Scooter in the Dawn Light
A slight mist, rain in dawn light, an inscrutable affection for the world revealed as the road passes underneath the Vespa scooter on the way to work. I’ve stood here before many times looking back across the valley toward home, wondering where I’m going. It’s part of riding in rain.
The simple answer is I’m riding to work in a mix of mist and light rain. The temperature is near 50 degrees and there’s no need for rain gear — my First Gear Kilimanjaro jacket and Joe Rocket riding pants are more than adequate on this day. I’ve still not donned the Rev’It rainsuit that lives in the topcase. Such is the nature of the rain I ride in.
Go slow, pay attention to the road, that mantra plays in my head.
Scooter in the Concrete
There is a lot of concrete between home and office. Though smooth in a car it only takes a moment on foot to realize how ragged and abrasive it really is. Even my armored clothes seem insignificant reflected against that hard angry surface.
Pay heed riders — the road is not your friend.
Scooter in the Mist
Riding in rain seems so simple but when I stop a moment to think about it there’s a lot of things to consider that seem to happen automatically now — enough experience has been tendered that needs and concerns are programmed like a second nature. Just look at “15 Tips for Riding a Motorcycle in the Rain” by madmoto and you’ll have an idea of what may be involved.
There’s a quiet in the world when it rains, even in these light mists. And in the quiet the imagination blossoms so that by the time I get to work the day seems like a wonderful adventure.
Are your riding experiences in the rain positive?
I don’t mind rain, cold as it is here in Colorado, it’s when strong winds come with it, then things can get too interesting at times!
People who don’t wear protective gear while riding should try rubbing their skin against pavement sometime…..road rash is bad news.
Seriously — the pavement is nasty. I was walking on some brand new concrete highway — it was incredibly rough. Made me want to go out and buy even heavier armored clothes…
I don’t mind light rain too much….though my definition of “light” changes as the temperatures climb. If I’m headed TO work, it’s more of a deterrent than heading home, as I can always shed my wet gear (and maybe clothes) for something warm and dry. Otherwise it’s an interesting distraction….more care on turns, trying to keep my visor relatively clear.
Actually my biggest deterrent is my wife. She’ll look at me in the morning and say, “You’re not going to ride, are you? It’s going to rain!” I often point out that they’re talking about a *chance* of a shower in midafternoon. If it’s iffy enough, it’s a handy excuse to take the cage. ;o)
There have been more than a few times I didn’t ride to work in the morning because of rain and clothing issues. But if it’s nice in the morning and raining in the afternoon then it’s fine.
I’m not as hard core about riding in all weather anymore. If I don’t feel like fighting I’ll take the car.
No matter where in America I’ve been riding – and so far I’ve ridden in 37 states – I’ve often said that all I have to do to have it rain is to ride. Almost all of the time it rains on me. But I don’t mind, or care really. It’s all just part of the experience.
Is there a little cloud following you around? On a big trip I don’t mind but a short commute or errand I often can’t get my head around all the gear prep for a ten minute ride…
“Are your riding experiences in the rain positive?”
Yes, the worst “problem” that comes to mind is that the visor fogs up easier when it’s raining. When bicycling in Baja, I used to look forward to the afternoon rain to cool things down. But all positive experiences.
My visor was fogging and hard to keep clear. Had to ride periodically with the visor up so I could see.