Rain gear recommendations

Not wanting to hijack the "Do you scoot in the rain?" thread, but on a related subject, maybe it's time to have a rain gear discussion.

Now if you are a Chicken Little and run home at the first hint of rain then this discussion probably isn't for you.

So for those of use who do ride in the rain, what do you wear...what rain gear do you feel in the best? Given the legendary dismal weather in the UK it will be good to have the input of our fellow rider from there.

What kind of foul weather gear are you all wearing?



Tim

I use frogg toggs we get a lot of brief showers and then the hot Florida sun comes out. They breath good enough that you can wear them until dry then the jacket and pants can be rolled up together to fit in 6" X 10" bag. They work good for for me. Now if it rains hard and long I always forget to pull the hood out of the collar. If you don't put the hood on under your helmet water runs off your helmet down your back.
I look forward to hearing others opinions.

I recommend looking through previous topics as rain gear already been covered a couple of times. With our 'legendary dismal UK weather' it's more useful for us to prioritise our $30 spending on a rain suit to go under the seat to quickly pull on when it rains, rather than stuff we don't need like a fancy under seat light switch, a beverage holder, or emergency ammo for the handgun.  

Frogg Toggs tend to "Pill" in my experience.

"Pilling" is like when you wear knit slacks and are heavyset, and your thighs rub together, and you get those little balls of material from the friction that roll up and fall off...Those little balls are called "pills".

FTs will do the same thing, resulting in an extremely short shelf life. If you are heavy, and slide around on your seat, or walk in your rain gear a lot, I wouldn't recommend them.

I once tried rejuvenating a well pilled pair of togs by using the spray used to seal tent seams and make them waterproof. Did not work.

If I lived in San Diego, where rainfall is 10 inches a year and I have a choice to scoot or cage, they might be a cost effective investment. Their benefit is that they fold up into a small space and are not expensive.

However any place that is going to see a fair amount of rain, such as Miami, a better investment is required.

Two points on rain gear---nice cheap 2 piece suit carried under seat for those times when near home ---you get caught in rain---usually jacket enough to get home a little dry.

Serious rain riding professional quality gear such as my Darien Light jacket/Darien pants and rubber boots will keep you dry for about 8-10 hours. Waxed cotton works too with all day keep dry...but can stink/make you a little greasy.


Another point: gloves/mitts---none seem to work completely well for me on SilverWing with little hand protection so I carry many pair. I like the hand protection from wet of Vespa with the right windshield or HD handlebar fairing-----Guess designers of modern stuff are not riders.

Flapping of garment is tiring/bright colors nice/ and with windshield looking over so you can see what you might hit.

john grinsel wrote:

gloves/mitts---none seem to work completely well

Agreed, and there's no fun wearing cold, heavy, rain soaked gloves; even less when putting them back on after a stop.

I wear thin, latex gloves under my bike gloves. They act as a barrier against both the wet and the cold.

Colin B wrote:

<>I wear thin, latex gloves under my bike gloves. They act as a barrier against both the wet and the cold.

Don't those latex gloves cause your hands to sweat? I know that when I use them for working on the scoot that there are puddles of water in them when they are removed. Well, maybe not puddles, but they sure are extremely wet inside.

Tim

Sometimes a little moist perhaps, but warm and moist (similar principle to a diver's wet suit). Better than cold and wringing wet.

Latex gloves do make your hands sweat, wear them for any length of time and you'll get about a teaspoon full of perspiration inside the gloves. I was used to wearing single, double, and occasionally triple pairs at a time for specific jobs in the ******* industry on a daily basis for the best part of 40 years before I retired.

You can become quite dexterous in time wearing a couple of pairs of these gloves, even picking the end of a roll of electrical tape becomes easy.

Wearing them for any length of time leaves your hands looking wet and wrinkly like you've spent too long in the bath tub. It's when your skin is like that you can also develop an allergic reaction to the latex which results in a type of rash to your skin, and in the worse case scenario anaphylactic shock.

I personally wouldn't wear them under, or over motorcycle gloves. I've always been amused by that old bikers tip " Keep your gloves dry by wearing an old pair of rubber washing up gloves over them." Given that most washing up gloves are sizes S and M to fit woman's hands, you'd need at least XXL or larger to go over a riding glove.

I have found that a pair of light cotton gloves worn on the inside of a pair of rubber dish-washing gloves is a great water proof solution for keeping the hands dry.

