Thursday, October 2, 2014

Oh, foo

The weather for tomorrow's motorcycle trip from the ATL to Panama City Beach looks spectacular:


Rain, all day, all the way.  Sweet.

4 comments:

Eagle said...

As long as it's at least 75 degrees, it shouldn't bother you much at all.

You should already have good rain gear for the bike. Aside from the bike-mounted safety gear, it should have been one of your first purchases.

- Trousers with suspenders at the top and stirrups at the bottom, and a rubber-padded "seat" to prevent sliding around.

- Water-resistant non-slip ankle- and toe-protecting work boots (Red Wing!!!).

- A (matching) rain jacket with either Gore-Tex panels or shielded vents (a flap over the vent to prevent rain from coming in but to allow fresh air in), and hood that will fit UNDER your helmet (put it on and pull the helmet OVER it).

- Either a full-face "street" or modular helmet, or a 3/4 with a full-face visor (like the HJC IS-33 - I really love mine).

- A set of waterproof leather riding gloves, preferably with Gore-Tex vents (not cheap, but worth every penny).

Unless someone mounted crap on it, motorcycle tires tend to be more "sticky" than car tires, and their rounded shape tends to push water out of the way better than car tires. Bikes rarely "hydroplane": even the Python wide-tread tires do a good job of pushing water out of the way.

One other thing: even though you can equip yourself for a safe ride in the rain, it's MUCH MORE EXHAUSTING than riding in good weather. Stop more often and, as the saying goes, "take advantage of the natural cover" (e.g. overpasses) to get out of the rain when you rest.

Take your time, ride safe, and the only effect of the rain will be just a bit of wetness at the seams and a slightly later arrival.

Good luck!

tsquared said...

Burt gave some good advice. If you do not have rain gear I recommend Frog Togs. Don't forget to hydrate. You will in the water but with a rain suit on you will be warmer and perspire more. An extra set of water tight gloves can also be a great help.

Or you can wuss out and trailer down...

Be safe and have a good time.
TT

Anonymous said...

If you're using a full face helmet, and have a spare face shield for it, half a dozen 1/16"- 5/64" holes in the center at the bottom, about 1/4" above the rubber seal when it's snapped shut, will let enough air in around your nose to help prevent fogging while not letting water in. If it gets too cold, a 3/16" strip of tape - you do have small tight rolls of electrical and duct tape in your kit, right? - seals the holes (a #50 drill is .070, just about halfway between 1/16 and 5/64). And, if you have a face shield in yellow, it adds a lot of very helpful contrast on gray days.

NotClauswitz said...

You'll be fine, it's only water and maybe the number of other drivers will be reduced? Keep it a gear high and roll on and off easy, it'll be great!