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Hiya! New rider here! I use my little ninja as my sole method of transportation get to school and work! Here in Los Angeles, it doesn't rain very often, but a few weeks ago it did and I got my first chance to get used to riding on those wet roads. I don't have any riding pants, just jeans, so I got pretty damp out there. I was talking to my boyfriend about saving up for some good looking waterproof riding pants (any suggestions?), and he suggested I just get some slickers to put over my jeans. After a curt response about how uncomfortable that would be over my womanly sized thighs he shut up.

The next day I found he had bought me a BRIGHT YELLOW PLASTIC rain suit. You know the kind? The kind that you would wear if you were oh say, digging a ditch in the rain on a dark rural road or something.

I know he meant well, but honestly...lol. What was he thinking?? That I'd wear that! Just for the fun of it, I tried it on and it looked absolutely ridiculous. I could barely move.

Hey Snoot,

I can relate to that. I live in Southern Texas and it can get pretty wet here. Once we were going through Arkansas and was caught in a sudden rain storm, we saw it comming, thank goodness, so my boyfriend got out his Frog Toggs. They are rain geer that folds down to almost nothing. They were warm and dry. You can get them at any Academy. That is like a sporting goods store. They are in most larger towns. Or any motorcycle shop will have good rain geer.
Hope this helps.

Those look really neat! That must have been what he was thinking. Being the girl that I am, I think the $ amount really reflects the quality of a piece of apparel. Those are $30+, while the plastic bag he bought me was $10.

I could even use those for those rainy days out in the field!! Thanks!

snoot wrote:The next day I found he had bought me a BRIGHT YELLOW PLASTIC rain suit. You know the kind? The kind that you would wear if you were oh say, digging a ditch in the rain on a dark rural road or something.

Heck, I'd wear one. It's nice and visible, and keeps you dry. Plus, other people get a good laugh, so what's not to like...?

well, i guess it depends. maybe it would look better on you. i felt like i was wrapped in garbage bags. i never was into vinyl pants.

Until you can afford something better, the yellow rainsuit would keep you dry.

I would wear it......it would beat getting soaked and cold.

Those yellow rainsuits would *suck* for riding a bike... you need something designed to work while riding. A motorcycle specific suit will have elasticised wrist and ankle, waist, etc. and lots of other nice little features (velcro pockets, fabric inner collar, etc) which help them seal out the cool air and water when moving at speed... they dont flap around so much and are cut to fit the riding posture much better.

Check for designs like these: they are made by several manufacturers, like Teknic, TourMaster... cost $30-$60+

http://www.calsci.com/motorcycleinfo/RainSuits.html

Teknic Otisca (2 piece - separate pants and jacket), or the Teknic Chicane is a 1 piece version, a little more water proof, a little less convenient for getting in and out of easily. These lighter suits often have a mesh layer to make them slip over leather more easily and breath better, plus they are MUCH lighter in design than the typical yellow slicker which are designed for sailing the seven seas

You can add rubber booties and glove covers (just like dishwashing gloves! but in black) to keep the hands and footies dry too.

You can find pretty cheap rain pants at outdoors stores that will slip over jeans and provide decent wind and rain protection, and also there are nice gortex-type nylon jackets and pants (i.e. Joe Rocket makes some) that are very water resistant, with impact armour and other nice riding features as alternatives to leather. The outdoors stores have high-end stuff for hiking and mountaineering (i.e. North Face) that are very durable extremely practical and protective (and equally expensive to the bike stuff, ie. $200-$600)...

Hey, at least here they have yellow motorcycle rain suits as well. So you can have specific riding gear and still look like a giant banana

As for riding pants, check out the First Gear HT Riding Pants. They work well in lots of different weather situations (I've worn them down to 35 degrees and as high as 116 (ICK!) degrees):

http://www.newenough.com/protective_app ... pants.html

Best thing is to go to your nearest dealer and just try some stuff on. Don't forget to do the "sit" test to make sure it fits properly in a riding position (i.e. straddle a chair, squat, etc.).

As for rain pants, I have these and they have worked really well (and they're on sale!!):

http://www.whitehorsepress.com/product_ ... ts_id=3821

And this is a good option for a rain jacket (I tried to see if the guy IN the jacket came with the order, but no dice... ):

http://www.whitehorsepress.com/product_ ... ts_id=3821

You want to buy the Triumph Chevron Oversuit.

It's a 1 piece totally waterproof suit that'll fit over your motorcycle gear easily, it's got a step into design that unzips all the way down the legs with triple folded over seams above the zippers - no water will get through I promise.

As an added bonus it folds up into a pouch that's smaller then most purses. I've ridden through some incredible storms with this thing on and been perfectly dry.

Gets my total seal of approval. Oh, it's all black with some nice reflective stripes on it. It only says triumph on a small blue tag on one hip. You'd never know unless you were looking for it. Also has tons of water-proofed pockets for storing valuables.

Availible at www.triumph.co.uk or through your local dealer. It's hella good.