I've been putting a lot of miles on my 88 cruising over causeways to the beaches in the Florida sunshine... the causeways can be tough in the wind cuz the bike is so light... I don't have or want a cage as I'm from New England and it won't ever be too cold down here for me to ride, but i will be getting a rain suit next to keep in the saddlebags with the cover... I'm also gonna need new tires in the near future so i'm seeking any advice on the best value and brand for tires, particularly those that handle particularly well on wet roads as rain is my only real concern...

Good wet weather tires? Metzeler, Dunlop, Bridgestone.
Okay wet weather tires? Cheng Shin, Kenda, Sakura.
Lousy? IRC, most Avons.

Go for a modern tread design, and a "sticky" (softer)compound tire set. The shop I work at sells a LOT of Dunlop and Kendas. I'm in the Seattle area, and if they handle the rain here, they should do fine down there.

When I lived on the Gulf Coast, getting stuck in a gulley washer with IRC tires was, to put it mildly, h**l on earth.  They tended to hydroplane, rapidly. Tread design should shed water fine, but the tire compound dries out and stiffens so fast that it is like riding with slicks.
-WD

I use and enjoy dunlops too.

Clive W