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Rode in the rain for the first time tonight!


detroitrockcity

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Greetings Friends,

 

Tonight I rode in the rain for the first time, and kind of found it fun... and annoying at the same time.  Cars were passing me on the freeway and spraying me with water all the time.  I was taking it easy, and trying to remain as visible as possible the whole time.  I'm a confident enough rider, I just don't trust those other people! 

 

My question for you is... What do you guys do to dry out your helmet.  I have read to just give the cheek pads and crown cloth etc (removed first) a nice scrub with a shampoo you use and then let them air dry.

 

Sound right? Or can you recommend anything else?

 

Thanks for your time,

 

-Detroitrockcity

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I rarely pull my padding out, which might not be the best advice, but I have spares for everything, so I just hang my wet gear up in my house until it dries. If I wanted to speed the process, yeah, I'd pull the pads, but I don't see much reason to scrub unless they just needed it.

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The inside of your helmet got wet? Were you scuba-diving? :goofy:

 

I've been to Arizona several times so my initial reaction to you having ridden in the rain for the first time was less incredulous than others may be, especially here in the UK.

 

I ride in the rain a lot over here and enjoy the differing technical aspects compared to riding in the dry, though obviously dry weather riding is much more fun. In terms of drying kit, it depends when you next need to ride but for my helmet, if it's next morning, I'll bring it indoors, leave it in one of our warmer rooms upside down so that the moisture can evaporate better. It's usually dry next morning. I've heard rolled up newspaper can help but I wouldn't recommend removing the padding on a regular basis, though in Arizona, that shouldn't be a problem.

 

Never dry anything by placing it directly on a heater/radiator, especially leather.

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6 hours ago, Skids said:

The inside of your helmet got wet? Were you scuba-diving? :goofy:

 

Honestly, that. ^

 

Several years ago I rode three hours through a storm system that flooded major cities, shut down interstates, and had cars stopping on the side of the road for lack of visibility - and I don't remember my Shoei getting wet inside. My head was about the only thing that wasn't soaked. If you are going to make a habit of rain-riding, you may want to consider your vent settings, and check your visor sealing.  Around here I have a much bigger issue with sweat soaking my helmet from the inside in summer. Yum. 

 

As for drying, if the liner is meant to be removable, there's no harm in doing so, but overall you just want air circulation to take out moisture before a funk has time to grow. A strategically-aimed desktop fan would do wonders. 

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+1

I live in Vancouver, BC (the Wet Coast of Canada) and if you don't ride in the rain, you really don't ride much at all. I have NEVER had rain get inside my helmets.

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  • 2 weeks later...
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I've never had the inside of my Touratech get wet or even my Scorpion EXO1100, and I ride through everything lol.
In future, close your vents off! Make sure you're getting a good seal around your visor, wiping down that rubber strip can make a big difference.
As for drying, I have a boot dryer and just blow air into the helmet for a 4 hours and it dries nicely. The same could be accomplished with a fan.
IF you want to get really fancy, take a bunch of those anti-moisture silica packets (They cost next to nothing on amazon) and put them in a plastic bag with your helmet inside over night. That should pull any moisture out.

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I reside in So Cal where it never rains (haha).

 

I've had water inside my lids (Shoei) more than once. I think it's a velocity vs. temp thing i.e. it's not that cold so I don't slow down all that much even in a downpour.

 

Airflow is the key to drying, and although it might seem counter intuitive A/C can dry stuff out quicker than fans or heat alone. It's a moisture thing. Regardless airflow is good. In fact heat is often bad for drying especially for leather. Wicking excess moisture out first with cotton or microfiber will help the process.

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18 hours ago, MBrane said:

I reside in So Cal where it never rains (haha).

 

I've had water inside my lids (Shoei) more than once. I think it's a velocity vs. temp thing i.e. it's not that cold so I don't slow down all that much even in a downpour.

 

Airflow is the key to drying, and although it might seem counter intuitive A/C can dry stuff out quicker than fans or heat alone. It's a moisture thing. Regardless airflow is good. In fact heat is often bad for drying especially for leather. Wicking excess moisture out first with cotton or microfiber will help the process.

Haha is right! This is the first time in a long time its rained this much. Hopefully it's helping to counter act the drought at least. 

 

As far as helmet goes, I just remove the liner and let it air dry. I can say that I don't care too much for riding in the rain, mostly due to "the others" on the road but I have been commuting the past few days and haven't had my the inside of the helmet get wet (Schuberth C3-Pro) but did get wet around the collar! Although I have a rain suit, I didn't put the hood on and water rolled off the top of the helmet and straight down the back of my neck, soaking my shirt collar! That was only after 20 minutes of riding. Luckily I was able to stop and hold up for a few hours. Ironically, when I did get back on the road I put the hood on and not a drop of rain on my way home!

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Once met -Finnish- girl that had lived in California and moved -with her car- to San Diego.

come the first rain shower, her windscreen wipers did nothing.....  only to learn that the electric motor for it was not under the hood/removed....

 

Yeah, it never rains in....... :-)

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I ride in all weather. I also have a Schuberth C3-Pro. The inside of my helmet seldom, if ever, gets wet enough that it does not dry overnight.

I do find it annoying when water gets on the inside of my face shield. It happens if I have to open the shield enough to insure no fogging. Ventilation on the Pro seems somewhat better than my previous C3. 

And it's hard to avoid a little water down the back of my neck. My Aerostich leather Transit suit is GoreTex lined and has a high collar that keeps most water out. It is convenient to always be wearing my rain suit. :fing02:    

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