I know of may riders who prepare their motorcycles for the monsoons. By prepare, I mean they wash their motorcycle and put it some place safe till the rains go away. They don't ride their motorcycles in the rain for a number of reasons and I have absolutely no problem with that. It's their motorcycle bought using their hard earned money and they are free to do they want with it. Ride it, let it idle in a garage or throw it off a cliff. Not my problem.

However, I do have a problem with people who tell me that I shouldn't be riding a motorcycle in the rain. They proceed to impart wisdom on the topic, citing many reasons from "it will get dirty" to "you will die" and everything in between. As with most things I happen to have some thoughts about riding a motorcycle in the rain.

The presence or absence of rain doesn't make that huge a difference as some people made it out to be. If you respect the power of the motorcycle and have the adequate skill to negotiate it along a straight or curved path then I think you are good. All you need to do is factor for the road being wet or dry and ride accordingly. This is no different than how you would factor for the road being smooth or bumpy and ride accordingly. To me the safety issue of riding in the rain is of little significance. What is of huge significance to me is the reason why I ride in the rain. Or more generally, why I ride a motorcycle at all.

This past weekend I rode a rented Suzuki V-Strom 650 adventure motorcycle 1,500 kms across North Carolina and Virginia. Severe thunderstorms were predicted in the region I was about to pass and I stopped at roadside restaurant to grab a cup of coffee, because I still can't bring myself to drink what Americans call tea. :-)

The elderly man serving me the coffee noticed my riding gear and said to me, "<em>Son, you better find a place to hide. The weather's going to get pretty bad out there pretty soon</em>". I smiled back at him and proceeded sip on my coffee looking up at the dark clouds gathering above me.



After having the coffee I started riding and as expected it started to rain, first slowly and then everything that was up came down. All at once. In the distance I would see streaks of lightening followed by loud claps of thunder. Visibility reduced to a few meters and I had to slow down. I was wearing a water resistant riding gear. But the rain was just too much. To make it worse I was wearing a half face helmet and rain water started seeping through the collar of the jacket. For a while it stopped and then started all over again, almost mocking me. This went on for a hour, by the end of which I was drenched so many times, I lost count.

It was a little uncomfortable, to put it mildly. But I had a smile on my face all the time, much to the amazement of other riders who had stopped by the side of the road under whatever shelter they could find. I waved at them as I passed them by.

So why did I not stop riding and look for cover? The reason goes to the very heart of why I ride. I ride to experience Mother Nature. As with all mothers, she happens to have a good side as well as a bad side. I want to experience both. I want to experience her beauty as well as her fury. If I was only interested in her beauty I would have not parked my rental car, a comfortable Mitsubishi Lancer, at the motorcycle rental company and rented a motorcycle. I could have easily watched the beautiful sights from the comfort of my climate controlled car whose innards were guaranteed by the manufacturer to remain dry in a thunderstorm like the one i was riding through. I would not have spent good money on water resistant Harley-Davidson riding jacket, pant and gloves (their stuff is quite expensive, by the way) if I wanted to hide under a shed when the rain decided to show up. I would not have spent good money on Alpine Stars waterproof riding boots (I kept them in a bucket of water overnight to verify that they are indeed quite waterproof) if the first sight of rain made me look for cover. I guess I'm just not the kind of person who spends good money on things and then shies away from using them for their intended purpose.

This is not to say that I looked down on the other riders who stopped their motorcycles and stood under a shelter. It their choice to do so. It's their choice to sit tight at home and not ride at all. Similarly it's my choice as well to ride straight through a thunderstorm and live to tell the story. I know what I'm getting myself into. I know my threshold of pain and discomfort, and above all, I fully understand my mind and body and respect what they are both capable of doing.

I'm not suggesting that you do stuff you can't handle. There are people waiting for you at home. There is a line between adventure and stupidity and you need to know where that line is and you need to respect it.

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Deelip Menezes
www.deelipmenezes.com

Gore-Tex - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gore-Tex

I enjoy riding in the rain. Most people will delay their journey due to rain ... thus I have less traffic. With enough rain the roads are clean, with a little more my bike and my cloths are clean too.

Provided you have good wet weather gear and you are not cold things are fine. Do do draw the line at hail stones and lightening though. That stuff can hurt.

I have ridden in the rain on many an occasion because for a long while my bike was my only mode of transport. I did not mind doing it but I would not go out of my way to to ride in it. My worst riding in bad weather was when I was in Her Majesty's Armed forces and I was going on leave from Osnabruck in Germany to get the ferry from Rotterdam to Hull. There was a snow blizzard all the way through Holland. I was on a R1100s with heated grips (which were about as much use as a chocolate fire guard) but I still stopped at every petrol station on route to warm up and have a brew. All my front was white with snow for the majority of the ride
It was either that or not go home!

Wayne

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The Balkans
https://new.horizonsunlimited.com/poi_entity/8417

Great essay Deelip ... you've created some enticing images, very enjoyable read! Lovely photo too!

As you say, if a rider is set up to ride rain with decent gear ... and has some experience with keeping his face shield de-fogged and keeping water ingress at a minimum, then rain riding is not too bad. A proper wind screen can help a lot too.

Best parts of rain riding are the sights and smells we ride through, especially our California Redwood forests and our incredible Deserts. Nothing like the smell of Desert Sage during an early season rain storm.

