Riding in the Rain

[pancho]

I have never been a rainy weather rider,, not much experience,, I stop, or just don't go until the weather is cooperating. Wednesday and Thursday I was on a marathon and rode 1400 miles, with several hours in sporadic rain. I have a new windshield on my faring that I need to look through, and it just turned invisible and could not be seen through. I'm on interstates, trying to wipe off the windshield while riding and trucks keeping water everywhere,, I mean downright dangerous stuff.

What do you guys do to be able to see through a windshield when riding in the rain?? Is there some products,, custom windshield wipers,, what??

[The emperor has no clothes]

For me I like the shield so that I can see over it easily if necessary. I rode in freezing rain this winter with a shield that was too tall and was sore as hell from stretching to see over it.

[specialdose]

       
     RAIN-X......a must for me on the windshield and my face shield......

[Harv]

So, I can apply Rain X to my new polycarbonate windshield with no worries? I'm leaving on a fairly long trip in 2 weeks and that would be great if it won't damage the windshield!


I just read on another forum that warned against using Rain X on polycarbonate and added this comment to my original one.

[Len]

From my experience Rain-X should be applied to glass only. I have used it on polycarbonate, plastic and on one long ride my full face helmet. The effects of its use were cloudy/dull lights and shields.
My personal experiences only.

[Pete]

       
     RAIN-X......a must for me on the windshield and my face shield......

+1, or  Maguirs Plastic polish or a excellent grade of polish/wax.

All of these will sheet the rain off quickly.t

[Motorider]

I use Plexus with good results. That being said, when the trucks are throwing a spray of water on the windshield, I doubt anything will help much.

[Farther]

At the risk of being a technical writing nazi,  I think your windshield turned either opaque or translucent but not invisible.  But beyond that, I would recommend that you adjust the height of your windshield to allow you to look over the top.  Generally nose height is recommended. 

[The emperor has no clothes]

At the risk of being a technical writing nazi,  I think your windshield turned either opaque or translucent but not invisible.  But beyond that, I would recommend that you adjust the height of your windshield to allow you to look over the top.  Generally nose height is recommended. 

:2funny:didn't even catch that, had to go read it again.

[R J]

N O  R A I N _ X on your shield.    Eventually it will smoke it.

Put a good Plastic wax on it and your full face helmet shield also.

I use one I got from California.   Good stuff.

When we would pull into the Motel, I had an old sock I'd put the wax on the windshield to remove the bugs and get it ready for the next day.

[Jess from VA]

My windshields are about nose level to look over (most all the time) or under if I slouch.

My technique in the rain on my Interstates (with a Scorpion half with visor down), is to lean forward and put my visor (eyes) just above the shield top; not so far forward I am right on the shield (not tall enough @ 5'9"), but tucked in behind it, maybe 8-10 inches back.  Leaning forward, I put my left elbow on my tank bib, and rest my chin in my palm, using just the throttle hand to drive, and my head is at exactly the right height and supported.  Other times, I put my left forearm across the tank and use that to support the lean.  Then once in a while I lift my butt and raise my head quickly into the airflow to blow the visor (mostly) clean.  I have to keep my correction glasses clean to see.  If I sit back normally, the rain gets under the visor and all over my glasses and I cannot see.  I rode 80 mph doing this on the way home from Asheville.  This is not only is a good way to maintain visibility, but to keep dry on top.  Only got wet from the thighs down (all freeway driving, if you slow or sit at a light you get wet all over).  

Also you must maneuver to get a spot of clean highway, not behind or beside big trucks or cars throwing up vortexes of spray.  Either go fast or slow to find an empty spot (and I do this all the time, rain or not).  
 
My only problem was that the wind blew the allegedly permanently attached (not snapped) bill clean off the helmet.  Fortunately the half visor remained operational.  Not too pleased with part of the helmet blowing off, but four years old, I'm pretty sure there's no warranty.

This may be useless for those with tourer shields, but works well on an interstate with (a mostly) normal height shield.

I keep my shields polished but no treatment beyond that.

A shield you cannot look over is useless in rain (for visibility), IMHO.

