I experienced my first rain ride on September 22, and wrote up a little email and posted it on Canadian Motorcycle Cruisers (CMC) Ottawa forum of which I am a member.  Plus I send my experience off to a number of friends.  After the laughter stopped I have been told I should publish this somewhere to the masses for some laughter as well as learning.  So here it is.  (written September 23rd, 2007)

******************************************
Well well...I have to express this experience to someone, so since the cage dwellers would not be able to relate....I figured I can throw-up here to my comrads-at-arms.  Please bear with me.  Well as I have heard, it is only a matter of time before a biker gets caught in the rain...well my turn finally came yesterday in our little (Major) downpour.  Now, I saw the weather reports but since I was bogged down last week and could not ride, I have taken every opportunity to ride this week.  The weatherman did not call for rain until the evening so I felt I was safe.  I toyed with the idea of going home at lunch to get the cage but resisted the temptation as somewhere in this sick little mind of mine, I actually wanted to experience the rain.
Well my drama started with me going to Poweresports Canada on Hunt Club to return a knapsack that I had gotten. It was hot and humid as *** and I was stuck bumper to bumper all the way there.  When I got there it was still sunny and very hot.  Within 15 minutes of entering and leaving the store the skies were black and the storm clouds were moving in from a north-west direction.  Luckily I was heading east to Orleans and I figured I could out run the storm.....but secretly in that dark recess of my mind I hoped I would get caught.  I mounted up and off I went.  For some reason, Hunt Club east was bumper to bumper, this, I had not counted on. To the north I saw the lightening and my whole goal was to ride to lighter skies.  After a 30 minute ride from Hwy 16 to Bank (that is right..what usually takes 4 minutes to cover), I saw that the traffic on Bank north was light  and the clouds looked alot lighter so I went up bank to take Walkley.  Well.....as I approached Walkley and Bank, a lightening bolt hit  an electrical pole at that intersection and we had sparks flying everywhere.  The skies opened.......and finally...someplace inside of me went..woohoo!!  It was light as first...but eventually the skies opened fully...
Well, MSF training, readings and all the stories I have heard kicked in and I proceeded with caution until I found cover in a strip mall.  I stood and thought...for all the times I have been in my cage during a rain storm and seen someone on a motorcycle and thought..."what a sorry sap", I chuckled that I was now that sorry sap.  I have a very expensive 'Golf' rainsuit which is big enough that I was able to put the top  on over my riding jacket and the pants over my jeans (Lessons learned to follow).  So I waited the prescribed 20 minutes for the crud and slime to be washed off the streets and for the lightening to stop, then I mounted up and headed to a parking lot to get a quick feel of this new foreign terrain.  After a quick turn, brake application and acceleration...I headed out on my way home.  What follows are my lessons learned:
1) A golf rain suit is not a motorcycle rainsuit...no matter how expensive it is.  It kept me warm, but water got in every where
2) Rain hitting you in the face hurts alot more than you think when you are riding a motorcycle.  This was an eye opening experience
3) For some reason, cage dwellers seem to be so much more courteous to motorcyclist during a rainstorm (at least that was my experience yesterday)
4) I should have put on my clear safety glasses before I took off because once I stopped at a light...my glasses fogged up really bad and that was not fun
5) Realized that I had to relax...cannot be tense
6) I realized that I was much better at braking and downshifting than I thought I was
7) Old boots that I had in the basement that I have used since I started riding do not provide good rain protection
8) The last 5 minutes before you get home is the hardest.  (read on)
As you can figure I stayed off the highway and took the roads.  As I got to Innes thru blackburn hamlet, I was having pretty much a spiritual experience...the rain on my face did not seem to bug me too much anymore (as it was numb anyhow) and I was really enjoying myself....but I did realize that within all my enjoyment...I was rather tense in the neck....I guess I tricked myself into believing that I was somehow less stressful than it really was.  As I hit Innes and 10th line, I turned into the mouth of the lion.  Up until now..heading east, the rain was not dead on...now it was....and that last few minutes to get to my house was *** was half down...could not put it all the way due to it fogging up and now the rain was really hurting again on the face...eyewear was down around chin as I could not see anything....but all in all it was a great experience.  I did not learn any "hard" lessons.  You truly learn when you are in harsh situations and I got some really good lessons yesterday.  
As I got home my kids stated, did you not know it was going to rain...at which point, I lowered my head and stated yes, with a sheepish grin.  

Hehe, that is a good story

My first rain ride took place a few weeks ago.  I was at work and it had been raining on and off all day.  I was waiting for a break in the rain to leave when the clouds broke up and the sun came out.  I couldn't wait any longer, mounted up and headed for home.

Naturally, after a few minutes, it started to drizzle a bit, and I thought, OK I can handle this.  I was enjoying a wonderful rainbow in the distance.  

Well, my first indication that I was in trouble happened when I got hit in the family jewels by a 2" diameter hailstone, not once but five times before I could get off the road and get under a tree.  Note: Trees don't help too much against hail.  

Luckily I was wearing a padded jacket and a full-face helmet.  I got some minor dents in the tank, but I faired a bit better than all the cars with the smashed windshields.  

Glad you guys survived your first rain jaunt.  Getting soaked can be really distracting on a  bike, but with a decent moto rainsuit and some galoshes over your shoes, rain riding can be fairly safe and actually fun.  And you'll arrive dry.  Just leave twice your normal stopping distance, 'cause quick braking can be tricky in the rain.  

Oh yeah, you're right.  Braking is surprizingly poor when your disks get wet.  The pucker factor was pretty high as I almost went through an intersection because of my wet brakes that day, hehe.  

If I'm in the rain, I periodically apply the brakes as I'm riding to get some of the water off.  They get drenched again pretty quickly, however.

You definitely have to give yourself a lot more room to stop.  The wheels can lock up pretty easily if you're not careful as well.