Good quality, properly inflated tires very important. It's amazing how fast one can do a twisty road on a good rain bike. As mentioned, once the roads are clean, traction is actually VERY good with modern tires. Not like the old days!

I don't like riding in a true deluge, where visibility is down to 10 or 20 meters. I pull over and wait it out. Snow, Ice and super cold are also tough. I've ridden plenty of it, some in dangerous conditions. Nearly froze several times. Not recommended to novices.

Hail? I was nearly knocked off my Triumph Tiger by BIG Hail stones on the Peage' in France. Took refuge in a Vineyard. It quickly passed. Painful!
Dented cars. Lasted only 10 minutes or less.

My longest rain ride in recent memory was returning from Mexico's Copper Canyon after a month's long trip. It rained the entire 1,500 miles back to San Francisco.

I was on my former Suzuki DL1000 V-Strom. Absolutely NO PROBLEM on this bike. I rode my normal 10 hour days at 70 to 80 mph. Rain was moderate but steady, with a few heavy downpours. Only issue was snow and ICE over the high passes. Tricky on a bike, you have to pay attention. Buy only 50 miles of that then back to rain.

Tea? You must be a tourist?
Most of USA (especially the Deep South) don't "do" tea. Just sweetened Ice tea (horrible) Unless you can get to a Starbucks or Peets or a "real" cafe, you normally won't get a "proper" cup of Tea.

I carry my own loose tea and pot. Earl Grey thanks. When I stop at a typical greasy spoon, I only need them to make boiling water ... another concept my fellow Americans are weak on. Lazy. Microwave everything.

But they can do milk and sugar ... and speciality Asian/Indian markets are everywhere in California, so good Tea is plentiful. Always carry your own!
(PS: Starbucks and Peets both sell quality imported Tea)



Best part of a Rain Ride ... a Rainbow!

Don't stop here too long ... at 12,000 ft. in late November ... and snow on the way. Keep Moving! Rain is fine,
Snow? Not so much!

Good write up.

There is no such thing as bad weather only the wrong kit. For snow a sidecar is better although a light enough bike ( its like sand. ) on the right tyres will do. Three of the four above have no fear. Having Alpine or Northern tracks all to yourself with fresh snow is great fun.

Disagree about Goretex, its a nylon overrsuit for me, but that's been covered plenty of times elsewhere.

Andy

Nice pictures, mollydog.

Yes, I'm a tourist. I live in India and visit the US regularly for work. I try and squeeze our a day or two, rent a motorcycle and ride across this vast and beautiful country. You can say, I'm always trying to add some pleasure with my business. :-)

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Deelip Menezes
www.deelipmenezes.com

It's nicer there in July…

Yesterday I went out locally for a ride (Shenandoah Valley of Virginia) and foolishly left my rain gear behind (no *way* it was going to rain). Of course, you know what happened: I got drenched. No problem, there are much worse thing than a summer rain storm! But as I rode on in dry, warm weather, gradually drying out, and as a new adv rider wanna-be contemplating beginning longer rides soon, I had this thought: with the right, quick dry clothing (e.g. no cotton, thin layers, etc.), might it be okay at times to avoid rain gear if there's no chance of hypothermia? I'm a long-time backpacker and learned that I could hike miles and miles in wicking clothing and at least moderate rain without bothering with rainproof gear and without discomfort. I had the advantage of generating drying heat as I hiked, admittedly, but on a bike I can easily generate 40+ mph of wind.

So what say you who are much more experienced with moto adventuring than I: with the right (non-waterproof) clothing, can you easily weather light to moderate rain without all the extra layers? Can you just let yourself get soaked through and then dry out riding quickly enough to not be miserable (assuming it's not 45F out, of course)?

That wouldn't work if you want to wear a riding jacket with armor, like I always do.

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Deelip Menezes
www.deelipmenezes.com

unfortunately where the most rain is ,so is the humidity.In Malaysia the shirt(1) that was not cotton did dry throughly,the cotton shirts stayed damp and was to a point unuseble ,in the hot humid climate. I have a very breathable two layer mesh jacket that works great ,(except in the rain)especially after a little session of perspiration at a light, but too cool in the highlands during the morning, so was the only time I added a tee.
These conditions keep the adventure on many otherwise regular rides,building a kit that will meet the needs of all extremes. Beside taking one finger off the front lever.What would be a good rain suit in Asia ,the only ones I saw where suitable for the locals but unbreathable and would turn into a sauna similiar to a wet cotton shirt.?

You get very dirty in rain on a bike. Spray plus rubber dust from tyres and all the other crud that's otherwise in dust form gets stirred up. This stuff gets the outer layer of any breathable clothing to the point it stops breathing. It also becomes something you won't want to share a hotel room or tent with.


A basic plastic oversuit keeps you clean as much as dry.


Andy

Deelip, I don't see how that matters if you have armored mesh, for example.

Indeed. I recently bought a Bilt armoured mesh riding jacket and matching riding pant to wear in the hot summers here in India. I continue to use my heavy water-resistant Harley-Davidson jacket when riding in the monsoons. But one of these days I'll try what you suggested.

As someone said earlier, if all fails, skin is water proof. :-)

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Deelip Menezes
www.deelipmenezes.com

I'm going to try it.