Bonneville America Forums Forums Rider Safety Forums Helmets and Gear Who rides in the rain?

I kinda like slabs in the rain when all the gear is working right. Back roads not as much with the slippin' & slidin'.

Back when I had a lucrative career, I bought 4 or 5 different "motorcycle" designated rain suits. I couldn't get with the Frog Tog heavy paper thing. Felt like wearing a Tyvek house wrap. My Frog Tog suit went to work with me and now looks like Rag Tag. That's nothing to do with the quality, just long term abuse. If that "I'm wearing a frikkin cardboard box" thing doesn't bother you, then Frog Togs are probably just the ticket. It drove me koo koo.

My favorite - a Walmart $20 2 piece suit made by a famous maker whose name I forget at the moment. It packs very small, and works very well. It's a lined nylon thing. Their (discontinued around here) $20 motorcycle covers were awesome too. If anyone can still get these covers, I'd be much obliged if you'd send me one...

New favorite rain pants - Cabelas pack light Gore Tex pants. They work very well, and pack extremely small, around the size of an empty paper towel tube or smaller. I paid half price from the Bargain Cave. Doubt I would have paid full retail. Cabelas pricing is usually too high for my cheapniss ways. Their site is down at the moment, but if anyone is interested, I think they call this style pack light or pac lite or something like that?

Daughter gave me a Helly Hanson rain coat for Christmas. To her extensive dismay, I insisted upon orange. She felt that was dorky, but I am, after all, a dork, and proud of it. It's a good coat, but man are they over priced. I think it was $80 for a plastic rain coat.

After reading this
http://www.webbikeworld.com/motorcycle-boots/treds-rain-boots/
I invested in a pair. They are awesome, and go to work with me too. Very light in weight, but also very durable and flexible. Worth the high price if y'ask me. They don't pack too well. I bet the Aerostitch overboots are excellent too.

I think it was Moe or Glazer who once said "There's no such thing as breathable rain gear." I spend a lot of time humping a snow blower and shovel all Winter at work, and I would have to agree with this statement. I can manage the sweat with high performance base layers, but the rain coat ain't breathing very much - that's for dang sure.

I think Frogg Toggs are exactly that, coated Tyvek. They work though.

I don't even own a 4 wheeled vehicle so I have to ride rain or shine no matter what temp it is. I recently bought a Triumph one peice rain suit and like it very much.

Got my new FroggTogg bib overalls. They are much beefier (double walled, Tyvek type material on the inside, plastic on the outside) than my original pair. Fit tighter too but I'm used to the huge 4XL, not these 3XL--they do fit over jeans on me but probably not chaps. They have zippers down the front and the sides below the knee. Unfortunately this all means they're much bulkier. I guess I'll keep my older, lighter ones around for warm weather trips (for occasional rain) and take these newer ones when rain and/or cold are much more certain.

This worked well for me last fall. I haven't been caught in a steady rain since then.
http://www.leatherup.com/p/Xelement-Rain...suit/94725.html

Update: the new Frogg Toggs bibs worked very well on my way to Keith's house a couple weeks ago. Got positively drenched between Creston and Trail BC. Thankfully I brought my Fieldsheer Zero Condition jacket and waterproof Joe Rocket gauntlets so my only real issue was water on the inside of my faceshield.

I live in South Florida. In Summer we have two kinds of weather:
Rainin' & Gonna Rain.
But I ride 300 days a year. I have a Fieldsheer 1-piece suit.
Got it on sale for $49. I also carry a big contractor's size
garbage bag. When it rains, my backpack goes inside,
then gets stapped to the passenger seat.

And you've got that stylin' Honda Element for when it rains.

(The wheels do look nice, I was just bustin' your chops. It's what I do. )

I get wet.


Really. I'm only a mile from work, and while I don't have a car, I can't be arsed to get togged up. I have a waterproof jacket and will put that on.

Ok I'm slightly lying... if I'm going to work, I put a pair of lightweight over trousers on, but if I'm coming home, I get changed as soon as I walk in, and get wet.


If it's not work and it's raining, it's not important and I don't go out!!!

So you ride in the rain with no rain gear cause it gets ya wet or in spite of it getting ya wet.
I wear alpine star rain gear if I just gotta go in the rain. Here in Texas we may never have to ride in the rain again.

Thanks D me too. They're about 2 hours from my stomping ground right now.

