What did you do to your Concours today?

[MAN OF BLUES]

Our temps were in the low 60's today, so I took advantage of the dry roads, and did my supposed final fillup of high octane juice, and a liberal dose of marine Stabil for winter storage, whilst engaging in my last (maybe) tag grab of the year for ADV tag o Rama..
Being on the shore of lake Erie, you get it when the gettin is good... bike is rolled into winter position now, can be removed if needed, but I'm thinking we were blessed here to get this far without a foot of snow...
We will see... snowblower has been moved into "ready position... wish I had a bigger staack of fire wood, but with the last full month of rain we had, the truck was not going back into the woods for any reason... last time I did that it was a come along, tug strap, and chains ordeal for 6 hours to extract it...

2 wheel drive trucks suck.. and my 4wd is sitting waiting again, for me to get it running... arggggg... wheel barrow and lots of manual labor for wood movement now... meh...

Ride safe y'all.

[tomp]

I've read many similar posts on other bike forums recently, and it's still Greek to me.  Preparing for winter to me, means finally turning off the AC unit in the house, and expecting a smaller Electric Bill for the next few months.  Winter usually brings more chances for rain, and added to cooler weather, makes for funky riding conditions, but in between the wet, we can ride. 

Hope all northern riders have a great winter, and please post up any changes made to your bikes, during the down time... tomp

[maxtog]

I've read many similar posts on other bike forums recently, and it's still Greek to me.  Preparing for winter to me, means finally turning off the AC unit in the house, and expecting a smaller Electric Bill for the next few months.  Winter usually brings more chances for rain, and added to cooler weather, makes for funky riding conditions, but in between the wet, we can ride. 

Hope all northern riders have a great winter, and please post up any changes made to your bikes, during the down time... tomp

Or you could be in the middle, like me.   We don't have to winterize vehicles, but it is still kinda bleak.  Winter seems dark, cold, windy, and often wet (like there).  Rarely snowy, since too near the ocean.  Wind chill is just brutal, even when the temps aren't all that low.  Thankfully it is usually not too cold to do some riding through at least 2/3 of the winter, although when it starts getting in the 30's (like it has a few times already this month), I am usually done with it all.  Rarely lower than the upper 20's, although there are always exceptions.

And yet I will be the first to complain about the 98/100+ degree summer days along with the infinitely high humidity.  It seems like we have so little inbetween!

[tomp]

And yet I will be the first to complain about the 98/100+ degree summer days along with the infinitely high humidity.  It seems like we have so little inbetween!

Same here, yet it wasn't as bad this summer than it's been in the past.  For me though, I can get cool much easier than get warm, so I'll take the summer, over the winter any time.  tomp

[maxtog]

Same here, yet it wasn't as bad this summer than it's been in the past.

Agreed.  Unusually mild summer.

For me though, I can get cool much easier than get warm, so I'll take the summer, over the winter any time.

I will say that in the winter and then completely backtrack and say the opposite in the summer.  Oh, such duplicity....

[Conrad]

Pulled all the plastic from the front end and did a coolant change, tightened the exhaust header nuts, and did an oil change too while I had it pulled apart. 20 degrees in the garage at the time.   

[gPink]

Did you bring it in the house to warm up the oil?

[Conrad]

Did you bring it in the house to warm up the oil?

As a matter of fact I did. Just the oil and coolant that is. Oh yeah, I did the rear end gear lube as well. That 75-90 is a little thick at that temp.

[Rhino]

Pulled all the plastic from the front end and did a coolant change, tightened the exhaust header nuts, and did an oil change too while I had it pulled apart. 20 degrees in the garage at the time.   

Brrr that's cold to be wrenching on stuff. My garage in CO was under the master bedroom and mostly (not always) above freezing even on really cold days. When I had to do some work in there in the winter I would use a Lasko quartz heater and full winter Carrharts overalls.

[Conrad]

Brrr that's cold to be wrenching on stuff. My garage in CO was under the master bedroom and mostly (not always) above freezing even on really cold days. When I had to do some work in there in the winter I would use a Lasko quartz heater and full winter Carrharts overalls.

My garage is unattached and unheated, it's insulated though. I had my long underwear on, top and bottom, under my clothes and I was comfortable enough. Gotta be vewy vewy careful with those plastic faring tabs at that temp though..

I planed on doing all that a couple of weeks ago when it was still warm enough to ride. Except that I was riding.   

[VirginiaJim]

Rode 300 miles to South Hill, VA and back.  Needed to charge the battery.

[connie14boy]

Rode 300 miles to South Hill, VA and back.  Needed to charge the battery.

Yours or the bike's, or both?

[tomp]

Went out today and it was windy and around 50.  Just no fun, so I made under 10 miles...  I know, wussy southern boy ...I can ride in the heat, but don't like COLD, at all.  tp

[VirginiaJim]

Yours or the bike's, or both?

Actually both.  Winter is depressing me and I needed to get out.  I've discovered I need grip heaters.

[sailor_chic]

Actually both.  Winter is depressing me and I needed to get out.  I've discovered I need grip heaters.

I agree Jim. Today we wont get to 60 degrees. Very depressing!

[maxtog]

Actually both.  Winter is depressing me and I needed to get out.

Yep, too dark and dreary.  I tend to ride all year round, as long as it is not below freezing or wet.  But when it is really cold (30's/40's) I tend to limit it to just the hour ride to/from a friend's house once a week.

I've discovered I need grip heaters.

I wouldn't be able to handle 30's/40's without grip heaters and heated vest.  Low 50's would be hard too.  The stock C14 heated grips are so powerful/effective, I wear 3-season gloves (vented) even in the winter and that is with grip puppies covering the grips.  Heated seat is nice, but it doesn't really matter all that much.

For me, continuous mid/low 40's riding requires insulated socks, long underwear, jeans, chaps, long shirt, heated vest, full liner, jacket, neck wrap.  It is hard to move   Continuous 30's riding I can't do for long, because my lower clothing is just not effective enough and my heat is sucked away.

[Conrad]

40's, 50's, and 60 degrees? Oh you poor things!       

My thermometer says 20 at the moment. 

[maxtog]

40's, 50's, and 60 degrees? Oh your poor things!       

My thermometer says 20 at the moment.

Yeah, and I don't see your ass out there riding right now   LOL      

[VirginiaJim]

His bike is all put up for the winter...    But then again, his winter is way worse than ours.

[Conrad]

Yeah, and I don't see your ass out there riding right now   LOL      

That's true and you won't see my ass out there riding either till the roads around here turn black again, or at least gray. They use SO DAMNED much salt around here that the roads are almost completely white with it. I can literally taste the salt in the air from all the salt dust that gets kicked up as folks drive on it.

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