I often see people advertising bikes which have, “never been in the rain/wet.” What’s bad about riding a bike in the rain? In Winter I suppose the road salts can corrode the bike. Is it really that bad? What about in summer though? This is the main one I’m interested in.
I suppose rain, like most water, tends to ingress to places other dirt doesn't reach. Rain however tends to make roads wet, thus picks up extra dirt, and in winter salts. Salts and other acidity corrode most bikes if not cleaned well, Ducatis corrode and / or paint flakes at the very thought of rain let alone salt. In fact I believe there's been a scientific study to show that even the slightest of heavy breathing near a Ducati can speed up the unique corrosive quality lovingly built in to each and every bike churned out by the Italians. Moral of the story, ride your bike, clean your bike and dry it well.
The bad thing about riding in the rain is you get wet and often cold. Your hands turn blue from the leather dye in your gloves. Handling & vison not so good either. The claim "bike never ridden in the rain" is like "one lady owner". Though it goes back to the time when bikes electrics were awful and a rain shower meant your bike misfired or wouldn't start. Kick starts back then too... I can remember spraying WD40 on my bike to get it to start, and seeing electric flashes on the HT leads. Italian bikes were especially famous for failing electrics/ lights in the rain, though the Brit bikes lights failed all the time so its wasn't so bad. Disc brakes didn't really work too well in the rain so stopping quickly was an additional problem. After a few showers, Italian engine paint dissolves or flakes off and fasteners rust almost instantly. Thankfully wafer thin chrome has been MOSTLY replaced by carbon. Getting the wet road crud off your bike after wet riding can take serious commitment to get the bike back to super shiny as new condition. But what else would we do all winter?
Basically its people with their heads lodged up their arses who usually can't ride for toffee and spend all their time polishing their PCP'd bike rather than ragging it, before trying to sell for a premium to roll a deposit into their next not to be ridden bike, its a bike, its not a poxy ice sculpture that will dissolve if you pop it outside in the wet ..... Give me a bike thats been used any day rather than some temperamental garage queen, but then I use mine, not gaze at them ....
Yeah ! What you just said , and on top of that , it's not the rain coming down that causes the grief . You are flying ( driving ? ) through a constant shallow bath that is a mix of grit , dust , leaked oil or fuel and who knows what else from the road surface Your beloved bike is being sprayed with this nasty bilge from all directions , not just sideways from other vehicles , but upwards from your own wheels !
Sales pitch and probably little more. Unless that person bought the bike from new and has kept it from new then they can never know it hasn't been ridden in the rain. If they haven't ever ridden it in the rain and say it in that way, then I just see it as advertising blurb.
Never been raced or rallied, one lady owner, never been riden in the rain, of course I'll love you in the morning...…
Be pretty hard not to ride in the rain in the UK ... You go out thinking the wether looks grand and 100 miles from home the the heavens open up and it don't stop to you pull in ya drive... Anyone that's never been caught out like this is very fucken lucky... So odds are, the never been ridden in the rain pitch is shit, or like dibble said, it's never been ridden ..
Rain....especially bad for duc's....well, it was for mine....and not in my ownership....got it after i think 5 owners or so?....i think mine has seen some track time also....when i got it id say it had been used on and off in the rain....most of the front barrel was corroded, some of the main case,top barrel was fine (to be expected) pretty well all of the bolts had gone/rusted.....id say even now mine's not a 100% but its needed a fair bit of work and a shit ton of cerakoting (the whole engine) to be done to keep it looking tidy....my aprilia has faired much better, helped by them (aprilia) using mostly stainless bolts in the critical areas. Z1000 again better than that. All of them i use most of the year round. While i dont intentionally go out in the rain i do get caught now and again.
It is a bit shit riding in the wet, safety wise and the damage from prolonged exposure to the elements but I commute by bike all year round ( unless is a necessity/ just as easy to use van) as I'd rather get a lil wet than be stuck in traffic in the tin box, it sometimes means up to 2 hours more a day travel time in the van. And I enjoy it for the most part, it's better than coffee for getting the blood pumping! It does take its toll but that's why I have the winter hack. .
My winter hack is a Toyota IQ....just taxed a few mins ago....£0.00 and 130 a year to insure...no brainer...
Just sales pitch???? NOOOOOO!!!! Say it ain`t so. I bought my Ducati from a vicar who said he only rode it to church on sunny Sunday mornings and the odd run to evensong. He said God would never let it rain on a Ducati. I`m beginning to think I may have been lied to, bloody dishonest man of the cloth.
