Poor Biker’s Improvised Rain Gear Guide

by Pete Schultz

If you are a dedicated motorcycle rider, one thing is certain. Sooner or later the weather will change for the worse. In a perfect biker’s world, it would only rain when we want to stop for a beer. Just doesn’t work that way though, but let me assure you that there are ways to deal with wet weather riding, and you don’t have to spend the big bucks on fancy rain gear either.

We all wear leather jackets, and maybe even leather chaps or pants. If you take the time to prepare your leathers for wet weather, they will get you through just fine. There are a few different methods that I know of to enable your leather to shed water. Mink oil is the old standard, not only does it repel water, but it helps keep your leather soft and pliable.

Now mink oil is fine, but it is time consuming to really do a good job and get all of the seams coated. My old lady really enjoyed that job, but I found another method that worked well and didn’t take her so long to do! If you have ever been camping out in a tent, you know that they are only useful if they keep you dry. The same mojo that you spray on tents for waterproofing can be applied to your leathers. Real easy to do, just have the old lady hang them up and spray the mojo on it. The spray is cheap and can be found at any sporting goods store. Have her spray this stuff on your gloves and boots too, no need to stop and put on a silly rain suit, just keep riding.

For the ultimate waterproofing of your leathers, try Thompson’s WaterSeal or any other similar product. Just lay your leathers out on the driveway, pop open a cold beer, and have your old lady douche the water seal on with a paint roller. Your leathers will be stiffer than a board for a while, but they will break in again, and rain will bounce off like bullets on Kevlar! Find a gallon of the stuff on sale, it will last for years. Poor bikers prefer this method because it’s quick, cheap and easy.

Now if you are poor biker that has a hard time just keeping your hog on the road, chances are you don’t have any chaps. No worries, all you have to do is get yourself a set of those rubber fishing waders. Have your old lady check out the local rummage sales, she should be able to find a set for a few bucks. These are really the goods when it comes to riding in the rain. They keep you dry from your boots all the way up to your chest, and in prime poor biker style too!

The last accessory that every poor biker needs is a leather mask. These can be had at swap meets for a few bucks. Make sure to use one of the poor biker water proofing techniques on it. When the weather turns to crap, slip on the leather mask and you are good to go. And with Halloween coming up, you can also use it to scare the crap out of the neighborhood kids. 

Well, there you have it, easy and cost effective solutions to staying dry in inclement weather. A few dollars and a helpful old lady can go a long ways towards keeping you dry.

Got any other good tips? Shout off in the Forums!