Sealskinz gloves are the way to go and you didn’t wimp out you kept going until you felt like a stop. Is an over suit really needed with good gortex kit? Army surplus gary gortex waterproofs are cheap and do a good job and ebay at this time of year for seasonal bikers is also good for top grade kit cheap.
I’m jealous about the whole Dartmoor thing I just spent the day in rain lost on the south circ.
Gerbing heated gloves and sealskinz socks along with an over suit, the suit should pack small enough to put under a seat. I carry mine around in the ruck sack as I have no room under my pillion seat.
Gortex is your friend when it comes to winter riding, actually all year riding in Britain lol
As Tom mentioned, a decent pair of gloves is essential, if you lose the feeling in your fingers then you lose the feel of your controls.
And yes where possible take extra clothing just in case.
I have started using a yellow pin lock insert for night time riding and especially when it rains. I see more due to the colour and helps with picking out objects late at night in the dark.
Experience is worth so much, you probably don’t even realise the advantage that comes with riding in those conditions… you learnt a lot on the day, you’ll probably be a better rider if you get used to it more, something which i’ve always avoided doing, even though i know its wrong to avoid it 
I have these…best £33 spent in a while.
Oxford Muffs Essential Handlebar Muff
Welcome to our world Ally …
Routes - Next time your down that way have a run along A39 Truro to Bath road, lots of upper third fun. The section over Exmoor National Park takes in the steepest public road in England, Porlock Hill, and offers some great views.
Comfort - There is no shame in taking breaks even if they extend over night. Tiredness Kills.
Equipment - I’ve been thinking towards Oxford handlebar muffs £35 at JTS assorted colours inter webby link. Rain over suits are essential for prolonged exposure to rain. For the fogging visor solution you can try breath deflectors (Oxford Huff has good reviews) or anti fog visors shields.
I don’t find Goretex to be as good as it’s supposed to be. I’ve had 3 pairs of Goretex trousers and with all of them my arse gets wet if I sit on a wet seat, and the crotch area always gets damp in rain with all the water running off the tank. I sent one pair back to Gore who actually said that even Goretex cannot keep you completely dry if you’re sitting on a wet seat or if water pools in a particular area - so I don’t know why they “Guarantee to keep you dry” because they clearly don’t guarantee that at all. They’re still better than a lot of the own-brand waterproof layers but if you’re likely to find yourself in those sort of conditions often then an oversuit is probably a good option.
Well done for pushing through for as long as you did though!! It’s definitely no shame to stop when you feel conditions are getting dangerous - better to spend the night in a Travelodge than longer in a hospital!
Oh yeah after my IoM trip, where I noticed the giant gaping holes in my boots, the best thing ever was a pair of Sealz skin socks… Oh my feet were dry, warm… just perfect! Now that pair of boots is relegated to offroading, I’m glad I bought those socks
Haha, wait until the biting cold sets in!!
Goretex or Dainese D-Dry which I have with waterproof boots. If said boots have holes in (like mine) plastic bags do the trick just perfectly! Muffs I had on the VFR the first year worked an absolute treat for the cold though heated grips are a lifesaver as 5 mins down the road in the dead of winter you’ll be freezing!! I do find although I know this sounds daft, doing a bit of exercise before I get on the bike (I’ve been known to stop in lay bys and do star jumps before) I’m sure gives me an extra 20 mins of warmth!
I don’t find the rain a problem with the right gear, prepare for the cold as that’s much much worse! 
Good luck!
FFS it’s only water.
Exercise does help, everytime I head up to do my Aikido, I freeze on the way up and then am warm on the way back… but it doesn’t last long 
Exercise makes the blood run faster generating heat - does that sound scientific enough to be an answer?
man up!
and get some muffs. in fact, I think I have a pair in the loft you can borrow that I never got on with. If I’d seen this yesterday I could have brought them to BM tonight.
PS: well done for enjoying the top-end of your engine
Thanks for all of your support and advice and for most of you, (including those that PM’d me) making me feel like I wasn’t such a wimp for bailing out eventually - as I said it was very telling that I only saw one other bike in about 140 miles and if you’ve seen any of the pictures this week of the South West under water, you’ll appreciate it was rather extreme! Not ideal for a first experience of dealing with the elements. So am going to invest in Goretex gloves, still thinking about the neoprene muff, going to get a rain suit (and try not to let water pool in my nether regions again!). As they are so cheap, am going to try some over boots, my current boots are goretex, but only reach just above my ankles, so before I spend over £300 on a pair of longer boots, they could well be worth a try. Going to get some Sealz skin socks and some technical under layers to try and keep me toasty warm. Will go back to where I bought my lid to see what we can do about fogging - don’t think I have a pin lock system, was told not use anything but water on the inside of the visor as it is already treated, but if it doesn’t work in extreme conditions, I need another solution, so will investigate what they are. I’m sure this thread will be of use to other noobs, cos you can’t really appreciate what you will need until you experience it for yourself, or you hear about the fate of others. Am starting to rebuld my sense of humour about it all - it vanished for sometime after and as others have said I believe I have learnt from my experience and as I was determined to not just be a fair weather rider, I’ve earnt my stripes and will be more prepared next time. Going to France this weekend with Mike to get my first continental experience and I will be much better prepared (some rain is predicted) - as long as all of my new stuff turns up in time!
Vee Wipe!
Its a visor wipe that sits on your finger.
I got mine here for £7.50 inc p+p
Absolute muts nuts!
Combined with a polished visor, rain will not stick!
Use some Mr Sheen wood polish on the outside of your visor. Rain beads up and flies off! Sadly it wont do anything about the fog.
Oh,mate - it was just extraordinary. I really had just been pootling until Friday - who would think that my little old Beemer could be such a rocketship!! God only know what would happen, if I did that on a proper sportsbike! :w00t: The first time the red light went off I thought I had done some damage, but I had just hit the ‘red line’. I never knew the Beemer had it in her to feel that quick. 2nd is my new favourite gear! Desperate to get back out onto open roads to try it again. Also keen to try it on a bike with a bigger rev range - 8,500 already seems a little ‘limited’! Never thought of myself as a speed junkie, but could really get used to it (operating within speed limits of course Officer!) Just like that feeling of coming out of a village and seeing a national speed limit sign and getting ‘up to speed’ as quickly as possible - feels goooood!!
I’d love to say +1 but i’d get slammed for being on a 125!
Cheers, Daniel! :w00t:
winter gloves with muffs will leave your hands very hot I would have thought.
Wow, that sounds epic.
Yes, thanks a lot for sharing your experience. V grateful newbie here, avidly reading about all the specific items you mentioned to combat the elements. Can you please get back to this thread with the magic combination against rain?
And there’s me wondering whether to get the bike out because I have not been in the rain yet…and worried about the wet leaves. Now that’s a wimp!
Good luck with the France trip, and please tell us all about it.:D:
Just spotted that you said you had ankle high boots… In all honesty, even with seal skin socks, you’re still going to get wet with those boots as the water will come in from the top (and according to Mian once they get wet like that, they never dry)!
Unfortunately in the wet, only the taller boots will work
