You are cold and wet and, as if you don't have enough to worry about just by being on a motorbike, now the road is slippery.

What you are wearing plays a huge part in whether you will park under a bridge or soldier on. At times when it isn't raining that hard all you have on is your riding jacket, helmet, boots and a pair of regular blue jeans.

Now if you are travelling at about 100km/h or faster on the freeway, raise your hand if the raindrops feel like pins relentlessly stinging on your thighs as if you were fighting in some medieval war with bows and arrows. It hurts, right?

Even though most bikers dislike riding in the rain, sometimes it is just inevitable.

As much as it's absolutely divine to ride on a beautiful summer's day, the tables get turned when it starts raining.

We need to be prepared at all times.

I received this wonderful riding bag at a recent BMW launch. It serves as a comfortable waist riding bag with enough storage space for your essentials and the coolest feature is a rain cover that fits inside the bag.

This takes up hardly any space but it is big enough to cover the whole bag, protecting your goodies from water damage.

Another inexpensive way to protect yourself from the rain is the old school rain suit.

Surely your parents, at some time, made you wear one of these. It's big and blue and looks really uncool, but the material that's used is undoubtedly the best when it comes to keeping you dry. It doesn't require that much storage space either and is easy to put on.

Another thing to keep in mind is that you don't have to look good in the rain. You already look crazy going down the road in heavy rain.

So it is better to get rain gear with bright colours and reflective strips that make you visible.

Make sure to get a rain suit designed for riding a motorcycle. Fabric with the ability to breathe will allow perspiration to escape which will keep you dryer on the inside and not so cold and sticky.

Rain suits designed for motorcyclists also tend to have room for riding gear underneath. Most have articulated knees and pre-curved sleeves formed for the correct riding position.

Just always be prepared for the worst when travelling long distances.