Riding in the rain comes with lots of safety hazards but it can be an awesome experience so long as you're prepared for it. RyanF9 shares over 21 tips that will make your next ride in in the rain safer and more enjoyable.

Tip1: Gear up properly. You can love riding in the rain so long as you’re dry. Pants over boots. Jacket over pants. Gloves over jacket. Vents open (not much water comes through, and better for fog. Counter-intuitive). Pinlock lens (make it yellow, helps define stuff).

Tip 2: Stuck without gloves? Grab a plastic pair from the diesel area.

Tip 3: Put on shit while you’re still dry. Especially gloves. Putting on rain pants when already wet? Use a plastic bag.

Tip 4: Ride with ziplock bags – I put my phone in mine ‘cause Gore-Tex is expensive.

Tip 5: On that note, stand up often to clear water. Most waterproof gear will soak through when water pools.

Tip6: IF you buy waterproof gear, make it hi-viz, and keep it with you.

Tip 7: Watch for painted lines, manhole covers… anything that’s slippery when dry is slippery-er when wet. Also oil dangerous when rain first starts falling.

Tip 8: Don’t tighten up / tuck up. Sit upright and loose. You’ll get colder faster. Which means it’s time to take a break sooner. Don’t try to cheat out of that.

Tip 9: Lean body more in corner, lets you have less lean angle, less strain on tires. More grip.

Tip 10: Obviously put bike in TC / ABS, ride slowly, leave more braking room, etc.

Tip 11: Just do everything more smoothly. Slow acceleration. Slow brakes. Slow turns. Sudden movements will lose you grip. Like driving a car on snow, Canada.

Tip 12: Funny, but rain doesn’t make pavement that much more slippery. On good asphalt with good tires, I’ll bet most of us wouldn’t need to change riding style at all.

Tip 13:  Oil – stop in the tire tracks, not centre lane. Otherwise you’ll lose the front under braking, or pull away… sideways. Don’t follow old British cars or Harleys.

Tip 14:  Metal or wood bridges - very slick when rainy, esp. old wood.

Tip 15:  Following distance – more braking distance, reduces spray. Awesome. Rain-X helps, as does my potato hack (link). Also make sure no one is tailgating you, so you don’t go from riding a bike to riding the roof of a car.

Tip 16:  Puddles – here in MTL, they hide anything. Also aquaplaning, especially if you’re on old tires that are worn flat and have the sipes gone. PR4s aren’t that safe when you wear them like a car tire, just saying.

Tip 17:  Manhole covers – everywhere, and un-announced, unlike train tracks or bridges. Plus they’re usually raised or lowered from pavement, so you’re bumping up or down while losing your coefficient of friction. Sucky.

Tip 18:  Diesel – look for tell-tale rainbow. And smell! We’re used to using our eyes and ears. But often you can smell diesel at a stoplight if there’s a spill around.

Tip 19: You’ll be surprised what tires can do. Just don’t surprise them. Ease into things – load suspension before going full brake, etc.

Tip 20: Softer suspension – less likely to overload your tires.

Tip 21: TRUST your grip in an emergency. A lot of riders will run wide of turns and hit things because they’re afraid to lean it over more / brake harder. But your tires have more than you think.

Rejoice city slickers! RyanF9 teaches you all about navigating the concrete jungles!

Our MotoVlog Gear Setup:

• Biltwell Gringo LE Tracker Helmet
• Icon 1000 Basehawk Jacket
• Icon Pants
• Alpinestars Oscar Robinson Gloves
• TCX X-Wave Waterproof Shoes
• Kriega R20 Backpack

Donut worry you will really appreciate this motovlog.

Our MotoVlog Gear Setup:

• Klim Krios Karbon Adventure Helmet
• Klim Dakar Jacket
• Klim Dakar in the Boots Pants
• Scorpion Klaw II Gloves
• Alpinestars Corozal Adventure Drystar Boots

RyanF9 finally gets his hands on the wild Honda Rebel 500. Let us know what you think in the comments below.

