I don't like water cooled Motorcycles

[mydlyfkryzis]

I prefer my Nighthawk 750 to be air-cooled. I find the water cooling system to be sloppy and messy, and quite frankly, all wet

Weather report said clear all day. At 2:30 PM, I started seeing animals in pairs walking to a neighbors. something about a 40 day cruise.

So I wait for the sky to clear, it finally does, put a garbage bag on (with appropriate cutouts for the arms and head) just in case, and head home.

Dry spell lasted for endless seconds. As the rain started again, a truck goes by, through a large puddle, and makes sure any dry spots are taken care of.

So, no point in waiting for it to stop under an overpass, as I cannot get any wetter, I continue home.

Once home, I drain the portable pools (saddlebags), remind myself to use ziplock bags for everything I don't want getting wet (which is everything), and remove the Bag De' Garbage' , my soaking sleeves Jacket, and every other wet thing.

On the bright side, This was my first run in the wet with the Bridgestones (BT-45) and they gripped very well and gave me a strong feeling of confidence. A couple of cars spun their tires pulling away from intersections, but the BT-45 didn't slip at all.

[flynrider]

On the bright side, This was my first run in the wet with the Bridgestones (BT-45) and they gripped very well and gave me a strong feeling of confidence. A couple of cars spun their tires pulling away from intersections, but the BT-45 didn't slip at all.

What a coincidence. On Monday I got caught in a huge downpour on my way home from work. I was on my Nighthawk 750 and it was also my first time using the BT-45s on wet pavement. I was impressed with the grip. It definitely was a lot more stable than the old Dunlops I replaced. At one point, there was about an inch and a half of water on the road and the bike was rock solid at about 55 mph.

[canuckerjay]

A lot of people will ride in any weather -- not minding the rain at all. It doesn't stop with the wet stuff up here in Toronto either. The big bike show comes to town in January; and every year, at least a couple nuts ride thier bikes in. Last time, there was at least 3 inches of snow on the ground and when I got there -- like clockwork - there were 4 bikes outside of the entrance.

Personally, I hate riding in the rain, raingear or not. I hate the rain on me, I hate the water spraying up from the road, I hate my face-shield getting wet, and I hate having to worry about road conditions. When I took the MSF course years ago, my instructor informed us that a motorcycle can do everything in the rain that it can do in dry weather. I must be inept; because 10 years later, I am still quite unsure in wet weather.

[ZooTech]

I don't make it a point to ride in the rain, but if I get caught in it I just keep on pluggin' along. My dad and I were caught in the rain on our way to Deal's Gap a few weeks ago, and spent about four hours in it...pretty heavy at times. My bike hasn't spun out or slipped in the wet yet, and I'm rolling Dunlop D220ST's. I just apply any and all inputs with moderation and maintain ample distance between me and the car in front.

[iwannadie]

i got caught in a nasty monsoon storm. when it rains here its really bad on the roads, the oil just all comes out of the pavement and theres no were for the water to go so the streets usually flood.

i was on my marauder with no helmet. my yellow lenses kept fogging up so bad i ended up just taking them off and riding with no eye protection. rain drops to the eyes hurts ill tell you that much. the water was so deep it was splashing up over my head at times. i was hitting puddles that came up past my feet. every time i stopped my rear tire slid, every time i took off the back tire spun.

good times.

[moshee]

Riding in the rain isn't fun but its doable. What I don't like is having to wash my beloved bike and polish up all its bits and pieces. Washing the engine with the accumulated road grime underneath is the worst part.
_________________
history of us recessions

[mydlyfkryzis]

What a coincidence. On Monday I got caught in a huge downpour on my way home from work. I was on my Nighthawk 750 and it was also my first time using the BT-45s on wet pavement. I was impressed with the grip. It definitely was a lot more stable than the old Dunlops I replaced. At one point, there was about an inch and a half of water on the road and the bike was rock solid at about 55 mph.

The tires were really good. I pushed the throttle hard a couple of times to see if the rear would break loose. It didn't. We haven't had any rain here in a month, so the roads were a little more slippery than usual as the oil on the road was coming up. In fact, I had to be careful as my shoes (or water storage devices, as I call them now) had a poor grip when I stopped at lights.

The tires were good on the side roads and fine at 60 MPH on the 5 mile section of interstate I take.

I used to ride year round, but age has made me reluctant to ride in the cold and wet (The one piece Rainsuit I had looked great when I was 170 lbs, but somehow it must of shrunk cause it no longer fits me 25 years later). Fortunately, the rain was warm, so I wasn't a shivering mess when I got home.

I am checking out NewEnough.com. They have a couple a nice, inexpensive rainsuits that should be fine for the occasional "caught in the rain" situation. I won't go out riding if it's raining, but I can never be sure it won't rain on the way home. They have a Nelson Rigg Storm Rider rainsuit thats only $39 that looks like it will do the trick. Need to get some rubber boots too.

[jmillheiser]

definately sound like grippy tires if the nighthawk wasn't able to break the rear loose (750 nighthawks may not be sportbikes but they certainly aren't wimpy)

[Itzamna]

You definitely need a rainsuit. The cheap ones seem to work best, since you can just throw them over your other gear most the time. Make sure you get a larger size than normal if you're putting them over gear, I found that out the hard way on a trip to Canada.

I have a nice rain jacket from Tour Master that also doubles as my winter jacket, very warm with the liner in. Only problem is it begins to let in water if you go through some heavy, heavy stuff. Usually only lasts me about 15 min when I'm chasing thunderstorms, but that is constant heavy downpours when you're in the middle of them.

[Scott58]

I prefer my Rebel in the rain over my S50. The S50 likes to kick out the tire on wet surfaces. I'll probably be putting it up for the winter, but i'll ride the Rebel as long as the roads aren't icy.