I know of may riders who prepare their motorcycles for the monsoons. By prepare, I mean they wash their motorcycle and put it some place safe till the rains go away. They don't ride their motorcycles in the rain for a number of reasons and I have absolutely no problem with that. It's their motorcycle bought using their hard earned money and they are free to do they want with it. Ride it, let it idle in a garage or throw it off a cliff. Not my problem.

However, I do have a problem with people who tell me that I shouldn't be riding a motorcycle in the rain. They proceed to impart wisdom on the topic, citing many reasons from "it will get dirty" to "you will die" and everything in between. As with most things I happen to have some thoughts about riding a motorcycle in the rain.

The presence or absence of rain doesn't make that huge a difference as some people made it out to be. If you respect the power of the motorcycle and have the adequate skill to negotiate it along a straight or curved path then I think you are good. All you need to do is factor for the road being wet or dry and ride accordingly. This is no different than how you would factor for the road being smooth or bumpy and ride accordingly. To me the safety issue of riding in the rain is of little significance. What is of huge significance to me is the reason why I ride in the rain. Or more generally, why I ride a motorcycle at all.

This past weekend I rode a rented Suzuki V-Strom 650 adventure motorcycle 1,500 kms across North Carolina and Virginia. Severe thunderstorms were predicted in the region I was about to pass and I stopped at roadside restaurant to grab a cup of coffee, because I still can't bring myself to drink what Americans call tea. :-)

The elderly man serving me the coffee noticed my riding gear and said to me, "<em>Son, you better find a place to hide. The weather's going to get pretty bad out there pretty soon</em>". I smiled back at him and proceeded sip on my coffee looking up at the dark clouds gathering above me.



After having the coffee I started riding and as expected it started to rain, first slowly and then everything that was up came down. All at once. In the distance I would see streaks of lightening followed by loud claps of thunder. Visibility reduced to a few meters and I had to slow down. I was wearing a water resistant riding gear. But the rain was just too much. To make it worse I was wearing a half face helmet and rain water started seeping through the collar of the jacket. For a while it stopped and then started all over again, almost mocking me. This went on for a hour, by the end of which I was drenched so many times, I lost count.

It was a little uncomfortable, to put it mildly. But I had a smile on my face all the time, much to the amazement of other riders who had stopped by the side of the road under whatever shelter they could find. I waved at them as I passed them by.

So why did I not stop riding and look for cover? The reason goes to the very heart of why I ride. I ride to experience Mother Nature. As with all mothers, she happens to have a good side as well as a bad side. I want to experience both. I want to experience her beauty as well as her fury. If I was only interested in her beauty I would have not parked my rental car, a comfortable Mitsubishi Lancer, at the motorcycle rental company and rented a motorcycle. I could have easily watched the beautiful sights from the comfort of my climate controlled car whose innards were guaranteed by the manufacturer to remain dry in a thunderstorm like the one i was riding through. I would not have spent good money on water resistant Harley-Davidson riding jacket, pant and gloves (their stuff is quite expensive, by the way) if I wanted to hide under a shed when the rain decided to show up. I would not have spent good money on Alpine Stars waterproof riding boots (I kept them in a bucket of water overnight to verify that they are indeed quite waterproof) if the first sight of rain made me look for cover. I guess I'm just not the kind of person who spends good money on things and then shies away from using them for their intended purpose.

This is not to say that I looked down on the other riders who stopped their motorcycles and stood under a shelter. It their choice to do so. It's their choice to sit tight at home and not ride at all. Similarly it's my choice as well to ride straight through a thunderstorm and live to tell the story. I know what I'm getting myself into. I know my threshold of pain and discomfort, and above all, I fully understand my mind and body and respect what they are both capable of doing.

I'm not suggesting that you do stuff you can't handle. There are people waiting for you at home. There is a line between adventure and stupidity and you need to know where that line is and you need to respect it.

__________________
Deelip Menezes
www.deelipmenezes.com

Gore-Tex - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gore-Tex

I enjoy riding in the rain. Most people will delay their journey due to rain ... thus I have less traffic. With enough rain the roads are clean, with a little more my bike and my cloths are clean too.

