RainGear

Written by Eli Enokizono

So far, it’s been a crazy year… I’m not talking about work or family obligations although those have been just as chaotic. I’m talking about the weather. Living in Southern California, one would think about the stereotypical beach weather and typical t-shirt, shorts and flip flop attire. But it’s been on the cold side with lots overcast and rainy days. This brings me to the topic of rain gear…and riding.  With so many options out there, how can one choose a durable, practical, reliable and essential part of riding gear? Raingear totally depends on what you are looking for. Again there are so many options out there; it makes it difficult to choose. But as my motorcycle mentor had instructed long ago – be practical.
My first rain gear was a cheap $10 bright yellow rain suit from Target. Knowing that I was new to riding I never made it a point to go ride in the rain. I had it with me in case I was riding and it just happen to rain but it was uncommon to find me outside on an overcast day… call me a fair weather rider if you want but I was being cautious. Then it became rainy season and well, living in Central Texas at the time, rainy season was bad and there were several floods. As a new rider the weather was discouraging because well, it’s like having a new toy and not being allowed to play with it. I had gotten caught in the rain several times prior so I was becoming more confident and one day I finally gave in and said I’m going riding IN the rain.
The rain suit worked well and I used it for over a year. By that time, I had already upgraded to a bigger motorcycle. Since I could go faster on the bigger bike, I noticed the rain suit seams were not holding up as well and decided to upgrade to a new suit.
The people at the Harley-Davidson store where I purchased my new motorcycle were very nice and informative so I felt comfortable joining the HOG chapter riding group. They all had Harley brand raingear so that was my next purchase since it was still rain season. It worked very good and was more comfortable than the Target brand. The only thing I noticed was that when it rained the whole day, my skin felt clammy and ugh from being in plastic all day… just like the Target brand.
But really how often does it rain? I kept wondering what other type of fabric was out there to prevent this sensation? Coming up empty handed I thought it was acceptable to feel that way while riding in the rain… until I met a woman who wore Frogg Toggs. It looked like her rain suit was made of paper but she said the material was breathable so you don’t get that clammy skin feeling, it’s practical and affordable.
So yes, that was my next rain suit investment. Riding in the rain is so comfortable! I’ve had the same suit going on almost 8 years now. Granted I don’t wear them as much now that I live in SoCal but they are in my saddlebag in case of emergency. The only part is I got the suit on the larger side to fit over all my leathers so it does flap around in the wind when I ride without leathers underneath.
Back then when I purchased them, Frogg Toggs were more for outdoors and not motorcycles. My set does not have the heat reinforced guard on the leg, like my Harley brand rain pants. One day, my leg got too close to the exhaust pipe and melted a small hole in the rain pants. They are still usable but it took awhile to remove the melted mark on my pipes and the smell of burnt material.
On my last long ride, it kept raining at intervals. It would rain and stop, rain and stop. I had my leather pants on but they had soaked through and I got tired of pulling over to put on the rain suit or  remove them, so at one rest stop, I put them over my clothes then the leathers on top. It’s not good to be riding in the rain, soaked and still have several hundred miles to go. I’ve been riding with them layered like that ever since.  I see now on their website, they have a several kinds of suits for motorcycles and it’s impressive that they’ve kept their prices the same.