Riding in the Rain and Dark

[motomac]

The worst riding conditions make the best riders.

And that's when I stopped reading this post. That statement just reeks of bullshit.

I think the sentence is incomplete. It should have read "The worst riding conditions make the best riders evaluate the risks and decide to seek shelter until it blows over.


Cheers,

Mac

[JC Viper]

I don't know about everyone else but as long as the tires have grip I'll ride. The only time I would stop if there's a big chance of ice, snow and hail. Driving rain and winds just require more precaution but doable. BMW definitely builds their bikes for such cruel conditions.

I've ridden in so many conditions I know which will scare the crud out of me and the ones that won't. Even the european and American magazines note that riding in the wet will make you a smoother rider. I don't know why people think it is bull.

[jstark47]

The heck with rain, lightning scares the krap out of me. Last Tuesday in Nova Scotia we'd been riding in rain off and on for four hours, and were very near (1/2 mile) our destination. Unfortunately there was an electric storm parked over top of the town (Maitland, NS). I could see the flashes up ahead, but what are you going to do? Just ride faster - the faster we get there, the faster we can get under cover. There was absolutely no shelter in the open country. Just before we got there, a stinkin' huge bolt hit to my left, and the thunderclap was instantaneous. A few hundred yards later, there was our B&B for the night! We roared into the driveyway, abandoned the bikes there, and literally ran into the house. Safe! God must love fools.....

[ofblong]

I don't know about everyone else but as long as the tires have grip I'll ride. The only time I would stop if there's a big chance of ice, snow and hail. Driving rain and winds just require more precaution but doable. BMW definitely builds their bikes for such cruel conditions.

I've ridden in so many conditions I know which will scare the crud out of me and the ones that won't. Even the european and American magazines note that riding in the wet will make you a smoother rider. I don't know why people think it is bull.

I concur. Unless there is a chance of snow and/or there is ice/snow on the road in front of my house (my road just gets plowed enough for ice to form and is thus one of the very last roads to melt) or chance of 80mph+ winds I will ride. I have riden in hail but it was because either I pull over and get pummeled or ride to the overpass 1 mile down the road to pull over . Hopefully that will be the only time I had to do it as well hail suxors.

[JC Viper]

I don't know about everyone else but as long as the tires have grip I'll ride. The only time I would stop if there's a big chance of ice, snow and hail. Driving rain and winds just require more precaution but doable. BMW definitely builds their bikes for such cruel conditions.

I've ridden in so many conditions I know which will scare the crud out of me and the ones that won't. Even the european and American magazines note that riding in the wet will make you a smoother rider. I don't know why people think it is bull.

I concur. Unless there is a chance of snow and/or there is ice/snow on the road in front of my house (my road just gets plowed enough for ice to form and is thus one of the very last roads to melt) or chance of 80mph+ winds I will ride. I have riden in hail but it was because either I pull over and get pummeled or ride to the overpass 1 mile down the road to pull over . Hopefully that will be the only time I had to do it as well hail suxors.

The road that gets cleared the least and a major icing problem... I'm guessing there might be some moving in the future?

I haven't experienced hail but I would expect some painful dings and the bike going sideways from sliding on those things. I did ride near a funnel cloud that was forming a couple of weeks back and I just turned on a road leading me away from the darn thing and let the engine rip.

[ofblong]

I am hoping to be in a financial situation that will allow me to move into a bigger house within 3 years.

[Mike P]

I was sorry to hear about Lion Lady's accident. Crashing always sucks. She was kind enough to provide a link to this discussion.

I agree that my experience riding in the rain resulted in part from less than great planning choices. I happen to like long rides, but it is better to take more time. By planning for an extra day, you have more time to stop for bad conditions, and of course ride better because you are not tired.

We all make choices when we ride. Riding with proper safety gear sometimes gives way to the reality of riding in heat. Personally, I am experimenting with Draggin' Jeans Kevlar Mesh shirt, and other gear for weather that is simply too warm for my usual riding stuff. I am not ready to make a final judgment on this, yet.

That said, I have always felt that riding at night is to be avoided. It just can't be done safely. Larry Grodsky, of Stayin' Safe fame, died in a night crash in Texas when he hit a deer. Even riding at night can't always be avoided.

In comparison, riding in the rain is even tougher to avoid. On a long ride, it is one of the risks. It doesn't always happen where you can pull up and wait for the rain to stop. For the most part, rain is less dangerous than riding at night, but I am always terrified of going down in traffic when I ride in the rain.

"What doesn't kill me makes me stronger". Sometimes it helps to be forced outside the comfort zone. A track day pushes the envelope, and makes riding safer the rest of the time. So does experience in less than ideal conditions.

While I agree (as above) with a lot of the critical commentary in this thread, my personal choice is to expose myself to different situations that require a little effort on my part. My personal belief is that, over time, these experiences improve my riding. Motorcycling is about the freedom to make personal choices. Hopefully, we each make them in the way that will lead to the most fun.

I have no criticism of any rider who chooses to avoid riding in the rain.

On a final note, anyone who thinks I write my blog just to advertise my law practice doesn't know me. Motorcycle riding has been a big part of my life for decades. I spend countless hours on the phone and in person with other riders, helping when I can. Regularly, I do that in situations where I know from the outset that it will not result in taking on a case.

Again, thank you for this discussion.

Mike Padway

[MZ33]

clammy feeling of wet, cold leather

I am firmly against feeling cold, clammy, and wet. I am not a dog's nose.

[Lion_Lady]

OMFG!!!! I can't believe Mr Padway doesn't get that the message I sent him was a at his posting...

What a clueless dweeb. He really doesn't read the followup. Sheesh. Can we ban him now???

P

[Brackstone]

I'm not saying you aren't an avid motorcyclist.

But all you do is copy and paste your blog entries all over the net, a simple google search will do that.

TMF to me has always been a community, not one for people who just come in drop off some info then fly away not coming back until they want to just dump more information.

This is a forum for discussion, not a blog. If you aren't replying to your posts then you are blogging, not discussing.

Ergo it reeks of advertisement.