[specialdose]

     The windshield on my tourer is oem polycarbonate, while it is not new it is in pretty good condition and I can see no harm done by the Rain-x or to my face shield ( do not know what material it is ) from applying for 1 1/2 years .  Works just as well as on my truck windshield While ClearView windshields are not polycarbonate they say no problem with Rain-x on theirs. Rain-x directions say use a paper towel. I would never clean my glasses, windshield or face shield with a wood product.

[Bighead]

I look over my shield.

[Paxton]

CAVE MAN'S EMERGENCY WATER REPELLENT:  A big juicy Onion for pouring rain. Slice it in half, apply liberally and go play in the rain.   Now, don't come back in err... tears to tell us that it worked great.
Obviously, it works on cages too. Apply it before the snow storm. I'll be easier to scrape off the ice in the morning.   Don't leave home without it!

[R J]

CAVE MAN'S EMERGENCY WATER REPELLENT:  A big juicy Onion for pouring rain. Slice it in half, apply liberally and go play in the rain.   Now, don't come back in err... tears to tell us that it worked great.
Obviously, it works on cages too. Apply it before the snow storm. I'll be easier to scrape off the ice in the morning.   Don't leave home without it!

Where did you learn a trick like that living in SO Cal?

However, it is worthless in the rain.

We had a CHP boss that told us to use that trick on our Cruiser windshields.    OH.   Beautiful STREAK job..........   Till about a 1/2 hour into the trip, then it was pretty much all washed off and the wipers were washed clean.

Per the bosses instructions, i tried it once.   Word of advice, DO NOT try it in Orange County or LA area.    If ya do, in that traffic even in a cage you could get killed.

[pancho]

Well, I guess the general consensus is to make the windshield as slippery as possible,, and get a height where I can see over it. I have acrylic shields for my faring right now, I have always used wax on my shields, but the one I left out with was spanking new and had not been treated, I will try a rainX type product on the curvy windshield that I cannot use and see if there are any ill effects.

OK farther,, I guess I was just wishing when I said it turned invisible,,, I guess it just turned so that I could not see through it,, what I do know is that I don't like playing in interstate traffic under those conditions. I'm just glad that I was in states where you have to wear a helmet, otherwise I would not have had one with me and it would have been worse.

[0leman]

Out of curiosity what is the "rain" your folks are talking about.

[pancho]

For me I like the shield so that I can see over it easily if necessary. I rode in freezing rain this winter with a shield that was too tall and was sore as hell from stretching to see over it.

Yeah nothing like an improper setup to get your attention when it is needed to be working right. I can stretch , but only for a short bit comfortably, but it never entered my mind in the rain as I had an open face helmet with me,,  I mean I was blind already, no since in getting my eyes physically knocked out as my sunglasses were too dark to wear with the light conditions..

Mounting the faring, I did leave the option that it can be tilted back in the mounting hardware which will lower the top of the windshield, only downside being I cannot see the indicators on the headlight and would need to relocate them if I go that route,, no real problem other than taking the time to do it.  I think I will try it out as it seems the only real  option is to be able to see over the windshield and have some clear eye protection when in those conditions,, then slicken up the windshield as much as possible.

The rain I'm talking about, is with water on the road surfaces and rain coming down,,, I was never in a complete monsoon downpour, but it was WET,,  on and off for hundreds of miles.

[rafster]

I look over my shield.

FWIW +1 for looking over the shield and  +1 for plastic safe wax on my face shield.

[csj]

I'm one of the different people that actually go out Looking for rain. I get my full
rain suit on, I have a 12" shield on my memphis shades batwing. I can look over it
all the time. Get a little stiff after an hour of that.

I also keep a set of clear safety glasses, the type that wrap around close to your noggin.
And, I use a half helmet. I've tried all other combinations, half helmet and safety glasses
do the best job for me in heavy rain.

[Chippy01]

What do you guys do to be able to see through a windshield when riding in the rain?? Is there some products,, custom windshield wipers,, what??

My friend got one of these for his GoldWing http://www.peerclear.com/
He's a bit of a short-arse, and finds looking over the screen a bit of a stretch. He's also rain shy, so prefers to hide behind it. Reckons it's the best thing he fitted to the bike.

