riding in the rain

[bradahj]

Can you just hose that baby down (within reason) after she cools off?

[secoleman57]

Originally Posted by bradahj

Can you just hose that baby down (within reason) after she cools off?

Yes which is why I do it the next day. Still have to wipe it down though otherwise all your nice shiny objects get water marks.

[Grunt]

My biggest issue is seeing in the rain, I alway keep clear glasses with rainx on them on the bike incase of a major downpour.

And good rain gear on the bike sure helps, years ago on the way to work (Marine Corps) I rode into a huge black front full of rain. The only business open was a small convenience store where I bought a roll of Saran Wrap. After a few minutes I was back on the road looking like a human condom, but made it there fairly dry.

[jwlary]

Sorry, Grunt, but I almost lost my drink reading your post. I've been caught out out in a black-sky downpour with my wife, before. She took one way home on her bike and I went another, but neither of us looked like Saran wrapped condoms. But, then again, both of us arrived home soaked to the skin.
Jeff.
Sent from my A500 using Motorcycle.com Free App

[icy]

I cannot clean that bike to save my life. I don't have a garage, I park the bike out on the street in Brooklyn (sssshhhh) I hop on it in the morning - rain or shine - and I expect her to deliver me to my location. Whether or not I can keep her upright is my problem not hers. She does her job by obeying all my commands like the kitten she is. It's wet, it's foggy in the morning - bike gets dirty. It's wet and foggy at night - bike gets dirtier. The dirtier she is, the darker she becomes, the more I like her - not a lot of chrome on my Ozzy; just the way I like it.

So yeah. But I did notice some creak sounds emanating from the front disc tonight. Can't blame it. It's got mud on the insides

Agreed, don't ride if you can't ride. Safety first. Bike is fine, you're in danger

Oh, and elements? I open my mouth, get a mouthful of rain, and spit it out in the air while yelling "bring it on!!!" I wanted to yell that during the nightmarish nor'easter night ride that I did too, but I was afraid that if I made any sudden moves - like breathing - I would fly off of Manhattan Bridge, so I kept my opinions to myself. You just don't want to push that mother nature sometimes.

[GotGold]

Mechanically.... I can't think of any issues that come up. Water on the rotors doesn't really affect braking. Take the necessary safety precautions and ride it. Keep riding during a good rain, best way to give her a good washing.

[Ray-zer]

I try to avoid rain if at all possible, but with proper rain gear it hasn't been a problem riding in it and I have never had any issues with the bike, although I become extremely careful because wet roads scare me.

Lesson learn though -- one time I was riding down to Arkansas and was about 20 minutes away from where I was spending the night. I had stopped a few hours earlier for gas and didn't clean all the bug guts from my windscreen like I should have. A mixture of darkness, rain, and bug guts mixing with water on my windshield made it pretty sporty to be able to see. I felt like an idiot because I put myself in a dangerous situation due to laziness.

[ddrumman2004]

If you are worried about electrical problems from connections getting wet, just unplug each connector and apply dielectric grease to them and connect them back.

Do that with any electrical connection.....

[HDFL]

Riding in the rain... you have to have your s#$@together and watching everything: the "special" people in their cages, the road conditions, etc. If you want to get enjoyment out of riding, then I would avoid this situation in my opinion, because you won't have any fun doing it at all. If road conditions are dry and there is the possibility of rain, I would ride personally... I just would stay within a hundred miles of my house. I live in Houston and this time of year there is the chance of rain every other day. It isnt really that bad riding in the rain if you have to, but it just isn't very fun... Also, if you are worried about water collecting where the sun don't shine on your bike, I suggest buying a shop vac that you can hook the hose up to the exhaust port and blow the bike off when you are done riding it, that is what I do. Good luck

[secoleman57]

Well I don't agree that riding in the rain can't be fun. Dangerous yes however maybe that was the appeal.

While it's not something I would seek, I've had some nice rides when it was raining. I'm not talking about rides in a frog strangling downpour though.