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Rainy season in NC700x style

Gonepaddling

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The rainy season is starting up here on the West Coast. Seems like many of us who ride an NC700 are reluctant to put them away. They are not our sunny day rides, but the true workhorse....
So.... how to manage the rain, and still ride to and for work.

With my job I may have to make two or three visits a day to peoples homes or to early education settings.
I have my water proof jacket motor cycle jacket, over pants etc. however the other day we had the first heavy downpour of the season, and there I was, in front of a preschool with my dripping wet outer wear, wondering where I was going to put it! I already had bypassed opening the frunk as I feared it would become a bird bath within minutes....

I'm looking for slightly out of the box suggestions (ie: rain poncho's over top of gear, strapping on an umbrella like an old time rifle holster on the side of the bike :De)...
Any thoughts on how to keep my hands warm and dry, repeatedly putting on and taking off wet gloves isn't appealing... do the big hand covers that attach to the bike work?

You are all a wealth of knowledge (although some of you live in dryer climates than I)... looking forward to your suggestions.
 
I'm just south of you and experience the same weather conditions as I ride all year. I wish I had ideas for you, but my daily commute doesn't usually involve any stops so I don't have the issues you've mentioned. My sopping wet (on the outside) Aerostich Roadcrafter suit gets hung from a hook and the gloves get hung on a special wire stand I made that keeps them open and facing up so they can dry.

Going to peoples home would be the tough one because I couldn't imagine getting undressed in the rain and then leaving the suit out in the rain. Even if you could put it away in a trunk, it would get wet inside when stuffed into place. My stops might be at the grocery store, but then there's no concern about dripping water on the floor like there would be at someone's home.

It'll be interesting to see what ideas come up.....
 
Not sure about the bigger problem but a good pair of Gortex or properly waterproofed leather gloves will run $150-200 or get heated gloves and\or grips. The HippoHands also work but I've always wondered how restrictive they are...I guess you'd have to try them.
 
The big hand covers cause a problem when signaling turns, as even with the greatest of care you'll end up beeping the horn about half the time.

If I had to put wet rain gear on and off two or three times every morning, I would probably just buy a car.
 
That is a tough one. There was a topic just a while back on what to do with gear but everyone that replied stayed at the office once they got there.

http://nc700-forum.com/forum/bar/4172-commuting-advice.html

I would assume a school might get picky about having stuff hanging from a coat rack by the front door. Plus it might feel a little akward to arrive at someones house and ask to hang your wet stuff somewhere. You have a unique situation.

I personally would not put anythnig wet in my frunk. I usually keep my suit on for a quick stop to the corner store but your stays are most likely a good bit longer.

You may just have to drive those rainy days.
 
I was wondering about the hippo hands and heated grips.... Dry and toasty from the inside out!
They seem to use these a lot on scooters in France. They also had a bunch of those cool covered bikes.
Anyone ridden with a poncho over top of everything. That seems to be the preferred attire during monsoon season in Nepal. You can even get poncho's with two openings/hoods so that you can double. It might minimize the amount of water on my jacket, and could keep the seat relatively dry when I am not on it...
 
PS.. I do take the car when it starts to get ugly...
The little kids don't think I am quite as cool then....
And filling up with gas is never as interesting ( both the lack of gas needed, and the folks who come over to talk)!
 
Tires.. Any updates on performance for the road/trail tires in the rain? I've looked through other forums looks like folk will have had a chance to have used them for a while now.
I'm curious about the following in particular
Pirelli MT 60-r
Heidenau k60 (rear)
TKC

I did see one mention of the Heidenau k73...
 
It's as easy as buying some rain gear and roughing it out. Motorcycle Rain Gear | Motorcycle House Most of the time it's just in case. You don't have to worry about rain too often...

Honestly, I wouldn't even bother with heated gear unless its 40 degrees and less. Save my money and tough it out :)

When I was younger, I would trade misery and toughing it out for 1000 miles, to save money.

Now, I would rather spend the money, only go 500 miles, but be mosty toasty warm and dry, lol.



"you don't have to worry about rain too often"

Dood, she lives in Victoria ;) :rain icon:
 
LOL
Thanks LBS...
I think I will agree with Ahernandez...it doesn't rain THAT often!
I have to think that way to manage through winter and spring in the rain forest. ;)
PS .. I think you get more rain than me. ;)
It hasn't rained for a while! At least a week of sun... But I haven't seen it for the fog.
Do you know if it is legal to drive around with your flashers on? The fog has been pretty dense, and I want to increase my visibility at times.
 
Today I bought a new pair of Waterproof and winter gloves. I hope it is really waterproof. It is VERY WARM. :p
heldhandschuhe_zps6899de1d.jpg
 
Gonepaddling, I was so excited to see someone else going down the same road as me. I have very similar needs as yours and am a year round rider. Started with cheap Trackside hand guards to block the wind. Then ordered Hippo Hands. I just installed my Hippo Hands that, upon installation only (no ride yet), seem like they will be fantastic. We'll see and I'll keep you posted in a few days of riding in the wet and cold. I am looking into what are called bike or leg aprons, or tabliers in France (in French translates to apron). I posted some days back about them. There are a few companies that make them (Tucano Urbano, Bagster, OJ, Puig and some others) but they all seem to be in Europe. Maybe I'm wrong about that. They are very common on scooters but it have found that a lot of motorcycle riders use them too. I can't say I have any practical real world experience with them... limited to 2nd hand accounts from the internet. But it seems that a lot of people use them for just what you are talking about. Really wish I could find someone I know or on this forum who has used them and could give me a real break down f their experience. What do ya think?
 
Rained in the Little Rock area all day yesterday. All my gear is FirstGear stuff and it does quite well in the rain. The suit is the Kathmandu. The only issue I have with it is the collar area. They should have made it so the zipper zips up all the way to the top of the collar. If I don't get it just right rain can sneak in there. My hands stay dry with the Firstgear Master gloves. If it gets really cold I bought some waterproof Mobile Warming battery heated gloves. Nothing like wet and cold hands. Can't have that.

I don't mind the rain, unless it is an all out downpour. If that is the case I have a really lovely Jeep Wrangler. It needs to be driven a couple times a month so it gets its turn. What I don't like about the rain is the mist thrown off other vehicles at interstate speeds. There is no way to really combat that. You can stay way back but if your in heavy traffic that doesn't do any good.

While at work yesterday I got comments from "your nuts" to "I respect you". People and even riders in some cases don't understand why we will ride in those conditions. I don't really think about it. Just do it.
 
I was looking at a heated liner.it is wireless they say.a plug to battery tender and one in coat.then you push a button and they sink together so no wire to worry about.it was 179.00 i Will try to find it again.

sent from a keyboard in the frunk
 
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