Our MotoVlog Gear Setup:

• Scorpion EXO-T510 Solid Helmet
• Icon Raiden DKR Jacket
• Icon Hooligan Denim Pants
• Scorpion Klaw II Gloves
• TCX X-Wave Waterproof Shoes

RyanF9 Finally gets his hands on the super beast KTM 1290 Super Adventure R but will he be able to tame it? Let's find out.

Our MotoVlog Gear Setup:

• Klim Krios Karbon Adventure Helmet
• Icon Raiden DKR Jacket
• Scorpion Trey Pants
• Scorpion Klaw II Gloves
• Icon Raiden DKR Boots

RyanF9 takes a look back on his Suzuki V-Strom 1000 for his first impressions MotoVlog. Wait? That is not really his first ride or impressions. What more does he have to say about his beloved V-Strom?

Our Bike Review Gear Setup:

• Icon Variant Helmet
• Icon Raiden Jacket
• Icon Raiden Arakis Pants
• Klim Adventure Short Gloves

Every year the debate rages.

We meet at the battle field, armed with amateur science and personal anecdotes. Somebody has dredged up the Hurt Report and everybody brings a shovel. Then we all dig up the dead horse and beat the $#!t out of it.

At the end of the day, we’re all a little more stereotyped. And a lot more pissed off. See you next year, then.

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RyanF9 gears up and heads towards Toronto for his first impressions of the Harley Davidson Low Rider S. Full review coming soon. Check Instagram for some behind the scene "night owl" photos of the shoot ( @fortnine ).

Our Bike Review Gear Setup :

• Black Brand Cutthroat Jacket
• Icon Hooligan Denim Pants
• Biltwell Bonanza LE Tracker Helmet
• Milwaukee MB416 Trooper Boots
• Black Brand Freeway Gloves
• Biltwell Moto Goggles

I once read a forum post from a German rider. He had heard about the legendary coast-to-coast ride and was wondering if the Trans-Canada Highway was paved.

Yes. Yes it is.

Then I remembered when I used to work in Myra-Bellevue Provincial Park. It's an old railway-turned-bicycle-path, up in the mountains about 1300 metres above Kelowna. I was checking the parking lot for bear scat and fallen trees when a group of Californian motorcyclists came bumping up the logging road on their custom choppers. The chips in their gas tanks matched the ones on their shoulders. As they launched into a tirade about how nature parks should be accessible by four-lane boulevards, I couldn’t help but think:

No. No they shouldn’t.

Canada isn’t the same of the rest of the world. It isn’t all that different either. Yes, it’s a little more rustic and spacious than some countries. No, it’s not a brutal, semi-arctic desolation.

The truth of our great country is somewhere in the middle ground.

Like ADV motorcycles.

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Here is RyanF9s first impressions on the Honda African Twin. He also get's to try out the brand new Klim Krios Helmet. Full review coming soon. Check Instagram for some behind the scene "wasteland" photos of the shoot ( @fortnine ).

Our Bike Review Gear Setup :

• Klim Dakar Jacket
• Klim Dakar In The Boot Pants
• Klim Krios Helmet
• Alpinestars Corozal Adventure Drystar Boots
• Klim Adventure Gloves
• Klim Nec Pak

Here is RyanF9s first impressions on the Can Am Spyder F3-S. There seems to be a lot of mixed feelings about the F3-S. Let's see what RyanF9 thinks of it. Do you agree on what he says about this bike? Please let us know in the comment section.

The gear :

Our Bike Review Gear Setup :

• Scorpion Battalion Jacket
• Scorpion Trey Pants
• Scorpion EXO-T510 Nexus Helmet
• Firstgear Kili Hi Waterproof Boots
• Scorpion Klaw II Gloves

Here is RyanF9s first impressions on the Kawasaki Z125. This little bike is a straight competitor to the Honda Grom. Is if more fun?Better? Let's see what RyanF9 thinks of it. Do you agree on what he says about this bike?