Provided you have good wet weather gear and you are not cold things are fine. Do do draw the line at hail stones and lightening though. That stuff can hurt.

I have ridden in the rain on many an occasion because for a long while my bike was my only mode of transport. I did not mind doing it but I would not go out of my way to to ride in it. My worst riding in bad weather was when I was in Her Majesty's Armed forces and I was going on leave from Osnabruck in Germany to get the ferry from Rotterdam to Hull. There was a snow blizzard all the way through Holland. I was on a R1100s with heated grips (which were about as much use as a chocolate fire guard) but I still stopped at every petrol station on route to warm up and have a brew. All my front was white with snow for the majority of the ride
It was either that or not go home!

Wayne

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The Balkans
https://new.horizonsunlimited.com/poi_entity/8417

Great essay Deelip ... you've created some enticing images, very enjoyable read! Lovely photo too!

As you say, if a rider is set up to ride rain with decent gear ... and has some experience with keeping his face shield de-fogged and keeping water ingress at a minimum, then rain riding is not too bad. A proper wind screen can help a lot too.

Best parts of rain riding are the sights and smells we ride through, especially our California Redwood forests and our incredible Deserts. Nothing like the smell of Desert Sage during an early season rain storm.

Good quality, properly inflated tires very important. It's amazing how fast one can do a twisty road on a good rain bike. As mentioned, once the roads are clean, traction is actually VERY good with modern tires. Not like the old days!

I don't like riding in a true deluge, where visibility is down to 10 or 20 meters. I pull over and wait it out. Snow, Ice and super cold are also tough. I've ridden plenty of it, some in dangerous conditions. Nearly froze several times. Not recommended to novices.

Hail? I was nearly knocked off my Triumph Tiger by BIG Hail stones on the Peage' in France. Took refuge in a Vineyard. It quickly passed. Painful!
Dented cars. Lasted only 10 minutes or less.

My longest rain ride in recent memory was returning from Mexico's Copper Canyon after a month's long trip. It rained the entire 1,500 miles back to San Francisco.

I was on my former Suzuki DL1000 V-Strom. Absolutely NO PROBLEM on this bike. I rode my normal 10 hour days at 70 to 80 mph. Rain was moderate but steady, with a few heavy downpours. Only issue was snow and ICE over the high passes. Tricky on a bike, you have to pay attention. Buy only 50 miles of that then back to rain.

Tea? You must be a tourist?
Most of USA (especially the Deep South) don't "do" tea. Just sweetened Ice tea (horrible) Unless you can get to a Starbucks or Peets or a "real" cafe, you normally won't get a "proper" cup of Tea.

I carry my own loose tea and pot. Earl Grey thanks. When I stop at a typical greasy spoon, I only need them to make boiling water ... another concept my fellow Americans are weak on. Lazy. Microwave everything.

But they can do milk and sugar ... and speciality Asian/Indian markets are everywhere in California, so good Tea is plentiful. Always carry your own!
(PS: Starbucks and Peets both sell quality imported Tea)



Best part of a Rain Ride ... a Rainbow!

Don't stop here too long ... at 12,000 ft. in late November ... and snow on the way. Keep Moving! Rain is fine,
Snow? Not so much!

Good write up.

There is no such thing as bad weather only the wrong kit. For snow a sidecar is better although a light enough bike ( its like sand. ) on the right tyres will do. Three of the four above have no fear. Having Alpine or Northern tracks all to yourself with fresh snow is great fun.

Disagree about Goretex, its a nylon overrsuit for me, but that's been covered plenty of times elsewhere.

Andy

Nice pictures, mollydog.

Yes, I'm a tourist. I live in India and visit the US regularly for work. I try and squeeze our a day or two, rent a motorcycle and ride across this vast and beautiful country. You can say, I'm always trying to add some pleasure with my business. :-)

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Deelip Menezes
www.deelipmenezes.com

It's not like you've got a lot of choice if you live in the UK (or much of northern Europe). If you want to ride a motorcycle here you'll frequently ride in the rain unless you pick and chose the few weather patterns that come along at random and give a couple of days of predictable dry weather. But anyone with a biking life like that is unlikely to be frequenting these hallowed pages.

