Ride in the Rain, then Hard Rain

Yesterday morning buddy and I headed out to Mt Airy (town that Maybery was patterned after) for NC Hog Rally. Great morning, really nice weather so we took back roads and made 2.5 to 3 hour ride last over 4. Rally did not do much for us and noticed clouds gathering. Decided to take the super slab home...then the rain. Skies turned black, down pours stopped us once when my glasses fogged till I could not see. Then about Hickory, lightening came straight down close... we pulled off in hardest rain I have even ridden in. Under shelter at gas station, lightening struck right near us. When rain eased up and skies not so black, we headed out, by Asheville skies turning blue... interesting day!

Been really strange weather this year...went through the same thing on the way to Miramichi...3 rain storms on day 1 lol...dry out from 1 storm and ride into another one....about 50 miles outta Miramichi in the middle of nowhere same thing as you,heavy black clouds,huge bolts of lightning then the heaviest rain I've ever been caught in and no cover anywhere...had to take the horn off because it quit,but when I dumped the water out ,it worked again....

Rain, it's my enemy now. That's what I was riding in over 18 months ago when I got my busted ankle. Downpour I rode into was so strong I could not see the handle bars. All I remember is starting to back off. Next thing I'm in a ditch in pain. Was knocked out long enough for the header pipes to be cold. I grabbed one to pull myself up. Then realized I couldn't stand. I walked on a busted leg for a year before an ankle specialist I tried said, hey dummy, it's still broke. One bone graft later and 8 weeks now and I'm finally pain free. So watch those downpours!

What a rain story! Mine happened on my first bike, a Honda CB 350 in the early 70s. Was in Florida at the time heading north along the gulf coast on a 4 laner and the sky opened up. Couldn't see very well and the bike went off the road into a construction area and I hit a culvert pipe at 55 MPH and I went up over the bars and the bike was in the air right over me. I landed flat on my chest and slid for a while on the grass and the bike went over and landed just in front of me. Nothing broken, but I was shook up and my neck hurt. A state trooper showed up and put me in jail for 10 days for riding with an out of state temporary license. The first 3 to 4 days in jail I could barely move I was so sore LOL. A guy in a pickup gathered up what was left of my bike and held it for me until I got out of jail. There's more to the story, but that was the rain part . . .

Amazing how he was more interested in your license than your injuries.

The key is "early 70s". Troopers where God in Fl. with attitude. Plus bikers were'nt liked much then. JMO.

Exactatickley

Josh, still want to hear the rest of the story..guessing it is good!

I thought it was odd, too - taking me straight to jail. I was standing and walking around and there was no blood anywhere. I guess he thought I was good to go LOL. I was defintely "all shook up". I think he was mad 'cause he had to be out in the rain, and man, it was pouring.

OK, here's the rest of the story: The guy who had my bike called me once and said he'd hold it for me, but that it was unridable. The forks were bent, front rim bent, turn signals broken off, etc. He gave me his phone number. The day I got out of jail, I tried calling him, but the number was bogus. I never found out who the guy was, and I never got my bike back. I got on a Greyhound and went back home up to Ohio and wrote it off. The cops never found the bike, or at least I never heard from them.

Next bike was a 450 Honda. I never rode it in Florida. I sold it and bought my first Harley, a '72 Sportster.

That's how it was back then. Bikers were regarded as trash so it was OK to screw with us. Remember that's when people called returning Vets Baby Killers. there was some bad sheet goin down.

That bitch Fonda didn't help a bit. If she was truly sorry for what she did, she should spend the rest of her life visiting Vet hospitals in person and apologize. Not some fake promotional bull.

They (the 60s - 70s radicals) are embedded in our universities, too. And elsewhere. Back to rain . . . we had a 70 % chance yesterday and it went all around us. We got nary a drop. Towns 5, 10, 15 miles away got drenched. Stayed home and watched old movies.