Kawasaki Concours Forum
Mish mash => Open Forum => Topic started by: Son of Pappy on September 21, 2011, 09:03:35 AM
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How many "year Rounders" do we have? What is your threshold for riding?
Mine is pretty simple, short of ice or snow on the road I ride I may be studding my KLR, that would be most awesome!!!! Temps mean nothing, well, above 75 it gets rough, but I manage, ATGATT anytime I will be on public roads, I rather sweat then bleed. Rain? I get the biggest SEG the nastier it gets.
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I never truly put my bike "away", but here in upstate NY, having the roads clear enough to go out for a winter ride is a rarity. Although the roads got clear enough a couple of times the last two years, my driveway never got clear enough.
I work the overnight shift, so riding to work in the winter is a problem, as the temperature drop overnight leads to icy roads for my trip home. :(
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Living in Northern California, I have it made. Year round riding.
SO does not like me riding in the rain, but I will ride in most conditions. Absolute downpour will convince me to leave it at home. I've done near freezing, and over 100. The upper temps can be challening or longer rides, but I have my cooling vest. Just need to stay moving.
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I'll throw my name in the hat for this, although Ohio weather is a 24 hr. question mark most late fall to winter seasons. But cold temps don't bother my Connie, and as long as there is no ice on the road, I'll try to get out as many times as I can.
Ohio, just another day in paradise.
Ride safe all, and ATGATT please.
Greg
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i commute on Connie daily 80 miles round trip. My threshold is ice and snow. Its a gamble in the winter, as the weather forecast is not always correct, but i check the weather along my commute route in the mornings and do the ten hour forecast to make sure I'm good to go coming home. Last year I was steady riding when the temps dropped to 10 degrees....ATGATT, leather two piece Joe Rocket that has 30,000 miles on it :-)...agree sweat is better than bleed. When super cold I put 2-3 layers of thermo, and sometimes even wore a hefty bag shirt layer. this year imma upgrade to a gerbing heated vest to complement my gloves.
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Living in Northern California, I have it made. Year round riding.
SO does not like me riding in the rain, but I will ride in most conditions. Absolute downpour will convince me to leave it at home. I've done near freezing, and over 100. The upper temps can be challening or longer rides, but I have my cooling vest. Just need to stay moving.
Those Bay Areans can't take their heat! 100+ temps do not stop me at all, I prefer to be too hot than too cold. What is really bothersome is being dressed for 100 degree heat (mesh jacket), and riding in to 50 degree Bay Area weather and back. Like I did last week. That was a miserable ride!
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Same here unless there is snow in the pass all year long. Well over 100a + in summer but rather below 32 in winter.
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I only stopped riding this year for about 2 weeks when we had 18 inches of snow dropped on us. That was the perfect time for me to strip my bike and do all the maintenance.
Lowest temp on my bike this year was 16 degrees. If there is still salt on the roads I would rather leave the bike in the garage, but there were a couple days when I went ahead and chanced it.
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Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, mid-November to mid-March is project in the garage time.
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My riding season starts in March and by late November it's time to put my bike away :'(.....Every second winter we trailer our bikes down south for extra dose of vitamin D. ;D
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Ice and snow = no go!
I have electric gloves / boot heaters and decent gear. Rain and cold temps don't bother me. Now hot weather 90º +, I'll take the pickup to work; it has AC. ;D
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I ride year round. The main roads typically clear up within a few days of a snow storm. As long as I can find a clear path for the mile or so I need to get to the main roads I will ride.
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As long as there isn't ice on the road and it's sunny, I'll ride. I don't care what the temp is....but we don't usually get into the teens for daytime temps here. It's typically 20's if it gets that cold.
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My coldest was 6º leaving the house in the morning, but, it did warm up to a blistering hot 12º on my return. ;D
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My coldest was 6º leaving the house in the morning, but, it did warm up to a blistering hot 12º on my return. ;D
If you lived in Canada, that wouldn't be so bad.
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As many have said, temps don't matter. As long as there is no ice or snow, I will ride. And if it is clear in the morning at 3:30 when I leave the house, but calling for snow during the day I will still ride. My wife works down the road from me and I can always put the bike up in our warehouse and ride home with the wife. With the guesses from the weatherman, most of the time my chances of still riding home, even when snow is predicted, is pretty good.
