seeing in the dang! Rain& Dark Suggestions Please!

[iceclimber32]

Hello all

I would love some advice or tips that you folks may have on seeing in the rain

I commute everyday about 35 minutes on my VTX1300 here in the Seattle Area. Although we only moved here a short time ago I have actually grown to like the weather. It doesn't seem to rain nerely as much as people say and when it is not raining it is beautiful!

Back to commuting, I do not mind riding in:

Rain
Cold
Dark
Cold & Rain
Cold & Dark
BUT RAIN AND DARK SUCKS

I have a mehemphis Fats windshield and of course a helmet however I can't see squaut at night in the rain so what words of wisdom or suggestion can any of you PNW riders impart on me so that I can see better in the rain and dark

[18C]

Glad to see Im not the only one with this problem. Im not an expert but when I'm in the dark and rain its pure anxiety. Since I dont like to be full of anxiety, when Im in this situation I ride faster. Yes Ride like the wind and minimize yer time in the saddle less exposure. Sometimes I close one eye, and save it for when the open eye gets a load of stingers (raindrops over 60mph) then trade. There are some full face helmets that have special lenses, and rain coatings to minimize water build up also some gloves have a windshield wiper on them so yu can wipe the shield.

Good luck and Ill follow this topic to see if anyone really< has some good advice. What ya gonna do with those toss salads and scrambled eggs??

I too commute every day here in the Bellingham area; been doing it about 4 years now. The first important thing is to look over, not through the windshield. Those high windshilds may work in the dry areas but you can't see squat through both a visor and windshield covered with raindrops. Secondly, I find that a full face helmet works best in the rain (helps with the cold too) as it minimizes rain inside the visor, a real problem with the 3/4 helmet I wear in the summer. Another thing which helps on dark, rainy nights is driving glasses. I use a pair of amber clip-ons which both cut down on glare and brighten the field.
Just as important a consideration is how visible you are. I wear an Aerostitch RoadGear two piece which has reflective panels and my helmet has reflective tape too. Since installing the light bar and putting a prism on the headlight bulb I have pretty well eliminated cages left turning in front of me, night or day. On the back I have a 6 inch two-stage LED strip on each LeatherLyke bag and the four sided, two-stage SignalDynamics LED license plate holder. I also replaced the stock taillight bulb with the rotating, flashing LED one (I wouldn't do this mod alone as it isn't as bright as the stock bulb). When I hit the brakes it lights up like a Xmas tree back there.
As to driving styles, I have noticed a tendency to speed up a bit in bad weather and I am working on controlling that. Night or day, good weather or bad, I try to keep my speed mostly with the traffic but a tiny bit faster than the majority. That way most of my challenges are coming from the front and I only have to watch my tail for the really fast 20% or so.
The colder weather is about to arrive so be on guard for black ice, especially in the mornings. Be especially careful where trees overhang the road and drip water on the cold pavement. It only takes a light dusting of frost to make those white, stick-on crosswalks and manhole covers slick as snot too.
When I started driving all year here in Bellingham I didn't see any other bikes out there in the winter, now I'm happy to say I see several others most days. It's catching on!
Ride safe. Ride often.

[NWWolverine]

Rainx whatever your looking through. Incredible difference.

[Silverfire]

I second Bildal's comments. I ride rain or shine about 25 miles to work.
I don't use RainX but I do use a Harley (GASP! :roll: ) windshield wipe that does the same thing and is supposedly made for motorcycle windhshields. I put it on my windshield and my helmet visor. Works quite well, although you need to reapply it regularly.
I put reflective flames on my helmet (full face). Pretty bright. I also added some SOLAS grade retroreflective panels (the stuff on liferafts) to the back of my coat, and to the sides and rear of my saddlebags. These panels are fitted over the straps on my saddlebags and are easily removed. The coat panel is mounted to velcro and just fits into the rear shoulder vent.
To the lights: hondaline lightbar to give me three brights up front, the Backoff module (HDL) and Kriss (www.kriss.com (http://www.kriss.com)) modules to make them more eyecatching and intense.
Give yourself a bit extra room to maneuver and never be in a hurry.

[evnutz]

All I can say is lightbar. I never really had any trouble with the dark/rain, but I can see where you're coming from. Still, ever since adding my lightbar, I don't know how I did without it. It's better than riding with brights by a mile, and really makes a difference both for my own visibility and making me more visible.

[thundering zephyr]

Rainx whatever your looking through. Incredible difference.

Heard petroleum-based stuff like RainX is not recommended for plastics. There's an alternative product made for boat windshields that I've seen recommended -- sorry, I don't recall the name.

[mglennm]

I totally agree with the lightbars. I set mine a bit wal-eyed to scan the sides to watch for deer and pedestrians and to avoid blinding the cars.
I swear I have noticed more polite drivers since.
Perhaps it looks like a "serious" bike now but maybe they can just judge my distance better. I don't look maybe like a car with one headlight now.
I also agree you have to look over your windscreen.
Clean it and visors side to side rather than around or up/dn and the glare is better.
I also flip up my visor in town to act more like a ballcap shield.
Another winner was adding lexan shields to my crashbars. (DIY $25 from a plastics shop) All of a sudden my feet and shins were warm and dry.

[eXe]

Rainx whatever your looking through. Incredible difference.

Heard petroleum-based stuff like RainX is not recommended for plastics. There's an alternative product made for boat windshields that I've seen recommended -- sorry, I don't recall the name.

Use PLEXUS...It's specifically designed for plastic & works really well. I'm riding rain or shine these days & it's been great! The water beads up & runs off just like it does with RainX. I turn my head to the side to help blow off some of the water that collects on the very front of my face shield.

HDL carries it for 8.95; some of your local MC shops might have it as well.

[llh11456]

If games like buy wow gold (http://www.usfine.com/world-of-warcraft-usa-c-51.html) Quake and Doom defined action gaming in the gaming world, Need for Speed was the definition of racing games. Need For Speed, maple story power leveling (http://www.usfine.com/Maple-Story-PowerLeveling-c-98.html) or NFS for short has been around since almost the beginning of when computer gaming gained importance. runescape power leveling (http://www.usfine.com/runescape-powerleveling-c-90.html)
Need For Speed is runescape powerleveling (http://www.usfine.com/runescape-powerleveling-c-90.html) a racing game in which the player chooses cars and then races on various tracks.welcome to our websitewow gold (http://www.usfine.com/)

[Short Shifter]

I have an HID headlight and it is super biright. For abourt 90 buxs it is the best solution for visability. I bought 3 HIDs with the intent of making a light bar and really having Bright Bright Bright lights. However as it turns out the one HID is so bright that I just did not need a light bar. Best Money Spent!:bowdown: