Topic: MY CAUGHT IN THE RAIN STORY FROM LAST NIGHT.....

[ProTeal55]

Went out last night about 9pm with my buddy Danny to do alittle riding, enjoy the weather, etc...
Not a cloud in the sky (so I thought ), and the temps were in the higher 60's , so I layered a couple shirts and we were off.
About 10 miles into the ride Danny says he wants to get a bite to eat, so we stop off at a local hotdawg joint and get some grub.

After we both ate , I happened to look outside to see it starting to rain
I myself have never rode in the rain my entire motorcycle career, let along a 30 year old bike with no fenders that has never been "waterproofed" so to speak. So at this point I look at Danny , who is riding a kick start only/ suicide shift/ hardtail no fendered Triumph bobber, and say we should get going before it gets worse..

My bike starts right up (as it always does), yet Danny's bike takes a few kicks to get it going.
After about 10 kicks and numerous words I cant say on here, he gets the scoot running.
Now it's raining pretty good, and I am bracing myself for the bullcrap ride ahead, when his bike dies.
He gives it a few more kicks - nothing. 

So across the parking lot is some sort of #$%*hole nightclub, but they have cover outta the rain so we push the
bikes over their to get outta the weather. A few more kicks and Danny chucks his glasses in frustration.
Alfter some investigation , he comes to find out that water had gotten into his ignition, and basically killed the bike.
I said "he" found out because I was too busy Talking to some drunk girls waiting for a cab (going out with one of them later tonite )

So , a hour later a flatbed comes to give him a tow home, and I get the fun of riding back the 10 or so miles to my house.
As I said I have never rode in the rain, so I was more than nervous. Not really about getting wet, but about either some drunk #$%* hitting me while I am riding cautious (it was 2:45 when I left the parking lot), or water getting into my bike and stranding me.
Let's just say that riding a 30+ year old bike with a 21'' front wheel minus a fender is not a good time. The spray off the front wheel was blinding, so I had to lean my head off to the side to even see where I was going. Add the fact that I was soaked down to the money in my wallet, and when I past a bank the temp was 61  . I was so cold that it was hard to keep the bike straight because I was shivering so much. But on a positive note the bike ran effortlessly, and didn't even sputter once on the trek.

I got home - changed into some dry clothes , and blew off most of the water with some compressed air.
Started her up this morning , and ran like always 
Gotta love that Honda reliability.

Main point of this story - check the weather before you ride...

[GoatBaSS]

Ahh yes brought back some memories of ridin wet. And the Triumph part of the story brought back the nightmares. Sad thing is the Triumph would have done it on a nice day...

[mkramer1121]

PT, your ride sounds like mine last night.  My cousin has this bright idea that she wants to go see fireworks in Lake in the Hills last night.  So she and I hop on my 550 and my friend Jr. comes along as well (he's got a big Honda Cruiser).  We get there, and it begins to rain, nothin to bad, just kind of spitting.  We wait it out, see the fireworks, and cruise home.  By the time we get local, we are soaked (I've got full fenders on my bike mind you, and my cousin riding on the back is "skunked" up her back w/ water) just from the streets being wet.  We decide to go to Sideouts and relax/dry off for a bit, before heading home.  We're leaving at 1230am, walk outside, and it is pouring, like all hell is breaking loose.  We make it the 2 minutes home fine without any problems.  My shoes just aren't going to be dry for 2 weeks.

[ProTeal55]

Sad thing is the Triumph would have done it on a nice day...

I knew the Triumph= Crap comments were gonna come  
In his defense, his bike is one of the best running triumph's I have even seen/heard of.
We go ride about 2 - 3 times per week - and put atleast 30-50 miles down a ride, and he has NEVER had
any issues with his scoot, except the oil leaks when he parks it  
He called me earlier today and allready has it fixed, in a new watertight battery/electric box.

MKRAMER1121 --->
I feel your pain brother, my wallet is still soaked 
I was lucky enough that when I was riding it was rainnign very lightly, and was just dealing with puddles all over the streets.
Still refuse to put a front fender on my bike, but i was wishing I had one last night ...

[mkramer1121]

I've got an idea for ya....Remember those roll up sleds you had as a kid?  Maybe "cut" a fender out of one of those, and keep it rolled up under the seat with some hose clamps for one of those just in case moments

[GroovieGhoulie]

What's it like cornering in the rain?  That's my fear, that the tires will slide out from under me in a corner and ZANG! I'm done.

My fear of cornering in the wet is why I check the weather religiously when I plan to ride. Straight and level is probably OK, but I'm terrified about what the bike will do when there's ANY deviation from 0* upright in the wet.

[nickjtc]

What's it like cornering in the rain?  That's my fear, that the tires will slide out from under me in a corner and ZANG! I'm done.

