Forza in the rain is like religion

[davenowherejones]

I was riding my Forza home in the rain for supper last night on the TransCanada Highway from Chilliwack to Hope, BC.

Riding the Forza in the rain is an act of faith. You pray a lot.

You pray that those little tiny tires stay on the road. I bet those tires only have a four square inch contact point. And at 120 kmph they are probably rotating at quite a high rpm. The tread when new is not very deep and the puddles are way deeper.

You pray that the road is still there. In our extreme weather that is not a guarantee. The cold breaks up the road. The pot holes are common. Our government is cheap but somehow has extra billions to hold a winter olympics.

You pray that the mountain doesn't fall down. The Hope Slide had half a mountain cover the road and valley floor. The road I was on was closed for a while because of a big mudslide. One of my fat elderly neighbours had to climb out her rear car window to escape.

You pray that the 30 wheel truck passing you sees you and doesn't blow you over. These are really big and long trucks. They put up a huge curtain of spray. They are 80,000 pounds GVW and are frequently overweight.

You pray that the people behind you actually see you. It was nowhere near sunset but it was dark. I could not see big trucks in front of me. Just little tiny red spots of light. My tail light buried under my top box must have been hard to see.

You pray that the water on the road is not too deep. There are lots of badly engineered sections where deep puddles form. They send my 4X4 sideways some times. The government thinks putting up a temporary sign solves the problem. There are numerous waterfalls beside the highway. Sometimes there are rocks falling in those waterfalls.

You pray that your riding gear keeps you dry or at least warm enough to think. I have Olympia and it is pretty good but not perfect. I was wet around the crotch but maybe I was too scared.

You pray that the other drivers don't do anything stupid. That happens a lot. We have many tow truck companies in the area. They are busy. Watch Highway Thru Hell to see.

They call this the Wet (west) Coast of Canada. I have ridden a lot in the rain. You learn how to be smooth and gentle or you die! You have to have faith in the tires and the motorcycle but things can go very, very bad in a hurry. You have faith that you can get there but you know that it is very, very dangerous and very, very stupid.

[fish]

For the same $$ get s bigger motorcycle.
Fish

[homie]

If the water gets deep enough I think Forzie can float because... boat

[montliz44]

Definitely not ideal scootering conditions fer sure; glad you made it.

A couple of things I've been known to do on days like that:

1. Get off the big road and go onto the little road.

or

2. Head for the motel.

Johnny

[gn2]

Move south.

[davenowherejones]

For the same $$ get s bigger motorcycle.
Fish

But I like small motorcycles better. I have a bigger motorcycle. I like the Forza more.

[davenowherejones]

Definitely not ideal scootering conditions fer sure; glad you made it.

A couple of things I've been known to do on days like that:

1. Get off the big road and go onto the little road.

or

2. Head for the motel.

Johnny

There is no little road between these two towns. There are two highways, one on each side of the river, both have big trucks.

It rains so much here that I would spend a lot of time in motels and there is no one at home to let the dog out.

[Richard]

I ride mine regularly in the wet/ driving rain living in the UK.
Only last night I rode into London in a torrential downpour....I have always been happy with the way it handles/grips....my only niggle is the rubbish suspension.

[davenowherejones]

Move south.

Now that is funny. I live 40 km from the Canada/USA border. It is all mountains with only logging roads and bears. I played chicken on a KLX250 with a grizzly bear there one day. The bear almost won. I ended up with a broken license plate.

But if I move further south I get to Washington State, USA. They get almost as much rain as we do. The American border guys don't like me. They had me wait on the bench (the group w bench, Alice's Restaurant, Arlo Guthrie) for 45 minutes while they searched my car and tried to find out which Dave Jones I was. I was the one without the criminal record but apparently many Dave Jones's have one.

They searched the aviation databases and found out that I flew around in several small planes across the border. I was a non-pilot member of the Abbotsford Flying Club back then. My boss at the time rented airplanes to people without asking too many questions.

