I can't wait till I do track days and hopefully I'll have some wet ones. Wet or Dry, fun is fun! :wav: Plus call me nuts but I think the funnest moments are if you start fishtailing just a slight bit and make it out alright.

Just make sure you're VERY smooth on the throttle, or you're going to end up on the ground. The suckiest part is drying your gear afterwards, especially if you don't have proper rain gear yet...

Oh yeah stay away from metal, paint, and the first 30 minutes of rain.

 

[GHOSTWITTHEMOST]

so i desperately want to go on a ride today. i was going to take a friend out, and i really want to test out my new suit.

problem is, there's a 35-45% chance of rain in the afternoon worth going out? or should i just take the car instead?

FYI i have no rain gear

edit: weather.com calls for 100% chance of rain at 5pm. accuweather.com says clear skies till this evening. i love weather forecasts

Where in Maryland are u? Lots of awesome routes around me, need more people to ride with.

 

[JSP]

I LOVE riding in the rain! Very soothing, relaxing... the smell. Its great. Nasty thunderstorms are a little different, but a nice steady calm rain is great. Just get some decent rain gear and have fun. Just take corners, braking, etc calmer.

 

[Soapartist]

I LOVE riding in the rain! Very soothing, relaxing... the smell. Its great. Nasty thunderstorms are a little different, but a nice steady calm rain is great. Just get some decent rain gear and have fun. Just take corners, braking, etc calmer.

In OR, you guys have weather about like us here in WA ... lots of rain, but it makes beautiful greenery.
I love the smell of riding in the rain, and also love the smell of early morning ride through country roads. The sweet smell of the forest, berries, blooms of the wildflowers ... one of the many reasons I ride in the first place.

 

[Fenixgoon]

well i ended up going out in the rain two up (it was fairly light, otherwise we definitely wouldn't have gone).

1) couldn't find a gas station with an air pump for the life of me. i was like "wtf" since the tires needed to be +6 on rear and +4 on front, so we were going on 36/32 psi rear/front, solo specs. i obviously took it easy, but....

2) the combination of wet roads, kinda tight curves, low pressure tires, and my biggest annoyance - those repair strips along the road - almost completely effed me over. we were in a turn and the bike caught one of those strips and started leaning way too far in, i could feel the rear tire starting to slide a bit. i put pressure on the right handlebar instinctively to straighten the bike out and recover. whew. that almost made me shit myself. having that happen solo would suck, but when you're responsible for another person's safety as well, and your margins are not as big as they ideally are.....well, suffice to say i was 100% focused on safety after that (before it was 99.99%). i was very glad when we got back.

all things considered it wasn't that bad a ride...but i'd definitely pick sun over rain, and the proper tire pressure BEFORE the duo ride rather than half way through.

 

[Soapartist]

we were in a turn and the bike caught one of those strips and started leaning way too far in, i could feel the rear tire starting to slide a bit.

Road lines, crosswalks, any kind of painted stripes on the roadway, manholes ... all slick, and can make you biff in a heartbeat.
Glad you got your ride in though.

 

[gdh8tsu]

Yeah, more chance to wipe and become road paste. Stopping sucks more likely to slide plus when it first start to rain the road grim grit and oil start to appear up making it seem like ur riding on ice. If you have to you have to but be carefull other then that find a place to grab a soda and just wait it out!!

 

[alaskanflyboy]

I'm actually pretty comfortable riding in the rain now. I just increase my distances, keep my head more on a swivel, and don't let myself get in a hurry. I also take corners a little slower, and hang off more in them to keep the bike more upright through the turn.

 

[iSpoolin]

I've only ridden in the rain once and I hated it. I couldn't see for shit.

 

[alaskanflyboy]

Rain-X on the visor helps, if your visor doesn't specifically advise against it.

 

[findmadhav]

hey guys... nothing happens to these bikes when ridden in the rain. You just clean up the bike when you get back home. You just need to be careful with the turns and the breaking. Make sure you have your high beam on.

PS: Back in India I have ridden in thunderstorms and floods too. When you are in knee high deep water, you need to keep revving in the 2 gear to make sure the bike doesnt stall because of water getting in

 

[alaskanflyboy]

This is the modern US. If there's more than 6 inches of standing water, I'm hoisting my bike to the roof and going to sit up there with a rifle to pick off the looters that soon will be ensuing.

 

[DragonBlu]

In OR, you guys have weather about like us here in WA ... lots of rain, but it makes beautiful greenery.
I love the smell of riding in the rain, and also love the smell of early morning ride through country roads. The sweet smell of the forest, berries, blooms of the wildflowers ... one of the many reasons I ride in the first place.

Berries,coffee stands,wildflowers,road kill deer, aahh yes the PNW. Smelled the odor of roadkill six times last weekend on a 130 mile ride. Rain riding is fun if you compensate. Hail,,,,not so much fun.