Best Rain Ride I ever Had

[Chrisj CMA]

Tonight I had a furniture inspection to do about 40 miles away to the south.  It was a beautiful evening, so I took the bike.  Well, things changed real fast.  I got to my appointment dry, which is good because you don't want to be dripping wet in someone's house.  But as I got closer to my destination I saw the meanness in the sky headed my way.  Shortly after arriving it broke loose.  Now, fortunately for me the inspection took a full hour which is unusual, they normally take 20 min. 

So I go to leave and the rain has stopped but I know I'm going to be riding into it for it passed over but headed the same way I was.  Here's the cool thing, there was heavy scary looking rain to my east and to my west......all around me actually, but where I needed to ride was just light rain.  The sky looked so mean and violent, I just knew I was going to get soaked. 

I had taken the rain gear out of the saddle bag to make room for what I needed for the inspection..........oooops

well I had 40 miles to go and the whole time it was like those mean clouds were after me but the road kept pointing me just right so the heavy rain was over there to the left or behind me some.  It was AWESOME kinda like a movie really I would have been hating life if that mean heavy rain that I could see and feel and smell had caught me, but the mighty Valkyrie pulled ahead and kept me in the light stuff.

Only took 5 min (a normal wipe down) to get the water spots/road grime off because it was so minimal.  What a ride!  It was like an amusement park ride that I didn't have to pay for or wait in line to ride.

I was dry when I got home except for my butt because I had to sit on a wet saddle....I was going to dry it off better but thought why, I am going to get soaked anyway.....lol

What a blast!

[Bronxboy]

I have lucked out a few times like that as well. 

[solo1]

If it's a nice light rain, it is a joy to ride in it.  All the smells and sights of the road are intensified. If the rain gear is doing its job,  it's like your in your own neat world.

I'll always remember following a buddy up in Michigan.  He was riding a CBX and I was on a CB900F. I was amazed at the rooster tail that his rear tire was throwing up. We both were riding on good wet weather tires.  At the motel that night we finished off a six pack after a nice prime rib dinner at the restaurant next door.    Life was goood!

[Hook#3287]

I just saw on the news that storm hit the Jacksonville area pretty hard, looks like you were lucky.

[Willow]

There's a special rush from being able to see it nearby but having the route keep you away from it.   

[The emperor has no clothes]

There's a special rush from being able to see it nearby but having the route keep you away from it.   

There is also a special rush from riding in a downpour with lightening strikes circling you. Not smart, but it sure makes you feel alive.

[Willow]

There's a special rush from being able to see it nearby but having the route keep you away from it.   

There is also a special rush from riding in a downpour with lightening strikes circling you. Not smart, but it sure makes you feel alive.

Yeah, the best part of that is that no one can tell when you've wet your pants.  I prefer the rush that comes with Jeff's ride.   

[The emperor has no clothes]

There's a special rush from being able to see it nearby but having the route keep you away from it.   

There is also a special rush from riding in a downpour with lightening strikes circling you. Not smart, but it sure makes you feel alive.

Yeah, the best part of that is that no one can tell when you've wet your pants.  I prefer the rush that comes with Jeff's ride.   

yeah, once was enough for me. (I've found depends help with the other issue) 

[Chrisj CMA]

There's a special rush from being able to see it nearby but having the route keep you away from it.   

There is also a special rush from riding in a downpour with lightening strikes circling you. Not smart, but it sure makes you feel alive.

Yeah, the best part of that is that no one can tell when you've wet your pants.  I prefer the rush that comes with Jeff's ride.   

Me too Carl, and I did have the lightening strike rush as well except it wasn't on a motorcycle.  It was while skydiving.  We opened canopys at 2,000 after a 10,000 freefall and as fate would have it a medium sized thunder boomer moved right over us and we SAW lightening CLOSE up.  All I could see was the cartoons where the lines on the parachutes burn up like fuse wire. lol

The canopy and lines were wet and I was just praying that since we weren't grounded we wouldn't attract a bolt that seemed to be feet from us.  Man, talk about feeling alive

[old2soon]

I spent a lot of years in the high seat of an 18 wheeler. Pick or name a weather condition-Chances are I've been in that weather condition-Before-seeing it brew up-During-STILL brewing and getting nastier BUT now I'm in the brew-after-tornadoes hurricanes blizzards dust storms. And I've found a real TRUTH out there. Mother Nature IS Beautiful BUT as we are all aware-She CAN and WILL without any provocation at all turn into a PUREDEEASSBITCH in less than a heartbeat. Chris-long as the rain do Not overwhelm my goggles I'm good.  Love those gentle rains of which you speak!  RIDE SAFE.

[3fan4life]

There's a special rush from being able to see it nearby but having the route keep you away from it.   

There is also a special rush from riding in a downpour with lightening strikes circling you. Not smart, but it sure makes you feel alive.

I got caught in a Frog Strangler once on the Skyline Drive.

When you're up in the storm clouds the lightening originates beside you, it's very cool and unerving at the same time.