I would have to get a passport to go to the USA. I am scared to get a passport. My mother died a few years ago and at 56 I discovered that I was born with a different name.

I will just stay were I am and have exciting times in the rain.

[davenowherejones]

I ride mine regularly in the wet/ driving rain living in the UK.
Only last night I rode into London in a torrential downpour....I have always been happy with the way it handles/grips....my only niggle is the rubbish suspension.

Yeah, in the rain you cannot see how deep the potholes are. I have a slightly bent front wheel from one of those.

[davenowherejones]

On Sundays I check my LotoMax ticket, I have breakfast at one of our many fine local fast food outlets and then I try to go for a long ride. Today, like many Sundays, it is raining.

I can basically go up one of five valleys from here. Sometimes one of them is brighter so I go that way. Other days I have to determine my personal energy levels. I have been battling illness of some kind for most of my life. Sometimes it is physical injuries. I have broken/fractured my hand, my knee, my back, my collar bone, ribs. I have been hit in the head with all sorts of things. I got an indirect bolt of lightning one day. I have grabbed too many electrical lines. I've crashed cars, trucks, motorcycles and hard landings in small aircraft. I've been kicked by cows, horses, cowboys and girls.

Today I will try to get to Subway for a sub without a bun, gluten problems. I can't talk so it should be interesting to try and tell the girls how to make it. Sometimes I type on my iPhone and get them to read it. I am also hearing impaired from a bad BOAC flight at 3 years old.

After the disappointment at the lottery place and a bad meal, I will try to get to Boston Bar up the Fraser Canyon if the road is open. Rock slides and bad drivers close the TransCanada highway more often than most people know. The Spuzzum Creek Bridge was crashed into last November and it has guard rails bungie strapped onto it. The road collapse a few years ago at Hells Gate was fixed by a narrow road sign.

The RCMP are usually waiting for me somewhere on the trip. They hide. They handle a lot of grotesque injuries. They deal with drunks and Americans. I would not want their job.

Time to pull on the rain pants and GO!!!

[montliz44]

Well, Dave, looks like you've found the solution.

Sounds like a lovely place to scoot, and riding in the cool and damp is always a treat for me, though those days are fairly rare around here.

Safe travels,

Johnny

[Bash On!]

Cool and damp is a treat for me, too. Not quite May and already getting hot and humid here.

Today was the first ride of the warm season, with the mesh jacket instead of the Aerostich. Won't get cool again until October.

Whatever the locale, if you only ride when the weather is perfect you miss a lot of good riding time. More power to you up there in BC.

[davenowherejones]

I had the usual lottery disappointment. The girl in subway made me a breakfast salad with jalapeños and overcharged me so I drank all of their bad coffee.

I got to Spuzzum and by some miracle the bridge has finally been fixed sort of. The railing was replaced but the 1957 main part of the bridge is probably of suspect condition. I was born in 1959 and my condition is bad so the bridge is probably worse.

Now because I drank way too much bad coffee I to go pee. I pulled over and headed for the edge of a parking area. I found a tree and started the procedure. I was going to describe the 16 step strip tease needed to go pee in the rain but it got ugly. I did notice that I was standing on the edge of a cliff and the river was about a 1000 feet below. Two more steps forward and you would have needed a helicopter to recover my body.

It was sunny in Boston Bar so I kept going. I had a strong tail wind all the way to Lytton. It got up Jackass Mountain Summit (345 meters). It is not very high but the road is a little steep and you see the river hundreds of feet below you. I pulled into Lytton and had coffee at the native run gas station. Nice people. Pretty girls.

more later . . .

[montliz44]

Pics, pics, pics!

Fire up that phone camera, Dave. I'd love to see those places. So envious of you having that beautiful country to scoot through. Glad you made it back in one piece and keep up the good work.

Johnny

[davenowherejones]

I do not know how or where to post pictures here.

[Z-Mac]

I think my fellow Canuck friend that you'd already made the right move by living in the town called "Hope" LOL That's all you can do when you ride the Forza in the rain....

Glad you made it out safe!