Soaking WET ride! Should wear a wetsuit

[MD]

How two days of weather can differ. I rode from Wgtn to Hamilton on Saturday (22/01/11) via HW4, Wanganui-Taumaranui-Te Awamutu. Rode back to Wgtn on HW1 the next day.

Left on Saturday in a rush, didn't bother to pack my rain gear and expecting hot weather I packed light clothes. Mistake One.
Perfect ride up, warm, dry beaut scenery, fantastic biking roads (the Para Paras rock) and north of Taumaranui you can hussle along at a great pace on empty roads.

But, yeah, it rained somewhat on Sunday. So I made a desperate dash to a red shed for whatever rain coat/leggings I could get. Wasted a few bucks I can tell you. A pack of tissue papers would have done a better job.

So ten minutes from Hamilton and I'm riding in torrential rain knowing that this is all I will see for the next 6 odd hours. Having serious doubts about continuing. But hey it's summer, what's a few warm showers. Mistake Two.

20 minutes into trip and I'm copped as I pull in from overtaking a prick in a van slowing towing a trailer with a tail back to be proud of. Mistake Three. Did you see the van I had just passed Orificer. Nah, what van. Did you see the queue behind him Orificer. No. Did you notice I picked a safe place to pass. Doesn't matter he says, you can't exceed 100 no matter what. I should have asked him if he had eyes or a brain to go with his arsehole. Oh and he didn't get out of his car, too wet.

45 minutes in and whenever I brake or slow suddenly water pooling around my elbows rushes forward into my gloves - yuck.

60 minutes and it's that warm pleasant feeling of knowing your undies are totally soaked, boots filled with water and gloves as heavy as lead.

To ensure there's no chance that I might enjoy myself the temperature keeps falling. Oh yeah, thanks, cold on top of wet and bugger all visibilty through the rain.

By Taupo things were looking grim. Flooding everywhere. I was too wet to dismount so I rode without a stop from Hammy to Waiouru. Had to gas up. Got off bike and people laughed as loads of water poured out my sleeves when I took my gloves off and lowered my arms. It was funny to watch. Go in to pay and leave a big puddle in the shop. I did pack another pair off gloves so it was time to put them on. Dry and warm hands felt so good..for an hour or so anyway until they gave up.

Desert road was close to closure I'd say. Slips coming down on corners. A car spun into a bank being towed out. Then the flooded fords. Cops had the traffic down to single vehicle crossings at a time. Only about 10-12 inches of flowing water across the roads but by now I was absolutely frozen to the bone and worried about how much more water can a bike take before it dies. I didn't need to wonder. The answer was quite soon. By Bulls the motor started to splutter a bit, steadily got worse but like me the bike just wanted to get the hell home and out of this downpour.

Surprised me to see a few other Riders battling the rain on the Desert Rd. Bloody Idiots, what were they thinking. Doh, same as me I suppose - a bit of rain can't hurt.

That would have to have been one of the most miserable rides I've had. By the time I reached home I really struggled to get myself off the bike! I had been shivering so long I had stomach cramps and couldn't straighten up. A WARM BATH WAS MAGIC!

So the lesson for today was - always pack for winter, even in January.

[supa.m]

Yip, and who would have guessed 10 days riding in November in southland and the west coast would be dry? Ya just never know lol!!!!!!!!!!

[spacemonkey]

I only rode Welly - Greytown and then back the next day (sunday).
Just the Greytown to Wellington bit had me soaked thru and everything in my pack was sodden.

6 hours or so of that?
Sod that fella! Yer nuts!

[SMOKEU]

When I'm riding my bike in the rain I just tuck myself into the cockpit and I stay reasonably dry. The joys of fairings and windscreens....

[Kornholio]

Stink one man... and what a cock that pig was, ya should've accidentally tipped water out of your sleeve into his lap :/

[Gremlin]

Left on Saturday in a rush, didn't bother to pack my rain gear and expecting hot weather I packed light clothes. Mistake One.