I have tried Frogg Toggs, and for the most part they were effective for a short time. A full day of riding in the rain soon revealed they weren't in it for the long haul. The Aerostich suits are indeed the Cadillac of rain gear, but at that price they should be.

TourMaster makes a great suit the Sentinel - http://www.motorcycle-superstore.com/1417/i/tour-master-sentinel-rain-jacket shows the jacket, the pants are in a link below the jacket description.

Nelson Rigg - http://www.motorcycle-superstore.com/53962/i/nelson-rigg-as-3000-aston-rain-suit?WT.ac=SLIsearch

I have the TourMaster set and it rolls up quite small, the Nelson Rigg is less expensive and they are a quality company so I'd guess that they may produce a good alternative.

I bought an Aerostich Roadcrafter two-piece at great expense in 1990, I know it's supposed to be the gold standard go-to suit for hard riding touring types but I was rather disappointed with mine. I wouldn't class it as rain gear by any stretch of the imagination as I bought a XL Hein Gericke one-piece rain suit to fit over it. That combination worked well enough until you unzipped the rain suit to find a layer of condensation between the rain suit and the 'Stich, exactly the same as perspiring hands inside latex gloves.

That's why breathable rain gear is the only way to go.

I use a Goretex suit (Rukka) which seems to be adequate most of the time but I really like my RainOff over mitts which I bought in New Zealand, they are are easily packed and they keep my hands warm and dry in foul weather.

bikerboy wrote:

I really like my RainOff over mitts which I bought in New Zealand, they are are easily packed and they keep my hands warm and dry in foul weather.

Which type do you use mate? I originally got the 2x2 finger lobster claw type which I thought were a bit clumsy unless I was wearing similar style gloves like the Hein Gericke Pathan.

I now use the 1x3 finger style Rain-Offs, but usually the Airflow keeps the worst of the rain off my gloved hands, and I've now got some hand guards I've yet to try out in a real downpour.

john grinsel wrote:

Waxed cotton works too with all day keep dry...but can stink/make you a little greasy.

John,

I've never heard the term "Waxed cotton" before.
Is that what Frogg Toggs are?
If not could you enlighten us a bit more what you mean by that?

Waxed cotton is just that; the material is waterproofed by rubbing wax into it.
In the UK it's the sort of clothing used by country gentry when doing country gentry sort of things.
The garments need regular attention not least because if the wax dries out it cracks and becomes rather unpleasant.
It's very waterproof.

dspevack wrote:

I've never heard the term "Waxed cotton" before.  Is that what Frogg Toggs are?  If not could you enlighten us a bit more what you mean by that?

Sheesh Dan, where were you in the 50's, 60's & 70's? Waxed cotton was the stuff for serious riders to wear. Think Ace Cafe‘, Sammy Miller, Steve McQueen, and currently Jack Bauer is saving London & the world from terrorism in his classic Belstaff jacket.

Frogg Toggs are Goretex lined fabric that actually allows body moisture to breathe out while keeping rain from entering the fabric.

Tim

Born in 65.
Took my Motorcycle safety course in 1990.
Didn't buy a bike until 2004 (My first bike was my Silverwing)
All I know about Steve McQueen, is a Mustang and a chase scene.
Never watched 24.
No idea what a Belstaff jacket is.
I have 5 college degrees, but I feel so unedjumicated. ::sigh::

dspevack wrote:

Born in 65.
Took my Motorcycle safety course in 1990.
Didn't buy a bike until 2004 (My first bike was my Silverwing)
All I know about Steve McQueen, is a Mustang and a chase scene.
Never watched 24.
No idea what a Belstaff jacket is.
I have 5 college degrees, but I feel so unedjumicated. ::sigh::

5 college degrees !!! Wow, that is a lot. What are they in?

I've heard of the Three Degrees but not five.  

Damn !!! I almost have 6 college courses. just kidding

1.  Radio & TV Broadcasting
2.  Film Production Technology (Movie Making)
3.  Photography
4.  Business Administration

5.  For my AA I have the elective credits to declare it in both Theatre and Psychology.
But you can only get one AA. Otherwise I'd have 6 degrees.

In the American college system, 12 credits or less is considered part time.
18 credits is considered a full course load in a given 16 week semester.

