The quick answer
GoodDayTo checks whether your complete selected motorcycle ride stays dry enough, calm enough and inside daylight, while preserving the existing hard caps for thunderstorms, fog, snow, freezing precipitation, extreme heat, extreme cold and very strong gusts. The first result remains deliberately simple: GO, WAIT or NOT TODAY, the best complete time, and one memorable explanation. Exact forecast facts remain in the supporting detail so the first screen does not become a wall of numbers.
This is a planning filter, not permission to ride. A forecast cannot inspect the road, tyres, brakes, lights, traffic, surface contamination, closures, route exposure or rider skill. A positive weather result only means the measured hourly forecast fits the activity model.
How the whole motorcycle ride is scored
Choose one, three or five hours. GoodDayTo searches the hourly forecast for a continuous block of that full length. It does not quietly replace a requested half-day ride with one attractive hour. Every candidate block combines apparent temperature, rain probability, measured precipitation, sustained wind, gusts and daylight. Activity-specific and shared severe-weather caps are applied after the ordinary comfort score, so one problematic final hour cannot be averaged away by earlier pleasant weather.
GO
A GO window stays below the motorcycle rain, wind and gust caution levels for every selected hour, remains in daylight and has no stronger shared weather cap. GO means the forecast is a favourable practical fit, not that the road or ride is safe.
WAIT
WAIT applies when total precipitation reaches 0.1 mm, an hourly rain probability reaches 35%, sustained wind reaches 25 km/h, gusts reach 38 km/h, or any selected hour is after dark. It may also mean a better full window appears later.
NOT TODAY
NOT TODAY applies when total precipitation reaches 0.2 mm, an hourly rain probability reaches 60%, sustained wind reaches 35 km/h or gusts reach 50 km/h. Thunderstorms, fog, snow, freezing precipitation and other shared hazards can impose still stronger caps.
Rain is checked across the whole ride
The motorcycle rule evaluates every selected hour. At least 0.2 mm total precipitation or a 60% rain probability in any hour caps the ride at 45, which is NOT TODAY. At least 0.1 mm or 35% caps it at 70, which is WAIT. A fully dry ride remains eligible for GO. These are conservative planning guardrails, not claims that the same rainfall amount creates identical road conditions everywhere.
Rain probability and forecast amount answer different questions. The probability describes the chance of measurable precipitation at the forecast point; it does not say that it will rain for that percentage of the ride. Measured precipitation estimates an amount but cannot reveal standing water, spray, drainage, oil, diesel, mud, leaves or wet painted markings. GoodDayTo shows both inputs and never fabricates road grip.
Wind and gust limits
Sustained wind of 25 km/h or gusts of 38 km/h prevent GO. Sustained wind of 35 km/h or gusts of 50 km/h cap the result at NOT TODAY. The complete ride uses the strongest selected-hour signal. A calm departure cannot hide a gustier return hour.
These limits cannot calculate a true crosswind. Forecast wind speed does not know the direction of your road, shelter from buildings or trees, exposed bridges, gaps in hedges, passing high-sided vehicles, motorcycle type, luggage or rider experience. Treat the numbers as a consistent screening rule and check route-specific warnings separately. The Met Office’s strong-wind advice specifically calls for extra care around motorcyclists and exposed roads.
Daylight, fog, snow and thunderstorms
An after-dark selected hour cannot receive GO. Night riding is possible, but GoodDayTo cannot assess headlight performance, visor condition, unlit hazards, fatigue, wildlife, glare or route familiarity. The default model therefore keeps the everyday recommendation conservative without pretending darkness always makes a ride impossible.
Weather codes for fog, snowfall, freezing precipitation and thunderstorms trigger hard caps that survive multi-hour averaging. The result does not wait for rain totals to become large when the forecast already signals a visibility, ice or lightning problem. The National Weather Service motorcycle lightning guidance advises riders near safe shelter to pull over and wait after thunder; a motorcycle itself is not lightning shelter.
