Ride in the Rain or Leave it Parked?

 by: Rocky Marks

It seems as if most people in the Pittsburgh area are up in arms about all the rain we've been having, especially the motorcycling community. I'm on board... I want to go riding just as bad as everyone else, but the weather "is what it is" (never liked that saying).  But instead of all the moaning about the rain, let's focus on what we CAN do.

We have two choices: ride in the rain or keep it parked. I'm thinking that the first choice may not be all that bad when you sit back and think about it. The rain that we do get isn't usually an all-day rain. It's more like an afternoon rain, which is sorta like Hawaii. Maui gets one good rain in the afternoon whether it needs it or not. That doesn't stop tourists from riding.

Given the fact that most of the rain is in the afternoon, we're not getting wet on the ride into work, but rather on the way home. Okay, I can live with that. Nobody wants to sit in wet clothes all day plus it's not like you have see anyone with the exception of maybe your spouse and kids and chances are they've seen you in things less flattering than wet clothing.

You can, however avoid the wet clothing by investing in a good set of rain gear from Hot Metal Harley-Davidson. The reason I say to get it from the dealership and not a hunting/fishing store is that the pants in the rain suit are made for riding. This means they are less likely to melt to the exhaust or engine and get ruined. I've also noticed that the Harley-Davidson riding gear keeps you dry around the neck if it is zippered and closed properly.

You can also do a full-face helmet. This too will help around the neck line and it will help keep the rain pellets bouncing off your face at 55mph. Trust me, it's a much better ride with a full-faced helmet in the rain. You can also use the helmet in the cooler months.

I've written numerous articles about riding in the rain before and they mostly concentrated on safety. Things you have to watch out for are debris on the road, potholes, steel (manhole covers, bridge joints, railroad tracks, etc.), and painted surfaces near stop signs and traffic lights. If you look back into the archives, you can get the specifics on how to tackle each one of those obstacles.

My advice: Let's suck it up and ride! (Now there is a slogan I like--I'm getting the derby covers made up as we speak!)