Ready 4 Rain??

[usranger74]

I am getting ready for a 3 day trip and it looks like I will hit some rain.

I have not ridden in rain in the past 15 yrs.

For those of you have a lot of rain experience, do you treat your windshield with rain-X or something like it.

Same question for your face shield.

Txs

[moloprintz]

I don't treat my windshield.
I'll ride in light to medium rain.
But when it gets heavy I run for cover.

Mike

[rickyboy]

I have gotten caught in down pours on a "trip", and there's nothing much you can do about that. One thing that gets to me after/during one of these down pours, is when the bike looks dirty. But as far as treatment of the windscreen or face shield? I don't do anything. I use to use RainX but not anymore.

[blowndodge]

you may want to wipe it down with lemon pledge but not rain x.....

Make sure you can just see over the top of the shield in cause water blocks your view. The wind from the top of the shield should push the rain over your head enough not to hit your helmets faceshield. Wipe Pledge on that shield too. Ride slower...

[cactusjack]

I like riding in the rain, it usually cools things down considerably. What I don't like is the 4-5 hours I have to spend polishing chrome afterward.

You shouldn't be looking through the windshield, so I don't see any reason to treat it with RainX. Usually I get caught in the rain with a half helmet with no shield, which is why I recently bought a full face modular helmet. Rain isn't half bad when it's not hitting you in the face.

[Jared]

Wear a rain suit, ride slower, and be prepared to have a very very dirty bike. That's about all you can do.

[Netnorske]

The actual riding in the rain part is not such a big deal....especially with good rain gear, but what sucks is the inability to really ride the twisties....and the filthy condition your bike will be in as a result. A few minutes riding in the rain results in a good long washing and polishing act... :-/.

[mobandy78]

USRanger,

I haven't worn a full helmet in a while, but the one that I have, I do clean it with rain-x. I have some that I keep in a small swuirt bottle, spray it on the helmet and wipe it down. I do the same for my windshield. I think the rain-x works great. I have to agree with BD and Cactus. You should be looking just over the top of the windshield, so looking through it during rain doesn't matter.

[ringadingh]

I wouldn't use Rainx at all on a plastic windsheild or face sheild. There is something in the product that causes the plastic to get a lot of tiny stress cracks in it. I know this from experience. On glass its a great product and works very well.

[cajun2wheels]

If I have any idea that there is a chance of rain I will wear my full face helmet.I keep a couple of micro fiber towels in my bags and when riding in rain I tuck one just inside my rain jacket.Comes in handy to wipe the water droplets off my face shield when it gets hard to see.

[zoom45]

+1 on what everybody said. Do not try to look through the windshield. Have it adjusted where you look over the top of it. Trust me. My Nomad is at home in the water. I only use car wash soap and water. No rain-x.
Zoom45

[Loafer]

Everyone says the right things, but they left out the part about smiling while you ride in the rain.

[psychocycle]

I'm always amazed when people state that there bike has never been ridden in the rain. I ride every day rain or no rain and although I don't love getting soaked, if you don't ride in the rain you don't ride. The one reoccurring theme in the responses above is look over your windshield not through it. If you can't look over it, cut it down so that you can. Never get caught in the pouring rain looking through a windshield. (Don't ask me why I know this to be true). Enjoy your trip and don't let any rain spoil the ride!

[dank]

I put wax on the face shield. Helpful in light rain. Heavy rain rolls right off no matter what at any decent speed.

If you are in an area that has not had rain recently, say the last week or more, then watch out right after it starts. Cars leave lots of oil on the pavement and it come up in a slippery, foamy mess for the first 20 minutes or so of rain. Truly dangerous if you need to brake hard or carve a corner. I have been amazed at how much is rinsed off the first few minutes each time this has happened when I have been riding. I had read about it, and found the caution is real.

Otherwise, once you accept getting a little wet, I find it no issue at all, even heavy downpours, unless I am in town on a busy freeway. Prefer not doing that in the rain.

[jandijkgraaf]

I'm a Hollander..I know almost no days without rain.
I have a Kett so called Fat Suit 30 years on..over gloves for both hands and feet.
Open helmet with eye protection glasses.
The greatest problem usually is not the rain itself,but the watershower given to
you from other traffic..hard to deal with that always.
Advise is NOT to ride in the rain at all.
Just buy a car.