Rain gear: What do you have? How well does it work?

Erci

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I have heard nothing but great things about aerostitch.

Eric, I noticed your thread about cageless living, too. Coincidence these two threads are made at the same time? I think not lol

Definitely no coincidence.. I used to have the lazy option to not ride in the rain. Rain never bothered me, but I rarely intentionally ventured out into a downpour. Now.. occasionally I have no choice.
 

PhotoAl

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Joe Rocket mesh jacket, worked great in the small downpours in Florida. Get hot, get wet then air dry for the next 30 miles. :)

However to keep dry my favorite is a thin FrogTogg jacket, put it over my regular jacket and it does great. First Gear pants are good when new but do leak after wearing for a year or so. Best is Frog Toggs top and bottom - the cheap $20 pair from WalMart is the best. Have ridden many miles like that and stayed dry except for feet - current Sidi boots do leak a little. Joe Rocket boots were great.
 

VEGASRIDER

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Definitely no coincidence.. I used to have the lazy option to not ride in the rain. Rain never bothered me, but I rarely intentionally ventured out into a downpour. Now.. occasionally I have no choice.

I know you are aware of the risk. FYI>>>of the three times I've been down, it's because of wet and slippery or in the latest incident, icy conditions. Most riders (smart ones) would have not been riding under those conditions.
 

Wildcat_drvr

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I have a Scorpion XDR 3/4 length coat with matching pants,they have a zipper in back to join them together. :thumbup:
They did their job of protecting me rather well when I high-sided in the rain at 30,after hitting a big patch of oil while changing lanes,that was caused by a car running over a quart of oil that had bounced out of a lawn service trailer. :spank:

The gear came with two layers that zip in,a waterproof layer and a thermal layer.
You can't zip the thermal layer in without the rain layer so if it's cool and dry you still have to put the rain layer in if you want it to fit correctly.

It can be raining so hard most riders are under an overpass and I'm still riding,dry inside my gear!:cheer:
The problem is the outer layer is soaked.
I mean SOAKED! And Heavy! :(

If I go into a store I leave a puddle under me that looks like I didn't make it to the john in time. :eek:
Anything in the pockets of the coat is going to be wet,,,I carry zip-lock bags for the things that I want to keep dry.

You better have your rain layer in before it's starts to rain as you have to remove your gear,including your boots,at least mine,
(Red Wing Loggers) as they wont go down the leg. :rockon:
It's no fun putting the liners in when the outer is wet.

IMHO, I think an over the gear type would be so much better!
Rich
Edit:My coat is Hi-Vis Yellow-Green,people still don't see me.
Make like a Fighter Pilot,Head on a Swivel and make sure you check your 6 often!
 
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Brackson

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I have a Scorpion XDR 3/4 length coat with matching pants,they have a zipper in back to join them together. :thumbup:
They did their job of protecting me rather well when I high-sided in the rain at 30 after hitting a big patch of oil while changing lanes that was caused by a car running over a quart of oil that had bounced out of a lawn service trailer. :spank:

The gear came with two layers that zip in,a waterproof layer and a thermal layer.
You can't zip the thermal layer in without the rain layer so if it's cool and dry you still have to put the rain layer in if you want it to fit correctly.

It can be raining so hard most riders are under an overpass and I'm still riding,dry inside my gear!:cheer:
The problem is the outer layer is soaked.
I mean SOAKED! And Heavy! :(

If I go into a store I leave a puddle under me that looks like I didn't make it to the john in time. :eek:
Anything in the pockets of the coat is going to be wet,,,I carry zip-lock bags for the things that I want to keep dry.

You better have your rain layer in before it's starts to rain as you have to remove your gear,including your boots,at least mine,
(Red Wing Loggers) as they wont go down the leg. :rockon:
It's no fun putting the liners in when the outer is wet.

IMHO, I think an over the gear type would be so much better!
Rich

Sounds alot like the gear I recently bought. An interesting perspective that I will consider when I do finally ride in the rain with the new gear. The jacket I expected to get wet, but its mesh so it should dry quickly when the rain finally stops. I had not considered the mess it would make when going indoors from the rain though. Thanks for this insight.
 

payneib

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I know you are aware of the risk. FYI>>>of the three times I've been down, it's because of wet and slippery or in the latest incident, icy conditions. Most riders (smart ones) would have not been riding under those conditions.

