Remembering Epically Wet Commutes

[moto-rama]

I was sitting in front of my cozy fireplace last evening, thinking of the riders making their way home in the intense rainstorm, bravely navigating submerged potholes, ding dong drivers and the inevitable neck drip.

It brought back the memories of a few really difficult commutes.

1970s: When the bay area had a deep freeze and snow for days in the hills, I was riding from Montclair to SF State one morning, and there was 6 inches of snow from my house to the Park Blvd entrance of 580 west. Even with 2 pair of longer, ski gloves and layers on top, I had to slide my fingers off the bars when I got to school. They were cryogenically clenched.

2000s: Riding to West Marin to repair network gear at Bolinas School on the Panoramic hwy where there were rivers of mud cascading across the road and tree branches rained down, with intense violent wind gusts. Stinson beach was under 6-10 inches of water, and the Hwy around the lagoon submerged by high tides and wind waves.

As it turned out, there was little I could do for the school, either, since the entire West Marin gateway was down. The school district then dispatched me to go to a school near Tomales to see what I could for them. Despite being more than adequately geared up, all I could think of that day was, "Who's idea was it to ride today, when you have a perfectly good car? "
When I finally returned to the office that afternoon, I got a scolding for "draining in the lobby of the district office"

 

[CDONA]

In the 70's, I was working @ Fleetwood (mobile homes) on Elmira Rd. Vacaville. Snow has accumulated on the fencing along Elmira Rd. and/or tule fog.
Commuting from Fairfield, I was trying to stay warm by using war surplus navy deck jacket, canvas with fur pile inside but the wind blows thru it. I added a thin nylon windbreaker that worked for my relatively short time on the road. Way warmer than my leather jacket.
The best story, one day tule fog soaking the thin windbreaker, and by the hollow of Pena Adobe/ Cherry Glen Rd. I got the cold, flash freezing the wet nylon. So I have a jacket with a layer of ice on the front.
As I'm walking in the office, I can hear my coworkers talking of the cold that morning. Car starting rituals on warming the cabins before hitting the road, fire it up and let it idle to get the defroster to work, ice scraping, heated garage, & stuff. All this overheard by me as I'm around a corner & down the hall, on my way in to where they are, still out of sight.
All this blah, blah, blah, stopped as I walked in popping the snaps on my soaked, frozen, windbreaker. Ice slid off me to the floor, they drank the last of their coffee down, and filed out, without a word, to start another fun day.

And that is the truth :afm199

 

[Johndicezx9]

Watch out for those wet pine needles and leaves....

 

[moto-rama]

In the 70's, I was working @ Fleetwood (mobile homes) on Elmira Rd. Vacaville. Snow has accumulated on the fencing along Elmira Rd. and/or tule fog.

I think the Big Freeze was in 1972, when millions of eucalyptus trees froze, creating a new industry of "Tree Guys" who made a career out of removing the dead timber. Up on the shaded slopes above Thornhill Drive, the roads were covered in packed snow for almost 2 weeks. I ended up leaving my R50/2 at the Texaco at the bottom of the hill, and hoofed it between home and the station as part of my commute.

Tule Fog is some very frightening stuff. My college GF lived in Chico, so I frequently visited her, usually taking the backroads, like Old 99 and 113 to get there. One night I drove completely off the road in to someone's pasture, when I missed one of those right angles in farm country. Very disconcerting!

 

[cheez]

Nah, I'm done sharing commute vids here. Redacted to protect the not-so-innocent.

 

[doc4216]

NOT BA story: Late 2009, first year riding and certainly not prepared on a usually cold winter there. Was commuting about 22 miles (all highway) in Charleston on my brand new Suzuki S40. I had no windshield, no heated grips, and no protection, just thin gloves. My hands and toes were so cold that I had to warm my hands under the faucet by gradually making the water warmer and warmer. Man, I was dumb.

 

[racercosmo]

Maybe I have some extremely wet rides, but oh well. What's funny to me is the reaction of others when they see someone riding in the rain.
Just yesterday someone looked at me and said "you're riding?"
I said "yup, I'd hate to be walking in this crap."

 

[XPEHBAM]

the wettest commute I ever had was in new york. august 2011, hurricane irene.
I was living in southernmost part of Brooklyn back then, and my job was in Yonkers. It's about 40 miles or so one way. 65mph winds, and just a wall of water.

yeah. I totaled my bike on west side highway that day.

:rip 2001 ZX6e

 

[rudolfs001]

When I was in college in Alabama, I went to the beach for a long weekend. The day before I had to come back for classes, a tropical storm developed. That was a fun ride back on a Ninja 250. Soaked to the bone and blown all over the road, I made it.

 

[Aware]

I rode my 1991 CBR1000F to work in 4 inches of snow in Scotland, around 1995. Couldn't ride it home because it was 2.5 feet of snow by noon.

Good times..

 

[Climber]

January 2002, I was commuting to Brisbane from Albany every day on my motorcycle. It wasn't as much wet as very gusty wins in both directions up to 60 mph on Bay Bridge. From moment to moment I didn't know if I was going to be leaning 30 degrees to the left or 30 degrees to the Right. Most scary ride in 43 years of riding, I felt like I was just a passenger with little control.

 

[moto-rama]

January 2002, I was commuting to Brisbane from Albany every day on my motorcycle. It wasn't as much wet as very gusty wins in both directions up to 60 mph on Bay Bridge. From moment to moment I didn't know if I was going to be leaning 30 degrees to the left or 30 degrees to the Right. Most scary ride in 43 years of riding, I felt like I was just a passenger with little control.

