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I'm riding home. It's raining. My boss is PANICKING!

bwringer

bwringer

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Not much of a story, but I'm just this moment preparing to head home after a hard day in the salt mines. It's about 60 degrees F and raining lightly. My ride home is about 65 miles, half interstate highway by the shortest route.

My boss, a Hardley-Ableson polishing noob, is PANICKING! He thinks riding in the rain is certain bloody DEATH! Even worse, it could put spots on the paint! Mud on the chrome! OH, THE HUMANITY!

He actually tried to order me to stay in Indy at his house tonight. Heh. This ain't the military.

In case you're wondering, I have over 15 years of safe riding experience, often in much worse conditions (like the Brown County SCUBA ride). I'm well-trained, experienced, and properly equipped. My tires are fairly new, and my bike is running great. Light rain is really no big deal. Really.

Anyone else have to deal with panicking non-riders or noobs? It's kinda funny, but pretty annoying, too. He finally gave up and went home.

I'll check back in about an hour and a half. Unless...
 
I'm ALIIIIIIVE!!

Made it home just fine. Like I knew I would. :D

Not even any scares, really. The rain was light to heavy the whole trip.

I passed one guy on a Hardley. He looked pretty miserable in his silly half-helmet and useless, soggy leather. At least he wasn't cowering under an overpass.
 
I ride in the rain all the time just because it is so much cheaper then driving my '72 IH to school everyday. The only person I know who gets real worried everytime I ride in the rain is my grandmother. 2 out of her 3 boys rode GS's (where I got mine :wink: ) and both of them had a spill in the rain. So anymore I just refuse to tell her what I am taking when I leave at any particular time.
 
Way to go. What's you boss gonna think when you start riding in the cold?!

Brad tt
 
Good Job Dude. I used to freak in the rain as I've heard horror stories, but I've ridden this GS in the rain (Florida Gushers) and have not had any trouble.

I have a Harley guy at work, Super - Super - nice guy. He's not prejudice at all, he just likes his old '86 Harley and he tells me that he keeps it straight as can be and is real careful. I'm getting brave, but not insane. Rain still intimitades me a bit, but not enough to NOT go home.

Good call and glad you made it safe.
 
The worst time with rain is when it starts.
It hasn't washed the oil and grime off the road.
Think "slip and slide" toys.

Let it rain and get really wet, then ride. It's washed off the oil,diesel fuel, tranny fluid,all the slippery stuff off the road.
 
Keith, I seem to recall one of your other posts saying that it just rained at your place for the first time since the spring. I'd say you have some reason to be wary of the rain. It's like anything else; you don't do it for a long time, you get rusty. Even after a few weeks of no rain riding, I'm a little careful, but I enjoy it, because it's a chance re-familiarize.

Like KBG says, once the initial rain has washed the crap off the surface, the degree of traction is not that different from dry pavement (compared to, say, driving on sand, gravel, ice etc).
 
Still don't like rain. The only time I've ridden in it is when I guessed the weather wrong and got caught. It's just something I don't need to do. Got my Blazer for the wet stuff.
I don't like the loss of traction, vision. I also don't like the fact that too many drivers out here won't slow down and it's THEY who forget how to drive in the rain.
I'd rather be a cager for the day and live to ride tomorrow.
"Liquid sunshine"? HA!! More like "liquid get my butt run over because someone couldn't see me through their wet windshield" sunshine! :( :wink:
 
Bah it's not too bad... I commuted yesterday with weather.com promising me tons of clouds but no rain till 9pm... That was at 6am... by 9am they had changed thier weather forecast to say it was going to rain sometime between noon and 3pm.... The hairiest part of my hour ride home was stopping to get some gas... them gas stations are treacherous.


At least this time I was on my bike the last time I got caught in the rain it was a downpour and I couldn't see more than 40 - 50 feet in front of me and we hadn't installed a front fender on Nerobro's bike yet... Even it is wasn't for the downpour I woulda been soaked from the water wicking off the front wheel... I learned to keep my mouth shut in a hurry....


