All *Rain* Gear Has FAILED!!

[RVertigo]

OK...  It took about an hour and a half of rush hour traffic plus a 45 minute return trip at 70 mph in POURING rain...  But...

Every single piece of my gear has failed the rain test...  The 100% waterproof jacket...  Only 100% waterproof where there isn't a huge friggen zipper with an untreated "rain flap" keeping water at bay...  

The Cat boots, they did well until the return trip...  Then FAIL FAIL FAIL.

The Gore-Tex snowboarding pants...  (What?   )  Yeah...  They did pretty well, and failed only around the edges...  and the ass.    But, COLD COLD COLD!!!  

The gloves...  They were never waterproof to begin with, so... No surprise there.  :dunno:  Did I mention I can finally feel my fingers again 4 hours later?  

The visor...  I guess it needs some Rain-X...  Wish I'd thought about that before I was risking my life flying along on a road I couldn't see.  




So, why you ask me?  I was going to try on the pants I ordered and check out some rain gloves...  The pants didn't fit and they had ZERO good choices for rain gloves.   :dunno:

Oh well...  Just thought I'd vent a little.  I think I'm gonna be looking up some hand guards and a windscreen of some kind...  Hopefully I'll get pants that fit and find some gloves someday.  

[ukchickenlover]

Good days riding then.

[Jeppy]

I haven't had any luck with any gear that claims to be 100% water-proof. I gave up on all of that and was not at all comfortable with a rain suit. I felt very unsafe and could not move very well with my gear under my rain suit.....so now I just drive the cage till I can ride again.....sucks but I would rather be safe.

[Badger]

Wow...I read the title of the post (All Gear Has FAILED) and initially thought you might be posting from the hospital.    Sucks about the rain, but relieved it was only that.

[Blueknyt]

If it was 100% rain proof, you would still get wet from sweat cuz your skin couldnt breath (even in cold)  as to rain X on visor? Dont do it, there are Chemicals in it that attack the plastic and make it more brittle and less scratch resistant, it wont take long before the visor cracks.

best bet is to use a Wax that doesnt harm plastics/fiberglass.

[Phaedrus]

Sucks about the gear. Have you ever tried a snowmobile helmet?

I use a DOT approved AVG snowmobile helmet and have never had a problem with it in the rain. It has a bit of a different visor than motorcycle helmets.  :dunno:

[pandy]

Oh well...  Just thought I'd vent a little.  I think I'm gonna be looking up some hand guards and a windscreen of some kind...  Hopefully I'll get pants that fit and find some gloves someday.  

Ride nekkid.  

[scratch]

The 100% waterproof jacket...  Only 100% waterproof where there isn't a huge friggen zipper with an untreated "rain flap" keeping water at bay.

I wear my rainsuit over my 100% waterproof textile jacket (Fieldsheer Monza II)

The Cat boots, they did well until the return trip...  Then FAIL FAIL FAIL.

How did they fail?

The visor...  I guess it needs some Rain-X...  Wish I'd thought about that before I was risking my life flying along on a road I couldn't see [at 70mph (yes, I saw that)].

FogCity ProShield, dude.

[callmelenny]

I have been very impressed with the waterproofness of this jacket from tourmaster.

http://www.webbikeworld.com/r3/tourmaster-jacket/tourmaster-advanced-jacket.htm

It has very substantial zipper covers on the front and only lets in a few trickles of water  around my neck in a downpour.

[pantablo]

Ride nekkid.  

this is a recurring theme with you, Pandy...I like it.

Dude, get yourself a one peice rain suit. goes over your gear and keeps you dry AND warm.
I rode home in this (1.5-2 hr trip) from my first trackday.

That Tourmaster suit I have kept me completely warm and dry. My Sidi champion tepor boots survived almost to the end but were just a little damp at the end of the ride.

here's the suit:

http://www.motorcycle-superstore.com/item.aspx?style=4058&department=161&Division=1

[Roadstergal]

My gear is waterproof so far (and that's including the run to Portland and back in the rain, as well as commuting).  The Alpine pants are great.  The Alpinestars Roam boots, in combination with the pants, keep the feet dry.  The Diva jacket would fail by letting water seep into the collar, but I got a Turtle Fur neck warmer, and that solved that.

