Anybody else ride year 'round?

[inditx]

I know it is weather specific to your locale however, I live in the Midwest USA and have ridden at least once every month for the last 7 years.
It is invigorating! 
Anyone else?
inditx

[Milosh]

If the temperature is below 35, I'm not riding. If it is above 35, I tend to, unless I know there's ice on the roads.

[Bpreynolds2]

Courtesy of Gerbing’s I have nearly always driven year round.  I used to ride in some seriously stupid temps, like upper teens and mid 20s but these days it usually needs to be above freezing for me to get out there.  Even said, some of my most memorable trips have been very late Fall, even early Winter.  Nobody else on the road, the dense air making the bike sound purrrrfect.  Very nice. 

[yamaguzzi]

I ride year round In winter if it's over 40F and the roads are dry I'm out

[Guzzitenn]

Here in Tn winter is mild mostly and I have an electric jacket which makes it easy to convert as temps go up during the day. I do remember Kansas City winters when we lived in Overland Pk

[Guzzi Gal]

Me!


Gigi's Puddle by Guzzi Gal, on Flickr

[guzzisteve]

I used to because I had to, crashed 4 wheels. Sidecar was winter bike, can't fall down. Now I have good 4 wheels so not so much, maybe every couple weeks. I have never used electric anything. I also gave RatGuzzi crap when I saw an electric plug on his bike.

[bobrebos]

I used to try to.  Now I’m to old and to soft.  But sometimes I go for a spin in the cold temps.  Haven’t been riding much at all lately frankly.  Thursday night I’m riding the goldwing down to the GWRRA monthly dinner though maybe.  If you read my weight loss post….I’ll have a salad.  Lol

[Kiwi_Roy]

I go for coffee once a week all year round, it was 1C this morning and I still haven't thawed out.
I ride with Gerbing heated gloves and a vest.

[Huzo]

I did an 18,000 k ride on a 110 Honda recently.
I started in 8 degrees C, around the top in 33 degrees C, and finished back home in 10 degrees C.
That was sort of like riding all year ‘round.

[Huzo]

Me!


Gigi's Puddle by Guzzi Gal, on Flickr

Class...

[nick949]

Nah. Just summer, me 

Nick

[xackley]

a few years ago I rode at least 1 day in every month. In the north east this is unusual unless you like sliding in slush snow and ice.

[bulwnkl]

I do, but MUCH less than I used to in the summers. It’s SO hot here that’s it’s genuinely exhausting and dehydrating, not to mention somewhere between unpleasant and just plain miserable.

[Shorty]

When I was still commuting, I would ride until the first road sanding. Longer if we got a good rain to wash that crap away. Don't like ice or sand on the road, especially after dark. Since I retired, I have a thousand excuses to take 4 wheels. Comfort is king.

[twowheeladdict]

There are a few days in the summer where I only ride if I can ride from dawn to 11 AM at the latest, and a few days in winter that keep me only on the main roads because we have roads that never quite dry in the winter months which means black ice.

[Antietam Classic Cycle]

Look up Blaine Paulus. He lives in Pennsylvania and until that special thing where've all been dealing for the last 18 months put him in the hospital back in March he had ridden at least 10 miles every day within missing a day since February 21, 1997 or over 8,700 days in a row.

Personally I've found riding at least once a month is not difficult as usually there is one day you can eek out a ride where the weather is decent enough to get 10 or 20 miles in. When I had the sidecar rig I prayed for snow. Talk about fun.

  Blaine is on the right.


 

[Ncdan]

12 out of 12 👍🥶

[Scout63]

I ride all year.  I have a three mile commute and I ride if it is not snowing or raining or roads are icy. My cutoff is about 30F though.

[n3303j]

Gave up cars in 2008. Wasn't retired yet. Going to work in Massachusetts winter was part of the deal. It's been fun (sometimes weird fun).

[inditx]

Great stories guys and gals and pics!
Keep em coming!
inditx

[Guzzistajohn]

riding all year is not too big of a deal in SW Missouri, I don't need no steenking sta-bil 

[guzziart]

No big deal in Northeast Ohio if you don't mind Ohio road salt & brine and their effect on your machine.

[Kiwi_Roy]

Class...

Great Picture 

[sidecarnutz]

Here in SE VA. its pretty mild except for some time in Jan. Then it can get into the teens for a couple weeks at a time. Then in Feb. you can get some snow storms. But it all melts within a few days. I can generally ride all year round, but I stay home if there is salt on the roadways. Even the dry salt powder can play havoc in electrical connectors!

[xackley]

No big deal in Northeast Ohio if you don't mind Ohio road salt & brine and their effect on your machine.

in the late 70s I lived 2 years in Geneva on the Lake, no way could I ride through those winters!

[DesertPilot]

It can be a challenge battling winter weather here in the Bay Area, but I you're determined and dress warmly, it's possible to survive those brutal days when the temperature drops into the 70's 





Rain's another matter around here.  When a serious storm blows in from the Pacific, and there can be some question which roads still exist and which ones have washed away, I chicken out and stay off them until Caltrans has a chance to figure things out...

[Tim Henry]

Ride almost every day for last 30 years even when I lived in middle Tennessee (black ice was a factor) , north Florida still gets plenty cold in winter, I rode the kids to school every day when we lived in the virgin Islands

[Dimitri_Harkov]

As long as it's 1°C+ and the roads are not covered in salt water, I'm riding.

Cheers,
D

[jas67]

Me!


Gigi's Puddle by Guzzi Gal, on Flickr

Beautiful pic.   Where in AZ did you find a puddle?   

I envy those in climates that get very little rain, and starting now through spring, envy those who do not have to endure winter.

That said, as long as temps are above 32F and the roads are dry and ice free, I will ride at least some.   Before -, I commuted to work
on my motorcycles almost daily from about mid-March through mid December.   It just isn't worth it when it's below freezing in the morning though.   So, in the winter, getting out for a weekend ride when the weather allows is a real treat!

To make winter rides over an hour pleasant, heated gear is a must.    My R1200RS has excellent wind protection and heated grips, so, usually just my trusty Tourmaster heated jacket and Aerostich Road crafter plus a pair of Rev-IT winter gloves that have much thinner insulation on the palms (for better control feel, and to let the heat from the grips reach my hands) is my go-to kit.     If the temps aren't going to make it above 40, I will often just use the First Gear heated gloves instead.    I also have heated socks for those really code days.   Hands and feet are the hardest parts to keep warm.   Wearing good thermal layers on the legs to keep the blood supply to the feet warm is a big help.   Keeping the core warm with the heated jacket is the real key though.   Once your core is not warm enough, the body reduces blood supply to the extremities,  and the battle with the cold is lost.