Saturday, August 16, 2008

What It's Like To Be Me...

This is the kind of fail of which my life is made...

Gonna take the Harley out for a ride. It's been a while since my butt's seen saddle time, and today I was gonna rectify that serious transgression. Got my chores done by mid-afternoon, then got ready for a nice long solitary ride.

Jeans? Check.
Tank top? Check.
Leather vest? Check.
½ helmet? Check.
New shades? Check.

Dark storm clouds looming on the horizon? Aw, fuckit, I'll be back before that hits...

So I'm out on the bike, enjoying the ride, etc. It's about 80ยบ, not too humid, I'm likin' the feeling of the wind in my face. Quick vanity check passing the bank, yeah, not too shabby for an old man. Even got a second glance from the soccer mom in the Escalade at the traffic light.

And then... (you know what's coming, right?)

The skies open up. Not a gentle, warm summer rain; oh, no sirree. This is a full-scale thunderstorm, lightning, the whole works. Rain pelting my face, stinging like needles as I point the bike towards home post-haste.

The tank top and vest that had been showcasing my muscled torso were now cruelly mocking me as I shivered, my teeth chattering in time to the v-twin beneath me. "Yeah, you just had to go for form over function this time, didn't you?", screams the intelligent portion of my brain; the portion controlled by vanity cowered in the corner, shamed into silence by the goosebumps on my arms.

I *did* remember to take extra care on the on- and off-ramps to the highway, and soon rolled into the garage a much wetter biker than when I left. This time, trying to be cool just got me cold...

And, not for nothin', but about 5 minutes after the garage door closed and I got the bike wiped down? Yeah. Nothin' but sunshine.

That is all.

7 comments:

Rustmeister said...

You have a windshield on your scoot?

I figure you must have, or else you'd have mentioned how much rain hurts when you get up to speed.

=)

Jay G said...

I've got an Electra Glide.

Comes with a 12" windscreen.

Except, of course, that I took that off and put on the 4" tall blacked out shorty...

dr mac said...

We played golf today. If we had been totally drenched in a thunder storm it would have been well worth it. Can't let life pass you by, the meters running.

Borepatch said...

Left the Jeep's top down in the parking lot earlier this week. Got to run out and put it up in a driving rain.

Found out that a Wrangler doesn't grow when you water it on the inside.

;-)

Weer'd Beard said...

Was it as bad as when we passed the biker heading back from the blogger shoot?

Your Quote: "I feel your pain, Brother!"

SpeakerTweaker said...

Bitch-slapped by Murphy again, eh?

That's gotta suck. Better luck next time?



tweaker

Anonymous said...

*giggle*snort*

Just got back from Vermont (went up for the Bennington Appleseed Shoot). Rode up on my 22 year old BMW R80RT.

Dress for the ride? Well-oiled engineer boots (about 20 years old or so), leather chaps, a Kilimanjaro Air jacket, gloves, full-face Schuberth Concept helmet, Kahr K9 in a Kahr OWB holster, two spare mags in a Bianchi mag holder, and earplugs.

Had a wonderful ride - saw plenty of fog one the way up at 6:00 AM Saturday, but no rain. If it had rained? Hmm... I'd have slowed down a little and kept going.

All The Gear, All The Time.

Glad you got home safe, though, Jay. Even if I am ribbing you about your choice of attire. ;-)