So it was a nice day today. Thought to myself, "gee its a great time to ride. Lets take the bike to work today". I'm so stupid to not check the weather
and get hit with a huge T storm right when I'm leaving for work. The storm was bad enough to sound the tornado sirens, which is bad
. I swear that storm came from no where and left as quickly as it came. The down pour put a good 2-3 inches of rain down and the winds were crazy. I pulled over to a gas station and thought I would wait it out. I put the kickstand down and start walking to the store. Huge gust of wind knocks the bike over. It was pouring so hard that I lifted the bike and ran into the store as quick as possible. Once the rain subsided I come out to assess the damage. It chipped the end of my clutch lever, cracked the fairing, broke the left turn signal, bent the shift pedal and my leather jacket is soaked. I couldn't muscle the bent pedal back into place so I rode the bike home soaking wet in first gear. I stop at a intersection and realized my turn signal indicator is constant light and not flashing and see what looked to be smoke coming from around the triple tree. Not only that but a truck at the intersection hosed me some more with water as he passed me by.
My first ride in the rain wouldn't have been so bad if I was prepared for it. I guess lesson learned is CHECK THE WEATHER!!! But now I'm worried about the smoking from around the triple tree
Is the reason my turn signal light stays lit, b/c of a short? And my leather jacket and gloves smell and look like ass. Anyone have suggestions on how to repair the leather? Google tells me to get some conditioner and apply it before it drys out.
Btw my wife thinks I'm crazy for riding in that weather, but somehow I came home with a smurk on my face. She asked me why I looked so happy instead of pissed. I told her, because even though it all sucked, I learned something new and now I have a reason to upgrade the bike
David