Wet weather gear..

Good morning everyone, my son and I have acquired most of the gear needed for fair weather at the track, this year we want to start getting some gear for those less than ideal days. Specifically wet weather gear.
Rain tires and rain suits.
When it comes to rain tires do you use the same tire size as your regular set ?
Do they require warmers ? Have you ever went out on rains without having warmers on them ? Where do you buy yours ?
Rain suits..I am thinking an inexpensive model since probability of a 90 degree lean angle is considerably higher in the rain. What do you all use ?
Thank you everyone..have a great day.
 

LarsDunaway

Rat Boy
Staff member
Control Rider
I can speak to the issue of rain tires, though I don't wear a rain suit. My rains are the same size as my slicks, and I have a dedicated set of rims for them so I don't have to worry about the hassle or mounting and dismounting.

Rain tires serve two purposes.
1: Of course, they displace water very well.
2: They're very soft. With slicks, and DOT race compounds, riding when it's wet is problematic for more than just the fact that you have a slippery layer of water between your tires and the surface (in fact, most tire vendors will tell you that this isn't even the main problem if it's just light rain). Water cools your tires off rapidly, making it impossible to maintain the tire temperatures required for good traction on dry race compounds. Thus, rain tires are super super soft, so that they give you the grip needed with a low operating temperature. Rain tires will heat up as you get on the track, but I think tire warmers are a massive waste of time for them unless you're competing at the pro level where you have the warmers on your bike while on the grid. If we try to warm our rain tires in the pits, we'll cool them off as soon as we drop the bike off the stands and ride through all the water to the hot pit.
Take a few warm up laps. Not only to warm up your tires, but also to feel out the track, spot any puddles, see how other people are riding in the rain (you may encounter some sporadic riders), and figure out how your bike handles in those particular conditions.

Where to buy- trackside vendors! They don't always carry rains to track days, so you'll want to contact them ahead of time to make sure they bring what you want. If going to a race day, they'll have everything you need.
 

D-Zum

My 13 year old is faster than your President
Personally, I'm happy to eat the $200 for the day if it rains rather than take the chance to wad up the R1 I have over $20K invested in..but that's just me.

Anyway, rains and warmers doesn't even make sense for a couple of reasons beyond what Lars has already stated. Think about coming in off a wet track with
wet bike/gear, water in your belly pan...and you're going to get your $400+ warmers wet? How's about the possibility of an electrical hazard/shock if the heat coils or
the power supply cord get water in them? That's a potential fire hazard, too.

If you want to ride in the rain, hats off to you. Lars has already outlined a solid plan for going out in the spray.
 

CBRtist

Well-Known Member
This sort of made me laugh because I remember having a convo with a track rider a loonnnggg time ago and he was talking about his "rain suit" and I kept asking about his rain suit and where he got it, and he kept reiterating that it was his rain suit... the one he wore in the rain. I continued to be blond and fascinated with this unicorn called a "rain suit" and wanted to know where to buy it. Finally he goes "Habla Inglés????? It's my other suit that I wear IN THE RAIN!!!!". I was lol...

Bottom line, most of the times, if you're frugal, your rain suit is your older suit that you still will get drenched in, but you won't care about it. And if I was a non-newbie brunette... might have gotten this waaayyyy sooner. :rolleyes: :x3: :lipssealed:
 

Motofun352

Control Rider
Another idea is to install a rubber grommet plug in the low spot of your belly pan (only if you have aftermarket fairing). The belly pan will fill up with water and should be drained after a full wet session. Also makes washing easier. I've found that leathers will get pretty wet even with a rain suit. The real benefit is the rain suit is a little warmer as it cuts down on the wind chill factor.
 

wmhjr

Grandpa
Control Rider
Another idea is to install a rubber grommet plug in the low spot of your belly pan (only if you have aftermarket fairing).

Jack, good idea. Do you know how WERA/CCS handle this? Not an issue for people not racing, but for some reason I seem to recall something about this subject in passing with WERA.
 

bmart

Control Rider
I keep a rain top in my track day kit. It does help to keep the gear dry while riding but I tend to use it more frequently for the cool starts to the day. It keep s me from chilling my core and lets me ride at a pace that keeps some heat in the tires. :)
 

LarsDunaway

Rat Boy
Staff member
Control Rider
Jack, good idea. Do you know how WERA/CCS handle this? Not an issue for people not racing, but for some reason I seem to recall something about this subject in passing with WERA.
Bill,
It depends on whether you read the WERA rulebook or the WERA forum . :p
They do allow it (of course, you show up to tech with no belly pan anyway, so there's not a check for it). That said, many officials and racers frown on it, and it's been the subject of much debate. I'm not sure where I stand on the issue of whether it should be allowed or not, but personally I don't have a plug in my bellypan. If I need to drain my belly pan, I simply remove it, and that gives me an opportunity to inspect my bike more closely in that intermission while I'm at it.
 