A practical example
Suppose a three-hour plan is dry and calm for the first two hours, but the final hour reaches 60% rain probability and 0.2 mm precipitation. The complete ride is capped at 45 and returns NOT TODAY. If the final hour instead reaches 35% and 0.1 mm, the cap is 70 and the result is WAIT. If all three hours stay dry, daylight, comfortable and below 25 km/h sustained wind and 38 km/h gusts, the ride can remain eligible for GO.
The same rule protects a five-hour plan. A rainy fifth hour is part of the ride, not an unrelated forecast detail. If a later complete block is meaningfully better, Better later can point to it; it will never claim a better time based on a shortened window.
Which duration should I choose?
- 1 hour: a short local ride, commute or quick test loop.
- 3 hours: an ordinary leisure ride with enough time for the return.
- 5 hours: a genuine half-day route where later weather matters materially.
Select the time you actually expect to be exposed. Duration is not a route planner and does not include breaks unless those breaks fall inside the chosen block.
Road and motorcycle checks stay separate
GoodDayTo cannot inspect tyre pressure or tread, brakes, chain, lights, fuel, luggage, protective equipment, visor condition, rider health, licensing, insurance, traffic, road works, flooding, ice, potholes, debris or closures. The NHTSA severe-weather guidance warns against driving into flooded roads and stresses caution when visibility is poor. The UK Highway Code’s adverse-weather rules cover wet, icy, snowy, windy and foggy conditions. Local law and official warnings always override the score.
Check the real surface before committing to the route. A forecast cannot know whether earlier rain remains on shaded corners, whether a bridge is exposed, or whether road treatment and drainage differ along the journey. If the road looks worse than the forecast, trust what you can see and turn back or postpone.
What GoodDayTo measures—and what it does not
- Hourly rain probability
- Forecast precipitation amount
- Sustained wind
- Wind gusts
- Apparent temperature
- Daylight
- Weather-code hazards
Local Fit remains intentionally limited. GoodDayTo does not claim a road is open, scenic, legal, quiet, paved, gritted or suitable for motorcycles. It does not infer a safe route from nearby places and does not fabricate live traffic, surface temperature, radar, flood depth or road-friction measurements.
Before you ride
- Read current weather and road warnings for the full route, not only the start point.
- Inspect the motorcycle, tyres, visor, lights and protective gear.
- Make a lightning safety plan with real enclosed shelter along the route.
- Shorten or postpone the ride when the surface, visibility or your condition is worse than the score suggests.
Frequently asked questions
How does GoodDayTo check rain across a motorcycle ride?
Every hour in the selected one-, three- or five-hour ride is checked. At least 0.2 mm total precipitation or a 60% hourly probability caps the result at NOT TODAY; at least 0.1 mm or 35% caps it at WAIT.
How do wind and gusts affect the verdict?
Sustained wind of 25 km/h or gusts of 38 km/h prevent GO. Sustained wind of 35 km/h or gusts of 50 km/h cap the result at NOT TODAY. These are conservative planning guardrails, not universal riding-safety limits.
Can an after-dark motorcycle ride receive GO?
No. GoodDayTo caps an after-dark selected hour at WAIT because low light changes visibility and the forecast cannot judge the route, lighting, fatigue or rider experience.
Does GO mean the road is dry and safe?
No. Forecast data cannot see standing water, diesel, mud, wet leaves, painted markings, potholes, road works, traffic, tyre condition or local closures.
What happens when thunderstorms, fog, snow or freezing precipitation are forecast?
Shared safety caps override comfortable temperature. Thunderstorms, fog, snow and freezing precipitation can force NOT TODAY even when other hours look pleasant.
Which duration should I choose?
Choose one hour for a short local ride, three hours for an ordinary outing, or five hours for a genuine half-day plan. GoodDayTo checks every hour requested and never silently shortens the ride.