First Ride in the Rain

Sadly, my two week vacation has come to an end and what more appropriate way to signal my return to the salt mines but to have rainfall during the morning commute. Rain is a rare occurence here in San Diego so I welcome it when it comes. Still, I had mixed feelings about riding my pretty new VFR in the rain. I don't mind riding in the rain itself, it's the clean up afterwards that I don't really like. I have that to look forward to when I get home tonight. The traffic was horrible. Cars stacked up and backed up for miles heading into downtown (that's where we have all of our salt mines). Fortunately, we're able to lane split in California and I take advantage of that whenever it's safe and bumper to bumper tends to be the safest in my opinion. Still, I rode cautiously through the traffic as the drivers in their cages either thought I was an idiot to be riding in the rain, let alone between cars, or looked at me with envious eyes as I left them behind.

Something else that I had forgotten about riding in the rain that I really don't like - rain gear. I have a good set of rain gear which does a great job of keeping me dry. Unfortunately, it also does a great job of roasting me alive! We're having this wierd, sub-tropical moisture pushing through which means the temperature is close to 80 degrees with the rain! I felt like a fighter trying to cut weight before the weigh-in. By the time I pulled into my spot in the parking garage, my t-shirt was stuck to my chest and back and sweat was dripping down my face.

I don't mean to complain. I have a perfectly good car that I could have taken to work and which, in fact, I used to take my son to school this morning. I could have simply driven to work from his school but chose to drive home just so I could ride to work. Like I said, I don't mind riding in the rain. I actually enjoy it. Today I got to see how the VFR handled it and, as expected, she did fine. The weather is clearing up and should be dry for the ride home. Tomorrow and the rest of the week is expected to be sunny and hot. Well, there goes the whistle. Back to the mines...

 

Glad you enjoyed it. I'm OK with riding in the rain, but here in Jersey/the Northeast, we've had a little too much rain...

Lenape Rd Oakland NJ - iWitness Weather Photos and Video Video

 

Don't know if it will help you but I have bought the frog toags road toad rain suit for when it rains here and it does a great job of keeping me dry and it is nowhere near as hot as the other rain suits that I have tried.

 

I'm hoping that wasn't video from your helmet cam! Yeah, I'd say that's a bit much.

 

Thanks, I'll look into those (even if I do have a hard time saying the name)!

 

Nooooo, no helmet cam there! That video is one of many that are available (you can Google the Ramapo River it your interested). The water is actually flowing up and over the bridge. Under normal circumstances, I'd say that bridge sits at least 10 feet, probably closer to 15 feet, higher than the river below it.

 

James you call that rain.......lol
Try to ride in the storm from last winter, remember it's was rain non stop for five days.......

 

Ha! Remember it well. What a mess that was. I rode on just one of those days then wimped out and stayed in the car. Back then I was on a Triumph Bonneville. Fun bike and it actually did fine in the wet. Of course, I was super mellow.

I remember watching the Amazing Race and in one of the episodes, the contestants were in Vietnam. Of course, everyone there were on these 125 and 250cc motorbikes, usually with two to four people on board, riding like crazy in a monsoon downpour! Although it didn't look like anything I wanted to emulate, it certainly made me rethink any hesitation I had about riding in the rain.

 

Sometimes I ride in the sun. I think I would be scared shitless riding int he rain down there. I mean with all that oil buildup in your dry climate, then the rain. Our oil film gets washed away regularily so it isn't too bad. FIrst ride in the rain after a long dry spell is a bit nerve racking though.

 

FIVE DAYS. Holly fudge Long.

 

I wish our forecasts were as accurate and to the point! Surprisingly, it doesn't seem to take too much rain to clear most of the oil off the roads. From what I can figure, a couple hours of steady rain does a good job of cleaning things up. I'm more worried about surfing after a good rain. All the runoff goes into the ocean and you can see and taste it. Pretty disgusting.

 

I'm another somebody that riding in the rain doesn't bother.......as long as the temperature is a bit above 50 degrees F. In bad weather i only ride my "beater bike," the Yamaha Radian and hose the bitch off when i get back home.

 

Now I got the luxury of having a second "commuter bike" not gona call it a beater. Thats the bike that sees rain duty. Dont wana get caught in dah rain with dah VIffer :sad: Gota always hose off and use compressor air to clean a bike after rain!

Thing with rain-gear, sometimes I would rather be wet and get home and let the leathers dry out than be stuck in that cow hide sauna that occurs when you don a rain suit over your gear.

Aerostich suit works good in dah rain fer sure and blows air under my pits so I dont need to use deoderant.

 

Note my Avatar. It was pouring rain when that picture was taken where the Redwood Highway meets the Pacific Ocean.