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Well I am at the point where I am serious about getting my GS500F and using it all year as primary transport. I only have a few things to clear up. Is riding in the rain really that bad, I wouldnt mind giving my bike a good lube and such after a rainy ride, nor do I mind getting wet and hit by needlelike raindrops. Is riding during 30-50 F Weather perfectly fine with proper gear? If so, what would you recommend I wear. Where I live the biggest natural hazard is Rain and Wind.

Any other weather advice would be helpful too, thank you.

Thank You

uhhm, getting wet is not the reason you should avoid the rain. It's because wet road has less traction, especially if there's oil and debris on it. I don't like to even drive in the rain, and riding a bike is plain dangerous. I remember being caught in the rain when I was half-way home. Stopping at the red lights and feeling the wheels skid is *not* a nice feeling. Particularly when you are a newbie.

Oh man ninja you're so lucky you don't live in Alberta, we've gotten 2 feet of snow in the last 3 days and the cars just slip and slide all over because of no traction.

As far as riding in the wet, increase your following distance a little, and reduce your speed through corners. Typical tires will maintian most of their traction during normal cornering while wet. The key is to ease up a little, and smooth out the inputs as much as possible.

I've ridden in rain so hard/heavy that there was 2 inches of water sheeting off the highway. I had 2 inches of water pushing against the sidewalls of my tires, AND when a truck went by it was kicking up water like a jetski. Getting hit with that is like getting punched in the head.

Riding in the rain is relative, if it is common for you, you will adapt. When we get UK riders coming to South Africa, man they can ride in the rain, but they can not ride in the sunshine. They get hot and dehydrate after half an hour. Tyre choice is important, racing slicks don't like rain. As for yourself, good waterproofs make all the difference between comfy or not.

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Get a rainsuit. Dont forget booties to go over your boots (socks take all day to dry on your feet) and you might look into some waterproof gloves.

In my opinion, riding in the rain SUCKS. It's hard to see, your visor fogs up easier, the road is super slippery especially during the first 20mins-1/2 hour, also if it gets around 30 degrees you may also get some sleet/snow etc... you also have to remember that people in cars/trucks drive like crap a lot of times too and follow bikers to close and don't realize how much faster we can stop on bikes than them... so when its wet etc. you have to worry about them sliding into you also. I know some people ride in the rain etc. all the time... but I guess it's a personal choice and I hate it.

May I ask why you don't want to use a car or truck anymore?

ninja79 wrote:uhhm, getting wet is not the reason you should avoid the rain. It's because wet road has less traction, especially if there's oil and debris on it. I don't like to even drive in the rain, and riding a bike is plain dangerous. I remember being caught in the rain when I was half-way home. Stopping at the red lights and feeling the wheels skid is *not* a nice feeling. Particularly when you are a newbie.

You have about 80% as much traction on clean wet pavement as the same spot when it's dry. If you're having problems with sliding tires with 80% traction, perhaps it's time to look at your techniques.

I have no problem riding in the rain. It will decrease the lengths of my rides, but I certainly won't turn back unless I see Noah passing me.

May I ask why you don't want to use a car or truck anymore?

I know this wasnt directed to me but I'll throw in my .02. My bike is my daily driver. My wife has her car that gets reasonable gas mileage, but 'my' vehicle is an SUV. We use it mostly for hauling stuff and road trips, but commuting in an SUV is silly IMO. I wasted so much gas and mileage when commuting on it, wasting away my expensive vehicle. We have use for the SUV and its paid for, so its a waste of money to sell it.

I had two choices, buy a beater commuter or a bike. I chose the bike because it was a much funner option, I can get a nice bike rather than a crummy 10 year old car that I have to repair monthly for the same price, it gets over twice the gas mileage of any car on the road (70mpg compared to 18mpg in the SUV), its a breeze in traffic, and insurance is cheap. It was a no brainer.

That said, I still ride on cloudy days...its unlikely it will go from dry to pouring on my 20 minute commute, but it happens.

I don't think I could go completely without a 4-wheeler, but with the bike as my DD it is inevitable that I ride in all weather conditions.

To me at least the post snow melt gravel traps out on the road are worse than wet pavement. those lil gravel traps are almost always where you would turn too.

CNF2002 sums it up very well.

My commutes 10 to 30 minutes depending on the destination and riding on the freeway isn't too much of a gain for me but I can ride on it if I felt like passing the streetlights.

Bikes are just more fun.