Fancy taking a motorbike road trip this summer? There's nothing like the brisk warm air of summer against your face and riding your days out on open road with yellow sun aplenty.
However, you shouldn't forget the ferocity and frequency of summer showers. The unprepared motorbike traveller may quickly find that the wet and rainy days that'll inevitably catch you on the road will make your journey a miserable one.
Worry not, as lots of bikers just like you have gone out and made those mistakes. Here are a couple of tips, courtesy of them.
1. Dish gloves for dry hands
One of the small things you can forget while riding in a thunderstorm is how cold your hands can get when wet. Rain will seep under most leather gloves very quickly, and when driving at fast speeds, this can freeze your hands off. It can also mean dangerous riding if you can't feel your fingers enough to grip your handles.
Dish gloves are cheap and waterproof – the thin rubber will wear easily under most gloves and can even be pulled all the way to your elbows.
Feeling fancy and don't want to sacrifice fashion? You can try out the very snug Rev'IT Kryptonite GTX gloves with Gore-Tex technology. The Alpinestars GT-S X-Trafit also with Gore-Tex should also do the job.
2. ZipLoc Freezer Bags for dry maps and documents
Some unlucky riders have managed to remain comfortably warm and toasty throughout a rainstorm only to arrive at their destination discovering that rain has somehow seeped through their packs and damaged maps. More importantly, travel documents can also easily damage when soaked in water.
Solve this by keeping each important paper piece in ZipLoc freezer bags that you can zip and unzip easily. These keep water out very well.
Want a waterproof pack that ensures not a single drop of water gets in? Check out the OGIO No Drag Mach 5 backpack. Prefer a saddle for your ride? The Iron & Resin Pannier Bag has a universal fit for any bike, while the SW Motech Blaze saddlebags can carry up to 21 litres on the pillion side.
These feature waterproof zippers and compartments to store all those water-sensitive things like phones, maps and documents.
So, whether or not you're a shameless traveller who doesn't mind rubber gloves and ZipLocs, there's always a way to stay snug and dry on your bike for those rainy summer days.