so hubby finally got his bike from shop (2nd time this month, moneynpit :-(  so we decided to hop on our bikes Sun morning thinking we jad a while before the impending stom heading our way.   On our return it started.  Just a sprinkle at first but then sudden deluge.  I swore id never get caught in the rain out on my bike but there we were and what can ya do but just keep on ridin and get home.  It doesnt end there though.  Hubbys stupid bike (aka the one that shall not be named) decided to die on one stop we tryed to take shelter under some trees.  After about 10 minwe got it to start but only for it to die again a couple miles down at a red light.   This time I had to ride home get the truck and come back to help try jump starting it which worked but would again die.  Took a while but finally got it home and another call to the shop we think its an electrical issue.   Really hoping itll be road worthy before the end of riding season here in NH as thats not a yr round thing for us here.

Well, this may or may not apply to the bike that shall not be named...but, a few years ago I had a similar problem. I had ditched my car and decided that I was gonna use my sportster as my primary vehicle. It also turned out to be the 2nd rainiest winter in California history. Whenever I would get caught riding in the rain, the regulator would get wet, the bike would stop running and you'd have to coast over somewhere and dry it off, after which, it would run for a little while and die again. I had meant to get a cover for it, and you can also put some dielectric grease on the spark plug wire ends which might help minimize that...I just put up with it until summer though and tried not to ride in the rain...besides, even if the bike ran, my boots always got full of water too....**** that.

Ahh, nothing like being caught is a down pour with no place to get off the rode.
Got caught going through the middle of Atlanta, Ga. last year. I was in the middle of town on I-20 when the sky unzipped. I followed the flash of tail lights in front of my to get through town. Fortunately it lasted for only a 4 miles or so. It seemed like an eternity.

Ah, rain stories...........Last year I went to a Harley Rally in Rome. Coming home on the 2nd day I hit rain about 2-3 hours before the night stop so stopped a couple of hours early. Next morning radar showed rain until I passed into Spain and around west of the Pyrenees Mountains (about 4 hrs). Being the big, tough guy I didn't pack my rainsuit or install the windshield for the trip.

In 30 seconds I was soaked. For the first hundred miles or so I could only see the outline intermittently of a large truck 50-75 yards in front on the highway. My leather jacket was soaked through and my shirt was dripping wet. Couple of inches of water in the boots meant whenever I stopped for gas little puddles would be left where I stood.

Fingers were white from the cold and wet. Putting the gloves back on was quite a job. Paying the toll when crossing out of France my fingers had little feeling left and I had to get a border guard take money out of my jacket pocket to pay.

Out of France rain began to let up and by the time I was out of the hills only low dark clouds with wet roads but no rain. Little farther to the SW road got dry and clouds parted. Sun came out and air got dry and warm. Switched to open gloves and bungeed jacket to bags. Ran past 2 more thunderstorms. One split in half as I was approaching and the highway took me through the dry middle. The other stayed to my south.

The moral of the story-----sometimes windshields and rainsuits actually serve a purpose.

While I tend to be a little hard headed that much negative motivation had to yield some positive effects. This year going to Croatia I packed the rainsuit and rode the trip over and back with the windshield on. (Left it at the hotel when riding around at the rally.)  Yeah, OK, maybe I'm not really all that tough.

I have heard a guy had same problem and it turned out to be the thing that screws on top of the spark plug was loose and sending some sort of fault to the computer. At least thats what the dealer told him, he was complaining he paid $300 to get the tip of the spark plug tightened. If it happens in rain its about sure to be an electrical issue. After you check the screws on top of the plugs. Start the bike in total darkness, use a spray bottle to spray a fine mist of water around electrical areas like the plug wires and coils. If you see blue flashes, there is your problem. Replace whatever they are coming from.

Just curious here,

Did you ever locate the source of the electrical issue on Hubbys ride?

The worst I ever rode thru was on the freeway, 10 miles of a gullywashing downpour,got in the slow lane and waited for the next exit,kept her under 55 and couldn't see 30 feet away from me.Rainsuit on & FFH so I kept dry basically yet I wouldn't wish that on anyone.Thankfully my ride runs/handles well even in the wet.Most likely due to the low center of gravity.Never had electrical issues as a result of riding in the rain.

Thankfully both the bikes work in the rain. I hate riding in the rain. Will take the cage if there is a chance of rain.

Since the beginning of Sept we have had 50% and up to 80% chance of rain every day. It has rained every day, not all day but for a few hours at a time. The weather radar shows scattered rain everywhere.

The one day it was clear I took the bike across town and when on the way home, it started to rain, drizzle at first then downpour. I made it to the mall and stopped under the parking decks. It took me less than 5 mins to make it to the mall but I still looked like I had been drowned in a lake. I was so wet even my socks, which were inside my boots were soaked.

Thankfully I have only been caught in the rain 3 times since the late 70's when I started riding on my old Panhead. Got lucky at times and took the cage and it poured. Got unlucky more times than not and took the cage and it did not rain.

Was a time I had to ride in the rain, today I choose if I am taking a chance on getting caught in the rain.

The rain and breaking down has really got to bite. I hate to even think about it.

Hope you got the "Thing that shall not be named" fixed.