I set the state (and I believe the national) record with 46 credits in 1 16 week semester.
6 days and nights of classes per week on 3 different campuses.
During the spring/summer semesters (6 week or 12 week courses) I was able to get in 29 credits. (another record).

69 Credits are required for an AA or AS degree. I have I think a couple hundred+.
Its been awhile since I've been in school.

In the first 3 degrees + theatre, many of the required courses were elective courses on the other degrees, so I worked the system.

By choosing to be self-guided, I avoided the guidance counselor system. Staff didn't figure out what I was doing until 10 weeks into the 16 week semester.  By the time they did, I had a track record for doing well in all my courses, so they allowed me to continue.  After that, they had their computer program rewritten to flag for review anyone taking more than 21 credits.

But......We're getting off topic. Back to raingear recommendations please.

Smart @rse!      

A popular misconception in the waxed cotton fetishists community is that Steve McQueen wore a Belstaff Trialmaster waxed cotton jacket as a member of the US Silver Vase Team while competing in the 1964 ISDT (International Six Days Trial) in Erfurt, East Germany.

McQueen did indeed wear a waxed cotton trials jacket and pants in the ISDT but it wasn't a Belstaff, it was from that other traditional British waxed cotton clothing manufacturer Barbour International. Such is McQueens icon status that Barbour recently brought out a Limited Edition replica of the same waxed cotton jacket complete with the US ISDT badge and covered with synthetic mud splashes!

Colin B wrote:

Smart @rse!        

From where else would you get a wisecrack?

For Dspevack-----before you push people around as admin.....get educated on MC/scooter stuff, ride, read.

Current Aerostich catalog can bring you up to date on waxed cottom

Belstaff---once famous English company, changed owner ship....made/makes good stuff

Barbour----makes mc stuff...not much anymore, but for the horse set now for the most part.

Frogg Toggs----my take not for really serious rider/all day rain rider---- for the GoldWing/scooter rider in white tennis shoes, looking for place to get out of rain.

Meldrew----I agree on early Aerostich, had both one piece suits (3 as I recall) and 2 piece----early ones not really more than 1 hour waterproof----now I think they are.   Darien is waterproof, pads a hassle, pants  not so comfortable as over pants, but seem to work well with only long underwear underneath and "braces" to hold up  HOWEVER: if I still had to dress up and work, the one piece would be choice for riding to office---easy on/off.   When I rode to the NorthCap in Norway, One Piece Aerostich worked well---often slept in it outside----Over top riding I wore XL size Barbour---with feather jacket as liner, the Barbour/Aerostich combo kept me dry and warm----the wet hands...on that trip rode Honda XBR500S(GB500 with twin seat and center stand) and Pacifico Fairing with great hand protection...gloves/hands stayed quite dry/comfortable. Wish SilverWing had good hand weather protection.

John,

The skills for admin are different from the skills for riding.
One is not a requirement of the other.
I'm always getting educated.
When I don't know something, I ask.
That's how I get educated. That's why I asked you.
Thank you for directing me to a source of information.

I also corrected your spelling. Free service. You're welcome.

Dan

who cares about spelling. I am published 11 times....and you? I thought this was 2 wheel deal...
Admin should be about riding and know something about riding/bikes....not about power?

Apparently ok to pick on me-----but I cannot respond without being admonished. doesn't bother me but not fun sometimes. I am rider, not do gooder.

1. Actually, I'm published 4 times.
2. Admin should know about both, riding and power, and I do.

(I'm not going to get into a debate with you about how much we each know about riding.  
We both know you know more. I don't need to meet your standards to do this job.
My credentials are well established in the silverwing community by my actions even before
this board existed, and I don't need to enumerate them to impress you)

3. You would be surprised how many times I come to your defense.

Every time I do come down on you, you claim I'm making a power play.
I asked you a simple question and you turned it in to a dig about me using power.

john grinsel wrote:

For Dspevack-----before you push people around as admin....

In fact the only reason I ever come down on you boils down to your lack of respect for others, myself included.

Now can we get back to raingear recommendations?

John,

Did you ever belong to the  www.silverwing.org  site?  Dan built that site where it was by far the best SWing site on the web.  The owner was just a control freek and let the site go downhill.  Dan knows a lot about the Silver Wing and probably had the nicest one around.  He has also ridden many miles as well.  But there is a big difference between knowing about bikes or riding and running forums.  

