Craziest weather you've ever been through?

[pashnit]

With winter approaching- and with all the rain over the last weekend, got me thinking. What's some of the craziest weather you've ever ridden through, on long trips, or whatever.

Coldest for me was riding through 22 degrees in middle of night in New Mexico in middle of winter. Then falling asleep, moreso from exhaustion (1200 miles non-stop in 22 hours), on a gravel berm on side of road in desert for a couple hours in 32 degree weather sans sleeping bag, getting hypothermic, and stumbling into a restaurant the next morning. Several cups of hot water later, I still couldn't stop shivering uncontrollably.

Wettest was in middle of Alaska- got stuck in a torrential downpour on dirt road on my Venture. Bike started sputtering, and barely stayed running. Maybe there wasn't enough oxygen in the air anymore :laughing

Degrees !! :wow

 

[highlander]

Unforgetable ride !
6 am in the morning ... only person on the road ... driving thru the GIANT Redwoods in N. Cali ... with a low fog all around .... waiting for T-Rex to stomp on me!!!

 

[donoman]

It was pouring rain, There was a lot of standing water everywhere, I was doing fine in my Aerostich until I tried accelerating out of a turn... I was in Monterey, it was Turn 3 at Laguna Seca, and I've never slid that long in my life before without crashing...

 

[morthrane]

Craziest for me is easily the 100 degree weather that left me severely dehydrated, looking at a dead end road, and backtracking 20 miles to the last town. I think I spent about 3 hours in the back of a convenience store doing nothing but drinking water and gatorade

The coldest and most demanding ride in terms of weather was a group ride ending at Pismo Beach... tumbleweeds, sidegusts of wind up to 40 or 50mph, rain, and damned oncoming semi windblast, all through a moderately fast sweeping two lane highway :laughing

Wind can be damned scary when its unpredictable

 

[MrCrash]

The coldest and most demanding ride in terms of weather was a group ride ending at Pismo Beach... tumbleweeds, sidegusts of wind up to 40 or 50mph, rain, and damned oncoming semi windblast, all through a moderately fast sweeping two lane highway :laughing

I'm surprised you didn't mention the sandstorms, or the VW bug sized tumbleweed that was tumbling towards us

 

[yzsofst]

i rode redwood and pinehurst in a downpour

 

[racercutie]

Last January we had a cold front - 30 degrees but the wind chill on the freeway caused ice crystals to form on my windshield. Bbrrr.
But a couple of years ago riding up Mt. Hamilton after a snowfall. It was fun riding in the slushy snow up until I crashed and slid on black ice. :cry

 

[rdcyclist]

Great stories!

Both of mine involve heavy rain. Riding in Japan in 78 on a loaded Honda 750 with my pregnant wife falling asleep on the back in a driving rain. We had sneaked onto the freeway (it is illegal to ride two-up on the freeway in Japan) on a trip from Hiroshima to Tokyo. There is no place to stop, the rain is running across the road in mini-rivers and her helmet is hitting the back of mine whenever she starts to nod off. Everytime we cross one of the rivers of water running across the road (usually in a corner) the bike gives a little (or big) wiggle. Fortunately, we find a bus shelter and she gets her much needed early afternoon nap before falling off the back.

On this past Halloween weekend, a buddy and I were riding back up 101 through Santa Barbara at about 5 in the afternoon in a driving rain. Just as we catch up to a semi truck, it starts to really rain. Now, I was going to pass the truck, but with the increase in rain volume and the spray off the trucks wheels, I couldn't see anything but the side of the truck and the left rear taillight. I decided that I would fade back and wait a bit before attempting to pass. It was probably 2 miles before the rain let up enough to see past the truck. Heaviest rain I've ever ridden in.

 

[DMc]

The most beautiful and freaky would be the time I was riding through the country
roads of Illinios. It was just dark and a thin layer of fog was in the lows of a valley. The fog came up to my neck. I was going about 50 or so. I could see the reflectors on the side of the road and see the glow of my speedo and instru. It was the closest Ive been to flying. It didnt last long because the fog was only in the lows of the valley. So I kept going back and forth:laughing
The scaryest,
Riding from Buffalo to Chicago along Lake Erie. A storm was coming off the lake and it was a whopper. I thought I could make it through when in a huge lightning bolt stuck about 500 ft in front of me. All I could think about was that sissy bar on the back of my bike. Needless to say I pulled off and cowarded in a cheap ass motel:green

 

[budman]

Over the hill on 80 heading to the Reno Ralley..beautiful 70 degree weather on the way up from Sac...change to clouds, rain, then full on hail...Lot's of Harleys on the road in there open face helmet putting at 10 miles an hour...me full face tucked in behind a 18 wheeler and manage 40 mph. Best part..cause that sucked..was rolling down the hill to Reno and watching the vapor trails (steam) coming off all of the bikes as we dry out quickly in the 80 degree weather..crazy.