Not being funny mate, but with good tyres and proper adjustment of riding, wet weather won't put you down. Ice requires a significant adjustment (don't be leant over in turns, only use engine and rear brake).

If you're going down in the wet on a regular basis, then I'd say your riding needs looking at.

Sent from my D5503 using Tapatalk
 

markgm

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I have a Joe Rocket Alter Ego 2.0 set. By itself it lets water in, I usually wear it an external rain gear to stay dry in all-day rain. I might replace it soon, but haven't found anything better yet.
 

FIZZER6

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I have a 1-piece, I believe it's Tourmaster. It actually works pretty amazingly if you keep the velcro tight around your neck so the water doesn't run down your chest. I've ridden in a 20 minute thunderstorm and only had wet boots. Waterproof boots would be pretty helpful.
 

greg

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I've got the following Dainese goretex gear: Evo Gator jacket, Street Tracker trousers and TRQ-Tour boots.

Even in torrential rain and riding through flooded roads I've never got wet. It's warm in winter, and only on hot sunny days does it become a bit too much (when stopped).

I've had a couple of drops of water get through the collar opening, but that's when I've had it quite loose. The jacket is longer than most sports jackets, so goes over your trousers and prevents any water build up around the crotch.
 

Brackson

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Ok I finally road through a variety of rain with the new gear. I already outlined hoe it performed in great detail in my thread about my trip.

http://www.600riders.com/forum/tour...ing-up-down-east-coast-my-fz6-post587594.html

It worked perfectly in light rain, but when the rain was heavy and constant its just like someone here mentioned earlier, the outer shells were drenched. The linked thread goes into more detail about the gear and conditions.

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aclayonb

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Motocentric 2-piece suit. Make sure you buy a size larger than you need. I rode through an 6 hour thunderstorm (torrential downpour) and I was dry. Packs in the little outside pockets of motocentric sport bags with no issues.
 

QwickFliCk

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i have an xelement rain suit from leatherup.com $40 can beat it. had it for 2 years...keeps u bone dry in extreme downpours! has a zip up hood when ur off the bike and reflective piping

cons: bulky, no stuff stack
 

VEGASRIDER

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Not being funny mate, but with good tyres and proper adjustment of riding, wet weather won't put you down. Ice requires a significant adjustment (don't be leant over in turns, only use engine and rear brake).

If you're going down in the wet on a regular basis, then I'd say your riding needs looking at.

Sent from my D5503 using Tapatalk

Our weather in the states differ from the UK. There are many places where it will not rain for several months, and when it does, it's literally like a sheet of ice from all of the accumulated grease and dirt combining with the rain. There are areas where I currently live where the temps may not get above freezing for over 30 days, and often into -20 degrees C.

I went down hitting ice and de-icer that was on the roadway. Very slick. And the other time I encountered fine silt that has washed onto the roadway from the side of the mountain going around a corner during a rainstorm out in the canyons. The only way to avoid those crashes were to not be riding at all. But it was my decision, essentially evaluating the risk and the consequences.

P1020217.jpg
 

greg

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TBH rain after a dry spell is a problem here too, maybe not quite as bad, but the roads can get quite greasy. OTOH we are quite used to rain, it probably rains several times per week here.
 

payneib

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TBH rain after a dry spell is a problem here too, maybe not quite as bad, but the roads can get quite greasy. OTOH we are quite used to rain, it probably rains several times per week here.

A few times a day. I can have long rides where the rain suit is on and off again several times.

We get wet roads. We get greasy roads after dry spells. We get flooded out. We get silt and run off from hills and fields. We get farmers spewing mud and gravel on to the roads. We get gritted roads, and roads made of lose chippings. We get roads where the potholes are so bad it's more like caving than riding, and roads where the potholes have been repaired so badly it's more like bouldering than caving, than riding. We get ice, we get snow and we get cagers pouring de-icer everywhere like it's going out of fashion.

I've done two full winters, the first one much worse than the second, AND I did it on a Chinese 125 scooter with the worst OEM tyres you've ever seen. Adjust your riding. Take a chunk of speed off proportionate to the conditions. If it's very slippery, avoid your front brake. Take the line that will avoid the worst of the detritus. And remember, above all else, you CANT get away with midcorner breaking like you can in the dry and warm, you only get one chance to get your corner speed right, so ere on the side of caution.
 
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