Riding in Rain
It’s always a little different — rain. And so is riding in it. The quality of the rain, temperature, how I’m feeling, the tires on the scooter; they all have an effect on the experience of riding a Vespa scooter in rain.
The ride home from work, though like so many others, was unique for a dozen different reasons. The rain stood out. Anyone who rides in the rain on a regular basis knows what to expect and has learned how to respond. The beginning of a rain event after weeks of dry weather often creates a slippery slurry of oil and other road film which can send a rider down in a hurry if not paying attention. That’s decidedly different from riding after hours of a steady rain where the road is washed clean.
On this ride, everything conspired to create a perfect embrace; as if there was no place warmer and safer than being in that rain. You may know the feeling, a time when you aren’t concerned with being wet or if the road is slippery.
That’s where I was. No rush or hurry, no concerns for safety, just a pleasant ride in the rain.
I wish those rides were more frequent.
Nicely said,the last two lines tell it all !
Wouldn’t it be nice to be able to let go of stuff and just ride…
It doesn’t rain here often enough for me to claim “being used to it”. It’s always a cold rain here in Colorado, even in the summer.
When it does, rain doesn’t bother me. Rain AND a strong wind? That gets your attention.
Or rain with hail.
I don’t like to be cold or wet. But properly geared the rain is fine for me. Handling the machine can be dicey at times though.
The only part of riding in the rain I don’t like is the high humidity fogging the inside of the visor. The vents on the helmet just don’t move enough air to keep it clear. And this is with a pinlock shield installed in the visor.
I don’t like getting wet on the Vespa though it is a little more sheltered than some motorcycles. Even worse on a wet muddy track. I try to avoid all rain and take to four wheels. Like flying I look at weather reports then out the front door and only after that take the decision. Don’t mind being a wimp.
I could probably use a bit more deliberation and wimpiness in my decision making regarding weather and riding. I have to watch that my decisions are hastily colored by my love of riding.
The Vespa is horrible in wet mud…
I wanted to ask about something in an earlier post regarding new tires — is it your belief that new tires somehow have less traction in the rain than do tires with a few hundred miles on them? Perhaps I misunderstood but I had not heard this before and I wonder if you would consider posting further on this question.
Thanks!
New tires still have a coating of a mold release agent on them. Its slimey when wet. It rubs off with miles. It should be noted that the normal contact patch when going straight rubs off first and when a banked turn occurs, the non rubbed edges come into play and can still be slimey for lack of contact during routine leisurely pace. Purposely scrub your new tire edges.
The mold release compound on the new tires makes the surface slippery. Put it on wet pavement and it’s like they’ve been greased. You need to run some miles — I try to go 50 to 100 to get the rubber roughed up. I’ll post something on the new tires.
Hi Steve,
I get a feeling of satisfaction from it, even if I was ill prepared the joy of getting where I needed to regardless of the weather and actually enjoying the moment is so rewarding.
Once home and very wet I park up my valiant steed and get a shower and dry off….you feel a sense of accomplishment….it really isn’t a big deal and if people embraced it more rather than moan about it not being dry they too would learn to enjoy the moment and feel that feeling of some sort of pioneering joy that I get from it.
The moaning about the weather bit was kind of aimed at my brother who I know looks over your blog!!
He does not like getting wet!!
Regards
LEN
Perhaps your brother is just too sweet. Sugar melts in the rain.
Pioneering joy — that’s a big part of it sometimes. A feeling of meeting a challenge and overcoming.