[PhredValk]

Lemon Pledge on shield and visor, stand up a bit to put the visor in the wind to clear it. Tried Rainx once and got quickly light headed from the fumes.
Fred.

[Firefighter]

My IS is a mess in the rain , takes alot of time to clean up. I have a rain suit, usually wait too long to put it on and then nearly rip it trying to hurry. Notice in heavy rain my boots really catch it, thinking about a mud flap up front, do those help? In lighter rain, I watch the water run up the wind screen and straight back in my face, hate that. With out a suit I get soaked. Firefighter

[Jess from VA]

Here is a neat trick that works.  Pack two cheapo Walmart bags in your rain gear.  When donning your pants/bib, step into a bag and your boot will slide right thru the pants and rain gator in the bottom of the leg.  Other side too.  Easy peazy.  (On a trip, splurge and take two pair.. no weight and no space)

But not as funny as watching a bunch of stopped riders hopping around falling in the mud or knocking their bikes over leaning on them putting on the pants.

[R J]

I used to carry a bottle of Talcum Powder.   Would sprinkle the inside of the pants leg when I pulled them out to put them on and it would let the leg slide in no problem.

Turned my pants white, but it would brush off if it wasn't wet.

[Paxton]

"... Till about a 1/2 hour into the trip, then it was pretty much all washed off."
=================================================

RJ;
I learned the trick from my father as a child.
The family clunker, a 1948 Dark Blue Plymouth suicide doors had no wipers.
We always had to push-start it too.  

Oniongly speaking, it is the Caveman's Emergency Kit. Under pouring rain better 1/2 hour repelling water
than no repellant at all.  ???
I've done it multiple times over the years. BTW, the faster you go, the better it works.

I use it on both, my I/S windshield and my helmet shield under pouring rain.
This while riding through Tulsa on my way to the east coast.

I also used it under pouring rain for 'bout 100 miles 'til arriving in Des Moines with a busted clutch.
At the Harley Dealer out of all places!
They invited me to kick back in their lounge... Leather chairs, giant TV, free coffee and pastries.
Great people.

Another younger man went home, got his trailer and took me and the bike to his house.  
Then the family gave me room and board and great food for a couple of days.

IOWANS are kind people...  
It's a looong and crazy story about how I got to LA, seven days later...

HAPPY FATHERS' DAY EVERYONE!

[Firefighter]

I'll try the Walmart bag thing, wonder how you thought of that? Got me to thinking, I might put one over my head in really heavy rain.

[Farther]

Pack two cheapo Walmart bags in your rain gear.  When donning your pants/bib, step into a bag and your boot will slide right thru the pants and rain gator in the bottom of the leg.

Great idea.  The sole lugs get caught on everything.  You could even leave the bag on to keep the rain off your boot.

[The emperor has no clothes]

Pack two cheapo Walmart bags in your rain gear.  When donning your pants/bib, step into a bag and your boot will slide right thru the pants and rain gator in the bottom of the leg.

Great idea.  The sole lugs get caught on everything.  You could even leave the bag on to keep the rain off your boot.

Very stylish too

[pancho]

So what is a good rain suit?? Is a Frogg Toggs ultralite 2 worth the $23 or does a person need a better one if you plan on it lasting awhile?

[Quicksilver]

I will not ride if I can't see well. Getting wet is secondary. I have found I cannot see through a windshield in the rain, therefore I set my windshields so I can see over them well and adjust other things. My rain helmet is an HJC modular with the interior pinlock system that provides a 2nd layer inside that keeps the shield in the area clear even in the hardest rain and cooler weather. All I can say is that they work. In a sudden downpour when you cannot see the edges of the road , cannot see anything ahead but the tail lights of the car you are following, look over your shield and the rain on your visor prevents you from seeing , you flip up your visor then your glasses get covered, you remove your glasses and your eyes are flooded by rain coming at you, I've been there. With this helmet design none of the above happens. When the water is too much on the face shield I raise up a bit and let the wind blow the water off, minimal fogging at the edges.  

[R J]

So what is a good rain suit?? Is a Frogg Toggs ultralite 2 worth the $23 or does a person need a better one if you plan on it lasting awhile?