To toot my own horn a bit, I've only been riding for 3 and a half months. Already I've ridden through three rainstorms and two steady drizzles. Also made the commute in to work in 28 degree weather. A fool hardy thing with no real cold weather gear. I've been through these and made it through adding a bit more confidence in not only my ability as a rider but about myself in general. Learning about myself and my bike through adverse conditions. It really makes me feel good that it's something I can do, I know I can do and not everyone can or will do.
 
Rain at night is a big hassle to me. But my biggest weather worry is the fog that we get around here. Gets real thick and no visibility. Everybody tailgating one another because they can't see (and who's gonna' pass who?). Plus my visor fogs up on the outside constantly so I have to keep wiping that. We only have 2 lane roads around here and as usual we get a few head-ons because of the fog. Luckily I've missed a couple because I ride my GS and I don't take up too much room. :wink:
 
hahaha......the day I went to go pick up my bike in edmonton , from jasper (a 4+ hour ride) , I rode on the back of an '89 katana in the rain for the whole way there, picked up my bike in clear skies (perfect timing!), and then only 3 more hours of rain on the way back.

you people in edmonton remember when you were getting flooded, hail, tornadoes? thats when! nice rain.....didnt need to take a shower!
 
My boss was still upset this morning! What a worrywart. My wife is the biggest worrywart I've ever seen, and it never even occurred to her to fret about my safety last night.

I just think it's amazing how some people can't comprehend the concept of risk management. Yes, riding at night in the rain presents a greater potential risk than riding without rain. So does leaving the house at all.

Without proper gear, experience, or training, the risks would have been unacceptable to me and I would have stayed the night in Indy. For example, I didn't have rain pants with me last night (I needed the room in my bag for Diet Pepsi, nature's most perfect beverage...) and I made a decision, based on experience and temperature, that I would be a little chilly but OK with jeans and fleece long undies. All my other gear (helmet, gloves, jacket, boots) was waterproof (and proven so on many other wet rides), so I knew I would be OK.

I also don't have any night vision problems, and I've learned to treat my faceshield so that water rolls off at speed. I considered all these and many other factors and made my decision that riding home was well within my capabilities and tolerance for risk. Not even a five out of ten, really.

What really bothers me is people who assume that I'm just being macho -- that I haven't thought carefully about these things, or that I'm not willing to abort a ride when the risks are too great.

If I were to run down to the airport and try to fly a 707, it would be a disaster. I'm not a trained pilot. But with the proper training, experience, and equipment, an airline pilot can fly a 707 with nearly perfect safety in all kinds of weather. She will also know when to abort the flight, and will do so without shame when needed.

My wife is a good rider, but she does not have the skills and experience to ride long distances at night in the rain. But she does understand that I can.

My boss is a terrible rider who mostly realizes his limitations, if not his ignorance. He thinks the reason that I can ride faster and in worse conditions is simply that I'm more brave and more stupid than he is. He hasn't gotten the idea that riding is a skill that can be learned and improved constantly.

To him, motorcycles are mysterious, frightening creatures, liable to smite you unpredictably. The thrill comes from the extreme danger, the idea that the fates could wipe you from existence at any second for no reason at all. You have to extraordinarily brave and macho to be a rider. Unfortunately, this notion is pretty widespread.

I have a more scientific view, obviously. Even carburetors can be understood if you work at it. And in the end, I think I get a lot more enjoyment out of motorcycling than my boss ever will.
 
Well said! That's about the most clearly stated answer to "how can you ride that murderous beast?" I've ever seen.

Dave
 
In south Florida, if you dont ride in rain, there are going to be about 250 days a year you wont be riding. LOL I only stop riding in the rain when the water runoff is over the axles. :-) Fog is much more difficult to ride in. I dont ride in Fog for a lot of reasons.

Earl
 
earlfor said:
I dont ride in Fog for a lot of reasons.

Earl
Click to expand...

Yeah fog combined with wet roads can be a nuisance :?

I remember lot of rides home of a night in those conditions in UK pea soup fog,

mind you i had Lucas 6volt lighting to guide me home :lol:

ah the prince of darkness always got me home...


...white knuckled of course :wink: :lol:
 
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