Back from the rain-ride

[tugrik]

The Bates suit has failed the rain test. It took only about 15 minutes before my arms and legs (from the knees down) were soaked through. The boots and gloves did okay, and the chest was fine due to the windscreen. The rest? Dripping. In order for me to survive a 10 hour ride to Death Valley in the rain (should such happen), I must find some form of outer sealing layer. The research will begin immediately.

---

I decided that spending an hour going back and forth over the lower-traffic but highly challening Hicks Loop would be the ticket. I wasn't disappointed in the least. It was absolutely beautiful! The rain was coming down in buckets, and the winds were 20-40mph from a few different directions, making keeping a track on the road a challenge. The Tourance tires grippec the road well, and the recently-remounted PIAA lights cut through the rain and fog beautifully. With the GPS surviving the rain properly too, and the items in the tankbag staying decently dry -- I can call most all of the bike itself quite a rain-success.

Near the Guadalupe dam was a police officer guarding a freshly fallen telephone pole, and turning traffic back. After dismissing yet another minivan driver, he came over to chat with me.

Tug: What's up, Sir?

Police Officer: Jeez.. what are you doing out in this stuff? Do you live up there?

T: Heck no. I live on the other side of the hill. I'm just out enjoying the weather. Gods this is beautiful.

PO: *blank stare of non-understanding*
PO: Seriously?

T: Yeah. wy are you sending people back? The telephone pole? I can ride around that if you'll let me.

PO: No, we have some flooding. A few spots have a little more than a foot of standing water.

T: No worries. I'll take it easy through that. The bike's got plenty of clearance.

PO: Are you sure? If you blow it up there I'm going to be the one that has to come save you, and I don't want to do that.

T: Yeah, I'm sure. I'm cool with it, the bike's built for it, and I'll be taking it careful.

PO: *Again with the look-at-me-like-I'm-crazy*
PO: Okay, have a nice ride. *waves me on*


...and then went back to happily turning around the other cars that had come up.

I took it nice and careful. I was going to anyway, but knowing that the next corner could be a foot underwater kinda encouraged the extra caution. It was way too damn fun! About five little spots were washed out with huge mud-and-rock clumps billowed across the road from crumbling walls, and there were two water crossings. The first about 10" deep, the second over the top of the jugs of the bike. Both were about 50-75' long.

Yeah, I had to go back and do that a few times...

The rest of the ride was uneventful. I was a little cold, but not bad. Heated grips rock, as do wearing layers. Sure, I was damp on the extremities, but no worries. The wind liked to push me all over the road once I got out of the canyon, and the rain was excessive at times; it reminded me more of pre-tornado rain like I remembered from Michigan.

I wore the HJC dirt helmet, and the combination of the built in sun-visor and the goggles made visibility in the rain top-notch. The stinging of the semi-hail that was mixed in with the rain kind of sucked on the cheeks, but one gets used to it.

I only came back because I have to go back into the office now and camp there until the power goes back up. I'd rather be back out riding in it, soaked Bates or no. Damn that's fun.

And Traveller: Yes, the line "I even rode my motorcycle in the rain..." from Billy Joel kept coming to mind.

Comments

[gen.livejournal.com]

I wonder if there's some type of spray like leather protectant I've seen here and there that might help waterproof the suit? Although it may not help much when it's raining buckets...

[sassinak.livejournal.com]

I have some spray-on water resist stuff used on dyed-to-match shoes, if ya wanna give it a shot.

WOOHOO!

[learnteach.livejournal.com]

Heya! I went out last night, did about 30 miles in the rain, rain gear worked but it wasn't pushed to the extreme. Bike worked too.

When's the DVD VIII? I might be interested, but the schedule is tight for Dec/Jan.

As far as rainproofing the suit, has it been scotchgaurded (TM); and since it was last sewn on, has it been seamsealed? It's amazing how much water can come in through a threadhole....

[xot.livejournal.com]

I rode in all weather back and forth about seven or ten miles to Sierra Jr. College. Might not seem like much, but those were the years that it rained so much president Clinton visited Roseville and declaired a desaster... There's a monumnet in Royer park, taller than either of us that shows the water levels those years...

My legs were always soaked from the knee down... boots usually did find for my feet. My torso and arms only got wet once (perhaps a little moist a few times, but not wet) I was wearing a good leather biker jacket... which I had rubbed down with a past that was sillicon with mink oil. Worked wonders! I belive it's made by quiwi (?sp on the name, they make a lot of shoepolish type products).

[traveller-blues.livejournal.com]

Heh. And here I always thought that folks who rode motorcycles in the rain felt miserable for being cold and wet and windchilled from heck.

It's a pity you didn't run into the officer on the way back, to say, 'Hi! That was fun! You should try it.."

-Traveller.