Just got back from a 2600 mile trip from southern Utah to Oklahoma and back. The first few days were pretty much in the rain. Day 2 and 3 were more than 800 miles in the rain. Here's a few pictures just for fun ...

End of Day 1 ... South of Page, AZ ... You can see the rain on the horizon ...



And then a little later on Day 1 in New Mexico ... I was riding the back roads still trying to salvage something out of the trip.



The morning of Day 3 I got to the Texas/Oklahoma border. I had been in the rain from just south of St. George, UT, to Amarillo, TX, and here's the bike in need of a good cleaning ...



Unfortunately I hit rain again just outside of Clinton, OK, and rode it in the rain the rest of the way into OKC ... I did manage to wash the bike off a bit the next morning, but as you can see in the background that was not all the rain I experienced on this trip.



On the way home I got rained on a bit each day. I think this trip had more rain than any I've been on it a long time. Out of 10 days on the road I was in the rain 7 days.

Oh well ... can't wait to climb back on for another trip. But first job is to get a good wash job done on the bike and hit it for some minor maintenance chores. I did the 1000 mile service after the Grand Canyon trip a couple weeks ago and I'll probably have to do the 5000 mile service in the next couple weeks.

 

Nice trip! I do several multi-day trips every year and it's really hard to not have some rain. Sometimes you get lucky and you don't. And sometimes you get real unlucky and get it every day. More often, it's a bit of a mix.

Sounds like you had a good run, in spite of it all - doesn't seem to have dampened your spirits for the next one!

 

You get used to it. Even the best rain suit won't keep you completely dry after 10 or 12 hours of riding. I hit a tropicial depression coming back from Sturgis 15 or so years ago. Started pouring in Kansas City and rained (hard) all the way to my home in Florida. But it still was a trip I enjoyed. I didn't get hot and didn't have to worry about getting dehydrated. We are used to riding wet in Florida. Pretty pics.

 

Not to change the subject but that is great test for a rain suit.. Which one do you have and how did it hold up..

 

+1 on the rain suit ???

 

LOL You should feel some comfort knowing southern Utah and New Mexico can always use the rain. (At least that's what the locals told me when I was riding there in the rain)

 

I also did a Coast to Coast in April.. Some rain, not as much as OP - What I did was to buy a good pair of "Road Gear" over pants that were water proof - 5.11 boots that were also water proof then kept the HD Orange/Gray jacket available... So, if it started - all we needed to do was put the Jacket on... worked great - One other item I have used for a few years is s

http://www.aerostich.com/catalog/US/...r-p-16447.html


the look like Mickey mouse hands but they really keep your gloves Dry and they just go over your lightweight riding gloves... also, in keeping the rian and wind out, the hands stay warmer... nothing worse that rain soaked gloves

 

I have a set of Frogg Toggs that I bought about 5 years ago and have used on 3 different bikes. But I have to toss them out now, I burned a hole through the right leg on the pipes. I needed to get some new ones anyway. I've lost about 40 pounds since buying them and now they balloon up something fierce at highway speeds.

I think the HD suit (Overpass?) is reinforced so it doesn't burn. I'll have to look at it closer. Seems to get some good marks on this forum, and I like the look of what I've seen so far. A bit expensive, but the dealer owes me $100 for a sales referral anyway, so I'll likely use the money for that.

I also looked at a pair of HD rain boots. I had a pair of no-name rain covers (boots) that worked pretty well. But they've just flat worn out. The stitching is starting to come apart and I got wet feet for the first time in awhile. I think these things are about 10 years old, so I've gotten my moneys worth.

Normally I'd agree, but this year has been a bit wet. I think our snow totals were up across the state and this spring has sure seemed wetter than the last few years.

Those Aerostitch gloves sure look odd ... I'm not sure if that's Mickey hands or something from a bad SciFi movie. I have a set of ski gloves that are waterproof and I simply stripped the old insulation out of them. They were a bit small for ski season anyway, so now they fit fairly well for riding in the rain.

 

rode across the canadian rockies last june. 1500mi if freezin nasty rain. whall blizard proof coveralls, gordon fisherman rainsuit on top of that, cabellas goretex gloves, scarf, and lots of break an shake handwarmers in every pocket, glove & boot. found a good use for a full face helmet too. rain sucks, but it makes for good surviveal stories.

 

A Days riding in the rain still beats a day stuck in front of a computer in an office.