Sunday, August 24, 2014

My view yesterday from the motorcycle




Ah, whatever cools you off.  Hiding out at the bank's ATM works pretty well when it's covered.

6 comments:

Eagle said...

Now that you have a set of bags, carry a light-duty rainsuit with you. I keep one in my bags all the time, just in case. Get the kind that rolls up tight and folds up into the jacket's hood.

I hide under an overpass when it gets bad...

tsquared said...

FrogTogs

Dave H said...

What burt said, although I'd try to get a rain jacket that doesn't have a hood. You can't wear a hood with a helmet, and leaving the hood down just catches water and channels it down the back of your neck.

Eagle said...

Dave H: you put the nylon hood on your head UNDER the helmet. That way, your head stays dry even if the helmet gets wet.

Works for me. Every time.

Dave H said...

Ah, that was my problem. Instead of just nylon I had a rubberized (actually I think it was vinyl coated) fabric jacket and the hood wouldn't go under the helmet.

Eagle said...

Dave H:

Yeh, if you get one of the very light-duty waterproof nylon riding jackets, the hood should easily fit under your helmet.

I have two wet-weather riding suits: a light-duty two-piece that I carry in my bags all the time (mostly for commuting), and the heavy-duty Harley riding suit that I use when I'm going on long distance rides.

The light-duty one is thin water-impermeable nylon and folds up into a packet about 8" in diameter and 3" thick. It does a very respectable job keeping me dry from those occasional "where the heck did THOSE clouds come from??" rains. But it's a short-distance suit *only*. It would probably protect you long distance... but it's really designed to just to get you home in a light/medium rain.

OTOH, the heavy-duty Harley rain gear is an all-day heavy-to-monsoon long-distance wet weather all-activity suit. Suspenders as well as stirrups, rubber butt pad (to keep you from sliding around on the seat), plenty of pockets, *VENTS* under flaps so you stay dry while still getting air, a removable heavy-duty hood that fits *over and around* the helmet and velcro-closes pretty tightly over my 3/4 helmet, neck-fit velcro-closure collar to keep the rain off your neck, etc. This is SERIOUS gear for all-day riding in the rain: if you get stuck in the rain and still have a few hundred miles to go, this is the suit for you.