I have found that any rain suit you buy will L E A K, especially in the crotch area so your butt gets wet.

As far as Frogg Toggs, they are a pretty good suit, with 2 exceptions.  1.   Exhaust touches will burn a hole real quit like, solution, Duck tape wrap about 3 or 4" in the area.     2.  It also ballons in the gut area, solution, I wear a money belt (empty of course) and that holds the top pretty tight and keeps a good share of air out.   

So, buy a cheap suit and go for it.

I know, people are going to say they have a good suit and all this stuff.   We tried many many suits in the CHP, I tried many many different suits in Retired life.

I always came back to the el cheap o suit's.    So don't waste $$$$ on expensive ones in my opinion.   

[pancho]

Lots of good information in you guys' experience,, I appreciate it.

No matter how you think you know, there are always areas where you    "dont know nothin"   ,this whole riding in the rain thing is new to me,, I will be better prepared next time because of all the information.

[Jess from VA]

I'd like to claim invention of the walmart-bag-boot-slide-thru-technique, but it is just an old trick been around a long time.  I only had one bag at Inzane (and would like who ever stole the other one to return it  )

If you leave the bag on your boot, it will melt on your pipes.... if it doesn't blow off down the road first.  Walmart bags are not a substitute for waterproof boots.

Frog Toggs used to be made of high tech paper (like Tyvek house wrap).  I never had any, but they do not seem to last very long. 

I have a good set of TourMaster jacket and bibs, and they never leak (except down my neck... I do not deploy the zippered-in hood under my half helmet.  And I recommend a two-piece, I cannot imagine how hard it must be to skinny into a one-piece coverall, and all coveralls I ever tried gave me a permanent wedgie, no thanks). 

The trade off for a solid rain suit is they do not breathe at all, and are pure torture in heat when the sun comes out.  Often, in on-and-off rain, you remove the jacket and leave the pants on, because they are always tough to get on and off, and that is where you get wettest.  If you bungee the jacket topside, you can stop and put it back on without getting off the bike.  Nine years and counting, and they are still like new.  Also, they do not compress much and take up about as much room as a full size bike cover.  Mine never leave the bike, and always serve double duty as warm clothing when you find you have not dressed adequately and are far from home, or the sun goes down (I have loaned mine out to other freezing riders several times in dry weather).  And remember they must be able to fit over the heaviest gear you might ever wear, so err large.......a baggy clown suit, but when you need it, you are glad to have it.

http://www.motorcyclegear.com/street/raingear/all_types/tour_master/
http://www.motorcyclegear.com/street/raingear/jackets_and_pants/tour_master/sentinel_motorcycle_rain_jacket.html

I wear one of these in cold weather with my half helmet (with neck curtain).  But it also never leaves my bike, and in heavy summer rain (with no neck curtain), goes on with the rain suit.  Not waterproof, but very water resistant, and stops hypothermia in cold rain.

http://www.amazon.com/Under-Armour-UA-ColdGear%C2%AE-Hood/dp/B005CG1WPO/ref=pd_sim_sg_6?ie=UTF8&refRID=1PS1DZN1EQ1SJT8BN9R4

 


 

[hubcapsc]

Well, I guess the general consensus is to make the windshield as slippery as possible,, and get a height where I can see over it.

Once you can see over your windshield, you can paint it black for all it matters... anywho -
seeing over the windshield was the rain-solution for me...

I keep dry enough with slip-over rain pants and the liner in my Joe Rocket... I have rain
gloves in my saddlebags too... squishy wet thick leather gloves are the pits...

-Mike

[pancho]

         "a baggy clown suit, but when you need it, you are glad to have it."

I hear you Jess,, I just ordered a cheapie one to get me going,, I may trade up as time goes on and I see what I need.

   " I have rain gloves in my saddlebags too... squishy wet thick leather gloves are the pits..."

10/4 Mike, all I had with me were cotton gloves for the sun,, no good when they were all wet and bunching up, the fairing did delay that for quite awhile,, I will look into rain gloves and maybe boot covers,, although the boots I was wearing held up just fine.