The Bay Bridge was part of my daily commute two times, in the 70s, when I rode from Oakland to SF State, and from 1976 to 83 when I worked at the Fairmont Hotel. I developed Bridge-O-Phobia over those years, since it seemed like every mechanical failure I ever had, happened on the Bay Bridge.

I can recall having my bikes swinging behind the tow guy at least 3 times, and a car that threw a rod and caught fire in the Treasure Island tunnel at 230 in the AM. That was a superbummer, since all the drunks were careening crazily around the car. I walked back to the entrance and waited for help to come. But the tow trucks are dispatched from the West side, meaning they had to cross the bridge, turn around then come get you. It took about an hour for them to arrive, and miraculously my car (smoldering and smoking) never got hit.

Wind...I found that heading West, the far left lanes were the best choice, since the right side of the bridge was facing the wind direction most days.

The bay bridge....never a dull moment!

 

[clutchslip]

I use to commute from Houdini's house (approximately) to downtown L.A. Laurel Canyon on Google Maps Laurel Canyon is two lanes with a thick, slick double yellow line divider.

Facing on coming traffic, I rode on that damn yellow line passing dozens of cars in pouring rain, day and night. :wtf I rode a Suzuki GS 1000. WHAT AN IDIOT. I rode that yellow with a stream going down the middle of the street and in dense blinding fog. I had to get to work. I should have quit sooner. Repeat: WHAT AN IDIOT. :teeth

 

[dravnx]

In 1981 I was living in a campground and working at Pease AFB in N.H. when I met this little hippy chic from Western Mass who would eventually become my next ex wife. I started visiting her every weekend. It was 300 mi RT. I blew the engine in my heap so my buddy sold me his 1974 CB350T. I'd never ridden anything bigger then a mini bike. I rode that thing down the Mass Pike and back every weekend for the next 4 mos. It seemed to rain the entire time either there or back. I wore my green wet weather gear and duct taped the wrists and ankles closed. The lure was strong.

 

[NorCal Factory]

Commuting 17 miles of English country roads for three years on a two stoke Suzuki - at night, often in the rain, only to go out and work outside on jets in more rain and cold. No riding gear other than the chem Warfare suit or fatigues and a leather jacket bought at the farmers market. Still have the jacket. Doesn’t fit.:afm199

One other time escaping Munich on a Friday afternoon rush hour to begin a week ride and a downpour with lighting all around hydroplaning on the autobahn next to trucks with only a guardrail at the edge of the lane - no shoulder, but confident in the BMW

Or the five hour returning rn ride in a rainstorm two up on the 250 two stroke with all the clothes for a weekend on her back back. No rain gear - too poor as a GI.

 

[Toast]

Commuting from the city to Pleasant Hill a couple years ago when we were having those monsoon rains during the winter, good times. Rain coming down in sheets and I would take the long way home though Briones to skip all the highway traffic. It was so inky black and rainy I missed my turn and had to ride further north to El Sobrante and then cut over, sometime that night that bridge epically washed away. Getting in and out of the city was a nightmare, 12 out of 10 on the stress scale but riding in the hills with no traffic in a monsoon was bliss. Modern tires and waterproof gear is pretty great.

 

[chrisXX]

I think the Big Freeze was in 1972, when millions of eucalyptus trees froze, creating a new industry of "Tree Guys" who made a career out of removing the dead timber. Up on the shaded slopes above Thornhill Drive, the roads were covered in packed snow for almost 2 weeks. I ended up leaving my R50/2 at the Texaco at the bottom of the hill, and hoofed it between home and the station as part of my commute.

Tule Fog is some very frightening stuff. My college GF lived in Chico, so I frequently visited her, usually taking the backroads, like Old 99 and 113 to get there. One night I drove completely off the road in to someone's pasture, when I missed one of those right angles in farm country. Very disconcerting!

That happened to me as well; rode off the road in tule fog one night into someone's farm trying to get on hwy 198 in Hanford. What was interesting was noticing the four or five cars that followed me bobbing up and down in the rutted field. :laughing

 

[Killroy1999]

When I would reverse commute highway 17 to Scotts Valley, the was some epicly wet commutes. Mudslides, overturned cars, ect.

I would ratter be on my Zero then my car because it handled better in sheets of water.

 

[dittoalex]

When I would reverse commute highway 17 to Scotts Valley, the was some epicly wet commutes. Mudslides, overturned cars, ect.

I would ratter be on my Zero then my car because it handled better in sheets of water.

Did you keep it in Eco mode? Did you lose traction and was it controllable?

 

[Maddevill]

This is way back. On a CB350, neighbors bike. My very first Big Trip up to Lake Tahoe in July. I was wearing the very latest in bike fashion. Jeans, sweatshirt, a nylon jacket topped by a Gold Metalflake sparkly open face helmet with the bubble visor and gardening gloves. Trip up went great. Sunny and nice. Rode around the lake, started raining. WTF??? Got back to the hotel just fine. Next morning, headed out for the trip home. Rain, COLD rain,... REALLY cold rain. Followed by SNOW....in frigging July!!! Over Carson Pass I went. Shivering so violently that I was swerving all over the road. Put on my spare pants, and all the t shirts I had in my pack. When I finally made it down to the valley the rain felt like warm bathwater. It was quite an adventure.

Mad