Spring has been very slow to come to my part of the world. Sure, we have had some nice, sunny days, but seldom more than two in a row. Much more rain and cold has been the regular pattern, which makes this booted biker “cage-crazy.” That is, I have had to drive my four-wheeled vehicle instead of my Harley more often than I usually do in April.

In fact, past patterns of March and April motorcycle riding for this data-driven guy indicate…

…that during the past six years, the weather was suitable enough for me to ride my Harley as follows:

Now that does not mean, necessarily, that I rode every day that I could. My spouse/partner’s long-term illness between November 2011 and October 2014 kept me home more than going out for a ride on weekends. (I did commute by motorcycle to work during those times.)

Anyway, as you can see from the data, this year in particular has not been suitable for riding my Harley as much as past years. So that explains why I rode yesterday… in the rain.

Yesterday morning at oh-dark-30, my usual time of departure from home to drive to work, the temperature was mildly cool; easily handled with my RevIT safety jacket, my thick retro chaps, and gloves. I also wore my new Wesco Morrison Boots (with pants over them.) The street in front of the house was dry.

I mounted my ride (after doing the daily requisite systems check) and took off for work.

Just a mile down the road, the street was wet. I said to myself, “you looked at the radar… you saw a passing storm over this area on the point forecast, but you chose to ignore it, thinking it was an anomaly, didn’t you?”

Yep, I was guilty of every anxious biker’s way of thinking… if the streets were dry at home, and I’m only going six miles, then they must be dry along the way to work.

Boy, was I wrong.

I got rained on. Not much, but enough. Road spray covered my boots, chaps, and my bike. Fortunately, the boots, chaps, and jacket kept me and my work clothes dry.

Also, because it had rained hard for hours the night before, the oil usually found on the road that makes roads slick had been washed off.

The main reason why I do not like to ride in the rain is not for fear of getting wet, but because busy highways on which many cars travel (and drop oil) become slick during the first few hours of a light rain and it is dangerous. (That’s the only time I’ve had a crash — on an oil-slicked light-rained road.)

Oh well, at least for yesterday, I was none for the worse for wear. I arrived safely. My jacket and chaps dried fine. My newly bee-oiled boots shed the water well and did not even appear to be wet.

Today? I’m in my truck again. Rain is forecast for the early afternoon.

Okay, I’ll quit whining. I have a buddy who lives up in the Great White North who still had some snow in his yard and his Harley stored away. At least I CAN ride, but perhaps not as often as I would like at this time of year.

Life is short: ride as often as you can … safely.