R1200RT trouser wetting!

[Hall Vince]

Possibly not what you think...

 

I've had my standard RT a month now and been through some heavy rain on a couple of occasions.

 

Oddly I find I'm getting wetter around the upper trouser area than I used to on my ST and previous to that on my VFR.

 

I wonder whether this is due to the more upright seating position coupled with the down draught from the screen when I have it set just to the point of clearing the buffeting to my helmet. If I have the screen on the low (Parked) position I get a face full of wind (useful for clearing water off the visor when required).

 

Anyone else notice the damp trouser syndrome and is there a way of improving it?

regards

\v/

 

[Albert]

In my opinion, a lot of water gets under the windshield. That could be your source.

[Twisties]

I think generally the shoulders and helmet area get the direct wetness. Then it drips into your lap. Likely when you were more leaned forward it either went over your head, or dripped onto the tank.

[Danny caddyshack Noonan]

On the 11RT, same problem. I think it comes in under the windscreen, blows off and finds the pants. Or, hits the tank and follows the two channels all the way back to directly spill off and deposit on the crotch.

The other theory might be that the water proof factor is poor in the crotch due to wear and tear. Maybe less scratching will make it last longer....

[T__]

\v/, I have the same problem on my 1200RT.. In my case the water pools on the top front corners of the windshield then it comes over the top & down onto the seat in front of me.. Seems to be related to the windshield being low in the center (stock windshield)..

 

Twisty

 

[Fugu]

May be a dumb question but are you wearing waterproof pants?

 

I've ridden through some ridiculous downpours, stuck in thunder storms with standing water and nowhere to hide, spring snow, etc, in relatively cheap mesh overpants with their waterproof liner. The only wet I ever get on my legs is condensation when temperatures are conducive to that- if I'm warm and put on waterproof gear and get doused, there's some dampness due to condensation on the inside of that waterproof membrane.

 

Other than that I don't get it, unless you're in jeans or something.

[T__]

Fugu, usually water resistant clothing.. If it is raining real hard I do switch to real rain gear but on the RT it usually isn’t necessary unless I am riding hours on end in a monsoon..

 

I wasn’t complaining that I am getting wet I was just relating to the OP that I too have that pooling water on the seat & where it appears to be coming from on my RT..

 

Are you running a stock windshield?

 

 

Twisty

 

[Fugu]

I was running a huge Cee Bailey's on my RT but my experience was the same on my GS with the joke of a windscreen on that one- down to the same pants- HT Air overpants.

 

Maybe I got lucky with pants liners.

 

of course they aren't real waterproof now since I crashed in them....

 

 

I stopped messing with "real" rain gear because putting what amounted to a trash bag over me just got me so clammy underneath I hated it.

 

[Eric the Blue]

Same here. Like many others have said, I think it's coming up under the windshield. Personally, I don't mind a wet crotch too much (insert you own joke here...) With the large air pocket behind the windshield, I find that my visor often fogs up due to a lack of air circulation. The solution is to open the visor a crack, but then I get a light spray of mist on my face. This is especially anoying since I wear glasses.

[Username]

I have done some limited rain riding with my new (to me) RT this year. I was pleasantly surprised that I stayed completely dry. My VStrom used to gather up all the rain for miles around and shove it hard up into my crotch and belt area, defeating any and all attempts to stay dry.

With some light Aerostitch pullover rain pants, I did not get any dampness on my RT. Didn't notice any pooling on the seat either. I am using the stock sheild. I also leave my visor open a crack in rain. Less of a problem on the RT than it was on the Strom.

[gmarktbone]

I rode 200 miles in constant, and sometimes driving, rain last June using a rain suit over my regular riding gear. My crotch was the only part of my body that got wet. It got really wet. I wasn't really bothered too much since it was warm outside, but I would hate to ride like that in the cold weather.

[Bullett]

Well, I'm running a CeeBailey Sumdome (sport shield) on my RT. Got caught in two downpours riding home from the Unrally and discovered the seam seal tape in my Tourmaster rain pants had failed. . . the tape is pulled loose from the seam in several places.

 

I am pretty sure the wet is due to gear failure. I rode in a downpour on a 1200GS in Virginia on the way to the BRR last year and thought water had seeped in when, apparently, it was puddling on the seat and rain pants causing me to feel wet even though I wasn't.

 

It appears to me that water pools on the RT seat. With the seam seal failure, the water will seep right in. I discovered that LDComfort tights don't dry very fast when you are sitting on the motorcycle, even after losing the rain gear.

[Quinn]

Sharon,

the best cure for a wet seat is a bead seat cover. Keeps the water from pooling. Still debating if it makes for a cooler ride, but it does make a drier ride.

 

 

[Hall Vince]

Oh, just caught up with this.

To clarify, my Rukka gear keeps me dry inside it, but when the outer gets wet I can feel the cold water. My fix has been wearing overtrousers for heavy rain or longer spells in the saddle.

 

On the same subject I know have a Vstream screen (std height) and I'm pretty sure this seems to have reduced the water depositing around the crotch. I need to confirm this, but I've not noticed it recently and the only thing I've changed is the screen.

\v/

[Nigel C]

Hi guys, this is my first post in this site and just wanted to add my 2 cents in. I have found that the rain rain runs right down the top of the tank and like many have said, pools in the crotch. If i then turned the seat on warm it just feels like you've wet yourself - not an entirely pleasant feeling. I was stuck in Cranbrook, British Columbia and when dismounting left the right leg of my rain gear stuck on the right foot peg.

With the best will in the world, 1 legged rain pants just don't work.

The only place left open was a Harley Davidson shop. I ended up with a set of rain pants with the HD logo on them. Whilst to some this may seem inexcusable, with the jacket pulled down low over my hip, the HD logo can not be seen. Having said that the pants are fantastic. Reflective stips down the legs, easy to put on with bulky gear and gloves on. So far they have not failed me.

 

Nigel

[effexer1]

Slight hijack, but does anyone know who makes HD rain gear? And do they sell a "no name" product? It is excellent rain gear!

[Mark K]

Possibly not what you think...

 

 

 

Uhh......yea..... but now that I'm here, I wish I had something to add.