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Rain




I have only recently encountered rain on my new bike. The first bit didn't last very long, only my legs got wet & they had dried by the time I got home. A few evenings ago though... different story. I had gone past Eganville to visit a fellow motorcycle enthusiast and show off the bike. As it darkened I took my leave. A 45 minute ride, and the sky started to look seriously moody just minutes into the ride. By the half way mark I had been seeing a lot of lightning and hearing thunder VERY soon after the flashes.

The rain started a little after the half way mark. Heavy rain. When there was oncoming it was very hard to distinguish where the lines on the road were. Some folks seemed to think my headlight was too bright and would high-beam me making it ever harder to keep in my lane. Also - wet. Quite wet. My jacket kept that part of me dry as did the helmet but my waterproof boots soaked from the top down. Pants wicking into socks & thus boots. Not a lot of fun. On a high note... the swingarm bag didn't fill with water.

After a visit to Mark's Work Wearhouse I now have Hi-Viz bib overall rain pants. The roll up very small and I think I will keep them in my swingarm bag, as my wife points out, I don't check the weather enough. Tomorrow (Saturday) I will intentionally drive a long route in the rain (no highways, daytime only) to see how the pants work and also get the feel of this bike in the rain... and visit my brother's awesome kids. I seem lucky in the niece/nephew department.


Photograph by Jani Halinen

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