Riding in the rain

It's been 20 years sense I've had to ride in rainy weather. It's only 12 miles to the Market and I watched the satellite for a opening in the storm. It was still raining but out here it can come down in sheets. The windshield helped but I didn't put on my face shield. Sometimes it feels like BB's hitting my face. Good thing I have a new tire on the back and the front is still runable. The first thing I noticed was the front brakes. With the stock solid disks, it would take a few revolutions before the brake would work when wet. With the drilled disks I had the front brake immediately. The rear drum always worked no matter what. The bike seemed to like the wet weather being it was cooler and the air was more dence. I was glad I still have the air box. Yeah, I got a little wet, just my lower legs and arms. The G Max helmet has a quick disconnect visor so I put my face shield on at the store. The face shield has a coating that makes the water leave the shield. I could see the water droplets run to the bottom and sides as I was riding. I'm very happy with it. All and all, it was a good ride. Not too cold and not too wet.
When me and my EX came out here in 77, it was raining the whole way. I had a windshield like I have now. No helmets and by the time we got here, I wasn't too wet but my EX was drenched to the bone from the rooster tail slung up by the rear tire. 130 miles, I felt sorry for her then but the way she is now, I smile and wish it could have been further. :evil:
Steve

Steve,
We live in different worlds.

I guess you're right. I gather is rains a lot more where you live? I grew up in Malibu and Santa Monica. We got some rain but mostly overcast. On Red Tide the smell of the ocean was bad, really bad. Moved out here and any rain is a big deal. Love to go tromping around in the stuff. :woohoo: We have a Red Tide out here too. It's the Salton Sea die off. Dead fish and birds for miles and when the wind comes from the East, you can smell it all the way to LA. NOW THAT'S BAD. :sick:
Steve

F the rain, we have been caught in too much of it lately and now I have electrical issues to deal with on both of our bikes :pinch:

Under interstate 26, South of Asheville NC



On 441 going through the Great Smoky Mountains National Park

Well, at least you weren't stranded alone. :whistle: Yesterday was a nice change. Been too hot to do anything outside for the last month and a half, more to come. We need the rain and for once, it helped with the SB fire. I'll take all I can get.
Steve

I know there are a lot of places that need rain badly but not us, all the rivers are over flowing , crops on level ground are flooded and not going to recover, if you got your seed in early and have plenty of drainage , this is what you have.
Knee high by July my ass, these pics was taken on 7-17-15 near Millbrook IL, I'm 5'-8"

That's beautiful. I've tried to grow corn out here, never got over 3' tall. We have every Chomping bug you can think of too. There is too much of a good thing. At least you don't have acid rain like in our Central Valley. Left Bossie out in the rain one night while visiting Dan in Reedly, still am trying to buff out my top box. He warned me. Can't breath there also. No wind, dust from all kind of things, smoke and smog. Like the hit Man on Rockford said, "Nothing but brown for 10 hours, no people, nothing to look at. This is Hell."
Steve

Bugs are another problem, we rode home last night after dark through the corn fields and it was like some one was throwing rice at us
The majority of them were these little guys that may have been mosquitoes :woohoo:
I have never ridden in anything like that ever, they were even getting in the vents and we nothing to clean the visor with and I wouldn't have wanted to stop anyway.
Mrs bluej has a windshield so she was cool but I was in a T-shirt with nothing :pinch:
After a half hour of that it was very hard to see much with oncoming headlights :whistle:

That's pretty wild. Got hit in the face by a date beetle. Felt and looked like I got hit by a jagged rock. Then we have the Butterflies. Billions and billions of them. Get home and my black Harley jacket (made in china in 86) is yellow. In spring after a good rainy period, we have Horn Worms. The roads are slick with them.
Like the old joke, "How can you tell a happy biker? All the bugs in his teeth."
Steve

I once went through a swarm of a hundred or so bumble bee's with my van that really scared me ..... the ones living stuck under the wiper blades were trying to sting the hell outta the wind shield.......... on a bike ...... hate to think about it...... got one stuck under my shades that ended that ride real quick and one in the ear that did the same. ....... sorry when it comes to rain I almost never ride if there is a chance.

Yeah, I could have taken the truck but I was almost on reserve on the bike. At $4 a gallon, I'll take the bike.
Steve