Bonneville America Forums Forums Rider Safety Forums Riding Technique Fair Weather Rider... Are You?

NO! I ride in anything except snow covered ice!

I don't own a car... and yes I own a trailer for my bike, however the trailer goes BEHIND the bike, not UNDER it!

I have wet weather gear for when it rains, winter gear for when it's cold, and summer gear for when it's hot. I go shopping, camping, scuba diving, and everywhere else on my bike (actually the bike doesn't come diving WITH me, it stops at the water's edge since I cut off it's snorkle. ) If the bike's wet when I get home I spend five minutes with a chamois. If it's dirty I wash it ASAP. I figure it's a British bike so it must be able to handle rain.

Don't get me wrong, I don't LIKE riding in rain and will avoid it if I can. I dropped it 6 months ago due to rain and I came very close to losing it again 2 days ago from trying to change lanes at highway speed over a wet white line. However I will do it, and have even found myself enjoying it sometimes. My view is that if you won't ride when it's wet, you're not a REAL rider.

Matt

I keep Frogg Toggs with me, so I can keep going. I don't ride on icy or snow covered roads. Below 25°F is a bit ridiculous to me.

I commute every other week. If they show rain coming in the afternoon I figure I can dry off when I get home. If it is raining during the morning commute I car pool since I can't change clothes at work. I guess when I get a rain suit this will change.

If I am doing a road trip I try to ride around the rain, but I have ridden in rain when the rest of the days of the trip look good. I won't miss a good road trip just because of weather. Any ride is better than the honey-do list.

Won't ride in Ice and Snow anymore. Try not to ride in temps below 45F. I have ridden in rain but I don't like to start out in rain. If it rains on the way home from work OH well! Back in 1989 when I was stationed in Maine, my truck broke down so I had to take the Kawi. 15 miles to the base, 30 degrees and snowing. First time I ever wore a snowmobile suit on a bike.
Steve

I generally won't start out if the weather is bad, i.e. raining, lightning, snowing, below 45 F.. But if the weather permits the start of a ride, I'll proceed. I rarely leave home without rain gear - just in case, and I've used it frequently.

I have to say, man I love riding in the rain. I leave for work at 0500, and when it's raining I put on the gear, open the garage door, get this big SE grin, and take off! The bike just seems to run better when there's a nice cool shower going on. When I get to work (now that I have a basement garage pass) it's nice to be able to take off the gear, leave it hanging on the machine, walk 50 steps to the elevator, and get off on my floor.

I too love the rain before I set off. It means you can insulate and prepare before the garage exit and when you arrive, you take off the gear and hey presto- dry-za-bone and without the associated queues of traffic

It all depends. If it's cold but no precip - I'll usually ride. If it's warm and a chance of showers - I'll usually ride. If I'm out and get caught in it - no big deal.

But if they're calling for thunderstorms - forget it. Been there - done that - don't want to do that no more......

I have spent many years with my bike varying from my primary to my only transportation. This Triumph is the first one I've ever owned just to enjoy. Since I really don't enjoy being cold and/or wet, spending more time than necessary cleaning off mud, or dodging idiots who think it is inevitable that they will crash because of the weather so they might as well drive crazy and get it over with, I try to avoid deliberately riding in bad weather. I've had my share.

I'm with Ed on this one.. I've had my share of having a bike as my only form of transportation and not having a choice. Now I do have a choice of vehicles, so I choose the one most appropriate, be that bike or cage.

Cheers,
Brad

Years ago I did not have a car/truck just a cheap $750.00 dollar bike to get by with just after we got married. 17 miles each way to work every day for one entire winter.

If its winter and its cold then I will ride in the truck. And yes avoiding purposely riding in the rain and thru puddles saves detailing time if you are in to keeping your bike spotless clean. Keeping it virtually brand spanking new looking takes a little time as it is....add rain and a little extra dirt and it takes a little longer.

