Rain Ride with a New Rider

[Stichill_imp]

Yesterday I did a memorable rain ride with my exuberant future son-in-law. But there's a backstory to cover first.

Late last fall he impulsively looked at craigslist and bought his first street bike, a 1976 KZ400 in fairly ratty condition, with the classic early KZ400 oil leaks still leaking. It looks a lot better in the photos than it does in person...lots of rash and small issues with a few missing parts and things that don't function: speedo, odo, tach, primary/reserve (only works on reserve). But brakes, lights, steering, suspension, and engine work well.







He was anxious to try it out, so I rode it for him on surface streets over to a local school parking lot and lent him my DOT dirtbike helmet.



He did great, but he wasn't licensed for the road and winter was fast approaching anyway. So he decided to hold off on training until the spring.

His plan was to fix it up over the winter, but he's an honors engineering student involved in designing and building the school's Formula SAE car...and it ended up that he didn't really have much spare time to work on his bike.

He lives in a second-story apartment without any garage space, so he brought the bike upstairs and parked it in his kitchen, in the space normally reserved for a table. Here he is literally sleeping with his bike.



Anyway, this spring he took his MSF training and got his motorcycle license, but he's only had the bike re-assembled and road-worthy (I use that term generously) less than a week. Last weekend, my teenage son and I helped him bring it down from the apartment.

Ever since the weather warmed up, he's been itching to ride. He's finished with exams, he's geared up, licensed, and the bike is operational. I left work a couple hours early one day last week and we rode together for the first time on some nice roads north of Stamping Ground.



I was not a big fan of his choice of dark-colored gear from a safety standpoint, and indeed a car pulled out in front of him from the left side of the road...too close for comfort as he approached. I had tucked a mil-spec hi-viz vest into my saddlebag and he was more than happy to put it on after that episode. As it turns out, he thinks it looks pretty cool and matches the style of his leather jacket rather well.



Fast-forward to yesterday's ride. The after-work ride only whetted his appetite for more. He just couldn't wait to join me on one of my weekend jaunts. Even though it was hard to find any optimism in Saturday's weather forecast, he still wanted us to go. I'm up north near Cincinnati, he's in Lexington, and this is what was sitting out to our west heading east.



Truthfully, I was not overly enthusiastic about the prospect of hitting foul weather, but I had empathy and wanted to be there to guide him if need be. Not to mention...help him fix the bike if there were any breakdowns. My roadside tool wrap went into a saddlebag.

We decided to meet each other more or less halfway, at Mt. Olivet, at 10:00am. About an hour and a half ride for me, and him. The idea was to try to go east and stave off the rain if we could, rather than heading west right into it.

Well, half way there, I started getting wet in a light drizzle. I had pulled over under the partially dry shelter of a tree to have a look at weather radar.





Realizing that this was going to be my riding destiny, I got back on the bike and continued on to Mt. Olivet. It stopped precipitating about ten miles later, and I rode into town on fairly dry roads. Nevertheless I pulled into an abandoned spray wash as shelter in case the rain caught up to me while I waited. I didn't wait long...here comes my new riding partner on his KZ400.





We headed to Brooksville for brunch at Donna's Place. While we ate, it started pouring down outside. I checked radar and we were engulfed by the system. The only chance to find drier roads looked to be southeast. I put on my raingear (Frogg Toggs) and lent my buddy some rain mitts and off we went.

I don't have any more photos of the day simply because it wasn't feasible with my phone in a ziplock bag. I have to say I thoroughly enjoyed myself once we got out into it. I never would have gone out, left to my own devices. We literally rode in and out of hard and soft rain all day, but it was mostly on back roads. I imagined myself riding along rain-drenched country lanes in the England, Scotland, or Ireland.

He is proving to be a careful and skilled rider with good bike control and cornering ability (he has extensive off-road experience). As it turned out, I need not have felt trepidation about a new rider and rain on an old bike. (My primary worry about this bike and its oil leaking is the fear that it will get on the rear tire. Miraculously, it somehow does not).

We ended up eating dinner at a pizza joint in Cynthiana. We stomped in soaking wet and the waitresses welcomed us with bemusement. "Why are ya'll out ridin' tu-day?" "He just got his license and his bike running. We had to go out!" They asked us where we wanted to sit and we said, "Wherever you don't mind mopping up a big puddle."

It rained hard while we ate, but the clouds parted before we finished. We gassed up and continued riding on mostly dry roads. Suddenly, I noted that the KZ was slowing down for no apparent reason. We pulled over and learned that the electrical system had gone completely dead, killing the engine and all the lights. He looked at me and I said, "I brought my tool wrap."

We checked the fuses, all good. So, no short circuits. A poor connection somewhere. We pulled and re-installed the fuses in case there was some corrosion there. Operated the switches, tugged and pulled on various connections.

Fate smiled upon is; the bike came back to life and we rode on towards a glorious sunset.

It was an experience I will never forget.

[Rocky_imp]

Nice ride
Glad the electrical mystery was solved and you got home OK

[the Ferret]

It's so strange to read on an international forum about roads that you know like the back of your hand, only someone else is riding them and writing the words.

Glad he's getting along ok on the bike. He needs something better. Once he becomes a son in law maybe. BTW Beechmont Motorsports just took in a low miles barely used CB250R if you want matching rides.

Yesterday I didn't ride do to that darn heavy rain. First day this month I missed. Made up for it this morning with 2 rides. About 112 miles total I think.

[kennyw]

Tell him hello from a UWASHINGTON FSAE member. I'm surprised he found any time to put that bike together.

I went out and bought the CB1100 because I had no time to work on the 1982 CB750C.

[Stichill_imp]

Thanks for the supportive commentary everyone.

He has the indomitable optimism of youth coupled with a can-do, let's just do it attitude. He's different than most young people in that he was raised in a demanding environment where he had to work hard physically and the quality of his work was judged critically. He grew up with little supervision or adult concern for his safety or well-being, so nothing seems to deter or intimidate him. Nothing was ever given to him and everything he has accomplished in life has come by his own initiative and effort. He's the first person in his family to attend college and he went on full academic scholarships, even studying Calculus abroad a semester in Germany.

I agree ferret, he needs a better bike. He doesn't like modern bikes with their computers and plastic parts. I just would like to see him get a better basis as a starting point.

[Pterodactyl_imp]

That is an inspiring post.

Cheers

[Cormanus]

Yet another great report, Stichill. I also got a good soaking on the bike yesterday. I expected the odd light shower and didn't stop to put on my wet weather kit. Mistake.

[flynrider]

Looks like a great first trip. Nothing like a bit of weather to highten the sense of adventure

I can relate to your friends affinity for the old KZ. My first bike was also a well worn KZ400 that took me all over the Western U.S. They are tough machines and with a little effort, you can get them running like new. If he hasn't done it already, have him visit the late Odd Ivar's site at KZ400.com (an amazing resource for the bike). There are also quite a few very helpful KZ400 restorers at KZRider.com.

[Novice_imp]

His plan was to fix it up over the winter, but he's an honors engineering student involved in designing and building the school's Formula SAE car...

I see an R1 somewhere in his future

[Stichill_imp]

Thanks for the KZ links, Flynrider. It's actually a nifty small standard. The firing order of the engine produces a very pleasant tone, and even with the shorty pipes it's not loud at all. Like a lot of young guys who are interested in retro bikes, he wanted to go café style. But once he started riding it, he realized how impractical dropped handlebars would be. I want to re-direct his attention from cosmetic modifications to mechanical improvement and soundness.