[Guest]

Rode most of the way home tonight in the pouring rain. I thought that jacket pockets would be waterproof but their not, my money and registration got wet. I have a mesh jacket and my shirt sleeves got wet too.

It was the hardest rain I've ever ridden in, about 20 minutes worth. I'm glad that there wasn't much traffic, visibility was cut in half, and had to watch braking distances, can't say it was fun but anytime I get to ride clear I'm taking it even if the weather forecast for the day is going to be iffy.

 

[spooph]

not fun? What! I've found riding in the rain to be very relaxing... I mean, once you get over the wetness, and cold, and the part where the rain drops feel like BB's hitting your legs and such forth...

But seriously, I do like riding in a drizzling rain at night, it calms me. Heavy rain on the other hand, when you can feel the sheets of water almost pushing you off your bike is rough, so I hear ya Max..

 

[Guest]

I think the lack of clear visibility is what I disliked the most, especially water on my helmet shield.

 

[spooph]

Rain X...

 

[Guest]

Rain X...

If I thought it wouldn't F the shield up, I might use it.

 

[Guest]

Might, will probablly get wet tomorrow too.

 

[spooph]

This is too funny dude! I posted I like riding in the rain yesterday, and today it's thoroughly wet here.... Time to honor my words...

 

[Blue Ghost]

Riding in the rain sucks! Especially if your underwear gets wet. Rain X for the car glass will cloud up and ruin a plastic shield. There is Rain X for plastic, but a little wax or plastic polish works just as good. I use the spray cleaner & polish I use on the bike on my shield and rain runs right off when you turn your head slightly to the side.

 

[spooph]

what kind of shield do you have Ghost? Manufacturer and tint or finish please...

It's interesting that you say that, cause I use just regular RainX, and haven't had any issues with it yet. Great suggestion though, thanks! I've also heard, in a pinch, vaseline works, and creates all kinds of fun flares out of oncoming headlights!

 

[Blue Ghost]

I have three Plastic shields. 1 clear, 1 smoked & 1 mirrored.
I have put Rain X on the smoked one as a experiment to see how it would work. It went on fine but left a haze that was really hard to come off even after buffing like the instruction said. When it did get wet it spotted and streaked on the shield. I had to use a plastic cleaner to get the streaks out and the luster back to the shield. It may be that it also depends on the quality of the material used to make the face shield as some are better than others. There are also many mixed results as to the use of Rain X on plastic shields. Also where I live at, bugs are a BIG problem and having a little wax on the shield , front fairing, and headlights makes them much easier to come of after a ride. without having to break out into a full wash job on the bike to get them off. Just a simple wet towel works great and a occasional reapplication a wax. I hear Pledge even works in a pinch. I have known some pilots to use it on the shields.
When I want a funky and scary effect riding, I just take off my glasses and ride at night on some back roads with a dark shield! ;D

 

[hi-tech]

, vaseline works, and creates all kinds of fun

fixed

 

[spooph]

Thanks BG, but what I meant was who manufactured your helmet? KBC, HJC? Shoei?

Thanks for all the great info!

 

[Blue Ghost]

Fulmer makes the Helmet.

 

[Blue Ghost]