Set off with decent clothing, decent tyres, a reliable bike and a fatalistic attitude (in the sense of wet / dry, c'est la vie ) and take what comes. Shake your fist impotently at the rain gods and your biking career may be not be a long one.

I've been wet through more often than I can remember and been through rain storms so heavy it stripped the ink out of my passport and the paint from my front mudguard (on a Guzzi so probably not that hard ) One all day storm in France ruined a GPS supposed to be totally waterproof and another came close to doing the same to my marriage (she's not ridden pillion since).

I suppose the only good thing you can say is that the rain is warmer in the summer. Riding in the Eurowinter means multiple days of cold non stop rain so if it bothers you you'll be going nowhere.

I have wondered sometimes why I bother (usually when I'm soaked and 1000 miles from home) but that's bikes for you.

being an english commuter rider, i see a lot of rain on my 40 mile round trip to work and back.
always carry my waterproofs with me, everyday.
any day that i dont put the waterproof bottoms on has to be very nice. otherwise its too much of a risk of wet underwear.
live in goretex hiking boots, or carry spare trainers with me.
all my waterproofs are hiking kit, so that i'm not restricted off the bike too; i can get off the bike and be ready for integrating with normal society, or going for a walk up the hills, rather than being stuck in bulky bike kit.

pretty much, the rain doesn't bother me, a long as it doesn't catch me out.
when all else fails. your skin is waterproof!

Does it ever stop raining in Cumbria? Even the sheep carry life vests don't they?


This (if I can do pictures)


Was taken in Bavaria one morning in January (2007). After I took this I rode 300 miles and fell off four times. P&O's over priced, watery, served in a plastic cup hot chocolate tasted good that day!


That is an overloaded Triumph Bonneville on semi-slick road tyres. As a complete idiot I believed a ten day weather forecast and went to the pub instead of fitting the knobblies.


I was actually wearing the wifes opera gloves at the time (that's during the ride, not in the pub, well, not that pub anyway...).


Andy

I have no problem with rain. I don't like snow or hail but have ridden in it a lot but I try to avoid it.

I hate thunderstorms. Not for the storm or rain but because of the danger of being hit by lightning. If you are on a piece of steel like your bike, out in the open, you are basically a lightning rod.

You can prepare for rain with good rain gear. You can ride in snow if you are careful but you can not avoid lightning and I don't like Russian roulette.

__________________
Jan Krijtenburg

My bikes are a Honda GoldWing GL1200 and a Harley-Davidson FXD Dyna Super Glide

My personal homepage with trip reports: https://www.krijtenburg.nl/
YouTube channel (that I do together with one of my sons): motormobilist.nl

A lot of us here are British.

We are all wondering what it's like to ride in the dry.

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Did some trips.
Rode some bikes.
Fix them for a living.
Can't say anymore.

Riding my GSA last summer from Bristol to Stirling the heavens opened up as I got on the motorway, the rain was that heavy the gantry signs slowed all the traffic down to 30 MPH for over and hour, bone dry with the Gore-Tex suit and the big screen

Come to Australia. There are some that will pay you to bring lots of rain with you. Mind you they have been getting a bit of a drink lately .. probably not enough.

On my last trip back from the UK the quarantine people checked my boots .. I had cleaned the tent etc but not the boots.. took them out and they were really clean .. washed by that UK rain.. you don't get clean like that in the OZie outback. Wet or dry .. you get dirty.

Too right, it rains all over the world but the uk seems to have its own particular type, nothing compares to the fine but consistant drizzel we get for days on end, it will get through anything including gortex suits etc. The krem de la krem is fine rain plus gale force winds which seem to be the norm in northern britain. The only plus point is it power washes the roads so any greasy residue is washed away in rural areas.

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2014 xtz660 Tenere, adventure tech bash plate,
SKidmarks tall screen,