How much rain is too much?

[JoeRau]

If I'm already on the road and it starts raining, I ride no problem. If I wake up in the morning for work and its raining, I wimp out and take the truck. I'm lazy and don't want to take the time to put on the rain gear.

Same for me.  Not often I take the truck, but so far in June I'm 0/2.

[12menzer]

The reason why I like to ride is because of the advantage it gives me when commuting.  Maybe I need a new Job, LOL:

I leave at about 5:40 in the morning and my choices are: 

1.  get on the bike, ride for about 1 hour and park for free at work.

2.  Drive the car to a park and ride lot 9 miles from the house.  Parking is free.  Get on a bus - $3.50.  Get off the bus, get on the metro $5.75.  Transfer and get on another train.  Then walk for 10 minutes to the office.  Repeat in the evening.  This process takes about 1 hour and 50 minutes each way. 

3.  I never do this:  Drive the car and pay $18 to park, get stuck in traffic because I can't use HOV, etc.

   

[JoeRau]

The reason why I like to ride is because of the advantage it gives me when commuting.  Maybe I need a new Job, LOL:

I leave at about 5:40 in the morning and my choices are: 

1.  get on the bike, ride for about 1 hour and park for free at work.

2.  Drive the car to a park and ride lot 9 miles from the house.  Parking is free.  Get on a bus - $3.50.  Get off the bus, get on the metro $5.75.  Transfer and get on another train.  Then walk for 10 minutes to the office.  Repeat in the evening.  This process takes about 1 hour and 50 minutes each way. 

3.  I never do this:  Drive the car and pay $18 to park, get stuck in traffic because I can't use HOV, etc.

   

Yep, you need a different job.  I leave at 5:15, drive/ride 10-11 miles, park for free- in front of the security camera that is displayed ona monitor over my desk.  If the weather is nice I leave up to an hour earlier & add a bunch more miles.  Then again the pay is crap. 

[Son of Pappy]

I live in the Pacific Northwet, what is this rain of which you speak?  If I didn't ride in the rain I would miss out on riding...

Big hail is the only thing that stops me, when I had the Connie, the only other thing that stopped me was ice (I carry Aerostitch studs for the F800GS).  Big hail hurts, lucky for me WA State typically doesn't get large hail.  No such thing as bad weather, only bad gear.  I just ride and adjust speed accordingly.  Single digits to trip digits, paved and unpaved, makes no difference (but I do prefer the unpaved, uncrowded far more).  Pushing 12,000 miles so far this year, all the Western states and a short stint in North Carolina, all types of weather including severe rain and thunder in North Carolina to windy, salt spray covered roads in Cali (which was the worst FWIW).

Again, just ride.  The Connie offers great protection from the weather, only bike I have owned that offered better was an old RT, but it was tractor like and un inspiring to say the least.

[gPink]

You guys and your bankers hours....

[Son of Pappy]

You guys and your retired hours....

FIFY!  Headed won South to Orygon for a week and then to Idaho for another week, no way I'm letting weather of any type interfere with my riding, life is too short and the days not near long enough to risk losing a day or single mile on a 2 wheeled trip.

[gPink]

<sigh>

[maxtog]

Yep, you need a different job.  I leave at 5:15, drive/ride 10-11 miles, park for free- in front of the security camera that is displayed ona monitor over my desk.  If the weather is nice I leave up to an hour earlier & add a bunch more miles. 

You ALL need to get a different job.

I leave my house at 8:25, walk four blocks to work, and arrive at 8:30.  Have umbrella in briefcase.  Car and bike safely stored at home. 

[lonekazoo]

I'll don my rain suit and keep riding for the most part, but I'm wary of a few things like hidden potholes and puddles in the road, and poor drainage; both of which are problems out here in the west where it doesn't normally rain very much.

It's handy to keep a weather radar-enabled app on your smartphone that you can pull off and check.  If it looks like it's going to get treacherous, why not wait it out?  I'll drive through about anything to get home from work, but if I'm out traveling on vacation, I'd rather hole up somewhere and err on the side of caution.

[novacon]

Purchased the Klim Latitude Misano Gore-Tex suit. Rain, come and get me. I DARE YOU

[RBX QB]

Has anyone thought about marketing these bikes as steam generators? Last good (torrential) rain I was in, I was stunned at how much water seemed to make it down to the hot bits (and steam off) when I stopped. Probably a good show for those who were stopped around me.

I won't do day rides if it rains... but I take my gear on longer trips to cover the inevitable.

[jwh20]

Ran into steady rain commuting home on Thursday.  My Concours is an 09 so it does not have traction control but I do have ABS.  This is the third bike I have owned but my experience in the rain has been limited.  I was on the highway in the HOV lane and kept my speed to about 60-65.  I have PR3 tires and they seem very good in the rain.

Do you guys typically just keep on riding when you hit rain or pull under a bridge and wait it out? 

Thanks.

I'm a relatively new C14 owner so I've not had the opportunity to ride it in the rain yet.  But it's only a matter of time I'm sure.  I don't like to ride in the rain but sometimes it's unavoidable.

I did ride my 2005 Goldwing from Gatlinburg, TN to just north of Cincinnati (about 300 miles) in the rain a couple of years ago.  Obviously my biggest concern was traction so I intentionally tried to ensure all my maneuvers were are smooth as possible.  Going slowly on I-75 is not really an option, you either go with the flow or you die!  So it was 75 - 85 mph all the way.  I had a cheapo rainsuit on and that kept me pretty dry except for my ankles and my neck.  Most of the water up top came from the top of the windscreen as beads of water rolled up to the lip and then were blown into my faceshield.

Overall it wasn't as bad as I expected.  The Goldwing doesn't have ABS or traction control but was steady all the time in spite of what was, at time, a VERY heavy downpour.  If there had been lightning, I would have pulled off and found cover. 

BTW - I don't think the pull under a bridge for cover is a good idea.  Get off the highway, getting run over by a big-rig is a sure way to mess up a trip!

[Rhino]

so I intentionally tried to ensure all my maneuvers were are smooth as possible.

+1