Riding the conditions

[Vellaterra]

Hi All,

I havn't contributed for a while, so sitting here at work, I thought I would add a little..........

I decided to ride to work today as i normally do. I decided late last year I would ride the Busa rather than drive, rain, hail or shine. After all, thats what i use to do with my previous bike, The Gixer 750.

Yes it pissed down 1/2 an hour even before I mounted the Busa and I couldn't believe I actually started to have second thoughts. A couple of years ago, I wouldn't have even considered otherwise. I relised thats this was an odd feeling, but I was determined to ride.

Once out of the garage, the rain immedietly fogged up my specs and visor and the rain did the rest. I suddenly felt that bloody feeling again. Strange, but I was still determined to ride. I rode up Kariong Hill at a steady pace due to traffic and by this time adjusted to what vision I had. I then entered the F3 heading south to Sydney. The rain just got heavier and as I ramped up to cruising speed, I mellowed somewhat due to my instincs kicking in and i got on the pace of manouvering around the slower cars and "riding to the conditions".

As I was riding down the F3, I found that I still had my wet whether instincs intact and enjoyed the rest of the trip to work. I arrived to my place of work, buzzed our control room for access. As I past the security boom gate and was greeted by a remark, " You Idiot" from the intercom. As I kicked her into gear, I recognised the voice. It was a fellow bike rider collegue that I knew.

I have ridden in all sorts of conditions, and yes I did get a little lazy and use to drive rather than ride when it rained. But I can honestly say, there is nothing like riding in adverse conditions. It heightens your awairness of everything around you, from poor vision to exccess water on the road, conditions you normally would not consider. I pointed this out to my colleague, He just hunched his shoulders and was still under the opinion that I was mad.

[Ward P]

I also used to ride "that road" every day. (Old pacific when dry)
I used to hate riding to work in the rain, the waterproofs always leaked.
I never minded riding home in the rain.

For me
The worst part is always working out whent to put the wet weather gear on.
If you put it on and it doesn't rain, it's a bloody waste of time and you get too hot. If you're too late and it's already started to rain, it just gets steamy inside. And then you have to work out when to take them off if it looks like clearing so you can dry out.
When I'm riding home from work I just think bugger it, I'll just have fun and get changed once at home.

But yeah, once you're in it, it can be fun playing in the rain. But you do need to heighten your "instincts" in traffic, as breaking distances and vision is different on those slippery city roads. I never thought of it as practice or training, but you're right! It is!

[Rev004]

Can't agree more...

I never had a car until I was nearly 25 so my daily mode of transport was my bike Rain, Frost or Shine and even gravel I rode everywhere and I would have to say that when I was riding in the rain and on gravel all the time you get to know exactly what you can do on your bike just like you do in the dry. Even when I got my 1st car my Bike was still my main mode of transport until I was 30 and then I started to get Soft but really it was my last trip across Aus that probably did it for me. My mate and I did 30.000ks in 3mths traveling over some of the best roads in Aus and had an absolute blast and also once again rode in some of the worst conditions imaginable, everything from pissing down rain to flooded roads through to torrential gale force winds every night we had to dry our gear out even our wet weather gear didn't survive.
I have never seen conditions like that and to be honest how me and my mate got across Aus in one piece still surprises me I watched my mates bike step out sideways while passing a caravan and nearly centre punch himself into it and my mate watched me 2 wheel slide across the road in front on a semi coming the other way.
When we get together and talk about that last run & those 2 incidents get talked about everytime but both of us have said that even though some of it may have been luck a lot of it had to do with our riding ability and knowing how to keep our head and wits about us.

It is quite surprising how quick you can push in the Wet especially when you do it all the time and must admit that I've done some of the quickest trips from Kalgoorlie to Perth and to Bunbury in the Wet and some people would say you bloody idiot as you mentioned.

But since getting married and now have kids I must admit that the Bike is now more of a Toy and for the Enjoyment than a daily commute, I can honestly say that the amount of times that I would have been cleaned up on my bike if I was riding to work is just dam scary. I've lost count of how many times that I've been so thankful that I've been in the cage driving to work..

The one thing that the Bike has given me like a lot of people on this Forum is the ability to read the traffic and road conditions very well and if I had it over again I wouldn't do anything different all those yrs of riding in all sorts of conditions has made me a better rider & driver.

[wayneb60]

i to will ride in any conditions but there has to be a purpose like going to the fisrt busa garthing in 04 it was pissing down when i left home or doing weekneds away
it,s very hard to go to work in the rain when my ute is seating at the front door but when i am in the rain i do like to have a play too
& putting the wets on is a real pain in the ass if you put them on to late you get wet & you think why bother
wayne

[redkatana]

There's nothing worse than the first trickle of water into your jock's, once this is over I could ride several hundred k's in the rain and still enjoy the trip.