Riding in the Rain

Riding in the Rain

For the ease of writing this blog post I will refer to anyone who pilots a motorized two or three wheeled vehicle as a “rider”. This will include; scooterists, bikers, motorcyclists, motorcyclists with sidecars, trikes or three wheelers such as the Can-Am Spyder. If I left anyone out I apologize in advance. We all ride, so I group us all together as riders.

I have been commuting by motorcycle now for a couple of years and have noticed some interesting trends. One of these is that a lot of riders are fair weather riders. Don’t get me wrong, I am not bringing this up to tease or condemn you. I am just stating what I have observed commuting every day.

When it is freezing cold outside I usually do not see other riders on the road to wave or nod to. I remember one Saturday that I had to work last winter when it was 15 degrees out, (cold for us Texans) and I did not see one other idiot, I mean rider, out on the road. However, the first day of fair warm weather of Spring I see riders out everywhere and I wonder, where have they all been? It gets lonely out on the road by myself; get some cold weather gear riders.

The fact is I miss you all when you are not out there. I think the cagers miss them too and because of this they tend to start to forget that we are out there at all. This lethargic attitude is not good for us. I would much prefer cagers to always be on the alert for us riders.

It seems that only a very few riders like to ride when it is wet out or raining. I feel there are several reasons for this. One of these reasons is that they are not prepared to ride in the rain. They may not have rain gear which includes waterproof; jacket and pants or a one piece, anti-fog spray, boots, gloves, waterproof storage for other items, and a full-face helmet. Bright and reflective gear also helps visibility so people can spot you. Honestly, good gear is hard to come by and you tend to get what you pay for.

Another reason is that they may not be confident enough in their riding skills or in the capabilities of the machine on which they ride. When I took the MSF Basic Riding Course most of the riding part of the course was in the rain. I was a new rider, still am really, and one of the most memorable things I learned was just how amazing the motorcycles could grip the road surface leaning for turns, taking off, and when braking. That really bolstered my confidence in what motorcycles could do. I am still learning and I know the bike can handle a lot more than I am capable to do as a rider.

Still, one of the most common responses I get when asking fellow riders why they did not ride when it is wet out is that it is too slippery. I disagree, there may be less traction, but it is not too slippery to ride. Ever watch a MotoGP, AMA Superbike, World Superbike or similar race being run in the rain?

Another excuse I hear a lot is that, “I just washed my bike.” So let me go ahead and say this, a clean bike is not a ridden bike. There, I said it. Now I have an excuse for my Mistress not always looking like a Garage Queen. I feel much better now, thank you.

Here is some wet weather riding tips:

• Remember that it is going to be slicker when it first starts to rain, especially if it has not rained in a while.

• Avoid the center section of the road where most of the oil leaks are going to wind up.

• Watch out for road snakes, metal grates or covers, and painted lines or road markings because they are all slick when wet.

• Plan ahead where you are going to plant your feet, they can slip too.

• Try not to make any sudden moves taking off, stopping or turning.

•  Stay prepared and brace for strong wind gusts.

• Leave more of a buffer space when traveling behind other vehicles.

• Watch out for the spray from larger vehicles which can cause your vision to temporarily go away.

• Wait for any lightning to pass.

• Find cover if you encounter hail.

• Pay even more attention to what is going on around you.

•  Do not outride the view of the road in the rain; it is just like out-riding your headlamps at night.

• Lastly, and most importantly, just slow down!

How does one get proficient at riding in the rain any way? Get the gear and get out and practice. Yes, it is a little more slippery and you just have to adjust how you ride for it. Yes, it is more inconvenient, but the ride is always worth it. The sky is crying so I’ve got to go. See you out there. Have a safe Fourth of July and Happy Birthday America.

Ride on,
Torch

Nuances of Temperature Changes While Riding

Image by Shutterhack via Flickr

Riding a motorcycle truly utilizes all your senses. I have written about the sounds, smells and the effect of the sun while riding previously. Another one of the nuances of riding that I really enjoy is touch. You have a heightened feeling of temperature change as you ride.

While riding in a vehicle you are protected from the elements and will never notice the subtle changes in temperature that you can while riding a motorcycle. When standing, walking or running the changes are generally to slow to notice. There is nothing better while riding on a hot day than to take slight dip in elevation and feel a pocket of cooler breeze against your skin. I think that is one of my favorite things that I enjoy about riding.

If you ride on a regular basis you will pick up on patterns of temperature changes while you ride. This is because hot air rises and cold air sinks. If the road you are traveling suddenly takes a drop in elevation you generally can actually feel the drop in temperature as you descend. Since cold air seeks lower elevations, naturally you will find it along creeks and rivers. Of course, the opposite of this is true as well. In Texas you can sometimes feel these temperature changes on longer bridges and overpasses.

Another factor that comes into play is the location of cover. Trees and buildings also block the wind and as the day warms up they will hold the cooler air at bay. There is a small wooded area with a creek in it by my house and usually on a hot day I will feel a nice cool section of the road while riding through the area. I don’t know why it feels so invigorating but I guess it just makes you more cognisant that you are alive.

