Will anybody be riding today? (sad little voice in the north)

NHdiesel - You know I don't hate being inside as much as I did 5 yrs ago..not sure why but undoubtably age related. I've planned my trip to the Scablands and to Ontario. I find after a certain amount of planning I begin to change my mind for no good reason. I'm now at that point for both trips. I'm starting to weep watching people ride on Youtube and I sigh so hard reading ride reports I'm hurting myself.

Man, I can't believe you've ridden 504 miles this time of year (I'm assuming new hampshire has same or worse weather than I). It seems so risky, but you know the risks and must have mitigated them as much as possible. It's funny I've always considered myself a toughened rider, but I would never ride this time of year, especially this year. However….. I was walking home on Wed and a woman around my age passed me on the road on her Vespa …it was -5c. You and the woman have effectively put me in my place. Now, I just have to get one of those mobility scooters..which I will ride all year !!
 
LOL! I do have my limits. If you look in the background of the pic you can just see the road- its very clear and dry. I make sure I stay on the main roads and watch very carefully for anything wet that could be freezing or hiding ice. The worse part of today's ride was getting in and out of the apartment driveway. I have ridden in actual snow several times but I try to avoid it. It usually happens if its a surprise- "flurries" turned into a couple inches a few days ago.

When I run out of realistic trips to plan I start planning dream trips. You know, the ones that I'm lacking either money or time for. I have lots of routes saved for those. If I ever get the right numbers on a lottery ticket I'll pull those routes up and really have a blast! I do pretty much anything motorcycle-related to get a bit of a fix when the bike is parked.

By the way...I'm up to around 540 miles after this morning's ride, plus I took the bike to the grocery store tonight. People looked at me strange as I walked around carrying my helmet.
 
cldiver said:
change my mind for no good reason. I'm now at that point for both trips. I'm starting to weep watching people ride on Youtube and I sigh so hard reading ride reports I'm hurting myself.
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Maybe you need to turn on the lights......SAD.....seasonal affective disorder....it's real.....google it.........goodluck..........................ff
 
I took a short ride on both of my bikes today! It got up to 34 here today. I was nice and toasty with my Gerbings on the ST. They say the DR650 alt. is not strong enough to run the heated gear. My hands got cold real fast on the DR.
 
cldiver said:
I noticed a few times that our bikes are not the greatest in side winds. I described as riding with a sheet of plywood on the side.
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I think our bikes are fine in a crosswind, just like any other bike it's going to move if the wind is strong enough. I mentioned it to the wife after I got home and her reply was "yea it was blowing the Cadillac sideways too", this is a full sized DTS.
 
Spur of the moment ride from Nashville to Bowling Green just to go. Hope to go toward East Tenn tomorrow.
 
okckeith said:
My hands got cold real fast on the DR.
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It's been said that as we get Older we become less tolerant of certain situations. You folks that can ride year round are starting to %*#@ me off. :rolleyes:
 
Rode the 23 miles to Costco yesterday ,loaded the cart up, and rode home, stopping at Trader JOe's in Roswell for a few more things. GREAT ride, despite the groceries and stuff lashed on.

In case you're wondering, the Bounty made a great backrest.
 

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SmashVol said:
Spur of the moment ride from Nashville to Bowling Green just to go. Hope to go toward East Tenn tomorrow.
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ON my way back home this summer I'll be riding from Paducah to Wytheville VA (going thru or past Nashville). On google maps that whole area down there looks nice and roads look OK.
 
okckeith said:
I took a short ride on both of my bikes today! It got up to 34 here today. I was nice and toasty with my Gerbings on the ST. They say the DR650 alt. is not strong enough to run the heated gear. My hands got cold real fast on the DR.
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. Man, I just looked that up, that's only +1 C. That's too cold for me. I usually wait until +5 C. As well as uncomfortable don't you worry about black ice or your equipment failing and putting you in a bad spot?
 
1dragon said:
I think our bikes are fine in a crosswind, just like any other bike it's going to move if the wind is strong enough. I mentioned it to the wife after I got home and her reply was "yea it was blowing the Cadillac sideways too", this is a full sized DTS.
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I had a Harley Super Glide before the ST and it wasn't nearly as affected by a sidewind as the ST. I've ridden with a guy on a gold wing and watched his bike in the wind, mine seemed to be moving much more in a crosswind. What you said about your car may be right. I felt last year was the windiest I've ever seen. Some friends that kayak said the same. There's a place called Tantramar marshes up here (just between NS and NB) well known for it's strong winds. I was behind a mini van when we entered into the windy part and was amazed at how much he was moving around. I had to slow as the gusts were blowing me too far to the right at normal speed. Head on, the wind is no problem tho.
 
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ScubaDave said:
No riding today, but thinking about going out Sunday. Supposed to get up to about 30 Sunday, not bad for NH in Feb.
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Man, you and NHdiesel are tough men. 30 F is -1 C, stuff starts freezing there. I would never be able to relax, just waiting for the black ice patch as I head into a corner. I'd be holding everyone one up behind me.
 
klaproth said:
Rode the 23 miles to Costco yesterday ,loaded the cart up, and rode home, stopping at Trader JOe's in Roswell for a few more things. GREAT ride, despite the groceries and stuff lashed on.

In case you're wondering, the Bounty made a great backrest.
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You're around 2800 Kms from me. The bounty made me laugh. I love how we can pack so much stuff on motorcycles. I have been amazed a few times riding.
 
cldiver said:
Man, I just looked that up, that's only +1 C. That's too cold for me. I usually wait until +5 C. As well as uncomfortable don't you worry about black ice or your equipment failing and putting you in a bad spot?
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I had to clear a little ice from my driveway. The streets were clear though. You do have to watch out for sand.
I bought Gerbings socks, gloves, pants and jacket liner a few years back. And I have a real good hood that I got from work to wear under my helmet. I rode 37 miles home from work last week at 27 degrees F. I stayed completely comfortable. I love my Gerbings!!!
 
dmcleane said:
Be careful up this way as well, rock slides and mud slides all along Hwy. 1
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I see you guys in Marin are getting Hammered by the rain. I saw lots of debris on the roads but to tell the truth it was mostly dry where I was.
This is terrible I may have to break down and actually WASH my Bike.
 
okckeith said:
I rode 37 miles home from work last week at 27 degrees F. I stayed completely comfortable. I love my Gerbings!!!
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Man, you're too hard core for me. 27 is close to -3 C. I took a drive , this morning, on a route I ride often. It was randomly covered with salt mounds, gravel, and sand. I could not ride in these conditions as I would never relax.

Be safe
 
cldiver said:
I had a Harley Super Glide before the ST and it wasn't nearly as affected by a sidewind as the ST. I've ridden with a guy on a gold wing and watched his bike in the wind, mine seemed to be moving much more in a crosswind. What you said about your car may be right. I felt last year was the windiest I've ever seen. Some friends that kayak said the same. There's a place called Tantramar marshes up here (just between NS and NB) well known for it's strong winds. I was behind a mini van when we entered into the windy part and was amazed at how much he was moving around. I had to slow as the gusts were blowing me too far to the right at normal speed. Head on, the wind is no problem tho.
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Oh yea I could see where some bikes are better then others. I guess I just expect a bike to move so I really don't watch it too much. I did notice once following a Harley in turbulent (dirty air) my bike was moving around more. My tires were worn out, after a new set it was a night and day difference. So many little things about a bike that can make a big difference.:)
 
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