Tail like a Peacock

OK, so I have yet to ride the NX is the rain. However, I did ride it, this morning, through the wet. A storm system passed through Chicago-land just before I left for work. The roads were wet enough that water still pooled on the pavement and it had not yet begun to dry. I was pretty surprised by how wet everything was on the back of the bike. I have switched from the Givi Top Case ( I'll discuss why in a future post) to a simple rear rack and a SealLine waterproof shoulder bag. I use an Outdoor Research Dry Sack (25L) to protect the laptop which is strapped on the rear rack. Both the dry sack and the shoulder bag were wet and there was even a spot of the back of the seat that was damp, too. I have to think that the rear bodywork does not do a very good job of shielding the spray kicked up by the rear tire. I may look into adding some shielding now that I know this.

Additionally, the NX still rides on the original equipment tires; Bridgestone Trail Wings. I've heard of these tires referred to as "Death Wings" due to their lack of off-road grip. They seem to be pretty good on the pavement (for 22 year old tires) but they'll need to be replaced if only due to their age. In the mean time, if I can burn them up, I'll feel much better about replacing them.