Rain suits are just like everything else we have to buy. There are really cheap ones and really expensive ones.
I have a pair of gor-tex pants and a breathable rain jacket. They did not come as a set but work well together. The extended inner sleeve of the jacket has a place to put your hands and thumb through so the sleeves can't ride up and work great with gauntlet gloves. The pants are breathable and the legs zip all the way up to the waist for easy entry. They also have built in spats to keep your feet dry (with waterproof boots). Both pieces are wind and waterproof.
If you are out riding on a breezy spring or fall day the jacket and pants will keep you warm by blocking the wind. I also use the pants for cold weather riding because of the wind blocking abilities.
That old adage is true that you get what you pay for and I hate riding wet, so a little research goes a long way.
I have a Firstgear Kathmandu jacket that is an excellent jacket in the rain. I have an Olympia rain pant with heat shield on the legs to protect is from the exhaust. It rolls up to about 3x the size of a beer can and I can easily stuff it into a saddlebag. Unfortunately, it stopped being waterproof. I'm going to try and use Nikwax to re-waterproof it. The pants were $90.
If that doesn't work, I will look for a better alternative.
Yes, it was crazy expensive. However, it also has the distinction of being the only Gore-Tex Pro Shell leather motorcycle jacket in existence. It's 1.2mm full grain leather bonded onto a certified Gore-Tex liner. It's upgradable to D3O Air armor in the elbows, shoulders, back, hips, and knees.
It's a big investment. But when you combine it with a Firstgear heated system and a Thermo base layer, what you get is a setup which will keep you 100 percent warm and dry and which offers near race-quality protection. It was developed in Finland, and those guys know a thing or two about riding in the cold and rain.
If you're into more performance-oriented riding, a leather setup like this is great. It doesn't hurt that it comes with a 5-year warranty.
11-23-2016, 08:15 AM
Rain SUits