Modern tyres, with adequate tread + rain = no problem.

Try not to ride the first few minutes after it starts to rain, so the snot, crap and other vehicular effluents can be rinsed off the road, then have at it. Observation is all the more crucial so keep your head up and look as far ahead as possible so you are not caught by surprise and have to do panic braking.

These days I find myself maybe backing off 10-20% over dry weather riding. In the early '70s riding on Japanes concrete tyres I had to back off at least 50%....and still paid the price by low siding my CB250.

Get your confidence up by riding as much as possible in the wet; it opens up a whole new field of motorcycling experiences.

[supersport_CB400F]

Dam…... if you worried about the rain and lived in the UK, you’d never get out on your bike. It always rains here. 

[ProTeal55]

What's it like cornering in the rain? That's my fear, that the tires will slide out from under me in a corner and ZANG! I'm done.
My fear of cornering in the wet is why I check the weather religiously when I plan to ride. Straight and level is probably OK, but I'm terrified about what the bike will do when there's ANY deviation from 0* upright in the wet.

I was lucky last night that I only had to make 4 turns in the whole rain-filled ride.
I just went extra-extra slow , and kept the bike as upright as possible while making the turns.
It does help I have really good modern tires on my scoot, but anyone riding anything can slip in the rain.
I just got the bike moving at a decent (yet careful) rate of speed in the right lane and took my time getting home..

And I agree with NICKJTC about waiting the rain out for awhile after it starts.
You are mode likely to bail/fall/bite it when it FIRST starts raining then say 15-20 minutes after.
Just think about all the oil drops at stoplights and other crap on the road that mixes with fresh rain.
It had been raining for about 2 hours before I made my treck home , which helped I am sure , though it still sucked..

[johnny-from-bel]

In Belgium it rains 200 days a year. So I ride in the rain a lot. My record so far is 800 KM from 7 am till 8 pm nothing but rain.
Sometimes the K6 will run on three cylinders when I go through big puddles of water but on average no problem.

[supersport_CB400F]

In Belgium it rains 200 days a year. So I ride in the rain a lot. My record so far is 800 KM from 7 am till 8 pm nothing but rain.
Sometimes the K6 will run on three cylinders when I go through big puddles of water but on average no problem.

Johnny, I also don’t mind corners in the rain and with decent tyre it’s not a problem, but I hate corners when the road is icy! 

[Troy R]

I hate the rain . I 'm on bike #5 , I've driven in rain lots living in the Ottawa Valley. It's the Tornados that have me worried now . Ahhh Mother Nature.

[nickjtc]

We're lucky hereabouts in that we only get about 10" of rain a year. Problem is the month with the most precip. is June, which means that when it rains it really rains.

My second ride on Silver Sophie was to take her up north for the first time. I had done routine maintenance after I got her home from buying her, but did not think to do a more scrupulous check over, especially since the 'wet' was approaching. So I left Kamloops on a Saturday morning, headed north, and the skies opened. Within a few miles she started hesitating and burping and all I could think of (casting my mind back to the early '70s) was the infamous Honda four 'wet weather misfire'. After about half an hour I decided that caution was the better part of valour and turned around for home. She didn't actually die on me, but it was not a happy trip home.

Long story short, I got to spend an extra night in my own bed, then headed north in the missis' car. Sophie just needed a new set of plug caps and wires and we haven't looked back since.

[supersport_CB400F]

We're lucky hereabouts in that we only get about 10" of rain a year. Problem is the month with the most precip. is June, which means that when it rains it really rains.

My second ride on Silver Sophie was to take her up north for the first time. I had done routine maintenance after I got her home from buying her, but did not think to do a more scrupulous check over, especially since the 'wet' was approaching. So I left Kamloops on a Saturday morning, headed north, and the skies opened. Within a few miles she started hesitating and burping and all I could think of (casting my mind back to the early '70s) was the infamous Honda four 'wet weather misfire'. After about half an hour I decided that caution was the better part of valour and turned around for home. She didn't actually die on me, but it was not a happy trip home.

Long story short, I got to spend an extra night in my own bed, then headed north in the missis' car. Sophie just needed a new set of plug caps and wires and we haven't looked back since.

That’s what I’m saying, my bike was crap in the rain, until I junked the Honda plug caps and got some NGK items, never had a problem after that!...now I’ve fitted them to my Dyna system and I’m expecting similar results!

[Troy R]

Good old (but reliable) Sophie. All this rain riding talk is gettin my water flowin. It's 16 C outside at 5:38 I haven't seen the sun all day ;looks like rain . I'm donning the leathers , beanie helmet and gogles.Wish me luck .

