Recently got a 2008 Street Bob. Could not travel with the wife (our schedules did not match), so I said that I would ride out with the bike & meet her where she was at. It was a 350 mile trip. My bike is bone stock and not set up for touring (or even day trips). I checked the weather the night before, but we all know how weather reports go. Long story short, I had rain for 200 of 350 miles on the way down. She was having car trouble, so I was on a mission to get down to where she was at. I had no rain gear, so it was not fun, but I managed. Stepped every hour to get coffee & pump some of the water out of my boots. Hell, even my riding jacket was soaked. Seems like you hit a point where you are uncomfortable and after that it just does not get much worse. Anyway, eventually I made it through the rain, and, I cannot begin to describe how elated I felt when the sun came out & I was beginning to dry our & warm up.

The trip back was much nicer. Sunny and 80F. Cruised back home running at a nice smooth 80.

Overall, it was a good trip. The mileage was good, getting low 52 mpg (running at 60 mph) or so on the way down and 45 mpg (running 80 mph) back home. I felt a sense of accomplishment knowing that I could suffer through the rain if I have to, knowing that down the road I will have the proper gear. Was very pleased in how well the bike ran & how stable it was. Obviously, I need to get it set up for day trips, get rain gear, etc. Nonetheless, I'm glad that I took it for this trip.

 

Riding in bad weather is never nice, but hopefully it was warm. Warm rain is annoying but cold rain SUCKS.

 

Always strap rain gear somewhere on the bike....I learned the hard way!

 

Funny, I am willing to bet a lot of us here had, at some point, encountered rain woefully unprepared.
My first REAL rain storm was only a couple years ago. I rode to work, it was gorgeous. I rode the 25 miles home in a thunderstorm, in the dark, in HEAVY rain.
Half helmet, crappy safety glasses.
Leather jacket
Jeans
Boots.
That was the WORST. It took almost a week for the leather to dry....I couldnt see 20 feet in front of me at any time. I pulled over to wait the storm out for a half hour, and it never let up. So, I just endured.
Now, my rain gear resides in a saddle bag.
All.
The.
Time.

 

Will do. Just as soon as I buy some...

 

Sometime it's not that fun at the time. The fun is looking back on it and the sense of accomplishment you feel.

 

Yeah man, riding in rain is rarely enjoyable but much less so not being prepared while on a long run. Learned long ago to keep the gear with me when I do take a long ride. Local runs no, but I don't even take local rides without a helmet that doesn't have a shield as I wear glasses and not being able to see is dangerous at best. Hey, sounds like you got your cherry busted!!! ?

 

Adventure isn't always fun while you're having it. I still remember my first motorcycle road trip 34 years ago. 400 miles each direction to visit a friend of mine, no rain gear. The ride back was interrupted by me sitting on the covered porch of a little country store in the mountains, watching the rain come down for a few hours. Sucked at the time, but I wouldn't trade it for anything.

 

Thats a long ride in the rain for sure! The day I got my license last spring it rained so it was a good start for me haha. Was on a ride last summer about 100 miles from home and got caught in the rain for about 70 miles of it, no fun. Had a Yamaha Bolt with no saddle bags, no windshield and no rain gear. As Colorado Mac said, at least it was warm! Next road trip will be better for you!

 

I rode ONE trip with sh*tty rain gear, I learned my lesson. With good rain gear, a day riding in the rain is still a good day. Congrats on your first adventure, you will soon be dreaming of the next one.