Is Riding in the rain Really that dangerous?

[Chip Seal]

Originally Posted by c3eh

Maybe this isn't the right place for this question but its a rainy day in st louis and it came across my mind.

I am probably a noob I'll admit that and I have never ridden in rain (drizzle, downpour whatever) so I was curious how dangerous is it really to ride in rain?
All that came to mind was losing traction in a corner
So just in general or if you have a personal story either one really I was just curious.

Listen to your Mother!
She is always correct.

[Import]

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..

[c3eh]

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.

[Woodduck]

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.

[atomicalex]

Rode in a drownpour over the weekend.

Helmet ventilation, Helmet ventilation. Helmet ventilation.

[BobbySands]

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.

[Mat]

Originally Posted by BobbySands

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.

[Coyote Red]

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.

[ROAD DAMAGE]

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!

[Fishenough]

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.

[KX50002]

Originally Posted by Fishenough

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.

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

[Fishenough]

Originally Posted by KX50002

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

I follow the Dragon picture threads, really lane choice seems about the same........

[KX50002]

Originally Posted by Fishenough

I follow the Dragon picture threads, really lane choice seems about the same........

[blkhrt81]

Originally Posted by c3eh

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.

I picked up a cheap two piece suit at a gas station in Spain for 20E, made a world of difference in a week of off and on rainy weather including a run across the Limousin Plateau in heavy rain. They take up next to no room and can make a real miserable ride only mildly uncomfortable.

[bimmerx2]

These guys are handling it OK...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5-hz1nBmCqk