So, I'm not really sure why you are getting on Dan's case.  It can be difficult at times being an Admin on sites and people don't always appreciate when we need to do something.

But this is really about the Rain Gear so maybe we should just go back to that topic out of respect to the person who started this.

Hmmm.. it's beginning to look like explaining about the Second Amendment isn't such a big deal after all.   Especially if done so while wearing one's Joe Rocket 2 piece rain suit.

LDB wrote:

Hmmm.. it's beginning to look like explaining about the Second Amendment isn't such a big deal after all.    Especially if done so while wearing one's Joe Rocket 2 piece rain suit.

2nd Amendment...Was that the right to bear arms...or the right to arm bears??? I forget.   

It doesn't matter which I guess if you don't have a good rainsuit where you can get to your gun...
Or are we arming bears with rainsuits...?  I'm confused now.


Dan

john grinsel wrote:

who cares about spelling.

I do!  This is a written forum. Words are all we have. Correct choice, spelling, punctuation and layout are all important if the writer's thoughts are to be correctly interpreted by the reader.

john grinsel wrote:

I am published 11 times....

You must have had a very patient editor/publisher if your manuscripts were anything like your writing style here! Your posts are more like a 'find .....the... missing ,,... words' game. Is it really too much to ask you to present your posts in a more coherent style? (Please DO NOT tell me that you are not a computer geek.)

john grinsel wrote:

I thought this was 2 wheel deal...

It is.

john grinsel wrote:

Admin should be about riding.....not about power?

It's NOT about 'power'. The rôle of admin is to ensure the smooth running of the forum and to deal with any technical problems and misdemeanours.

john grinsel wrote:

doesn't bother me

Therein lies the issue John. You appear not to care about anyone. You seem to be interested only in telling us how experienced you are and how much better that makes you. Your final line sums up your attitude....

john grinsel wrote:

I am rider, not do gooder.

That shows utter contempt for the rest of us.

Do not think all are do-gooders----just ones who go on defensive. Yes, I have experience, and wasted lots of money on bikes/stuff that is waste of money....sometimes I can pass on good info meantime I actually use bike as good transportation and travel machine-----but people that are worried about spelling,etc are more into form and format.

I have no contempt for anyone, just interest in bikes----realize there is power thing in running these formats. Ok to jump on me I guess but I should say nothing back,ha.

Yep, definitely a less contentious topic when discussing 2A subjects.   

John, I asked you to remove the contentious 'admin' remark and you haven't.
No, it is not acceptable to snipe at mods or admins and I won't tolerate it - full stop.
The request was made in private by PM; now it's public so do it.

john grinsel wrote:

Do not think all are do-gooders----just ones who go on defensive. Yes, I have experience, and wasted lots of money on bikes/stuff that is waste of money....sometimes I can pass on good info meantime I actually use bike as good transportation and travel machine-----but people that are worried about spelling,etc are more into form and format.

I have no contempt for anyone, just interest in bikes----realize there is power thing in running these formats.   Ok to jump on me I guess but I should say nothing back,ha.

Seems like this response is a little defensive.

Colin B wrote:

john grinsel wrote:

I am published 11 times....

You must have had a very patient editor/publisher if your manuscripts were anything like your writing style here! Your posts are more like a 'find .....the... missing ,,... words' game. Is it really too much to ask you to present your posts in a more coherent style? (Please DO NOT tell me that you are not a computer geek.)

Truer words have never been written.

John, It might help us understand if we could read some of your published works.  After all the ability to read your in depth thoughts might make us a little more enlightened.  Could you give us some of the titles perhaps?

   Back to the rain gear discussion please. It was going so well until everyone decided to rain on John's parade. See, a rain connection.  :lol!: 

I cut my Motorcycle riding teeth so to speak in the early 70's riding in the wind & rain between Croydon and Central London for work and College every day and throughout the winter until 1980 when I moved to Canada.
I purchased at great expense at the time an insulated two piece reflective 3M suit made by Dunlop. Best piece of riding weather protection I have ever owned. I used silk gloves under my gauntlets, a silk balaclava under my Griffin full faced helmet, long wool socks under well waxed tall boots and can honestly say I never experienced an ounce of water penetration, with the exception of under the visor when trying to clear fogging. Fogging was eventually eliminated with a little trick of rubbing washing up liquid on the inner face of the visor.
Don't ride in the rain any more, don't need to, done that, been there and bought the T shirt.

