Needed to take the bike to JHP Coventry today, thought the rain was bad getting there but getting back was worse; manhole covers up drains up roads blocked! When I got home I could not even get into my estate the flood accross the entrance is 3ft deep. This is near Ashby de la Zouch Leicestershire. What the hell is happening to the British summer
On the upside the lads at JHP sorted the clutch and replaced the fluid and checked the bike over ready for me to head to the Alps next week Thanks
I have actually found a bit of rain refreshing. After coming back from WDW, my mantra whenever I'm caught on the bike in the soggy grey British "summer" is "at least it's not the Bolognese rush hour" - duff route planning on my part brought me too close to the city centre at around 5pm with the air temperature gauge on my Monster reading 44 C at one point, the oil temperature bar chart creeping up, every traffic light red, wearing full leathers and my face going as red as my bike. I was crossing everything that the bike didn't overheat and conk out before I found my hotel in Borgo Panigale!
back in 96 rode up the brenderwyns, head wind was so bad I could only pull second gear and rain was so bad it took the paint off the helmet never had anything that bad before or since
Rode the 999 around Scotland with some friends a couple of years ago. The wind was momentous. Had to ride from Stornoway in the north of Harris to the ferry terminal in the south. So long as you were heading straight into the wind, it was just cheek-clenching (as it changed direction from time to time) but then someone suggested we look at a renowned beach. That involved riding perpendicular to the wind. We made 400 yards. I was blown from my side of the road right across the opposite side and almost off it into peat bog. Fortunately, not much traffic on Harris. So we had to give up and carry on into the teeth of the gale. Was I happy to arrive. Frightening.
Back in the 90's I wrode my GPZ600R in the snow on the motorway. Only had a 12" wide gap of tarmac to keep the wheels in. Pulled off at the services and couldnt even turn the bike round in the carpark because of all the snow and ice!! Now I wont go out in bad weather without a roof and heated seats. How things change.
I suppose the worst thing about a wet Bolonese rush hour is cleaning off all that Bolognese sauce, but at least Ducatis are red. The Pesto plays hell with the paintwork though:biggrin:
I remember riding home on my XJ900F after torrential rain a few years back. Crystal clear standing water on the road ahead fooled me into thinking the puddle was only an inch or two deep - it was up to the axles. Water came up from the front wheel, up through the fairing and up past my chinguard into my helmet. It's the only time on a bike that I have asked myself, "What if I drown?". Bike didn't miss a beat. I imagine my 999 would have had a complete mental and physical breakdown.
its so weary isnt it ,bored of the rain now got soaked in storm this week in south london ,the bike looks gopping now
WTF?! am I understanding this correctly - so exhaust and inlet totally underwater or did you mean it shot/jetted/splashed up the fairing into your helmet?
As best as I can work out, the water came up behind the front wheel, behind the forks and handlebars, up my chest and into my helmet. The water was no deeper than the axles. The bike was half-faired and also sported the standard belly-fairing of an XJ900F. I'm guessing a bow wave was created by the engine/belly-fairing and water was compressed and forced straight up. With nothing to stop it and with the water being channelled through the gaps, it had enough energy to reach into my helmet. It has to be one of the weirdest things to have happened to me on a bike.
i'm sure your heartbeat peaked at something ridiculous soon after - a friend of mine recalled a journey along a beach somewhere on route to the South Pole and described how a freak wave engulfed them and helped slide the whole car (a Fiat Strada) sideways down the beach for a few feet while underwater..
It's a sense of unreality and confusion while it was happening. It was never scary because it never made sense at the time and didn't seem real. Afterwards I had to pull over because I had started laughing uncontrollably. Being in a car that is submerged would be scary as hell.
thats nasty. PM me if you need some advanced training...i'v been a qualified SCUBA instructor since 1997. worst bike related wind ive had was on the M1 riding a ZXR 750 (going back a few yrs now!)...i was 'making good pace' as it started chucking it down..it was hellish windy, proper head wobbling stuff...the bike feeling that it was constantly trying to tuck underneath me..anyway i reached a slip road where the tarmac was more exposed and received an almighty gust from the left which hurled me from the inside lane and straight across the outside lane, inches from the armco..i wrestled and fought the bars only dimly aware of the warmth flowing down my legs. then the wind changed direction and sent me back across the 3 into the rain soaked chasm from whence i came. if there had been much traffic on the roads i'dve been toast..i was totally at the mercy of the wind...not good. ps. only on a UK forum will you find the words 'Ducati' and 'bow wave' in the same post....and with no sense of irony.
i'm glad you learnt from this experience. at least you would've been blown into the bog...anyway, i hope it kept your feet warm.