I thought there might have been a few more Riding & Safety Tips about riding in the rain. It seems quite a few people have ridden in the rain and snow, either on purpose or by accident. In either case there are some things to consider for those who have not had the joy of doing so yet. One of the first things to consider is visibility. Your ability to see in either a light drizzle, shower, fog or downpour is essential. So make sure your visor is capable of repelling water and potential fogging on the inside. I find riding in drizzle and fog worst at slow speeds because the water droplets are smaller and do not roll away as fast as bigger drops. Most times your speed will decrease with less road visibility. Second is to make sure you have good traction. This should bee a no brainer. Keep your tires properly inflated and make sure the treads are in good condition. If you plan to do extended periods of riding in the rain. you may want to lower the pressure in your tires by a few of PSI. This and reducing your overall speed can help reduce the potential for hydroplaning and help provide a little extra rubber contact if you should lock up the rear or front during braking. Also reducing your lean angle by hanging slightly off the seat in a turn helps keep as much rubber on the road as possible. Third, make yourself more visible if you can. Sometimes this may not be possible, however prior planning and preparation goes along way. Whenever I go on long rides (which is most of the time), I keep a reflective belt and vest, portable air pump, the waterproof liner to my jacket, glove liners, flashlight, cable lock, a couple of small microfiber towels, kickstand disc and cable lock in my back pack. (I know it sounds like a lot) Wearing anything reflective will increase you chance of being seen. Most drivers will turn on the headlights when it is raining. Water on a windshield and light reflecting off of an object can be readily seen by an alert and cautious driver. I think there is almost nothing worse than a grown ass man riding a motorcycle when when his draws are soaking wet and it is cold. But that is just me. (Even though I have been in some worse situations.) You are going to be much better off if it starts to down pour by pulling over in a safe spot if and when possible. Car spray and high speed are not good factors when riding, especially when streets start to hold water. I am sure that others have some advise from their riding adventures in bad weather. All I can say is ride smart, ride safe and enjoy cleaning your nasty bike after the ride! ;D

 

[spooph]

Good stuff BG! My advice: As rain starts falling, or starts turning to snow or ice, move more and more of your braking to the rear brake. On snow/ice you should be using your rear brake EXCLUSIVELY, cause once you loose that front tire, you're toast... With the 250 you can still brake reasonably hard in rain/standing water (not nearly as hard as on dry pavement of course).

You should be fine in the rain at constant speed, except for maybe puddles or a huge wave of spray kicked up by a car coming the opposite direction or passing you...

The big problem with riding in "slick" conditions is almost exclusively BRAKING/STOPPING/SLOWING DOWN...

I have had to ride home in the snow/ice and have had BOTH brakes be ineffective. As in, I'm not TOUCHING my front brake, and every time I use my back brake IN THE SLIGHTEST, the tire breaks loose... There have been a few times I've had to jam my feet into the road and actual "pull" the bike to a stop with my legs and arms... Those were some fun times

If anybody is SERIOUSLY interested in "snow/ice" riding, along with all my other projects, I'm working on a set of "tire chains" that could be used all the way up to 80mph on a moto, and taken off in about 15 minutes. If you'd like to help me with this design let me know...

I want to strap my snowboard to the back of my bike, ride up to the ski-resort, snowboard all day, and ride back at the end of the day, cause I could jump on the should and pass all them large 4 wheeled vehicles "stuck in traffic", and the cops couldn't catch me, cause they too, are stuck in large, 4 wheeled vehicles....

 

[Zandit]

Had my first ride in the rain tonight, took our bikes down to Indies house for storage cause of some home reno's. Not much fun and a little scary I must say. My Ninja felt ok, but then I got onto Wifeys CBR125R with 80 front/100 rear tyres and was scared Sh*tless!!!
I could feel every divot in the road, and with the wet and very windy conditions, the bike felt all over the place!

 

[Indie]

Get on a cruiser and feel like your on a dry road.

 

[Zandit]

would rather have all of my teeth pulled out one-by-one!!

 

[BlackBoar]

I've yet to go out in the rain on purpose, but I got caught in it an hour from home once. It was light but steady. I reduced my speed (to just below the speed limit) and that felt fine for rubber contact on the road. I found if I kept my legs tight to the bike and hunkered down a bit, a lot of the rain was deflected by the fairings and missed my body. I also found that if the drops were building on my sheild, a quick turn of my head left and right and the wind wiped it clear. Worked well.

As for heavy fog, that was tricky. We had a heat wave a couple of weeks ago and riding home afterwork at 4am was in a wet/foggy environment. The bike was covered in condensation and the roads were wet, even without any rain falling. The mist built on the shield and did NOT wipe off with a head turn left and right, I had to keep the shield up a lot.

And Zandit, I'll meet you at the Dentist office, we'll get a 2 for one deal on the pulling!

 

[Racer X]

I like riding in the rain till my clothing gets soaked. The 250 ninja is great because it is light. going into a turn The weight andlack of power make it very forgiving.