i bought my bike lasy july. i have almost 10,000 miles on it now. so its not like i dont ride.but i have been unbeliveable lucky when it comes to getting caught in the rain.in fact before today.i have only been in the rain 2 times in the last year.once i waited it out under a bridge.it was only a short 5 min shower.and withing a couple miles the roads were dry again.bike didnt hardly get dirty. and the other didnt even get me wet and lasted less then a minute. BUT TODAY! i was broken in right. i knew there was a chance of afternoon thunderstorms. and we did get a late start. but we went anyway.my buddies wanted me to show them my back way to the parkway again. they got lost looking for it last week.lol. so we head out. really nice but cloouds are building the whole time.get up there no problems. but as we are headed home and a good pace i may add. trying to beat the clouds.trying! about the time we hit hanging rock it gets dark! really dark. and the winds start howling. make it about 10 miles down the road and it start raining. not too bad though.get to the point where my buddies split off and i stop and put on my water REPELANT jacket.ahhh im warm againand staying pretty dry. i still have about 40 miles to get home though.i get about half way there and the bottom falls out.so i hit a old gas station and get under the awning. as i sit there and watch the lighting hit everything around me. im thinking yea this is a good spot to be.call another friend while im there and he says another band of hard rain is right about wher eim at on the radar.so if i see a break go for it.i did. and it didnt last long.id swear i had just rode into a hurricane.it was all i could do to saty up right at times when the wind hit me.oh did i mention im at 10k miles.and i still have the original front tire thats now looking like a slick?the last 10-15 miles really sucked nutz! i thought i was going to get blown over or something was gonna take me out flying across the road.but i made it.and glad i didnt wiat it out too. it lasted some time after i got home. and poured water out of my boots. i could even ring water out of my underwear.i couldnt have been weter if i had drove in a lake!so i guess i was broken in right.damn my bike looks like crap too.i guess i get to spend all day cleaning it tommrow.its never been close to this nasty. poor girl!

 

Gore Tex. Just go in buy it and don't ask how much it costs. After you use it one time, you will never regret having spent the money. But it is pricey-all the good stuff is.

 

I was in the Smokies a few years back and got caught in a horrific storm. I could not keep the bike on the road, the wind was blowing so hard, and the lightening was terrible. I pulled over under some trees and waited over an hour. Relaized it wasn't going to let up. So rode the 2 1/2 hours to the motel. When I finnaly got back, I also had to pour the water out of my boots. Have gotten caught in the rain many times, and many times soaked to the bone, but that one I'll never forget.

 

Last June we were trying to ride the entire parkway on our way home and about 60 miles from Roanoke all hell broke loose.If it wasn't for my buddys taillight I may have ridden off the road.Once in Roanoke we decided to hit rt81 and hammer down the last hundred to Staunton where we had or hotel reserved.That night was unforgettable,but fun!

 

ROTFLMFAO

Didn'tcher ma ever teach you nuthin'? Never park under a tree in a lightning storm. May as well hold a crowbar over yer head! Find a low area ASAP, even if you have to get wet. Better than standin' under a lightning rod.

 

Yep, I get yer point But I wasn't under a tree. I was in the Smokies with about 20,000 trees around me. And, if I had gotten to a low area I would have drowned from the run off. This was one of the worst downpours I was ever in. Creeks were over their banks, and some roads were shut down. I guess you'd had to be there .

 

Snow Boarding equipment. Seriously, great water proof stuff and warm.

 

Did get caught in a serious rain last yr in Taos, NM. It was falling so hard that I thought someone was pouring water on me. I had to raise off the seat to let the water out. Bad thing I was only 300 yards from where I was going. All traffic stopped and I couldn't move the bike, in the middle of a serious construction area.

 

got to love those storms, we got caught in one last year coming back from the flat track races at beulah park in columbus shot i couldn't even see the exit sign on the interstate pulled off waited while then finished the ride not a dry spot on me.

Was at a bar one night for bike show and left there went to another when i left here i only had 15miles to home it rained so dam hard i couldn't see. When i pulled in the garage i **** you not it looked like i had never road the bike thru rain it rained so hard and with riding it was like it powerwashed the bike that sucked. i get caught several times a year as i ride to work all the time the rain isn't bad in the summer but dam don't get caught in it when the temps are below 50 it sucks big time.

 

I have ridden in plenty of rain storms. El nino years here in SoCal are brutal (at least compared to what we are used to.) Good rain gear is a must if you actually have to ride in it. I have a belstaff rain suit. Made in Englad by chaps who know a lot about staying dry in the rain. Waterproof boots for sure. I used to wear heavy waterproof gloves from the hardware store...