Street flooding and running washes are all to common in southern Az during the "monsoons" of summer so IMHO bikes are better left at home when threat of rain becomes apparent.

I guess I should have made it clear, I'm not trying to poke you in the eye if you are, maybe I can convince you that riding in the rain or cold is not so bad, maybe even fun!

Snow or ice = no ride. I don't mind the rain if it isn't a long ride with rain all the time. I have ridden in thunder storms really dumping and hailing. The one factor is I have a good rain/cold weather suit and if it's more of a warm rain I have rain gear for that also. For the last 2 months I have only had my TBA for transportation. Until the last few days there has been a lot of snow and ice, so I did not ride much. Good thing the Forest Service office I work out of is only about 1/4 mile away!!

I'm with Greybeard. Being in SoCal we have more opportunity to ride when it is nice. It's like being a skier and living in Denver. One can pick the days.

When it rains in SoCal, all the amateurs are on the road.
Accidents increase at least 400% (literally).

I don't ride if it's under 55degress or when it rains. Call me a wuss.

Ya wuss! You DID request it!!


I agree. When you can ride almost every day, why ride on the crappy ones?

When you can't ride everyday, your definition of crappy is much less restrictive......

Clanrickarde,

Your story sounds a lot like my first bike post marriage. I got married, moved to Charleston, SC and my only transportation was a Honda Ascott for 2 years. I swore when I left the service and moved to the DFW area that I would never ride in the rain again. Well...I guess there are some things you can never avoid but if it looks like it is going to rain I take the car.

I guess I am not a "real" rider but I do love to ride; just not enough to ride in the rain.

*Commuting to work: Has to be >40F and no possibility of Rain.
*Road Trip: Don't care about rain.
*Snow: Never.

I hear that Derek. And we both know the thing about the soons around here is that you just dont know when you are going to get smashed with a grand daddy downpour. Oh...yea at times you can see the thunderheads a building and you know its probably gonna rain somewhere. And then it ups and drizzles a single gallon of water spread over three hours. Or it can cloud up suddenly and smash the bejesus outa ya.

I expect that I will make a "ride" decision on some fateful late July to mid September morning and get thumped when it seems rain is not apparent at all. I hate it when the indications are for all out rain and several weeks go by with nary a drop. Then it seems to dry up and you will think the soons are over or not going to start at all and you get the snot socked out of you from nowhere.

I used to feel obligated to ride, now I look at it like the other recreational things I do, if it ain't fun I ain't doing it. I do make exceptions on planned runs and events.

>60 degrees, dry.....My bike now has 3400 miles on her and she has never been in the rain. Will ride in rain only if caught in it....and I'm still alive (barely).

Monsoons Derek? HAH! Florida's got the worst monsoons EVER!!

That's why you all should move to Arizona. Florida is TERRIBLE.
Don't move here!

Arizona, that's the ticket!!!

Well. I suspect you do leave the bike in the garage during Hurricane's?

We do occasionally have mini-hurricanes/tornadoes here. They are called "micro-bursts" and occur chiefly from anytime between July 1 and September 30th. A micro-burst appears suddenly and swoops down on a single house or garage and often levels it or takes the roof off and uproots surrounding trees in the yard while leaving the neighbors untouched. Years ago I had an old Ironwood tree just get sucked right up out of the ground and laid on its trunk. Nothing else was touched. eerie.

Florida population: 16 million
Arizona population: 5.1 million

It isn't working Phil.

Florida: ****** hot
Arizona: ****** hot
Vermont: 4 distinct seasons

So far I've ridden in temperatures near freezing and above, and not on wet roads or during rain. But I've only got 1,200 miles on the bike.
I find if you dress for the weather, it'll be OK.
Shiny side up!

Pssst...Kevin. The idea is to get people to move somewhere else so our already clogged streets don't get even worse. See, Phil and I have this running joke on this subject....Florida or Arizona. We each talk about how bad it is where we live so other people won't move there and enjoy the 12 month riding seasons.

