have over 15 years later. (And trust me
when I say they really have had a work
out). A full faced helmet is awesome
in the rain! (yes, I know you live in a
no helmet law state and it’s your right
to decide.) How about you check your
ego at the beginning of the wall cloud?
A helmet in the rain sure sucks a lot
less than getting pelted in the face with
rain drops at highway speed. A change
of clothes (footwear included), it sure
sucks having to stomp around all day in
soaked boots. For you “Big front wheel”
guys who have chop top tour packs and
speakers in your saddlebags and for
the FXR riders. They make a waterproof
bag that I can tell you works really well
and doesn’t take up much room.
Enough on the rain gear info. Here’s
what absolutely baffles me. I don’t
understand how a simple thunderstorm
That time of the year is upon us! Spring watch in a forecast can trigger someone
time, or around here, the time of the
to freak out and panic so badly. I know,
year when weather can get a little rough I know, “But Tank, you don’t understand
and unpredictable at the drop of a hat.
what I’ve been thru”.... But before you
I have been one that always worked
tell me about how seriously tormented
out in the weather, so by the nature of
you are from the storm you went thru,
my job, I became a semi-pro weather
let me tell you that I’ve lived thru a
geek. I learned how to read a weather
couple of pretty bad storms myself, like
map, common patterns of storm and
the Joplin tornado (along with many,
what to look for in the sky. It has served many other twisters having lived most
me well not only well at my job, but as
of my life in tornado alley), two direct hit
a motorcycle rider. Being able to look
hurricanes, some really crazy weather
at and understand a weather radar
while at sea during my time in the
map can mean the difference between Navy and some winter craziness you
staying dry, needing rain gear and
can’t even fathom. So yes, I’ve seen
staying put!
my share of the worst of the worst and
I seriously still get excited about the
Here are a couple of simple things to
carry that will make that wet day on the pending weather.
scooter a little more tolerable. Throw
have half a dozen people or so that
a half way decent set of rain gear in
are on my friends list on social media,
your tour pack or saddlebags. It doesn’t that simply lose their shit and go into a
need to be Harley Davidson high end
full panic the minute the forecast (not
gear. In fact, after my Harley gear failed the radar) calls for anything other than
me, I went to Bass Pro and got some
light sprinkles. You can just bet they
good rain gear for fishing that I still
are going to start posting about how
TANK’S RANT
oklahoma biker the riders ragazine
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