My Scorpion fog-free visor is working fine.  But you have to keep it clean; I wash the back of the visor with water and a soft cloth every few weeks.  Also, never crack the visor in the rain; it'll fog until you dry it out.

The Cold Front gloves are waterproof, but even when I was caught out in the rain with my regular gloves on, the handguards kept the rain off.  But the wiper blade on the Cold Front gloves is a blessing sent from on high.

[Badger]

My Scorpion fog-free visor is working fine.  But you have to keep it clean; I wash the back of the visor with water and a soft cloth every few weeks.

Hrm.  I take the visor off every few days to clean it with a soft cloth with a little dish soap and water.  Otherwise I think the view would be obscured with bug bits and goo.  Since I have to clean the front anyway, it only takes a few seconds to pop off the visor and clean the back at the same time.

[edit]of course, I neglect to clean my glasses for weeks on end...[/edit]

[Roadstergal]

Hrm.  I take the visor off every few days to clean it with a soft cloth with a little dish soap and water.  Otherwise I think the view would be obscured with bug bits and goo.

I clean the outside every few days, but I don't take off the visor - just wipe it down with a damp soft cloth.

[RVertigo]

Good days riding then.

Yup.    Cold, but still good.

Wax that doesnt harm plastics/fiberglass.

Any suggestions?  I saw about 30 posts of people using Rain-X...  I figured it would be ok...

I use a DOT approved AVG snowmobile helmet

Can't afford another helmet...  When I got the helmet, the rain wasn't a problem...  Just beaded up and ran right off...  Not last night though... It was a horrid mist of death.

How did they fail?

FogCity ProShield, dude.

The boots failed by letting water in...  They're just leather work boots...  They only thing between my feet and the rain is the Mink Oil I put on the outside...  I think it's time to re-apply...

And...  I didn't have problems with the visor fogging up, it was just covered with deadly mist...  It didn't used to do that.  I figured it was a Rain-X style coating that just wore off...  Maybe I just need to clean it better.   :dunno:


I think I'm going to try coating the stupid ass "rain-flap" on my jacket and see if that handles the problem...  It's fine for 45+ minutes in the rain, but around an hour it seems to give up.  

The Cold Front gloves are waterproof, but even when I was caught out in the rain with my regular gloves on, the handguards kept the rain off.

The gloves are on my list but no one has them and ASuki can't seem to pull their heads out of their asses...  I guess I'll have to go down there AGAIN and get them to order the damn glove.

Handguards are NOW on the list as well...

[Roadstergal]

The wiper blade takes care of that fine mist.

Thomas moved from AS to Bellevue Kawasaki.  Although the pegs I ordered from him on Saturday still aren't in.  

[Blueknyt]

a non abrasive car wax, pic one. ive used turtle wax and its ok, but i also use my helmet on th XL250 so i got dings and chips in my visor too..

in truth i may be screwed outa a helmet for awhile, when wilma came through i was in such a hurry to get things done i fogot about putting my helmet way, it got soaked for 2 days.   now looks like the lining is coming apart as its drying im gonna try restiching it back to the form foam  (its a vega) but unless i can fix this one, its gonna be awhile before i can afford new one

[MinnGS]

Have you tried the Aerostich suits? I have been contemplating getting the Roadcrafter suit or even possibly the Darian Jacket. Everyone that has the Aerostich jackets swears by them in all sorts of weather.

You guys mentioned hand guards. Does anyone have a brand/style they recommend? Pictures of a set of hand guards installed would be nice too. I live in Minnesota and the mornings are really cold and I think the added wind protection will save my hands.

[Alphamazing]

Have you tried the Aerostich suits? I have been contemplating getting the Roadcrafter suit or even possibly the Darian Jacket. Everyone that has the Aerostich jackets swears by them in all sorts of weather.

You guys mentioned hand guards. Does anyone have a brand/style they recommend? Pictures of a set of hand guards installed would be nice too. I live in Minnesota and the mornings are really cold and I think the added wind protection will save my hands.

Aerostich stuff is expensive.

Hand guards: http://www.gstwins.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=22110

[MinnGS]

Thanks for the quick reply. I just did a deeper search into the forums and was just reading that exact post. Thanks!  It answers my questions and I am off to the shop to see if I can order up some DL650 handguards for my GS. It will be my first modification.

[Roadstergal]

Have you tried the Aerostich suits?

Dave's is the only one I've seen, and it isn't waterproof.