Some temperatures are just not comfortable and you better have the correct riding gear to compensate for it. Hot weather gear for summer, cold weather gear for winter and rain gear for the rain. It is fun to race a storm to your destination before it starts to rain, or to stay out in front of a storm. Tornadoes, lightning or hail is not something you wish to tangle with on the back of a motorcycle.

Having your senses bombarded with information is just one of the things that make riding a motorcycle so exciting and enjoyable. Feeling the temperatures change as you ride is quite exhilarating and is definitely one of the reasons I prefer to ride.

Ride on,
Torch

The Stench of the Ride

The Stench of the Ride

Sometimes trying to describe the nuances of riding on two wheels to the uninitiated is hard to do. Take for example smells. Being set free from the confines of a cage lets the surrounding scents in. The smell of the Waffle House on my commute to work in the morning most of the time is an aroma that will makes me want to stop and have breakfast. Riding by restaurant row in Grapevine on my way home I can sometimes pick out the smells of steaks cooking ad that gets my salivary glands all hyped up.

There are all kinds of scents that you notice when riding a motorcycle that you never have a chance to when driving an automobile. It is probably worse here in Texas where almost everyone has their windows rolled up and air conditioners running on max. Some of these smells are, like it is going to snow, smoke from a fireplace, someone grilling or smoking a brisket, imminent rain, flower or tree blossoms, piney woods, or coastal salty air. Not all scents are fun to smell though.

Then there are the bad odors, the diesels, the cars running too rich, the sewers, the dumps and landfills. Some food establishments may smell OK on the inside, but outside emit something that’s not quite pleasurable. Most fast food places are like that. Then there is the time Thomas Ramirez had his V-Star 650. We rode to lunch one day headed to one of our favorite restaurants called El Taco H. It is located right next to the Baja Grill and is like the fast food part of the Baja Grill.

We headed our way through downtown Grapevine and through some residential neighborhoods. We passed one older home with chain link fence with several dogs in the backyard. Then it hit us. The breeze must have blown just ever so slightly and we were slapped up side the head with the worst, foulest smell of dog do-do you ever smelt. I’m talking take your breath away, nauseous type of smell. It’s like when you are riding at highway speeds on a very windy day and a strong cross wind goes across your face and you cannot take a breath.

I attempted to hold my breath until we got further away. We came to the next stop sign and Thomas, catching his breath also, said, “Did you...” I cut him off with a laugh and we laughed together, shook our heads and twisted them off to go to lunch hoping to get our appetite back. Yes, not everything smells rosy when riding a motorcycle.

Ride on,
Torch

Cold Riding Hands are Sluggish Riding Hands

River Road Cheyenne Cold Weather Gloves Review

This December my fingers were really getting cold during my morning commutes to work. I had been wearing a pair of inexpensive leather gloves purchased at Wal-Mart that had a thin Thinsulate liner. They worked great for driving a cage and if you were out of the wind. On a cold winter’s day though, at any speed over 40 mph, the cold wind sliced right through the seams. These gloves were not designed for motorcycling. I needed a pair of cold weather gloves.

I was off for the Christmas and New Years holidays and taking some vacation time from work and decided to take my V-Star in to get the front tire replaced. So, I was browsing my local Bikers Bay store while they were mounting a new front tire on my Mistress early on a Saturday morning. I looked at the gloves rack and found the River Road Cheyenne Cold Weather Gloves. The pricing was fair so I tried a pair on. They fit well despite my large hands although they sure felt bulky as all cold weather riding gloves will. I bought them and a neoprene face mask when my bikes front tire installation was complete.

The Cheyenne Cold Weather Gloves by River Road got their first trial as soon as my vacation and holiday time was up and it was time to get back to work. These gloves had a reinforced leather palm with good grip traction. The back side of the glove is made of a durable looking textile material. They have a breathable windproof Hipora liner they claimed was waterproof. These gloves are also equipped with a Thinsulate layer for warmth as well. They have two hook and loop adjustable fasteners one for the wrists and another for the cuffs. This makes them very adaptable. On top of that, they have reflective piping in several places on the seams for safety.

I have now ridden with them through our short Texas winter. These gloves kept my hands and wrist warm down to about 35 degrees Fahrenheit at 60+ mph. If it gets colder than that your fingers will still start to get cold. I would recommend a thermal glove liner to go with them when riding in temperatures freezing or below. I will invest in a pair of these for next winter. The gloves do an excellent job of blocking the wind. Finally, I also had the chance to wear them in the rain. I had my doubts, but the Cheyenne Cold Weather Gloves are indeed water proof. These River Road Gloves in conjunction with my frogg toggs kept me completely dry. The fact that I had dry and warm hands really impressed me.

The bulkiness of the gloves does have its cons, but the pros far outweigh them. If you have ever been caught in the cold without gloves, or just too lazy to pull over and put them on, and had to ride, you know what I mean. It takes a little adjusting to, to ride and use your motorcycles controls with the gloves on. The hardest thing to get used to for me was the starter button. However, I found that if I just kept moving my thumb around it would eventually make contact. They have held up good for the first winter riding season, although some may debate that Texas really does not have a winter season. Torch gives the River Road Cheyenne Cold Weather Gloves a M.M.M Rating of 9 on a scale of 1-10.

