Gimme Shelter

Yesterday, I rode from South Kingstown to West Warwick to get my motorcycle inspected (I had bought it in Massachusetts, so it had never been inspected in Rhode Island). I decided to take Interstate 95, since I was in the mood for some highway riding. The weather was hot and sunny, a perfect day for riding, I thought, but I soon saw some dark clouds in the distance and realized there was a chance I'd get caught in some rain.

Just as I neared my exit, Route 3 in West Greenwich, rain began to fall on me, slowly at first, then heavier, so I took shelter under a gas station canopy. I was soon joined by another motorcyclist, a young man riding an older, 250 cc Suzuki. It was an isolated rain, and there were sunny skies approaching, so I figured I'd just wait it out.

I shot the breeze with the dude, and I told him his motorcycle looked similar to my first bike, a Yamaha Virago. He told me he had had another motorcycle, but it was totaled when a car rear-ended him and sent him flying over the handlebars (luckily, he landed on grass and was not seriously hurt, he said.) He wanted another motorcycle, but was short on cash, so he found this bike, which had the engine out of the frame, for free, and then brought it back to life. He said he was on his way to his boss' house to get his pay check when he got caught in the rain.

The rain began to let up after about five minutes and I pulled out of the gas station as steam rose from the blacktop. There was still plenty of standing water on Route 3 and the spray kicked up by cages and my front tire felt good against my jeans and tee shirt. A quick rain on hot pavement creates a unique smell, different from a longer rainfall. By the time I got five miles up the road, the pavement was dry.

I pulled into Adrenaline Rush Motorsports on New London Turnpike in West Warwick and saw Brenda and Charlie Nault, who were picking up Brenda's bike, which had just had its rear tire replaced. After a quick check of my bike's tires, brakes and lights, I received my state inspection sticker and was on my way back home. My bike's now fully legal - registered, insured and inspected.