Griffin helmets, now's there's a name from the past. I had a Griffin Clubman back in the Seventies with the row of little round mesh vents at the bottom of the visor. All the stuff you wore before you moved to Canada is pretty dated now, apart from those old fellas who spend most of the time in their sheds fettling long defunct Brit bikes with big hammers and Mole grips, I can't remember the last time I saw anyone wearing gauntlets or long boots.

It's all right saying 'don't ride in the rain anymore, don't need to, done that, been there and bought the T shirt', all that stuff you've described was when I started riding back in the early 70’s too. There are times when you get caught out in the rain, with or without your rain gear, or you've far from home when the heavens open up, or you've planned a trip somewhere and it's maybe going to rain continuously for a few days, what do you do?   

Griffin's were one of the first full face helmets with a larger viewing area and visor! I forgot I had a white silk scarf flowing in the wind from the back of my Griffin!
As for riding in recent years I only have done it recreationally and need a 3 day rain clear weather forecast before heading out of the garage. Seriously though I have a rain suit stored under the seat for emergencies, yet to be used!

Meldrew wrote:

I can't remember the last time I saw anyone wearing gauntlets or long boots.

You haven't met my wife then.   

Chilliwing wrote:

Griffin's were one of the first full face helmets with a larger viewing area and visor! I forgot I had a white silk scarf flowing in the wind from the back of my Griffin!

It's a long time ago now but I once had hair flowing in the wind from the back of my Griffin!   

Are you sure that wasn't from the cute girl on the back of your bike?

Sheesh. and here I started this topic so that it wouldn't hijack the "Do you ride in the rain? thread. The topic here is "Rain gear, Rain gear, Rain Gear!

You guys are making me feel like that Bee Gee's song: "I Started a Joke... "http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=KSxuvNGSrmc

Tim

Tim,

I watched the video but couldn't spot any of the Bee Gee Sisters wearing Rain Gear!

I'm resigned to the fact that the majority of members here are incapable of resisting the temptation to post the first thing that comes into their mind, relevant or not.
It's not helped by the fact that some members take themselves too seriously.
Questioning the efforts of the moderators to keep some sort of order is never a good idea: this forum is not a democracy and it needs to be borne in mind that it is free to members, the costs being met by one person who just happens to be a moderator!   

I wore Frogg Toggs on my Goldwing through many downpours. I plan to get another set soon. Most amazing with Toggs is one can wear them at the event as a walk around rain suit. Slight breeze blow right though these and a person does not get hot wearing them ( within reason). I have no idea how these work, air blows through and water does not. They do work well, are light weight and roll up into a fairly small bundle.

The only thing I've learned from this topic is that on the other side of the Pond rain gear seems to be limited to Frogg Toggs and nothing else. No mention of anything more motorcycle specific from Scorpion, Joe Rocket, Icon, First Gear, Tourmaster, Olympia, etc.

Meldrew wrote:

The only thing I've learned from this topic is that on the other side of the Pond rain gear seems to be limited to Frogg Toggs and nothing else. No mention of anything more motorcycle specific from Scorpion, Joe Rocket, Icon, First Gear, Tourmaster, Olympia, etc.

Not sure if my original post was lost in the kerfuffle....

jdeereanton wrote:

I have found that a pair of light cotton gloves worn on the inside of a pair of rubber dish-washing gloves is a great water proof solution for keeping the hands dry.

I have tried Frogg Toggs, and for the most part they were effective for a short time.  A full day of riding in the rain soon revealed they weren't in it for the long haul.  The Aerostich suits are indeed the Cadillac of rain gear, but at that price they should be.

TourMaster makes a great suit the Sentinel - http://www.motorcycle-superstore.com/1417/i/tour-master-sentinel-rain-jacket shows the jacket, the pants are in a link below the jacket description.

Nelson Rigg - http://www.motorcycle-superstore.com/53962/i/nelson-rigg-as-3000-aston-rain-suit?WT.ac=SLIsearch

I have the TourMaster set and it rolls up quite small, the Nelson Rigg is less expensive and they are a quality company so I'd guess that they may produce a good alternative.

I have been using Stearns fishing raingear for years on my scoot. $20 for a good jacket, same for pants. The set also makes mesh into insulation if it gets cold!!