When I can't see I pull over and it doesn't seem to take that hard of a rain to cause that for me. I figure also if I can' see then the traffic behind me probably can't see me very well either.
When it looks like this I pull over and put on my big girl panties to protect my Mangina
And ride until it is doing this
And then hide here until it stops
And then say “screw this ****” and get a Motel.
Spent 4 out of the 6 weeks we ran around Europe living in rain suit's, caught a north sea gale making landfall as we left Holland going down into Belgium, not something I'd care to repeat on a bike.
I love rain riding/ racing.
Other drivers can be an issue...they are all trying to kill you....hi-vis gear is not a bad option.
As for you, OP wrote some good comments.
Painted stripes - maybe the biggest concern.
Tire condition - compound - tread pattern - etc need to be top shape/ monitored.
Hydo-plaining can be an issue - yet OP seems aware.
Throttle & brake control - as said I love the art of rain riding.
Face shield/ google fogging issues can suck, I personally never found a 100% answer for this.
Discomfort from water going down your neck and gloves can also exist.
I don't ride to work or take off on a fun ride if it is raining or highly likely to rain. I take the truck to work, and find something else fun to do - go to the gym, gun range, work on an indoor project, wife, etc.
On a road trip, sometimes it rains. I look at the radar and forecast and figure out a plan. If it is a passing line of storms, I'll find a place to stop, hopefully someplace interesting where I can kill an hour or two, then get going again. If it is going to rain most of the day, then I will gear up and ride. I will stop for severe weather (hail, severe thunderstorms,tornadoes) or if visibility is too low.
Last spring I was in Chattanooga, TN on my way home when it started raining. I had plenty of time and could have waited there a full day or even two before I had to get home and go back to work. But, it was one of those systems that was stalled out over the area and it was going to rain for several days over most of Tennessee. If I waited I would just be riding in the rain the next day. I decided I was going to ride as far as I could and made it to Memphis that evening, no break in the rain the entire day, light mist to steady downpour, until about the last hour. Thanks to my gear I was dry, but riding in rain for that long will exhaust you. I slept well that night and had the entire next day to ride through Arkansas under sunny skies.
We were going to the Blessing Of The Bikes in mid Michigan. I woke up and it was raining. I'm not leaving anywhere in the rain on a motorcycle. We have good gear but it's not a necessity to go to a rally.
I'm like most of you, I ride for enjoyment.
If it's raining, I skip it.
If it really looks like heavy rain - I skip it.
If I'm riding, or on a road trip and it rains - I ride unless it's severe thunderstorms/very heavy downpour.
Good rain gear is an asset - as it a full face or modular (my preference) helmet.
I days of safety shades (or worse) and a bandanna are over - I'm getting old for that sh-t.
That being said, if you ride in Florida - you get wet, then you get dry, then you keep riding!
For me it just comes down to this: I hate rain. I ride for the enjoyment of it, and if conditions are unenjoyable, then I don't ride.
That said, it is very important that your tires have enough tread. I've ridden in heavy rain a few times with good tires without issue.
05-18-2019 | 11:30 AM
It's all fun and games till your ***** get wet.