Washing the Bike with rain, the Mother Nature way

After a sixty hour week I was ready to get out. Pollen, dust, general dirt, and spilt fuel were covering Rat Bastard. I don't spend a lot of time anymore cleaning my bike, though Pledge wipes do a great job on the painted surfaces and WD-40 is good for the cables plus will make those cylinder jugs shine up nice. Wax just now and then if I'm feeling like it but mostly just a once a year ordeal. Usually my time with it is spent wrenching, ogling or riding as all that polishing is so time consuming because I'll plan on doing just one or two little hits with a rag to knock off the light stuff - sometimes one little wipe leads to another piece and then another part and before you know it the day is gone. The best way to clean it up is to just plain old wait for the rain and ride to clean it. The under fenders get a good scrubbing from the rain being thrown at it as the tires pick it up and sling in there good. It's a cheap sort of pressure washing, plus the sand and dirt from the road give scouring power as it mixes around and the wash cycle is controlled by the throttle. By the time I got home old Rat Bastard was pretty durned clean and looking pretty good. You'll never hear me proclaim proudly to anyone that Rat Bastard has never been ridden in the rain. As if proclaiming that is something to be proud of because if you don't ride in the rain then your cutting your ride days by maybe a third.

It was raining today and I had places I wanted to go but my trucks original clutch has gone out after only 303,104. something miles. I geared up in my new Tourmaster jacket without fear of being drowned or not being seen. It kept me warm and dry which is something I've never experienced riding in the rain before. Even used my almost still new now full faced helmet without the added hassle of rain pelting my face like stinging BB's or my goggles fogging up each time I stopped. 

I could use some water proof pants- wet from the knees down - and boots - soaked as the water proofing has worn off - but being most of me was warm and comfy it was not bad. Years ago I'd ride all year long in rain, sun, snow, sleet with little more than gloves, helmet, mirrored sun glasses, jeans and a leather or lined denim jacket plus Dingo boots. Getting cold and wet was just a part of riding in those days along with the runny nose and dealing with watery eyes as air whipped behind the glasses and kept drying my eyes out. My eyes kept trying to combat the drying air that was whipping the moisture away.

But the point of my rambling is that mother nature lent a hand in washing Rat Bastard today being that she found out I was going to ride anyway just for spite. Maybe she just wanted to ride too and so she washed the bike not wanting to see it all dirty and nasty. But I like it dirty and nasty though sometimes a compromise is in order. Never ride in the rain? Pfft, what wussies.