Got caught in my first downpour the other day.

[buddhacide]

I was riding on the 404 near Toronto on friday going north at "Rush" hour when It started to rain so hard I couldnt even breath. It was terrifying. There was no where to go or take cover. I could even see the lines in the road. Luckilly the traffic slowed down to about 60km (It was just after spending about an hour basically walking in bumper to bumper too), but I was still scared as hell. Luckilly it only lasted about 10 minutes. I wouldnt recommend it, lol.

[ZooTech]

Biker Baptism.

[buddhacide]

LOL. Definitely felt close to god.. a little too close actually

[Kal]

Biker Baptism.

Aye.


Someone on here used to say if you don't ride in the rain then you don't ride.

[KarateChick]

Hope you had your rain gear on. Too bad there wasn't a place for you to pull over and wait for the "can't see rain" to subside a little. Sounded scary for you for the first time but hopefully as you reflect on it, you did good and overall it was a good learning experience.

The experience should hopefully improve with time and more rain rides. So long as you're dry and warm, it isn't too bad. And being able to see always makes it better too . (I came in tonight and its pouring and lightning's happening all around - wasn't too bad except for the visor fogging up that was driving me crazy. And a really good flash knocked out all the street lights on this side of the city. Looked rather cool.)

[buddhacide]

Heh, no raingear. I was wearing my body armour (upper) and jeans, which were soaked in a matter of seconds. It was definitely a learning experience. I was certainly happy to have done it, because any rain by comparison would be nothing. I became alot more aware of what my bike is capable of.

Incidentally, I also had the opportunity to slide my feet along the pavement of the highway just after a rainfall. I couldnt believe how slippery it was (like ice) compared to dry pavement. This is common knowledge I know, but to actually try it was pretty cool. Really drives home exactly what you're doing.

[cherokeepati]

I've gotten caught by toad stranglers twice this week on two different bikes. One had a windshield (I could see traffic better) and the other didn't (I got soaked). On Friday, luckily, my husband was in the right lane in front of me on a three lane highway. He was more worried than I was. I rode it out, but boy did I get some odd looks!
The second time was Sunday on our way back from a charity ride (our first big group outing) and we thought we would be riding out of the storm. WRONG! Without a windshield the rain went right thru the nylon jacket w/body armour and the cold wind and rain had my arms shaking so bad I didn't know if I would make it all the way home. We were 1/2 hour away when it hit. The weather was calling for 10% chance on Friday and 20% on Sunday. I'd LOVE to get my hands on that weatherman.

[ofblong]

lol all I got for rain protection on my legs is a $20 pair of waterproof/wind resistant rain pants from the sporting goods section of walmart. I have my teknic armored jacket for upper body. It was raining on my way to work and I was bone dry (underneath the armored jacket and pants) when I got to work which is a 20 minute drive in the rain.

[jmillheiser]

I have ridden through a few showers, its not so bad, at least with my leather jacket I stay dry.

there is one canyon down in colorado that seems to get rainy every time I try to ride through it LOL. Even on the poker run that I did on saturday of labor day weekend it was foggy/misting in this canyon, despite being with a large group of about 100 bikes. Helmets do a pretty good job of keeping your head warm and dry. I have no raingear and still didn't get cold, a lot of the half helmet/no helmet crowd was having a lot more trouble with the 40 degree temps, aside from the ones smart enough to wear a Balaclava

[storysunfolding]

Saw a guy on a small scooter and a half helmet with shorts and a tshirt riding in the rain to the metro today. He had his face jutted forward like he was trying to get behind the little windscreen and his face was all scrunched up and his neck bulging like he was constipated. I was laughing so hard that I had to pull over.