Do you scoot in the rain?

First topic message reminder :

My bike is black and is a pain to keep clean after riding in the rain,plus it's more dangerous, also rain gear.

Nope, no scooting in the rain!

DerrillW wrote:

Only if it rains when I scoot

Sounds about right.

Me too derrill W  

As a novice rider with 800 miles on my Swing plus a few hundred on my 150 living in the rainy Pacific Northwest I had decided that I need to learn to scoot in the rain or not ride for 9 months of the year. This afternoons commute was the first ride in rain that wasn't just sprinkles. I paid attention to what I was doing and just remembered what I have learned from all your shared experiences. Just want to thank all you for this.

Were riding in the rain were riding in the rain ,what a glorious feeling were wet again .But were happy again cos were scooting in the rain ha .Fact of life we get wet guess that's why skin waterproof ride safe .     

In Seattle, if you don't ride in rain...you don't ride.

I like riding in rain. The crazy motorcyclists leave their bikes at home in the garage.

Chris

Not at all, many, many miles in the rain on my Goldwing. Comfortable miles at that.

I commute so sometimes, I ride in the rain or I am stuck waiting it out. Riding in the rain should be avoided in my case when it just started raining (because water pushes oil up our of the roadway) or when I see standing water. That's one of my no-go conditions. The others are ice on the ground, lightning in the air, high winds or excessively obscured visibility (fog, smog). I don't feel comfortable riding below 10 degrees F but it's not a no-go. 0F is probably a no-go, however. A cab ride or rental car are a bunch cheaper than having to pay for repairs from dropping a bike let alone the medical bills likely to go with the fall.

KB

I think many people do not like to ride in rain because they lack proper gear....for me ride in rain requires proper professional quality jacket/pants, non flapping bright color! Rubber boots, even on scooter, either waterproof mitts or gloves and then please look over windshield so you can see where you are going. When I had to commute, below 40 Degrees F and Dark/wet I would wait until light outside....like to read road surface.

For me my present Darien (Aerostich) pants and jacket are at least 8-10 hours waterproof----old fashioned Wax Cotton (Barbour) worked for at least 8 hours in heavy rain.

I am not a real fan of electric jackets/liners-----have one stop working on trip, when that is all you have along to keep warm......mind changes. My jacket liner stopped working near Monterey MX and I almost froze-----caused expensive motel/hotel stay.----I do have electric Bib(Aerostich) works well with Burgman 400 as bike as standard cigar lighter plug in---something US model SilverWing does not and the Bib does feel good on wet days after a little water has run down your neck!! Day to Day not very handy as you are bound to bike with wires!!

Like rubber overboots--they not only keep you feet dry but add a layer of insulation/warmth. They can go on easy with a little Lemon Pledge sprayed inside.

One place for good Rain Gear in US is your local Harley dealer---stuff not cheap, but works.

John, I still use plastic bags like the ones we get our stuff in from Wal-Mart or grocery stores. Slide them over your shoes or boots and your rubber boots slip on with minimal effort. In a pinch I have used bread bags over my gloves to stop rain and it also stops some of the wind chill. Warning though, the ink will bleed off on your gloves and it is a bit clumsy using controls. And remember the days when we would resort to newspapers under our jackets or shirts to fight the chill? Nothing beats the proper riding gear but sometimes we get stuck out on the road without it.
Take care and keep those miles safe.
God Bless, Dick

Only if caught out in it.  That's never happened, thankfully.  I grew up in the Pacific Northwest and had so many good racing days crushed by rain that I simply hate it.
Here in CA we are looking at draught conditions this year and we could use rain, but it's given us nearly perfect scooting conditions.  Three days of rain this fall/winter so far.
No rain!

I probably won't haed out in a pouring rain, but if I am caught in the rain I won't be too bothered. My gear is in the trunk and I have new tyres. Our riding season is too short to wait for sunny weather every time I want to ride.

Fair weather rider here ... If rain is promised or looks like it ...no scooting for me. Not enough experience on the dry ground yet so not going to take on the wet ground.
Mike

I don't prefer riding in the rain but if I get caught in it while riding there's not much I can do about it.
My wife and I took two trips to Pensacola, FL from MN on my motorcycles (1974 Honda CB750 first trip and 1980 Yamaha 850 Special second trip) and got caught in the rain both trips. But back then we were young enough to not really care about it unless it came down real hard. On the way home one of these trips it was so HOT that we didn't even stop to put on our rain gear. The highway turned into two ribbons of steam when the rain hit.
Now that I'm OLD I pick and choose my trips as best as I can and watch the weather a bit more. I'm no longer a cold weather rider either. These old bones just don't like it anymore.

I avoid riding in the rain unless caught out in it. Not because I am afraid of getting wet,as I carry wet weather gear, but because of the (suburban) roads becoming like ice rinks when wet. Particularly those white road markings and the accumulation of eng/gearbox,coolant drops at traffic light intersections. Plus, most drivers do not drive to suit conditions i.e slow down when appropriate and/or do not increase safe braking distance between vehicles. Country riding does not pose quite the same level of risks.

Forgot to ask. Can anyone recommend a rain repellant for plastic w/screens/visors that actually works?

ericclapham wrote:

Forgot to ask. Can anyone recommend a rain repellant for plastic w/screens/visors that actually works?

   If you go to the search box and type in "rain repellent", your question will probably get answered without wandering off main topic. Or start a new thread, so any new products can be discussed.

ericclapham wrote:

Forgot to ask. Can anyone recommend a rain repellant for plastic w/screens/visors that actually works?

On the Clearview website they say I can use regular Rain-X. I put it on with an old T-Shirt that I cut up for a rag. Just make sure you put it on with care so as not to scratch the plastic. I use it on my pickup and love it.

Without wandering off the main topic... Yes it's all part of the game in the UK. Why is riding in the rain such a big deal to US riders who only have mainly a six month riding season anyway? If you have suitable rain gear to wear then wet weather riding isn't really a problem.

I find the only hassles are occasional visor and spectacles misting problems, and washing and cleaning the inevitable mud and road crud off the scooter afterwards.

With decent rain gear, an Airflow screen, lower wind deflectors, and a mist free visor you can ride comfortably in the rain for hours.

Thanks Dale. I'll give it a go. As for being flagged for a thread hijack ,to be fair, I do think that the question about repellEnt was quite relevAnt given the topic.

ericclapham, I believe the problem would be if a search was made for rain repellent it would be much easier to find if a new topic was started with the title "rain repellent". Yes both subjects go together but one probably wouldn't search for "do you scoot in the rain" to find out about rain repellent. I could be mistaken though.

ericclapham wrote:

    As for being flagged for a thread hijack ,to be fair, I do think that the question about repellEnt was quite relevAnt given the topic.

  I'm sorry if I offended you. I think Roger better stated the reasons for staying on the original topic.

Here in Hawaii it rains a lot. I do get caught a lot of times by rain and just continue with a lot more caution. I monitor the weather before going on the road. Some times I may wait up to an hour for the clouds to pass before I leave my work place. I slow down a lot when cornering on wet roads. I have this feeling that the bike is going to slide sideways from under me. Dry roads are no problem. I lean heavily while counter balancing. I wish that my bike had ABS brakes. Surely the next one will.

Point taken. No biggie