Good stories guys and gals...:cool

:smoking

 

[DMc]

One More

On Interstate 70 (?) crossing the rocky Mts. It was early June. It was cool but not cold so I was not waring warm gear. I entered the Washington (?) tunnel with a logging truck behind me. Right behind me. It is a very long tunnle, a couple miles I think. After about 10 seconds I was freezing. It must have been 20 degs. in that tunnle. I couldn't slow down to much because the trucks brakes would not last the length of the tunnel. There was no place to pull over. By the time I saw daylight I was doing the funky jerk dance.
I could barly steer the bike. :hand

 

[Deeter]

Let's see:

Craziest: Riding through a hail-storm in Sturgis, SD. Ended up pulling over, of course, but have to ride through some of it in order to come to a point where we could pull over.

Hottest: 125 degree heat through Needles, CA at the 600 mile mark of what ended up being a 750 mile day. Like I said earlier, heat exhaustion can lead to some interesting hallucinations. :green

Coldest: Heading down to Tehachapi, CA a couple springs ago, got caught in a freak cold-snap. I had to ride through 24 degree temps before I stopped for the night, and I had no electrics, or even actual motorcycle-specific gear. I just had layers.

 

[rocketbunny]

Hmm, been in some pretty hot weather, some bad downpours, some frozen rides (gogo Widder), and some freaky wind.

Weirdest was tooling along to school and it started to hail. In San Luis Obispo. Very strange to hear the hailstones (tiny) pinging off my helmet. I found an overpass to wait it out.

 

[morthrane]

Hottest: 125 degree heat through Needles, CA at the 600 mile mark of what ended up being a 750 mile day. Like I said earlier, heat exhaustion can lead to some interesting hallucinations. :green

HAHAHAHHAHA :cry :laughing

Oh man... don't I ever know what that feels like. Who needs drugs when you can just dehydrate yourself... :wow :later

Coldest: Heading down to Tehachapi, CA a couple springs ago, got caught in a freak cold-snap. I had to ride through 24 degree temps before I stopped for the night, and I had no electrics, or even actual motorcycle-specific gear. I just had layers.

I think Tehachapi must be eternally cold... I ended up stopping for the night there on my way to Vegas because I was getting very afraid... no feeling in fingers or toes. :teeth

 

[Silly Sod]

Pash-on-ladee;
I guess moine would be ridin' up to Reno...
In the winter....(There was no reported snow...and I had
to leave at night..to make it there) So...4:30 ah-em in the
morn...snow on the road...(Beat the Chp-stop)....so fook'n
tired...I actually remember closin' my eyes...(for a bruh-eff
nap).... Pulled over in hangtown....had some coffee...and
continued on... I don't think I have ever been so cold...
I also don't think peeps expected a silly sod motorcyclist
on the road.. .I made it there...slept for what seemed like
a week.....pictures of me old GS550ES covered in snow are
simply classic though.....oh--'cept roight after I took those
pix...I had to ride home in it.... Bias-ply tyres...a Suzie...and
me....
Colder than a mo'fo is all I remember....
=Silly Sod

 

[GAMBLER]

been through rain and cold(sans helmet, one of those guys back then), but this wind storm near tehachapie was brutal. the signs were lit up warning trucks and rv's about it, no warning for bikes. had to take shelter.here

 

[Jerrykap]

Went thru gale force winds and a 3" down pour at the mouth of the Columbia river leaving WA for Astoria, OR. We didn't know if we would make it across the long bridge without getting blown off. Really gnarly.

Here's a shot taken on the light ship at the Maritime Museum in Astoria. You can just make out the bridge in the background. I think our expressions say it all.

It rained all the way to Newport. OR where we spent the night in a great motel with a hot tub. The next morning was dry and bright...rode all the way home to Davis in one push, about 650 miles.

But the absolute worst weather I ever rode thru had to be in the spring of `69. Crossing the Alps on my P11 Norton. Snow on the road above my tires. I had to paddle mile after mile. My leathers only added to the cold and wet feeling. Suicide never seemed so appealing. Next day all was right in the world again and I'll never forget those experiences. :cool

 

[RichardBryant]

December ride from Washington down to the BA. Grant's pass closed due to snow so I headed to the coast and down highway 1. 1200 miles of snow and rain on a H2. Not a fun trip but home for Christmas.

 

[pashnit]

One of you mentioned wind- which can make for some really hairy riding too.

Headed across western Texas- went through some of the strongest winds I've ever ridden in, yet blue skies, clear weather. Major pucker factor. On freeway at speed in high winds blowing across the wide open expanse of Texas- gust comes out of nowwhere and blows me clean across the whole 2 lanes in a split second. I'm at full lean, like the pendulum of a grandfather clock, yet I'm going straight. That happened several times, and each time just barely stayed on the highway by inches.

Then am overtaking semi, make it up to the front, and the wind coming off the front of the semi is wild, gust hits at same time, and almost blows me clean off the road! Never want to do that again! :wow

 

[GAMBLER]

dude, I made a long sweeping right hand turn...leaned full left, hairy as hell.