Last year, we caught wind of a company called Roof for Two that had a cool project under wraps, no pun intended: A portable, fold-flat, quickly-deployable rain shield for a motorcycle. We contacted them, but they couldn't send us video or images of it at the time, as they were in the midst of applying for both a design patent and a utility patent.
Well, the wait is over: The patents have been granted, and a demo video of what they're calling the RainRunner is ready.
Would those of you with motorcycle experience use one of these? While the concept looks cool to a non-biker like me, the company has been struggling; they're currently lights-out, due to problems acquiring seed funding. Your opinions could provide some useful insight.
Edit: David Chen, Co-Founder of Roof for Two, writes: "We actually designed [the RainRunner] solely for motorcycle riders in India."
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If the conditions were mild & no one would SEE me with it...I'd give it a try, but not too far.
I would Totally put that on my Scooter -- In Fact, I just may Design a Similar Model, Thank You for the Inspiration ~~
Design Flaws can easily be Adjusted with Inspired, Engaged Users so... Productively Direct your ATTENTION to #TheGreaterGood and Serve your Lovers an the Haters will just Fade Away ~~
Yours in Service,
#DivineComedy #RelationshipHarmony #ProperPerspective #ProductiveEngagement #DivineBirthright #DivineFriendship | 777ADVENTURES
1. It doesn't have any wipers
2. Your legs still get wet
3. Wind resistance would become a problem both for moving forward at high speeds and for sudden gusts pushing you from the sides. That much soft material would get loud at high speeds.
4. Its huge and cumbersome when you don't need it
5. Decreased visibility and interference with mirrors
6. If something happens you are now trapped with the bike. You can't just let go in a crash or hop off if you drop the bike
From an image perspective, it is worse by a large magnitude.
I believe it's reason 2 that is causing most resistance to usage by riders.
With some refinement to account for strong winds and blind spots, I can see this product being big and very practical in countries with large motorcycle populations like Vietnam or Indonesia, especially during the monsoon/storm seasons. People in those countries still need to go places, transport goods, get to work, etc. And I believe the max speed they can go in the city is around 35 mph.
Side note, these single-minded views, "doesn't fit my style therefore it won't work PERIOD" crap that has got to go. I thought this website was suppose to challenge people to make stuff better, think outside the box, or enlighten minds to solve problems for others
Sincerely,
Gage H
Plus, it looks like even more of a sail in traffic, you get blown around enough as it is.
I've put somewhere over 110,000 (200k km) on motorcycles, mostly urban.
One would be better off to simply buy a decent quality rain jacket/pants/over gloves.
2. It's big. It's too big to store in a pannier on the bike. Thus, you get to carry it around. Yay!
3. It's either dangerous to you or others. Wind will be a problem. On a really windy day a rider can get blown around even without having a sail attached to the bike. Designed in some breakaway points? Great, until it lands in someone's windshield.
Seasoned riders are used to rain and it isn't that big of a deal.