Is Riding in the rain Really that dangerous?

All sorts of good advice here already so I only have one thing to say even if it's already been said. The more you ride the more comfortable you'll be in adverse conditions. I ride year round in NY and do it partly to keep my skills sharp, partly because I don't want a break in my riding season. Today it was 15F, windy with a light snow. I took the slow way to work to avoid the highway knowing the chance of hitting ice was high. I don't lean the bike in turns much at all in these conditions and brake very conservatively. Secondary roads in heavy down pours, less traffic and slower speeds are good. Light to moderate rain can be pleasant in warmer temps, enjoy it but leave plenty of room for braking and emergency lane changes. Get out in all sorts of conditions, that's how you learn to deal with it. You might really enjoy riding in adverse conditions.

Depends on the bike a lot also.
I have ridden in the rain on lots of different bikes, but my TU250 makes it seem like its dry out, even in a heavy rain with local flooding.
I had more fun then riding in dry weather.

The TU is light, low, and has no power, and its a hoot in the wet.

Good point. I like riding my DR650 in crappy conditions, especially winter weather, more than the Tiger. I'm sure the Tiger is safer in the rain though since it's got ABS and better tires.

I commute every day on my bike so encounter lots of rain...ya get wet
you can ride dangerously in the wet as you can in any conditions.
Its up to you, its not the rain thats dangerous it is how you ride.

I always clean my visor with lemon Pledge. I guess it does the same thing as a wax, plus it smells lemon fresh! Cheap, and easy.

And gear. The worst thing about rain is getting freezing ass cold and having your boots fill with water because your jeans are completely soaked.

if you don't ride in the rain,,you ain't riding!

Yes-We are all going to die....



Unless you are running car/trailer tires on the rear.......

I live in Oregon... Occasionally I ride in the dry.

Just slow down and take her easy, also remember bridges freeze before roads.

Listen to your Mother!
She is always correct.

What he said, but there is no substitute for getting out there and riding in the wet, if you wear the right gear, it's not totally miserable, and your confidence will grow..

Thank you everybody this is exactly what I wanted, everyone to give their personal insight
however it may be awhile before I ride in the rain because I'd rather invest in offroad gear before rain gear. Now when/if it gets warm soon i do have nylon clothing that is waterproof i could wear pro tempore until i get real gear
and I am possibly going to purchase a bike soon so I can't buy it all at once ha

but i appreciate all the comments an stories glad it turned into a hot topic.

After a month of rain here in Brisbane I'm officially sick of riding in the rain EVERY day.

I agree you do get more confident with it and now its more the annoyance factor than the initial of shit factor.

Have a read of twist of the wrist 2 if you get bored. There's heaps of PDF copies floating around on the web.

53 and rain here this morning. I have no worries about getting wet with a well cared for Aerostich kit and I change my shield out to a pinlock to keep the fogging down. The pinlock works superbly.

That being said, I wear glasses most of the time, and although my shield may not fog, my glasses will. The Shoei Multitech has a lever which can either lock the shield down or crack it a bit. This feature is invaluable. My chin vent is always open, even last Friday when it was 25 on the way in to work. Without that vent open there wasn't a hope in hell of keeping my shield clear.


I suppose there is a different riding position which will cause the shield to open unintentionally, but none of the bikes I ride fit into this category. I have never used the shield lock feature but I use the shield crack open a bit feature a lot in spring/fall.

You need contact lenses (if that works for you), to eliminate the glasses fogging up, plus a face mask directing your breath out of the helmet. There are several, I use the large one from Shoei.

That mask also helps somewhat for the glasses.

Not sure if it has already been brought up since I didn't read all seven pages. But, the slickest time on the road in the rain is when it first starts. All the oil that has been dripped on to the road starts to float up and has not made its way off to the shoulder yet.

I like riding in the rain ................ it's the only time my bike ever gets washed!

On the other hand, if you want it REALLY clean .................. get caught out in a hail storm. That'll get the bugs off!

A favorite local route that gets quite slippery after, or during a rain, have seen many a bike fall down on this short backroad - a couple of times it was someone riding one of my bikes. http://goo.gl/maps/7kXH5

An obvious beginner rider, but at 1:15 he slips, at 4:30 he just decides to ride off the road.

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Hey... you guys are riding on the wrong side of the road!