I guess weather sites are dark magic to you then? They all said here's a bucket of water every second...

I learnt my lesson last year. Heading down to TT2000 I thought I would wear my leathers. Better protection, March, its freaken the height of summer. Day before, the storm front came up the coast. Some had hail, roads coated etc, I got rain so heavy I could only see the vehicles tail lights in front of me, and I was a normal following distance behind. When the vehicles in front almost got blown off the road I figured it was probably quite major.

The next two days was spent cursing perforated leathers and hiding inside my 2pc rain suit, as it was 1-3 degrees for several hours each morning, and the rest of the day never got warm enough to take off the rain suit.

Welcome to NZ summer!

[EJK]

I read all.

Wow, you tough bugga! Hope you really enjoyed that bath. Your story reminded me of a past of mine. Good old times which will remain a long time.
Really rewarding that you made it home safe even all that encounter and obstacles. Make's you strong and proud. It will be a great bar chat, bed time story, dinner table talk etc. Even a story for your grand children by the fire.

Great read, thanks for sharing!

[MD]

Cheers for the comments. Nothing like cheering people up with your own misery. Workmate went camping up Taupo way the same weekend. Their tent was almost washed away. Like me they did check the weather forecast on Friday and it was generally nothing more than a bit of rain along the east coast for Sunday, Gissy to Masterton. It wasn't until Saturday that they started forecasting a major storm front to cover the entire Nth island. But no excuses after years, Ok decades, of riding I should have been better prepared.

I think I will buy some of those rain-off gloves. I've tried many brands of so called waterproof gloves and none have ever worked. They work perfectly until exposed to moisture. They must field test winter gloves in the middle of the Sahara desert, in the dry season for leakage.

[Clivoris]

Great effort Mark. Gave me flashbacks to my own horror trip back in the day. I alway tour in my synthetics with spare layers now. I wont get caught out twice.

[Gremlin]

For crazy rain like that, rain offs are definitely good, but I find it damn hard to use indicators, GPS etc with them on, even the levers. I'll only pull them out for practise or torrential rain.

[slofox]

Mmmmm..we don't have "climate" in NZ - we have "weather".

[R-Soul]

I am a Saffa, have only been living in NZ for 4 years, and I already know that. If you live in Wellywood, you should be ashamed of yourself. There they (should) dress in winter riding gear to ride to the dairy...

[awa355]

Funny how we remember those rough trips as much as the good ones. They are part of motorcycling. A few days later and I bet you're quite proud of digging in and beating the weather gods.

Doing a trip like yours in a group usually brings out the best of everyone. You take the piss out of each other's misery. But on your own, not so much fun. Pulling soddened gloves back on. Sitting a soaked crotch onto a wet seat, then realising the wet gloves have to be taken off again to do up the chinstrap you had forgotten to do up. Finding a new leak inside the collar. Neat eh!! Roll on winter.

Cant ever remember anyone giving away riding because of the rough trips. usually wives, crashes, etc.

[The Baron]

Ah yes I was out there in that weather over the weekend. A planned three day trip from Masterton to Coromandel, Rotorua, Napier and back to Masterton. 1437km. Rain!!!!!!!!
The Taupo to Napier had three river crossings. I washed the bike today and felt sorry for putting more water on her. But all is dry now and it was still a great weekend.

[baptist]

Great read, have to say glad it was not me My bike is my only transportation and I hate the rain... feel like getting on the bus some times guess I am a real nana these days... Remember in the UK nigh on 30 years ago I was pillion on a mates bike, riding through the snow in a leather jacket and jeans, I got off by falling off the side as I could not straighten my knees they were f....... cold and solid as, felt like a frozen joint of meat... he thought it was funny as he had avoided most of the wind chill behind his fairing... thankfully Auckland does not get that cold.

Sorry to hear you found one of those on the road, hope it's not to expensive.

And my cheap Warehouse pack mac seems to keep out a lot of the wet stuff (and allows me to make up for it by sweating buckets instead)