Vermont sure sounds like a wonderful place to live, right Phil?

I know the Maple syrup is first rate!

I went riding on new years day the last two years

Since it rarely rains in Vegas it's pretty slick when it does. So far I have been lucky. I told myself I wouldn't ride in the snow - so far so good....

Vermont have 4 seasons all right:
Winter
Mud
july 4
leaf peeper

Yeah but the 4th of July is always a long weekend

I carpool kids to school 3 or 4 days a week and rarely get to do a lot of weekend riding, so weather is usually not a determining factor for me.I have commuted lots of days when the temp was in the 20's and once when it was about 9 degrees. I went down on some black ice a couple of years ago and that kind of took the thrill out of shiny asphalt for me. I will ride in the rain, but I have a nice truck too.

See ya there

I actually did go to Vt. last weekend. Took the grand isle fairy from Plattsburg. It really is nice. it's about 3.5 hrs on 2 lane roads including the ferry ride. Alittle much to do round trip in one day and still enjoy it .

Awesome riding country up there. Did you go up and around to go home or take the ferry back?

I took the ferry back, but came down rt.3 through the mountains. I came thru Tupper lake Syranac lake, etc. I went up rt. 11 thru Malone, Chataguey. I stopped at a general store on the way up with a sign out front that said, Guitars, Guns, and Groceries, cool place with an old timer working. I have a friend who lives on Grand Isle so the next time i go i,m going to stay a few days and do some walleye fishing.

I went to college in Plattsburgh and my wife went to Clarkson. I used to stop at Guns, Guitar and Groceries a bit. Used to tell him to add the Gas to the sign. Bought a couple of good rifles from him.

I live about 40 miles from Clarkson{potsdam}.

I almost went to Clarkson, but ended up at WPI. My beef was the flaky band teacher and that the campus was split in two, so I would need to take a shuttle to half my classes. No thanks! Nice country up there tho!

Nice country but goddarn cold and windy up there. So what town are you actaully in Stone?

Antwerp, about 700 people, 25 miles from Watertown 11 miles from Gouverneur.

We do have 4 seasons here June, July, August, and Winter

We also have 4 seasons. Winter, mud, 4th of july, and tourist.
you have 11 months of winter and one month of shi_ty skiing.

Where I come from in PA, we have 2 seasons...winter and road construction

Living in the snow belt is only good for one thing - you don't have to buy garden furniture. The weekend they call summer you can sit on the sleigh...

Good enough skiing for the olympics.

let me tell you my driving Orders : I'm drivin on all weather - day by day ,not on ice (live 's to short to consult ferryman )
Peter

Boy,

I was definitely fair weather today. Went to Msla to buy some stuff at a farm store. 100 miles of 50F & rain on the way in and 100 miles of 50F & rain coming home. Once the clouds slightly parted and I swear I saw something white up there.

JH

Ride in the rain if I get caught out. Don't have a wind screen to hide behind. Rain never stopped me on my 1979 CB650 Honda with a Vetter windjammer fairing. But living Florida getting caught in rain is a daily experience in the summer. I have the two piece tourmaster rain suit I carry all the time and I stay dry as a lizard in the desert.

Living Florida, I find I ride more early in the morning and alot at night. Sun bakes you with protective gear. But I will not ride in shorts and flip flops. I think I just justified my getting a light bar. Thanks guys.
Mark

Wow, I cannot fathom riding in snow or ice... Rain, I don't like to be riding at the begining of a storm, but don't mind a light rain once I am out... I guess if the prediction is 40% or less no worries. helps if the temp is 55+. Seems like every time that there is bad weather, the cagers drive badly too. No sense in taking unneccessary risks.

Well I try to be a fair weather rider but it rarely works out that way. I try not let weather change my plans unless it is going to be really bad. No snow or ice though.