Everyone has their own way of what “Works for them”.
One or the other isn’t more superior just because it “doesn’t work for you”.
Nothing wrong with these new “super textiles incorporated” in pants n jackets.
I have some and wear it when I’m riding local or staying in Motels while traveling.
It’s nice to be able to continue riding when skies turn nasty and Mother Nature does her thing. Hot or Cold……or rain……Just a “keep on trucking”…!.

Some of the flaws I’ve found with this style of gear was, water wicking up my arms/sleeves because the “inner liner” wasn’t long enough in the sleeves to prevent water from the exterior wet jacket sleeve touching my wrist/arm area or the sleeve of my shirt I was wearing. BMW Adventure clothing years ago, and some other name brands. Leaks through seams/zippers no matter how well put together.
Also, I have yet to find anything that vents properly when conditions turn warm/hot and not cook me or make me sweat to death. Talk about some FUNK…..!

Normally I carry in my bags an “over the jacket/pants” nylon rain suit. Doesn’t take up much room at all.
And for me it’s No Big Deal to pull over for a few minutes and get all ”water proofed up”!!!
(Traveling through and around the Tropical Rain Belt of Western Canada and including Alaska, presents itself as a good education on donning and removal of exterior rain gear, like several times in the course of a travel day in the summer months).

My reasoning for this type of rain protection and why it “works for me” is as follows…
#1
I tent camp almost 99% of the time I’m traveling. Having the option to leave my wet dirty rain gear out on the bike instead of bringing it in my tent and contaminating “getting wet” everything else in the tent, is a BIG Plus!
#2
Going into a restaurant for a coffee break or dinner, and not letting your “drippy sponge jacket/pants” make a big embarrassing puddle on the carpeted or tiled floor while eating. Yeah, I’m like that…I respect others stuff.
I also wouldn’t take a chance leaving my HiTec gear out on the bike and then come to find my pricy $$$ jacket n pants grew legs and is now gone!
#3
The over jacket/pants also works as a great wind barrier on those iffy, cloudy, cold days or up in high elevation changes. Or after a heavy rainfall, just wear the bottoms as a protector against kicked up road water/mist.
I’m still comfortable cool and DRY…and not all sweaty.

So maybe a few ideas that might just work for you.

 

James. I have to agree with Freedomrider, in over 55 years of road riding, some in insane storms I too have never hydroplaned including on older bikes running really crappy bias ply tires. Of course you slow down but still have enough traction to handle corners, hard stops etc. I mostly run sport radials which don't have the sipes of sport touring tires yet have still railed mountain roads in the wet, totally amazing myself & friends as we all lived to ride another day. There are riding schools that have outriggers on bikes that maybe you should search out to get over your fear of rain as they allow you to ride at the edge without falling. For the majority here riding in the rain is just a minor inconvenience & good rain gear makes it a non issue. On that note almost all will leak at some point if you're out there long enough, that's what motels are for, a place to dry out after a week of rain.

 

Having just returned from a week out roaming around on the bike I can report to being subjected to not one, but two afternoon thunderstorms. One of them was really nasty with cars crawling along the interstate with their flashers on and the rain blowing sideways. My observations on the Frogg Toggs Pilot 2 rain gear:

• Both the pants and the jacket are easy and quick to put on standing by the bike on the side of the road.
• Wearing mesh riding gear under the rain gear, I could detect no water getting in and it kept me nice and dry until the sky was done leaking.
• Breathable? Eh, not so much. We were riding in mid to high 90s when the rain started. The temp dropped very rapidly during the t-storms but when it stopped/we rode out of it it warmed up very quickly again. At that point I felt like I was sitting in a steam room and could not get out of it fast enough at the first opportunity.

I'm not sure you can expect something that's really good at keeping you dry to be at all comfortable in that kind of heat after the rain stops. It's a keeper for me. Fits me well, looks like it'll hold up over time, and keeps me dry.

 

I just got my custom rain pants from Motoport today. Tried them on and their fit great easy to get on/off over my boots. Will have to wait to see how they function.

 

I've never owned any gear from Motoport but everyone I know that has says nothing but good things about the gear and the way the company supports customers.

 

I would have really liked for the FT Pilot pants to work thye don't do short and fat measurements. Ended up the Motoport custom pants only cost an additional $10 over the FT's. Hopefully they work just as well. Looking at the extended forcaset in NL seems I'll soon get to test them out.