It’s a beautiful day so you call up a few friends and organize a nice long motorcycle ride. You ride for a couple hours, and are far from home when the clouds roll in. You hopelessly wish away the rain, but unfortunately the afternoon has brought in the thunderstorm. Now you are caught in a torrential downpour. It is at this time that you begin kicking yourself for not having the necessary raingear to safely and comfortably make the rest of the journey home.
After about 1 minute of riding through this storm you are sufficiently soaked, and are now freezing cold. Each little drop of rain feels like a tiny needle poking your exposed hands and face. The bigger drops feel like a small pebble hitting your skin at terminal velocity. You are being splashed with water by every car that is now angrily blasting past you because you have slowed to 30 miles per hour on the highway. You think, “What could possibly be more miserable than this?” That’s when it starts to hail. Now your situation has gone from miserable to very dangerous. You can no longer wait for an overpass to stop under, instead you must pull off and sit there soaked in rain and wait for the storm to pass. The rain has now successfully “put a damper” on your motorcycling adventure.
Anyone who has ridden a motorcycle for more than a few months probably has a story similar to this one. Getting caught in the rain is not only miserable, but quite dangerous. Even if you are equipped properly, riding in wet conditions is not recommended. However, if you are well equipped you can at least brave these conditions comfortably. Being comfortable will aid you in making good riding decisions and help you focus on the road instead of thinking about how freezing you are. This article will give you a brief synopsis of each piece of raingear you might consider bringing with you.
Basic Raingear
First of all, three basic things you will want in case you are caught in the rain are proper riding boots, gloves and a helmet… preferably a full helmet equipped with a face shield. The gloves will serve as a shield between your bare hands and the cold wind and sharp rain drops. The boots will keep your feet from getting water logged and frozen by the water being kicked up by your front tire.
Helmets
The helmet will protect your scalp and face from the painful raindrops as well. The face shield is preferred because it is designed like a windshield on a car. It repels water down and to the sides instead of sitting right on the lens like simple shades would do. This will increase your vision during a rain storm, though you will likely still have to wipe your face shield occasionally to clear off any residual drops that are being stubborn. A half helmet will cover your scalp, but your ears and nose will still be exposed to the painful pokes of rain.
Waterproof Jacket
That leaves two things that you will need to stay dry, warm and comfortable during a rainstorm: a waterproof jacket and pants. There are many different types of jackets that you can purchase to stay dry. Many of these jackets are also designed for warm weather as well. Most leather jackets will offer a decent amount of protection from the wind and rain, however you may want to consider some sort of bright colored nylon poncho to carry along as well. The bright colored poncho will increase your visibility to other drivers who are also struggling to see through the storm. It will also help to keep the water off your nice leather jacket. The leather jacket will only do the job of keeping you dry for a little while, until the water begins to seep under your collar and down your shirt. That is why you may want to consider a real rain jacket. These jackets are usually nylon lined on the outside to repel water. They also typically have a hood that goes under the helmet to prevent water from going down the back of your neck. Another important feature is an elastic cuff to keep water off your arms. These kinds of jackets are usually sized large enough to easily fit over whatever jacket you are wearing underneath. You should lean toward purchasing a brightly colored jacket to make you easy for others to see.
Waterproof Rain Pants
Much like rain jackets, rain pants are usually lined in nylon to repel the water. They typically have elastic ankles and an elastic waste band to keep water from sneaking inside your pants and down into your boots. Wearing jeans in the rain is miserable because denim will stay soaked for hours to come. Well after you have cleared through the storm your legs will still be wet.
Remember, the best way safely ride when its wet is to not get wet.
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