The wife and I were riding the Skyline Drive once and we were above a storm that was moving across the valley below.

It was right at nightfall and proved to be a beautiful sight. 

[FryeVRCCDS0067]

There's a special rush from being able to see it nearby but having the route keep you away from it.   

There is also a special rush from riding in a downpour with lightening strikes circling you. Not smart, but it sure makes you feel alive.

Agree. And bending trees and crazy winds just add to it.

What I don't like is when it's raining so hard I can't see well, in particular when compounded with off camber corners and traffic behind me. But, if it was easy, everybody would be doing it.

[Robert]

I have wanted to ride on the weekends even if its been raining. Usually the showers come and go and usually it doesn't persist for long in the same area. As long as I am moving I am fine with it. When I stop not so much, and it has been great riding between the clouds and downpours.

One time riding in the cage through the desert I watched the lighting go from the ground to the sky. Now that was fascinating I didn't know that was even possible.

[FryeVRCCDS0067]

There's a special rush from being able to see it nearby but having the route keep you away from it.   

There is also a special rush from riding in a downpour with lightening strikes circling you. Not smart, but it sure makes you feel alive.

I got caught in a Frog Strangler once on the Skyline Drive.

When you're up in the storm clouds the lightening originates beside you, it's very cool and unerving at the same time.

The wife and I were riding the Skyline Drive once and we were above a storm that was moving across the valley below.

It was right at nightfall and proved to be a beautiful sight. 

Was on the Cherohala once in a bad ass thunder storm. Got soaked in-spite of our rain gear, rain seemed to be blowing up into my full face from underneath somehow. I wanted to pull over and wait it out, son Andy wanted to get back to the hotel. (Mrs. Reba's) It was close to dark and we kept riding. Good thing we did, when we rode it again the next day, there had been trees down across the road. Looked like it took a lot of chainsaw work to clear it. If we'd been there in that storm much later we'd would have been spending the night on the mountain I imagine. The Lady of the motel came over when we got back through the storm, took our wet clothes with her and dried them for us. You don't find people of her character very often and the world is a better place by having her here to be sure.

[The emperor has no clothes]

There's a special rush from being able to see it nearby but having the route keep you away from it.   

There is also a special rush from riding in a downpour with lightening strikes circling you. Not smart, but it sure makes you feel alive.

Agree. And bending trees and crazy winds just add to it.

What I don't like is when it's raining so hard I can't see well, in particular when compounded with off camber corners and traffic behind me. But, if it was easy, everybody would be doing it.

When I bought my I/S in Florida and rode it back I got caught in what they called a SuperStorm. Freezing rain in darkness going up the only mountain grade in Texas at 50 mph with truckers blasting by at 85. Not only felt alive those 2 days but felt I was knocking on deaths door a few times. Forgot to mention the windshield was about 5" too tall far me.

[cookiedough]

I think that is cool seeing rain and lightning strikes 1-2 miles away or closer and you stay dry or slightly wet is all.  Brings a smile to my face for sure riding in conditions like that.

only been caught in a few torential rains on the cycle and those are unpleasant even going 35 mph  (heavy rain HURTS with shorts/t-shirt) almost unable to see in front probably should have pulled over and stopped not because of hydroplaning, but more so unable to see the road ahead.    Heavy fog is worse been in one once ONLY able to go 20 mph tops and that is spooky at  midnight not knowing what is in front of you not even seeing the road much at all just like 10 feet in front of you middle center divider yellow paint on road and white line on right side of road mere feet ahead of me.   That night although not a praying man,  got home and thanked god I was still alive, NO joke. NOt able to see thru the windshield nor thru my helmet shield nor my night time needing glasses due to wet fog was scary, darn near driving blind at 20 mph tops, if that. 

[3fan4life]

There's a special rush from being able to see it nearby but having the route keep you away from it.   

There is also a special rush from riding in a downpour with lightening strikes circling you. Not smart, but it sure makes you feel alive.

I got caught in a Frog Strangler once on the Skyline Drive.

When you're up in the storm clouds the lightening originates beside you, it's very cool and unerving at the same time.

The wife and I were riding the Skyline Drive once and we were above a storm that was moving across the valley below.

It was right at nightfall and proved to be a beautiful sight. 

Was on the Cherohala once in a bad ass thunder storm. Got soaked in-spite of our rain gear, rain seemed to be blowing up into my full face from underneath somehow. I wanted to pull over and wait it out, son Andy wanted to get back to the hotel. (Mrs. Reba's) It was close to dark and we kept riding. Good thing we did, when we rode it again the next day, there had been trees down across the road. Looked like it took a lot of chainsaw work to clear it. If we'd been there in that storm much later we'd would have been spending the night on the mountain I imagine. The Lady of the motel came over when we got back through the storm, took our wet clothes with her and dried them for us. You don't find people of her character very often and the world is a better place by having her here to be sure.

They're GOOD people for sure !!!!

[F-six]

It's better to dance in the rain, than to wait for the sun.