I generally try to avoid riding in the rain, but there are those days when there's a chance for the wet stuff and it really cuts loose. I keep my old GoreTex rainsuit (pants & parka) in saddlebags just in case. So far the goretex has kept me pretty dry. I couldn't get use to riding in the FT rain suit I got a couple of years back for backpacking. I dunno, The FT suit (pant and parka) seemed too flimsy to be very road worthy for very long. Both were packable enough, but the Goretex has been holding together much better than the FT suit.

My new FTs performed exceptionally well coming back from Ozbasm last month. I rode through a thunderstorm at high speed (it was a good road and no traffic) - kept my speed through small hail (that only lasted about 5 minutes though before I was out the other side) and torrential rain (that was about an hour's riding) and freezing temps- nary a leak and no sweat - even when I stopped for lunch at maccas and couldn't be bothered getting out of my gear.

I avoid planning rides where there's a good chance of rain, but living in FL, I get caught in the rain a lot. I always carry my rain gear in my saddlebags (rain suit and gaiters). I'd prefer to not ride in the rain, but I'm not gonna let it stop me from getting home.

I was just thinking of how I left my raingear at home today. (I took the raingear out yesterday to make room for beer, err groceries) Bummer. Then I remembered that I rode the mountain bike today. Double bummer! At least the rain has stopped and it looks clear for the ride home!

Those who wear froggs what model do ya wear?

These

Tech Toad ... but i found the hood slightly uncomfortable when it is rolled up at the back of the neck - just a bit too bulky. I would get one without a hood next time. I rode through torrential rain and didn't get any down my neck with the hood down - so I think the hood is superfluous.

Everything else about it was great.

Road Toads. Reflective green on top and black pants. Work well.

Road in the rain tonight,,,,misserable experience, still beats a car though....except in the ice...

Found this. So I thought I'd share

It looks like it helps with the ladies too

I don't know what's being said, but I guess it might be something like "air filter recommend for passengers in case of uncontrolled farting"

I went to your club web page. Thanks for the Geocities flashback.

Mask is Asia? ----> Avian Influenza (H5N1)

I don't know about other asian countries, but in Japan if a person is not feeling well, they wear a mask to not infect other people. It's hard to imagine wearing a mask into a bank here in the US. You see people wearing them all over there.

Regarding the rainshield. There are so many scooter couriers and such, as goofy as it looks, better than working all day soaked.

I'm pretty much an all weather rider, well for the most part. I won't ride if I know there's ice on the roads. Rain itself really isnt an issue. The only gear I have is a Tourmaster Rincon jacket aand Frank Thomas pants, both textile with removable liners. Sold as water resistant but I usually spray them with some Camp dry every 4 months or so.Oh, and decent gloves for winter and summer. If i was only gonna be a fair weather rider I would have bought a Harley.

Tell me at a 1:50 he wasn't taking a dump on the side of the road...

Funny stuff... I ride every day (just got back from a little morning head-clearing jaunt) but the speedmaster stays parked unless the weather's good. Mine handles kind of nasty on wet roads, and randomly stops running when it rains.. I take the absolutely dependable road king, I have a one piece riding suit and bell 500 helmet for bad weather. I've been in the car 3 days in the last 6 months.. dang snow. I was slippin and slidin pretty good Friday on the way to work, freezing fog and plenty of black ice, but I hate the cage. You can bash my Harley all you want, but my Triumph is the garage queen in my stable.

I ride in the rain a good deal. I've never had a problem with the bike not running in the rain, but I also moved the electrics under the seat long ago. I just wear my old snowboarding gear (Grenade). They're warm, keep me dry, and have lots of pockets.

@ Andy, Just poking a little fun at you guys with Harleys, only because most of them I know are afraid to get them dirty or even wet.

I stopped at my local dealer and chatted up the salesman. He was bummed to hear I was keeping my America for ever. I asked if he was selling many t- birds or rockets. And he said well spring is near and the guys that only ride their bikes on sunny days are coming soon to Michigan. I told him last year I decided I own a bike and I'm going to ride that old girl rain or shine. Love my trusty trumpet even in a good summer thunderstorm or a dry winter road.

i have frog toggs. i also have some bilt over pants that aren't so great but they were cheap. i also have antifreeze jacket and glove liners. they're decent.

I don't intentionally ride in the rain, however, every isolated thunder shower always seems to find me. I wear lined Triumph riding gear. Unless it's a downpour, it'll keep you warm and dry.