riding in the rain

[dadsafrantic]

how many will commute this winter and how many miles?  rain or shine?  what is the coldest temp you will ride in?

[CndnMax]

im riding this rain season, don't have easy access to car so it would have to be snowing for me to not ride probably  . have rain/winter gloves on order all i need are some rain pants and im good to go 

[GeeP]

Rain is fine by me, although it can be a drag below 50F.  Below 36F I take the car.

Coldest temperature I'll ride in?  Dunno, haven't gotten there yet.  The coldest temperature I have ridden in was 0 degrees F, 25 miles each way.

Unfortunately, I don't have a commute.  I could really use that morning motorcycle ride too...   

[ohgood]

If/ when I commute again (contract machinist) rain isn't usually an issue. I don't set out in the rain on the motorcycle, but if I get caught in it I keep on going.

The traffic in Tampa is full of idiots letting their cellphones drive. I've witnessed several people dialing their phones at redlights, and plow into the person in front of them. Cops don't really care, and don't cite the drivers. Amazing.

IF you commute in the rain, SLOW DOWN, and take streets you know well. Mix up the route to keep yourself alert. SLOW DOWN. I've spun the rear through intersections that had fresh diesel spills, slid around corners with invisible black (oiled) sand, and hydroplaned (my, dumb, too fast) on the highway.

It's very not fun. It coats your bike with muck. Cars don't care about you.

If you must, you must, just do it very carefully and leave PLENTY of space between you and the cages.


Coldest : 38F          (hey, it's florida)
Coldest with rain: 45F (wife was out of town with her car)
Heaviest downpour: 4" in about 2 hours
Highest wind: about 35 mph gusts (wet) SCARRRY
Highest wind: about 35 mph gusts (dry)

[vtlion]

I will commute down to about 25 F as long as it is dry.  Rain was never a concern much in State College, but it freaks me out in DC.  The surface roads here are so bumpy and pot-holed that losing your contact patch is just too easy.

[max_boost]

No snow for me.  I don't mind the cold so I'm going to try to keep riding until the white stuff starts falling.  I'll need to get some warmer gloves though.

[bigburma]

I live in Arkansas and will commute 20 miles each way rain or shine, unless there is ice on the bridges. That means down into the 20's on some days but it's only about 25 minutes. Turtle neck dickie over ears and nose, under balaclava tucked into my riding gear (I'm looking into a Turtle Fur balaclava/neck gaiter combo), rain suit over riding gear to further help break the wind, winter gloves(wish I had heated grips), and go on. I will already have long johns under my work uniform and work jacket. I can feel like the Michelin man but it gets me there. After 38,000 miles in just 30 months on this GS you can see I ride it a lot.

[The Antibody]

No one should ever ride below 32F. Even if the roads appear dry, there can be ice. Ice is not good. It is slippery. Bum hurts when hit road.

Anyway, I have ridden in snow in early November. It was around 40F though. I know, I know I'm extreme. 

  -Anti 

[mullethunter3]

I got caught in the rain during a 120 mile long ride last week. I don't think I'll ever choose to ride in the rain. It sucked! <-- I'm a wimp.

[nightrider]

in oregon i rode pretty much every day rain or shine until roads froze or snowed over, which was 3-5 days a year. would not recommend riding in snow or ice, although dry freezing temp, or slush/partial pavement can be okay if necessary. in 2 years i've put on 14000 mi. It rains a lot up there too. often i would be soaked to the bone before i got the bike warmed up. once or twice i got caught out at work while the roads froze. there were glittery sparkles everywhere, but the freeway surface was rough enough that a little dew frost didn't mean total ice. bad situation but made it ok, albeit very slow on corners. in dumping rain there would be literally waves of rainwater washing across the freeway, cars were spouting 30' wakes of spray. in the city, where drainage was plugged, you could plow into deceptively deep pools of water.
in that kind of weather i was often the only bike on the road, but never had any problems. visibility and other vehicles predictability is lessened. traction is acceptable IMO. it's a little more dangerous but the real danger is fresh rainfall after a dry spell. that is where i totalled my bike on the fwy when a deaf woman in a jeep spun out in front of me.

all in all, heightened risk and a definite inconvenience as far as clothing, otherwise it works out.

[Kasumi]

I rode through the winter here last year but this year ive chosen to sell the bike and buy a car due to circumstances changing (RAF)

In the winter i rode right down below freezing temperatures. Rode through the tire tracks made by cars in 2 inch snow on unsalted roads. I did all this on my first bike 50cc 2 smoker. Although it could get to 65mph it was light weight, which made riding in icy conditions quite easy as if it slid you could put your foot down and ride motorcross in the snow lol. God i had sooo much fun. In the future when i buy another bike i might be tempted to get myself a beat up crosser for riding in muddy and snowy conditions.

People said i was crazy when they saw me riding through tyre tracks in thick snow with my bike skittering around. But i think i learned more in those winter months than i ever did whilst doing my training. Combine that with the off road motorcrossing ive done i find it really easy to keep my nerve and not panic on slippy surfaces and control slides etc..

[TonyKZ1]

I've been riding in the winter for the last several years. My commmute is 30 miles, mostly rural highways. I think the coldest was down in the mid-teens or so. The old KZ400 didn't want to start easily when it was any colder so that was a good sign for me to take my truck or just stay home. 

This morning it was in the low 40s, windy & raining.    It had warmed up by the time I got to work to 46*F. The little Ninja didn't have any problems starting or running. I wear a Firstgear thermo-suit so that helps me stay warm and dry. I've also got Oxford Heaterz heated grips installed so those help some too.
Tony

how many will commute this winter and how many miles?  rain or shine?  what is the coldest temp you will ride in?

[CndnMax]

Just got my Cortech "Scarab winter" gloves and the "vee squeegee" in the mail, can't wait to rain test em. the gloves are a bit big but they are very warm 

[Mk1inCali]

It'll get down to the mid-50s here in San Diego.

I'll close the vents on my helmet and boots, wear a balaclava and hoodie under my summer (read: only) jacket and complain for the next 3-4 months, then it'll be back to regular scheduled sun-n-fun.

[dadsafrantic]

Just got my Cortech "Scarab winter" gloves and the "vee squeegee" in the mail, can't wait to rain test em. the gloves are a bit big but they are very warm 

i use frank thomas anti freeze gloves.  very warm.

[Kerry]

It'll get down to the mid-50s here in San Diego.

Wow ... mid-50s, eh?  That's pretty rough. 

[tuinance]

I ride rain or shine 365 days a year most of those commuting days in England. My commute is a 38 mile a day round trip. We get snow, frost and icy weather in Jan/Feb which test your nerve and skill on a bike. The major roads are generally griited early morning before i leave off but the smaller roads are not and i have to use these until i reach the major ones. When the snow is on the ground - no more than an inch - i find i have more grip riding on top of the fresh snow beside the car tracks rather than thru the car tracks as these tracks don't turn to slush and what remains is compacted snow that freezes over really quickly to slippery hell, atleast it feels that way. I have learnt the importance of riding differently in different weather conditions, something which i was told about but never experienced whilst taking lessons.

[510]

Two weeks ago got caught in really freaking heavy rain on interstate 5 going north.

Gloves got wet, jeans got completely soaked, and my Icon boots, which a lot of people said were really waterproof, good filled with water. After a good hour of rain, the air was about 50 degrees with 90% humidity. Absolutely miserable.

[Affschnozel]

I would ride in the rain but there hasn't been any  !

Damn you global warming ,damn you !   

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NS6UHfzhm5c