Closing date June issue -> April 21
Nat… – column
I look outside. It's raining. Like it's been for a while. My cigar-buying motorcycle is sitting in the rain, because the more cuddly ones are in the garage. Back in the day... You get more and more of that as you get older. But anyway, back in the day. Until a few years ago, I rode in all seasons. The last few years weren't uncomfortable. That's because even the not-so-expensive modern motorcycle gear is indescribably better than what you had to make do with 40-50 years ago. When you look at how much motorcycle gear has come along in 50 years? When you look at how wet you got then and how you get now during a serious downpour?
Waterproofing and windproofing were once the hallmarks of the famous yellow PVC raincoats and trousers. The sou'wester outfit for schoolchildren and cyclists with a lunchbox on their luggage rack. This PVC outfit had to be as large as possible to allow for more layers of fabric underneath. As a motorcyclist, you wore knitted woolen underwear for thermal insulation, often with pajama bottoms and, of course, your regular trousers underneath. A similar layering system was also used above the belt. Behind the cheerful yellow PVC fabric, a newspaper was worn on the chest for insulation. Preferably a Saturday issue of the Telegraaf.
A woolen scarf was wrapped around the neck and lower face. The tops of the gloves were thickly greased to prevent rain from penetrating. The same goes for the boots. The waterproofness of that flapping outfit? It was limited. Leaks occurred. At the neck, you felt the first drops penetrating the armor. Those drops became a trickle of slowly warming water. A small reservoir formed in the valley between your buttocks. Its overflow was left and right through your groin. By then, the gloves and boots had also abandoned the Luctor et Emergo principle. Your hands became wet and cold. The boots slowly filled with water. That water gradually warmed up. But that was because your feet were getting colder. In the meantime, you had been driving by feel for quite some time with a misted and dripping visor. By then, the newspaper had usually already turned into papier-mâché. And then you only had about twenty minutes to drive to your destination. After undressing, a whole pile of thoroughly wet clothes lay in the garage, shed or hallway, like a deserted island amidst the water that had already leaked and dripped.
Your body gets used to it. It recovers. At least, to a certain extent. If I ever get wet and cold again—by mistake or accident—my whole system will go into a kind of painful, rheumatic, boiled-alive lobster state. Bodies remember things. And you just have to live with that.
Meanwhile, it's still cold and wet outside. But it's dry in the garage. And once I've blown the worst of the cold off the tools with the heater, I'll definitely get a motorcycle ready for spring.
After all those winters on the motorcycle, I've learned one thing: spring will always come!
Once, when I was much younger, slimmer and prettier, I drove back from an Elephantentreff in the Eifel with a colleague friend.
Me on my CB350F, he on a Suus GS550.
Raining...no, not normal, but we had to keep going because the boss expected us again the next day.
He had to keep my Honda running while filling up the tank, because by then everything was sparking and the caps were already blown.
Only above 4000 rpm the thing continued to run 'neatly' on four pot(s).
That was such a struggle! At home I spent an hour in the shower just to warm up again…
And I then vowed to myself NEVER to ride in the rain again.
But yes, of course you are sometimes 'surprised' by the splashes.
A drizzle is doable, but a downpour?
Then I look for the first available shelter: a café, a shelter, or an overpass... it doesn't matter to me.
No, I'm not made of sugar... but since that drive back in the pouring rain, I'm not made of stone either.
Even if it were raining hot water: UGH! But now it's great! Just grabbing some cigars at the Mash and then heading back via Steenderen, Bronkhorst, and Brummen.
I think Dolf forgot his whisky, that keeps you warmer than a cigar
And cheers!
If you drive past the old school in Rha, give a wave; there's family living there...
Beautiful environment there.
Hi XDolf.
As always, I am enjoying the drivers again, and especially your stories.
I still have a substantial story lying around that I once wrote for motorcycle clubs; the stories are about the trips I used to take, and central to this is a BMW /R 60-2. So, the 60s.
If it is interesting, I will send it. Just provide the email address where it should be sent.
Sincerely
Gerrit Mannebeek
When I got home, I lay on my back with my legs up to deflate my boots. It worked!
The opposite can also be true….
Once I was on the verge of leaving after a hard day's work at my desk…
End of August; around 27°C and a black thunderstorm approaching. Leather pants and jacket...decided...rain suit or not?
I did it anyway. Ten kilometers further, the thunderstorm had blown the other way, and I was standing at a traffic light in both a leather suit and a rain suit, in 27°C!
When I got home, I quickly drained my boots and replaced the lost fluid with a liter of foaming liquid. What a hell of a ride!
We are real tough guys!
What a wonderful story again, Dolf! And so relatable!
I've been a rider for years. Rain or shine, wind, rain, thunderstorms, frost, and even some icy conditions. This guy kept going with my trusty Blauwtje. I have (and still have) that leather suit with that heavy leather jacket. That suit that I meticulously greased and oiled. A little rain didn't bother me at all. Downpours, however, were a problem. The water blown from the tank onto the seat, and everything else that landed there from above anyway, pooled between my legs and eventually, via the seam under wind pressure, soaked my crown jewels in an unmissable "refreshing" soak. The legs of the trousers could also be pulled over the boots, which was VERY handy. My other motorcycle trousers only fit inside the boots. A roll of wide brown packing tape always comes with me in threatening weather, and I use it to tape the transition from my trousers to my boots when necessary. Works like a charm!
Initially, I didn't have heated grips. That nearly 40km drive to the boss in -12 degrees Celsius was an ordeal. Once I arrived, I just managed to get the jiffy under control. I couldn't answer questions from my colleagues, who always bombarded me with them in the mornings when I arrived, for twenty minutes because my voice machine was frozen. My hands were numb until they warmed up. That feeling, a gaaaaaaar!! 😬😖
It was really bad when it rained for days on end and I couldn't get my clothes properly dry from arriving home until the next morning, and from arriving at work until driving home. That was downright unpleasant.
At one point, Aldi had a one-piece rain suit. It's difficult to put on, but it's fantastic. This happened during the drive to Jan Beck in Wijhe, when it was pouring. At 130 km/h on the highway through a downpour, but the rain suit didn't flinch.
I can attest to the insulating effect of newspapers. Crumpled newspapers worked even better. They also sometimes had bubble wrap at work... worked even better...👍🏼👍🏼
It's the clothing that makes the difference. But I've given myself a break from wet, cold rides since my 70th birthday. I should have done that sooner.