need gear advice

[John Hopkins]

We have more rain than the Amazon rain forest and its cold, I wear my leather jacket and Kevlar jeans for long runs and riding boots, gloves and full face helmet..then I went to my local fishing tackle store and bought a pair of plastic trousers with an elasticated waist, these are quite large and go on over my boots quickly and easily, I tie the leg close so I won't burn a hole on the exhaust..a separate jacket from the same place with a zip front keeps the rain from soaking through my leather jacket..A pair of free plastic gloves from the filling station stops the rain from soaking through my riding gloves and a stop at Mc Donalds to get a cheap meal and use the hand drier to dry my gloves is a no brainer, on a long run I usually need waterproof clothing but I want something thin that can go in my bag easily when the sun is shining.. No matter what you wear, if the rain hits your neck it will run down your body inside your clothes and pool around the area you sit on, when you stand up to get off the bike this rain will run down your leg and fill your boots, a small towel around your neck will prevent most of this.

John.

[chief]

I spend a bit more on my rain gear. It lasts forever and I can wear the jacket in the rain when not on the bike. I got my last set from Cabela's. FroggToggs makes some really good ones nowadays... I tried one the other day at Gander Mtn... the sleeve had  "weegie" thing inside to prevent water from migrating up the sleeve!

[greenbarn]

I found this in "extra high visibility"   Might be good in the rain, for anybody interested.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/DUPONT-Tychem-Tyvek-QC127S-Yellow-Coverall-Chemical-Hazmat-Suit-QC127-Medium-M-/121219327045?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item1c393c2445

[greenbarn]

WOW petemoss sold you a bike with poor tires...the nerve of him......

It's OK, the price was right

Thanks for all the feedback- that gives me a good starting point.

[moosewing3]

I agree with 2Beers on the Frog Togs. Got mine at a bike show for $70 and I made her throw in the heat tape for the legs, accidents happen lol. Have been very happy with it. Gloves, I use my kevlar duty gloves as I find they don't get uncomfortable when wet, you can buy them at any law enforcemnet supply company and the added bonus is they are kevlar and provide superior protection should you end up dragging your hands along the ashphalt. As for bags I bought a Saddleman tail bag, love it and you don't need to have a sissy bar for it as it comes with a piece to place under the passenger seat or anywhere else so you just clip the straps to it and tighten them. I usually just clip mine right to the saddlebag stays. The best thing about it is you undo four clips and carry it in to your room with you, so no more emptying out the saddle bags into shopping bags , we call that the North Bay matching luggage Ratman lol. Any further Saddleman bags you buy also attach srcurely to it if you find you need more baggage. I am going to buy the top roll for it for longer stays.

[49Reo]

I do pack rain gear, and gloves, but it has to be raining real hard and/or quite cold before I use it. I typically just make sure my leathers,(gloves, jacket, and chaps) are well oiled. I carry a small mink oil or dubbin on long trips. My rain gear is the heavy industrial type, not a good color for bad weather, (they are a dark olive green) gloves are rubber chemical gloves; they have a lining in them as well. My leather gauntlets have a pouch on the back that has waterproof covers that fit over the glove. My rain gear is a bit bulky, pants and jacket rolls up to about 4" diameter by 7" long, if I really compress them. Reason I use those is I was on a short trip one day, many years ago, late fall, got caught in a pouring rain; temp was just above freezing. Only place open was an industrial supply store, so got what I could. Best rain gear I have ever owned. Thick enough to help keep you warm in the bargain.

I also carry a small bottle(I used an empty shampoo sample bottle, about 3" tall) of Maguires Clearcoat Polish. I use it on the windshield and eyeglasses, helmet visor, etc every time I clean them. Put it on after cleaning, helps water bead up off the windshield, visor, etc. Much better vision when riding in the rain.

And blah, blah, blah. 

