Winter is Coming

[Jake]

I could have it wait a bit - more wood to get in, want to make room in the barn for the T this year...it's always something, no?

[slowmover]

I prefer winter. I feel better,have more energy ,breathe and sleep better.Food and wine seem to taste better.The air is crisp.There's nothing good about summer around here for me.The heat, humidity,bugs,mold and pollen wear me out.Plus there is generally more riff-raff ,noise and bad behavior in the higher temps.

[Muzz]

Down below on the backside of the planet we are heading in to summer. Bike is now registered; still needs a bit more maintenance done. Guzzi rally may have to be missed this year. Still trying to catch up after having 6 weeks out of the country. Weather is warming up.

[Jim Rich]

Good luck to N.C. dodging the storm.  I hate those things, had our share here on the Gulf Coast. 

[Nic in Western NYS]

Haiti in the line of fire.  Thoughts for those at risk.

[Nic in Western NYS]

Fighting off getting too accustomed to the gentle climate here - riding a couple hundred miles yesterday in the beautiful crisp 55F mountain air I turned on the danged heated grips and changed to heavier gloves.  NEVER would have done that living in interior New England two years ago!

[John A]

I quit riding when they start salting the roads. Unless I have a rat bike , that stuff is so corrosive and people are too ignorant to get a set of dedicated winter wheels and tires. They want the roads salted and sanded and don't take responsibility for their own driving when it gets slippery. Ten year old cars are usually junk due to corrosion.

[Nic in Western NYS]

I quit riding when they start salting the roads. Unless I have a rat bike , that stuff is so corrosive and people are too ignorant to get a set of dedicated winter wheels and tires. They want the roads salted and sanded and don't take responsibility for their own driving when it gets slippery. Ten year old cars are usually junk due to corrosion.

Agreed regarding salt.  Ten year old cars up north were junk.  Down here, there are some real classics without rot. Beautiful thing.

[normzone]

Nic, is that western north carolina or northern california ?   

[Sasquatch Jim]

 Yeh it sure is comming.  Up here in the north of this island it never got to eighty the blast few days.

[JJ]

I quit riding when they start salting the roads. Unless I have a rat bike , that stuff is so corrosive and people are too ignorant to get a set of dedicated winter wheels and tires. They want the roads salted and sanded and don't take responsibility for their own driving when it gets slippery. Ten year old cars are usually junk due to corrosion.

Remember this stuff?  Back in the day, when I lived in upstate NY (who also salts the sh*t out of the roads  ), we had our cars injected the door and body panels of our vehicles with this black oozy stuff called Ziebart - which was a sound dampener AND a rust inhibitor.  Never kept a car long enough to find out...but I always remember my '76 Camaro did ride better...and felt heavier! (LOL)

[Mark Harpell]

Gotta admit..the goose sure loves the cold dry air...runs soooo nice.....
Me..not so much....not much use for winter anymore......

[normzone]

Yeah yeah , we know you Cal-ee four-nians think that nothing worthwhile ever happens except there

Au contraire, I was just trying to find out if he was in New Caledonia or some such place.

I'm well aware that outside of the Golden State there's plenty of fun and rewarding activities taking place - as examples, armadillo bowling comes to mind immediately, and competitive amateur snow tracking can be a lot of fun.

[ITSec]

Remember this stuff?  Back in the day, when I lived in upstate NY (who also salts the sh*t out of the roads  ), we had our cars injected the door and body panels of our vehicles with this black oozy stuff called Ziebart - which was a sound dampener AND a rust inhibitor.  Never kept a car long enough to find out...but I always remember my '76 Camaro did ride better...and felt heavier! (LOL)

I worked at a Ziebart franchise for about three months when I was in university. The stuff worked if applied properly to a new or nearly new car, and Ziebart was the only company that actually bought a car in each new body design to take apart and figure out where to drill and spray to protect the inside of the panels.

However, it should be noted that I smelled like petroleum tar throughout that time, and for about another three months after I quit. The stuff couldn't be removed, it just had to wear off...

[Nic in Western NYS]

Nic, is that western north carolina or northern california ?   

Lots of amazing place in the country - NorCal and WNC are two for sure.

[sturgeon]

Just back from 9 days canoeing. We saw morning frost on 3 of those days.

I like winter - makes it easy to park the bike, no side-stand req'd...

[Sheepdog]

 Take heart...

[Testarossa]

My daughter is down for a visit from Jackson, Wyo, and called to ask for a motorcycle ride. Forecast was sunny and dry and 62F here in Longmont, and when I woke up there was frost on the windshields of cars parked outside. Clouds were building up on the west side of the Continental Divide, which means snow in Winter Park and areas to the west.

We headed out at noon for the usual 100-mile loop through the foothills, under blue skies with a strong wind from the west. We climbed westward toward the clouds. At 9,000 feet a few snowflakes danced in the wind. I turned on the grip heaters. We rode about 30 miles in light snow but on dry pavement -- great ride! No significant traffic, and this engine just loves to run cool.

Loveland began making snow yesterday and I start ski school clinics on Nov 12. Can't wait.

[ohiorider]

I wouldn't mind riding through Death Valley during the winter.

Do it!  Back in 1999, I rented a BMW R1100R ahead of time, and met up with a good riding buddy and his wife in Barstow, CA.  We worked for Rockwell Automation, and took advantage of the fact that the company asked us to support trade show booths at our corporate trade show (Automation Fair.)  So, air fare was covered to the West Coast.  I 'rental car'd' it to San Diego, where Dan Picker of California Rentals picked me up, and took me to my ride, an R1100R that was perfect for the Death Valley ride.

This was within 10-15 days of Christmas, and it was wonderful.  Not too much daylight (sun was behind the mountains in Death Valley by 5 pm or so), but compared to what we would face when we returned to Cleveland, this was a really nice wintertime outing.  Scotty's Castle, Dante's View, Furnace Creek, and just the fact that we had most of Death Valley to ourselves was quite an experience.

Bob

[Tom]

It'll probably happen within a couple of years.  I'm pushing the kid to go to school at UNR rather than a school east of the Mississippi.

[twowings]

Been following a RR on a certain adventure riding site as our heroes are racing south just ahead of serious Alaskan winter...the pics and descriptions of the changing weather caused an involuntary shiver deep down in my bones...cue etheral wintertime music and howling wind noises...