It was Todd Trumbore’s annual vintage ride, and it was raining buckets all morning. I decided not to take the R50 and to opt for something with better brakes in the wet and better electrical. There was a break in the rain and I headed out. 5 miles later, the rain resumed, and combined with the cold for an adventuresome ride (see squandering the attention budget). Although the R90S has no windshield, the bikini fairings does redirect much of the rain. Another pleasant surprise were the Dunlop tires. They displaced water very well, and felt very stable in the wet. This might have been a pleasant ride if I wasn’t suffering from lack of rain gear, and lack of warm gear….
The event ended in a picnic as usual, and despite the gloomy skies and chilly temps, a good time was had by all. Both Bill Foster and Horst brought their R65LS bikes, so that was a rare sighting of more than one. A few new folks showed up and added to the fun collection of bikes. An R100 with a Yamaha front end !! The engineering skills never cease to amaze. I was amused to see an R69S with a magnetic tank bag on the rear rack, in identical fashion to the way I had equipped my R50 the year before!
I was among the last to leave hoping that the clouds in my direction would move on. No such luck, as 5 miles into the return journey, the rains came back with a vengeance. It was a bit more tolerable as I had my grocery bag diaper on to keep the water out of my crotch. Well some of it anyway…..back home, a hot shower and a cup of tea were in order. I could swear it was only yesterday that we were sweltering in the 100 degree heat at the MOA Rally…