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I guess I'm about to find out. Started back riding in April, and I dread the thought of putting my bike up. just enjoying it way to much. I think I'm prepared for the cold temps, but will definitely take the old work van when there is snow or ice.
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Ice is the only issue for me. I've ridden every week since I bought the bike in June '10. I have a thermometer mounted on the dash, with the sensor under the nose of the fairing, so I always know just what an idiot I am in the temperature extremes. Coldest day: 16º and hottest was a sustained 103º for an hour on I-285 in traffic. I have heated jacket liner and gloves, so cold is not much of a problem, but that heat...
I only ride for pleasure, don't use the bike for any commuting or business. So I think breaking 20K in the first 15 months is doing okay.
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Houston may have some blistering summers But it more than makes up for it the rest of the year. As far as rain is concerned I won't purposely go out riding in it(momma taught me better than that ;D ). If I'm aleady out it doesn't bother me to ride in it. Yes I've been caught in some serious turd floaters while riding. I definitely will not go out in the occasional ice or snow that visits this area. I grew up in northern NV I can handle those conditions The natives down here..... not so much. :o Other than that I rode all through this extremely hot summer. The mood I'm in when I ride to work makes it all worthwhile. Yep I guess that makes me a year round rider..... 8)
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As long as ther's no ice/snow, or possibility of, I'll take the bike.
I won't leave the house in the rain on the bike, but I don't mind at all riding in it if I'm already out.
-darrell
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Up until January of this year, I was most certainly a year rounder, and have ridden in single digit (F) temps. I had multiple layers on, of course.
When I hit that patch of black ice under a freeway overpass and lost it, however, that changed my attitude. Since then, freezing has been my threshold, as you never know when a little water dripping from the bridge above will turn into a bad day.
Live and learn, IF you live of course.
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As long as it's dry I'll ride, last winter many days going into work in the teens and 20's, heated seat and grips are a God send!
I'm not a big fan of riding in the rain though, even in the summer months...
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35 degrees and falling, the bike stays home. Around here, bridges will freeze well before the road and a little frozen dew will ruin your day. 95 and above, timing is the key. I'll ride to work in the cool and work late to miss stop & go traffic so I don't sit and saute myself in traffic. Much easier in Ga. I don't see how you guys stand it where it snows a lot. I used to live in PA and OH. Nice places for three seasons.
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Year rounder. I tough out these extreme Flowriduh winters. ;)
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35 degrees and falling, the bike stays home. Around here, bridges will freeze well before the road and a little frozen dew will ruin your day. 95 and above, timing is the key. I'll ride to work in the cool and work late to miss stop & go traffic so I don't sit and saute myself in traffic. Much easier in Ga. I don't see how you guys stand it where it snows a lot. I used to live in PA and OH. Nice places for three seasons.
Black ice put me down HARD 20 yrs ago. Heat no problem, potiental ice big problem so I park the bike at 36 deg
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I'll ride in temps as low as the upper teens but like everyone else once the roads turn slipperdy I'm done. I normally winterize and put Connie away around the middle of December and get her back out in early March. If the weather takes a nice turn sometime in between I'll get her back out for a bit.
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Under 40F and over 85F or so and the Concours is parked. Cleveland Ohio here, usually around December 1st to April 1st, usually. Over 85F and I ride the KZ. If there is salt on the road, it has to rain HARD two or three times before the bike is even wheeled out of the garage.
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I live north of Montreal in Quebec.
I used to ride whenever there was no ice but for the last two years I had to put my Connie in storage from december 15th to march 15th because of our provincial government very bright idea to outlaw riding without real winter tires during that period >:(
Since there is no motorcycle tire rated as winter we are screwed. Same thing for a car, 4 seasons tires will not do, they must be real winter tires.
I learned this summer that there is a loophole in the law that allows you to have a special permission valid for 7 days from the motor wehicule department to drive without winter tires for the sole purpose of leaving the province.
This permission was aimed at the snowbirds leaving for Florida but it is not closed to motorcycles. I will probably try it this year. ;D
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I'm not a true 'rounder' anymore. I used to be though. To many time of riding to work only to find sleet and ice for the return trip. When the salt goes down the bikes get put away. I do try and get the bikes out at least once a month in the winter; so I guess you could say that I am a 'rounder/poser' :o