Riding in the rain?

[3rdGear]

How bad is it on your bike to ride in the rain?

[Hairball]

I have come to the conclusion that my S3 causes it to rain!
I have owned my 05 S3 for 4 monthes and have been caught in the rain 11 times!

But the bike an pilot powers tyres track well, if you remove the rear fender, your back will get wet.

I have heard that water pools around the spark plugs causing problems....I have not had any problems.

[2bugeyez]

Rain has never been a problem for me---but then, it never rains in southern California.

[tealetm]

You're bound to get caught in the rain once in a while- unless you're not a "real" rider ha. Once I opted to ride instead of drive 3 hours to a buddy's for the weekend- I don't think its ever rained that hard or for that long- ever. Bike did allright, no problems. I had to stop periodically because the visibility was about 5 ft. Its all part of the fun... as long as you have a set of dry underwear

[qc415]

on the ride home from buying my triple it rained for half the trip. of course I had on a mesh jacket and jeans since the forecast was a 10% chance of rain. ended up getting completely soaked and was cursing my naked purchase and the weatherman the remainder of the trip. I know some people that won't ride in the rain at all. they quote all sorts of things and say that a bike isn't meant to ride in the rain and rain will end up causing severe damage. alas I've never had any problems with any bike from riding in the rain. thus i come to conclusion that they lack testicles and motorcycles are perfectly happy being attacked by as much water as the rider can deal with. :razz:

[Lono]

I ride in Seattle year 'round and I have noticed that I get wetter on the S3 than on my Bandit, but as for handling the wet, they're both rock solid. I have removed the rear fender on my S3 and noticed a big increase in the amount of soaking my backside and the back of my legs got. I recently added a Jack Lilley hugger, but I haven't been caught in the soup yet to see if it helps the situation.

[jbonbelay]

Being another rider from Seattle I can say that unless you are willing to ride in the wet stuff around here you might as well not ride! 3rdgear you are from Salem, it can't be much different down there.

Get some good riding gear (I use the aerostitch roadcrafter one piece suit) and don't worry about it. Just remember that you need to take it easy until the tires warm up and you will quickly start to learn the areas of the road that ARE USUALLY the slick bits, like the center of the lane, intersections, big ass white lines, etc... A few butt clinchers and you start to pick out the trends. But like hairball said the pilot powers are amazing tires and stick really well. :-D

[Ricochet_Rabbit]

My 02 S3 has never had a problem with the rain. It rained like crazy the day I brought it home. I had a bout 20 miles to go and the heavens opened up. Even in an Aerostitch I got soaked. And my nice shiny new S3 was a mess.

I'm not the type that decides to commute to work in a downpour, but I'm not going to sit in a coffee shop for 3 hours while it drizzles.

Rode home from work a couple of weeks ago in the rain and all the bugs got washed off my leathers.

Rain just kinda sucks, but it isn't the end of the world.

[skeepee]

Another Seattlite chiming in -

Gear makes all the difference. I also have an Aerostitch Roadcrafter (great suit, but certainly not the only good choice), and don't give a whit if it's raining or not. However we don't get the pounding rains that the gulf states get. In those conditions only a true rain suit could keep you dry.

The limiting factor for me is temperature. An electric vest is a great equalizer for the chillier days. Powerlet makes nice quality BMW-style sockets for adding accessory power to your bike. I've already got one on my Valk, and will receive their Sportbike II socket in the next few days for my '04 S3.

When the frost comes out, so do the car keys :razz:

[Lono]

There's no such thing as bad weather, only bad kit...