Anyone have any good tips in dealing  with the rain?


Last time I had my GS in the rain It was a massive thunderstorm, and I had to go about 10 miles per hour for 3 miles until I found a safe place to pull over and wait it out.

it takes about a inch of standing water on the road at 65 to get a gs to hydroplane,  so cross winds and lighting are the main concerns in thunderstorms,  unless your moving about 40 the wind isnt going to clear your lid fast enough to see,  you can turn your head to the side at about a 45 degree angle and the wind will clear it faster, switch sides often and it works pretty well.

"Ditto" to what davipu said, plus:

* Good, light, packable rain gear helps.  (I use Frogg Toggs.)
* Slow down on fairly tight curves, to keep the bike more upright.
* Bring a compact umbrella for when it gets REALLY bad?  (For side-of-the-road use only.)[/list:u]

If you're in an urban area, don't stop the bike in crosswalks, on metal grates or plates covering construction, or other painted roadway. They are especially slippery when wet.

Yeah paint, metal, and the greasy stripe down the middle are all bad news.  Also the first 15 minutes of rain are dangerous because the oil on the road hasn't been washed off yet, and makes for a very slippery serface.
But I enjoy the challenge (and the incredulous looks from the dry ppl in the cars around me) of riding in the rain. It can actually be fun because you can break the rear loose in turns and get the rear to slide around while breaking into turns.

I commuted to school on my bike so I'll tell you what I noticed.

Be extra smooth on your braking, turning and throttle
Avoid grates, light rail tracks, sewer covers, wet metal... It makes for a very unique, unnerving, slide.  Just make sure you're not leaned over and you'll be cool.
Good rain clothing makes all the difference.  I finally bought a good rain suit and I also have a waterproof/wind proof jacket now.
I've heard Rain-X works on our face shields but I haven't tried it yet.  I make sure I use Honda Polish before I leave and that helps to make water bead off believe it or not.
I have BT45's and I had much more traction than I thought I had but still be cautious.
My feet and socks were soaked because I don't have waterproof boots.
People are more stupid in the rain so be on the look out for more dumb maneuvres.

It takes some time before you get comfortable in the rain but its a good skill to have.

Umm, James.....   that's *NOT* what I wanted to be hearing.

Two things I don't enjoy.

1.) Pain
2.) Death

I'd like to make sure excessive amounts of either of those are not a part of any of my bike rides.

Hence.... why I'm askign about rain safety tips.   For the past 6 years I've rode anything with an engine and less than 4 wheels I've never ridden on anything wetter than a "damp" road (i.e you can see that it was wet, but no standing water anymore), save for one time I got caught in a suprise thunderstorm and drove 10-15 MPH for about 10 minutes until i found a decent place to be safe.

Yeah, it's the metal stuff that worries me.  For those of you in the Seattle area, I'm talking the Montlake Bridge - it's all one big chunk of metal grating.  In the dry, the bike wobbles and wanders unnervingly over it.  In the wet... er, I'm not looking forward to it.