The Gear :

• Icon Stronghold Backpack
• Icon Hooligan Denim Pants
• Icon Overlord Primary Jacket
• Icon Alliance GT Watchkeeper Helmet
• Icon Anthem Primary Gloves
• Icon Superduty 4 Boot

Yamaha was kind enough to hook us up with a XSR 900. Watch RyanF9 take it for a spin and find out what he thinks about it right off the bat. A complete review is coming September 25th.

The Gear:

TCX X-Wave Waterproof Shoes Icon 1000 Basehawk Jacket Alpinestars Oscar Robinson Gloves Biltwell Gringo LE Spectrum Helmet Biltwell Moto Goggles

The riding instructor pinches my handlebar mirror between his fingers. "When you’re sitting at a red light, stare at this. If the driver behind you fails to slow down, be ready to zip between the cars ahead." I say, "Okay." But I'm really thinking, "Why don’t I just park there to begin with? "

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Sit down. Because I’m about to drop some numbers that will piss you off.

• The 1985 Honda CR500 (2-stroke) delivered 66 horsepower and weighed 105kg.
• The 2015 Honda CRF450R (4-stroke) delivers 53.03 horsepower and weighs 110kg.

Both motorcycles were the flagships of their day. So three decades and billions of dollars in R&D has yielded a loss of 13 horsepower and a gain of 5 kilograms. Of course we can yammer on about braking, suspension, electrical gizmos and ride-ability. But that won’t hide the fact that we've moved backwards in two key areas.

So what the hell happened? Simple: the 2-stroke motorcycle met a premature death. The common verdict is that corporate greed murdered it.

I disagree.

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People love to talk about how dangerous motorcycles are without actually saying how dangerous motorcycles are . Vague terms like “donorcycle” and “street lethal” can make someone feel better about driving a Volvo, but they don’t actually mean anything.

So I set about putting a number on it, and I found that motorcycling can be much safer than people expect!

Motorcycle Accident Statistics

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I have a problem with café racers.

I don’t mind that they’re ridden by Gen-Y hipsters trying to “relive” the golden age of 1960s British motorsport. These are the same people who grow Old Testament beards and take photos with Polaroid cameras, so I’m used to the cultural confusion.

I don’t mind that café racers are rubbish to ride, either. Of course a paper-thin seat and clip-on handlebars don't make sense on a standard motorcycle. But neither does drinking scalding hot tea from a mason jar. Again – I’m used to it.

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Motorcyclists are more likely to be involved in road rage.

Don't expect anyone to step into the firing line and tell you that; there aren’t any safe statistics to hide behind. Stats Canada lumps road rage incidents – involving anything from scooters to semi-trucks – into a giant cess pool of “human error” accidents. And in that melting pot of data, it’s impossible to find a hard truth.

But I stand behind my statement. Road rage is especially hard on motorcyclists. And if you follow me into the labyrinth of psychology, I can prove it.

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In the first few weeks of 2015, KTM president Stefan Pierer did the unthinkable. He was discussing the future of Katoom’s RC8 when – for no apparent reason – he decided to throw Team Orange onto the far side of a prickly debate.

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It’s a yes or no question, and I’m not going to string you along for 2000 words just to say “maybe” or “kind of.” The answer is yes. Here’s why:

Our preference for gasoline-powered vehicles is based on tradition rather than performance . And someday – maybe when brain is cooler than brawn, or when polar bears come swimming down Main Street – we’ll realize that electricity was better all along

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When I was 11 years old I got my first motorcycle. It was a fiery red Honda XR100 that smelled like new plastic and newer freedom.

I spent years tearing up the mountain behind my parents' house - dodging hikers, bikers and Do Not Cross signs. The terrain was stitched together by a thousand fences and all of them were supposed to keep me out.

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I have five reasons for loving the weekend warrior. But before we get to that, let’s agree on who we’re talking about.

Weekend Warrior Definition

The term “weekend warrior” is normally used to describe wannabe biker dudes. They’re all Sons of Anarchy on Sunday but more like Frasier on Monday. Cruisers take a lot of flak for producing weekend warriors, but I reckon that two other styles should step up to the firing line.

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