[pcarrell]

For a cheap rain suit (way cheaper then Frogg Toggs and such), go to a paint supply place or your local home improvement store and get a painters suit.  They have 1 piece ones with a hood and some boot covers, or you can get tops, bottoms, and booties separate if you want.  The big trick is to make sure they're made of a product called Tyvek.  That's the exact same stuff that Frog Togs are made of.  You probably won't get a color choice, only white, but in bad weather a white suit will show up good, and you'll save big money!

For example, here's a site that sells individual one piece suits with a hood and boot covers for $5.10 each.  Compare that to Frogg Toggs!  http://disposable-garments.com/shop/new-tyvek/tyvek-coveralls-hood-boot/

And don't forget this tip!  http://www.gadgetjq.com/froggtognomelt.htm

[CDNRatMan]

  WOW petemoss sold you a bike with poor tires...the nerve of him......

Raingear I have a nice set of rain gear I bought for $60.00 looks just like my Brother-in-laws and is the same manufacturer, and he paid $300.00 for his because of the H-D logo on it.....
No matter what type of bag or carrier for gear I always use garbage bags to put things in for that extra dry feeling.
Elephant ears are a bonus. To staying dry and warm.
Hands I use neopreane fishing gloves hands stay warm and comfy, my get wet but not cold.
I just bought na pair of riding pants, never used them so nothing to say about them, used chaps for years, they are ok for the cold but not the wet, your crotch and seat still get cold or wet....
I went to Jafrum and bought a nice big sissy bar bag to carry everything, $39.99 and I can carry enough kit for a month in it....

[gdrudd13]

The textile jackets with waterproof liners aren't bad, and are much better than nothing, but the few times I've gotten caught in the rain, my rain suit worked much better. If you get them big, it'll fit over your riding jacket, pants, boots, everything, so it is easy to put on when you stop. You might try leatherup.com for the rain suit. They have inexpensive rain suits that work well. Frog Togs are really nice though and would be a very good choice.

[2beers]

Getting organized is half the battle, GB!  I'm sure some riders with road experience will chime in here with good, practical answers.  Here's my 2 cents to get it started 

I researched rain gear a couple of weeks ago.  No matter how 'waterproof' the textile jackets advertise to be, I didn't find owner opinions that backed up that claim.  I opted for Frog Togs, jacket and pants.  The material is breathable, rather than a vinyl-type that can quickly make a rider too hot.

Although I haven't had the gear on in highway driving conditions, I had the opportunity to use that Frog Tog set in pouring down rain for four hours at the riding course.  I'm pleased to report that my jacket and clothing under the Togs remained completely dry.  If I had remembered to close the vents in my helmet, I wouldn't have had a drop of water on me at all, lol.

Wet hands weren't at all pleasant in my armored but mesh gloves, so I would definitely opt for waterproof gloves.   Don't for get about BOOTS, too!

--The Bride

[greenbarn]

Planning, if all goes well, to make the trip to Drift In.  477 miles from here.  This will be my first long bike trip, so I figured I'd better gear up.  I want to buy what I need but don't want to spend a bunch of money on stuff I won't need or use.

My biggest concern, really, is riding in the rain.  I haven't ridden in much rain, and probably won't between now and then, so want to make sure I'm geared up right.  I figure like any long trip there's a high likelihood of riding in some rain.

Rain Gear:  I have a Joe Rocket combo jacket (mesh + rainproof + liner) that I thought I would probably be wearing on the trip.  Is this adequate for rain protection, or should I get a dedicated rain suit?

Pants:  Seems like it would it be smart to get a pair of riding pants? Is it better to get a waterproof pair, or a non-waterproof pair + rain pants??

Gloves:  Own mesh-back riding gloves, and lined leather gloves- neither are waterproof.  Should get a pair of waterproof?  Suggestions?

Need a gear bag in addition to my saddle bags- to carry all the extra gloves...   Any suggestions?

Tires:  Planning to have new tires on the 1500 this spring- back one is worn out, and front isn't that far off.  So that shouldn't be an issue.

Mechanicals:  Hopefully, the bike will be in tip-top shape by then.