Weather Forecasters And Motorcycle Riding
Posted June 29th, 2008 at 11:33 PM by Garage Logician
All my life I've been in awe of weather forecasters. After all what other job could you continue getting a paycheck while being wrong such a huge percentage of the time?
Friday evening I had committed to lend my brother a hand getting a pickup truck he is selling from where he was displaying it back to his house (about 13 miles). It had been there several weeks; only one person made a low-ball offer (an insult IMHO) considering the condition of the pickup. Other than that my duties involved shooting and editing some photos and assisting wording an ad for a free online classified site.
So yesterday (Saturday, June 28, 2008) I took off on the 70 mile ride to my brother's place. The weather forecast was possible thunderstorms, 20% chance of light precipitation ending late afternoon to early evening plus afternoon and evening wind warnings. Wind warnings for 25-35 MPH winds with gusts to 45 MPH? Shoot, that's nothing! This is North Dakota and that's only slightly above normal winds around here. So for the sake lower fuel consumption the bike would be the mode of transport. Plus I have a supposedly waterproof new Cordura riding jacket and rain gear in one of the saddle bags so what's a little wind (like I said, this is North Dakota).
From the moment I took off after refueling it started to rain. It was light and to my delight the windshield, faring and helmet directed it completely away from me so no big deal. Even though most of the 70 miles saw at least light rain I was dry from head to toe upon arrival.
During the time spent getting the pickup, shooting and editing pictures writing, editing and posting the ad rain kept coming down in varying degrees from a light mist to near downpour. The wind also continued increasing in intensity and shifted to almost directly from the north. By the time I started the ride home some gusts were at least 45 MPH. If it weren't for the birthday celebration I had committed to I would have waited out the rain, had a couple of (extra) beers with my brother and spent the night. Nope, that wasn't going to happen.
At approximately 40 miles the road comes to a "T". On the right at that corner is an old church and graveyard. All else is farm land. I was doing fine and completely dry at that corner. BUT THEN I TURNED EAST, north wind and falling rain blasted from my left nearly pushing the bike into the ditch a couple of times, light rain became heavy rain and I met a semi tractor/trailer. The area my riding chaps don't cover (need I say more) got drenched and I knew it was a mistake not donning the rain gear pants before leaving my brother's place. Foolish me!
OK, I'll give the weather forecasters credit for being mostly right about yesterday. But would it really have been such an unusual and terrible thing if they had been wrong? Ahhhhhh, well!
Friday evening I had committed to lend my brother a hand getting a pickup truck he is selling from where he was displaying it back to his house (about 13 miles). It had been there several weeks; only one person made a low-ball offer (an insult IMHO) considering the condition of the pickup. Other than that my duties involved shooting and editing some photos and assisting wording an ad for a free online classified site.
So yesterday (Saturday, June 28, 2008) I took off on the 70 mile ride to my brother's place. The weather forecast was possible thunderstorms, 20% chance of light precipitation ending late afternoon to early evening plus afternoon and evening wind warnings. Wind warnings for 25-35 MPH winds with gusts to 45 MPH? Shoot, that's nothing! This is North Dakota and that's only slightly above normal winds around here. So for the sake lower fuel consumption the bike would be the mode of transport. Plus I have a supposedly waterproof new Cordura riding jacket and rain gear in one of the saddle bags so what's a little wind (like I said, this is North Dakota).
From the moment I took off after refueling it started to rain. It was light and to my delight the windshield, faring and helmet directed it completely away from me so no big deal. Even though most of the 70 miles saw at least light rain I was dry from head to toe upon arrival.
During the time spent getting the pickup, shooting and editing pictures writing, editing and posting the ad rain kept coming down in varying degrees from a light mist to near downpour. The wind also continued increasing in intensity and shifted to almost directly from the north. By the time I started the ride home some gusts were at least 45 MPH. If it weren't for the birthday celebration I had committed to I would have waited out the rain, had a couple of (extra) beers with my brother and spent the night. Nope, that wasn't going to happen.
At approximately 40 miles the road comes to a "T". On the right at that corner is an old church and graveyard. All else is farm land. I was doing fine and completely dry at that corner. BUT THEN I TURNED EAST, north wind and falling rain blasted from my left nearly pushing the bike into the ditch a couple of times, light rain became heavy rain and I met a semi tractor/trailer. The area my riding chaps don't cover (need I say more) got drenched and I knew it was a mistake not donning the rain gear pants before leaving my brother's place. Foolish me!
OK, I'll give the weather forecasters credit for being mostly right about yesterday. But would it really have been such an unusual and terrible thing if they had been wrong? Ahhhhhh, well!
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