Ride on,
Torch

When It Rains On A Motorcyclist, It Pours

Classic Pro Action frogg toggs Review

When it rains on a motorcyclist, it pours. I wanted to be able to ride my motorcycle every day possible, even in the rain. Soon after I got my Texas motorcycling License I began to research wet weather gear. I scoured the Internet reading blogs, forums, ads, and articles. One name that kept coming up was frogg toggs. The name really stands out and a lot of motorcyclists were recommending them. So I decided to check them out.

There I was again browsing around Cycle Gear again looking at motorcycle jackets, and anything else that caught my eye, when I saw a frogg toggs label. I looked at them and compared them to the other rain suites they had on display. The first thing I noticed was the Frogg Toggs were made of a thinner material making them much lighter and less bulky. The material itself felt like it had an almost waxy feeling to it. I picked up a black pair and headed toward the checkout with them. On the way I saw a sign that stated all the frogg toggs were on sale. It must have been my day.

A couple of months later I had purchased my V-Star1100 Classic. I kept the Toggs in my saddlebag. Thomas Ramirez and I rode to Bates Discount Cycle #2 to look at leathers, helmets and everything else. They had a fascinating frogg toggs display on the counter. It had water in it and showed how the frogg toggs material was 100% water proof, but would still breathe and let air through. I knew then that I had made a good choice in rain gear.

The frogg toggs Classic Pro Action jacket had 1 inch elastic bands on the waist and wrists. It is equipped with a nylon zipper and a protective storm flap that snaps closed. The snaps are nickel coated to prevent rust. They had adjustable locking draw chords around the hood opening. The hood rolls up and tucks neatly into the compartment in the collar designed for it and zips closed.

The frogg toggs pants have 8 inch zippers on the leg openings that make them easier to take on and off with boots on. The pants had 1 inch elastic bands on the leg openings. They came with adjustable locking draw chord around the pant waist. The toggs have right and left front pass through pockets so you can still get to things inside your regular pants pockets.

The rain suite is water proof, not just water resistant. This also means that they are wind proof. The toggs come with reflective piping around various seams to help you be more visible at night. To top all that off, the frogg toggs rain suite came with a small compact water proof duffel bag with locking draw chord to store them in. All these features made this rain suite a very attractive ensemble for a motorcyclist.

I commuted around for a couple months with the frogg toggs tucked away in my saddlebag. I got caught in some showers and downpours in the morning and afternoons coming and going to work. Finally, I got to test the frogg toggs first hand. I put them on with ease. They fit over my leathers and helmet just fine. They worked fantastically, and kept the rain out while driving down State Highway 121 in a downpour. The zipper, storm flap, elastic, and draw strings did a pretty good job of keeping the water from creeping into places you don’t want it to. I felt that they performed up to their reputation. Torch gives the Classic Pro Action frogg toggs a M.M.M. rating of 9 on a scale of 1-10.

Ride on,
Torch

Dear Mother F#@!*%, oops I mean Mother Nature

Please accept my letter and consider this a formal complaint about the way you've been doing business here in Minnesota lately.

You've been harrassing us bikers with teases of 50's, then snow, then 60's, then snow, then warm again, then snow again, then warm, and now tonight finally an icy, snowy, rainy, sleety mess.

Just exactly what time of year do you think this is? ... January?

I'm fed up. I've had just about enough of your funny stuff. How do you expect me to ride a motorcycle in this kind of weather?

Do you think you are funny?

Ha Ha, well jokes getting old now. Kicking a dead horse!, Tits up. Not funny any more.

I don't wanna have to say it, but if you keep this up, I'm likely to pack up my stuff and find Lucky.

( http://pizzacrusade.blogspot.com/2008/04/links-and-update-on-vx800.html ) He say's Arizona is getting hot. Even if he's stuck carpooling, He gets to at least ride evenings, and weekends.

What the Heck did he do to get special treatment?

What the Heck did I do wrong?

I expected more out of you by April 10th, and I want some resolve A.S.A.P., OR THE NEXT TIME I'M CALLING YOUR SUPERVISOR, and I won't be so nice.

Sincerely,

One very unsatisfied customer.

Mr. Motorcycle

I woke up this morning and said WTF?

I woke up to snow, and lots of it. Can't it be spring already?


Very pretty, But.........

Mother nature is putting a damper on my spring fever. I thought this snow was going to be south of us. I want to ride so bad I can taste it. I know there are lots of people who ride snowmobiles in the winter to replace the obsession of riding motorcycles when the weather permits, and I've done both. I can say I don't think sledding compares to riding a bike. I don't even own one, cause it holds that much of a lack of interest for me.

I don't think God cares about my ridin weather either, but it can't hurt to pray for warmer weather.

Hopefully soon it'll be ridin time. .....(sighs)

Mr. Motorcycle