Motofun352

Control Rider
I have a plug in mine (bought it from Kurvey Girl, I think). Done properly there's no way it will fall out. It kinda depends on how easy it is to remove the belly pan. I've put a garbage bag on under my leathers for warmth, once. It worked pretty good but was uncomfortable. I'd only do it if it was cold and wet. In that case I'm probably not going to ride anyways....if I can help it. :D
 

vinny337

Vin is in...Beastmode!
Control Rider
Here's my 2 cent along with the other great comments and what worked for me…

** If you plan to ride in the rain, I would just get rain tires
** You will need a second set of gear, suit gloves, boots, etc If you're at a double track day event you can ride the second day with the dry gear.
** You will need to make suspension adjustments…soften up your bike.
** You won't need warmers in the rain.
** I never used a rain suits so I can't comment.

Go have fun Bro, hope to see you out there this year. :cool:
 

moman

Member
I don't go out if it's a downpour but otherwise I just ride a bit slower on the same Dunlop Q3's I run in the dry. Do have an older non perforated suit and boots for the wet.
Riding in the rain is not all that bad if you take it easy and for me it is still enjoyable. But then again I do commute to work on a bike and quite often it may be raining so I guess I'm comfortable with it.
 
Thanks everyone..I guess I didn't realize I already have my rain suit..its just a baby at this time..it will have to get a little older and it will become a fine wet weather suit. Haha. Also good to know that some of you don't use warmers for your rain tires..thanks for the info everyone.. See you all at NJMP.
 

tdelegram

Control Rider
I am going to disagree with Lars on warmers. Most mid and high end warmers have a hot and a warm setting. The warm setting is for rains and usually around 125 degrees. I like to set my pressures hot off the warmer and get as much heat soak into the carcass and wheel as possible. What I have found is rear is usually fine and at a good operating temp after a session and that I am not pushing the front enough and it needs air. After that adjustment it's usually good coming off the warmer the rest of the day assuming outside temps remain consistent. Additionally, rains seem to last several seasons so reducing the heat cycles by keeping them warm between sessions also adds to a longer shelf life. If you have never ridden rain tires they are amazing, at my level I am close to the same pace which means slow in the dry! If your out all day in the rain take some spring and compression out.

Just remember opinions are like @55holes, everyone has one and they all stink.
 

2blueyam

Member
For track days, I am in the don't bother with warmers on your rain tires unless you are pitted in an enclosed garage. Ruining a set of warmers when they get soaked and risking electrical shock or a short isn't worth it.

Having rain tires at a track day can be a hoot. There is usually little traffic on track and most of the folks out there will be on street tires so you get to feel like a hero as you pass just about everybody on track. Just take it easy for a lap or two until the tires get up to temp. Even going slow on the warm up you will likely be going faster than the guys on street tires unless is just just damp. Going slower for a lap or two makes it easier to spot any new puddles that may have appeared while you were in the pits. I generally only mess with putting them on if the weather looks like it is going to be wet for at least a couple of hours. Unless you have quick change gear for your wheels, messing with putting the rains on and taking them off for one session isn't worth it. Sometimes you miss another session swapping things back when it dries out.

If the track is damp, a street / track day tire will probably be OK to go out on. Just take it easy. Rains work great for this too, but might start to wear quickly if it dries.
If there are small puddles or a consistently wet surface, rain tires are great. Street tires will be very dicey, but you can still go out if you can take it really easy and don't try to follow anyone throwing up a rooster tail of water. That would be someone on rain tires.
If there starts to be significant standing water, like 2" deep puddles that you can't ride around, just park it. Doesn't matter what tires you have, nothing will stick in those conditions assuming the org even has the track open.

I wore a cheap PVC motorcycle rain suit over my leathers when it was raining, but it has now torn, so I am trying to figure out what I want to replace it with.
 

Mike:p

Don’t be a Hero, be consistent.
Just a thought, has anyone ever used frog togs over their suit? I would imagine that you would have to cut out the knees or just wear them out.
 

adotjdot

Control Rider
ATP/3C
Great questions! Just a few things to add to a lot of great info here. If you do decide to ride in the rain, it is one of the best environments to train in. As long as you approach riding in those conditions with respect you can really learn a lot. It is a great environment for practicing being smooth with your controls, using proper body position to take away lean angle, and the fact that you need to slow down provides an excellent opportunity to work on scanning with your eyes. I actually enjoy riding in the rain. Maybe not so much when it is COLD and wet, but even then you can learn a lot ;-)

As far as gear, yes, rain suits and covers help. But something I have found is that no matter what you do, you are going to get wet to some degree. Your best investment in that case is a good suit/boot/glove dryer. The ability to dry your gear out well during the lunch break or for the next day of riding will make your riding experience so much better.

See you out there!
 
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