[aptech77]

I have been caught in the rain a few times and IT SUCKS!!!!! 
Glad to hear you made the ride home in one piece!!!!!

[bwaller]

Part of riding is riding in the rain. At this point in my life I rarely go out to ride if the weather's bad, but things used to be different....

I remember my very first roadrace of the 1975 season and it was raining at Westwood in BC. My buddy was to bring my tools, parts, leathers, helmet,etc in his old van while I went with three other guys and race bikes from the shop. My buddy was late and it was necessary to make at least one qualifying lap in order to race. By the time this idiot arrived and I could get suited up I was just able to make that lap.
    
Of course the adrenaline was, lets say, surging so when the green flag dropped quess who got the hole shot! I don't think I ever even looked behind to see where the rest of the pack was, I had my head down, was in the lead, and was attached to a heart beating out of control!
  
 The track was really slick as you can quess I ended up low siding off a fairly slow corner, got up, kicked a few things straight, emptied the gravel out of my Bell Star and off I went again now at the back of the pack, but still determined. Two laps later after making it past a few other riders, in that damn high speed offcamber right hand turn three with only one fast line through it and I'm out in the marbles trying to get by two slower guys on the outside. There is more water on the inside of my visor than out when slowly the ass end tries to pass the front and when I get out of the throttle, it hooks up again and over the top I go, in one hell of a high side and resulting earth-sky, earth-sky earth-sky.

Race 1, 1975, DNF.  There would be more days like this before I was done!  

Moral of the story, none really, just the beer talking

[Dave K]

I have rode so often in the rain. I remember one trip that was not a terribly long trip but there were four bikes riding together for 1400 miles. It was raining when we left and it was raining when we got there. I don't find rain to be a problem, but make sure your moves are thought of in advance and you don't do anything suddenly. Nice and smooth is how to do it. Never had trouble with the K3 either in the rain except once. The gasket on the points cover was bad and the points were shorting out. The very worst thing about riding in the rain is cleaning up a bike that has been ridden in the rain.

[ElCheapo]

Hey Teal, just a pointer from someone who has ridden in the rain with no fender. Keep a rag that is big enough to tie between the fork tubes above the brace and most of that spray will be caught by it.

[ProTeal55]

Hey Teal, just a pointer from someone who has ridden in the rain with no fender. Keep a rag that is big enough to tie between the fork tubes above the brace and most of that spray will be caught by it.

I can't tell you how good of an idea that is cheapo 
Thanks...

[johnny-from-bel]

In Belgium it rains 200 days a year. So I ride in the rain a lot. My record so far is 800 KM from 7 am till 8 pm nothing but rain.
Sometimes the K6 will run on three cylinders when I go through big puddles of water but on average no problem.

Johnny, I also don’t mind corners in the rain and with decent tyre it’s not a problem, but I hate corners when the road is icy! 

The only time I went down was in 1978, I skidded on a patch of ice and ended up in someones front yard. I do take it a bit slower in the rain.

[Chris Schneiter]

Ok, I've asked this before...Somebody metioned "Modern Tires". I have Chen Shin "Marquis"...Are those considered a "Modern" tread? Sometimes in rain, they feel like I'm riding on BB's!

[supersport_CB400F]

Ok, I've asked this before...Somebody metioned "Modern Tires". I have Chen Shin "Marquis"...Are those considered a "Modern" tread? Sometimes in rain, they feel like I'm riding on BB's!

Chen what tyre's ?....... I would never use any other tyre that a Dunlop TT100, modern compounds classic tread and race proven and great in the rain, expensive but well worth the £’s  IMHO.

[74cb750]

When you ride to work every day,
you end up riding in the rain a bit.
I have an extra set of clothes/shoes at work 
peace,
michel

[nickjtc]

Ok, I've asked this before...Somebody metioned "Modern Tires". I have Chen Shin "Marquis"...Are those considered a "Modern" tread? Sometimes in rain, they feel like I'm riding on BB's!

The success of a tyre in the wet is mainly down to the tread pattern and how much there is of it, but also, to a certain extent, the material of which the tyre is made. When we talk about 'modern' tyres it is those that have a combination of the two. The tyres which were supplied as stock on Japanese bikes in the early '70s had lots of tread (obviously) but were made of a compound which was very, very hard. So there was adequate grip in the dry, but the wet weather performance left a lot to be desired.

Nowadays a tyre manufacturer supplying tyres for low powered commuter-type machines will put the emphasis on tyre longevity and not 'stickiness', knowing that the machines using the tyres will not be World Superbike contenders. Your Chen Shins may belong in that category.....I've never ridden on them so cannot comment. I can say, however, that in my experience if you buy mainstream brands (Dunlop, Bridgestone, Metzeler, Michelin et al) you can ride with a lot of confidence in the wet.