Not many people out riding anymore

[greenbarn]

I'm happy, I got to ride the bike into work today after lunch.  62 today.  But, down to 33 tonight, and snow forcasted for Wed. 

[jmbo]

Put on quite a few miles since this thread started back in September.  Now the end of October the riding days are numbered. I can always tell when she's coming to an end when it take two to three blocks before my high speed idle kicks off.  The '99er's telling me brrr.  Road yesterday @ 45°F.  A bit nippily. I can run with my full face hemet to keep the brain freeze to a minimum.  I'll hold out till the first of November then shut it down for the winter, clean 'er up, change oil, pull the battery, drop the insurance to storage level, and think about pulling 'er apart for paint. I will miss the ride.

[CDNRatMan]

  Well woke up this morning, forecast had been calling for rain, but at 0700 it was sunny but cold...so started into yard winterization, cutting back my grape plants, the racoons have loved them all summer long. Ate lunch and it was warming up nice it was about 32* F so decided to go for a ride. Managed to get a nice ride in for the cold it was and it was crisp and clear all day. Then with my hands getting cold, the fault of being diabetic, I head home after 115 mile ride.
I used my emergency cell to take the picture, and that was a5 min learning curve...lol....and then a 2 hour lesson on how to get it to my computer, but I am learning...lol....soon I'll be computer smart like GB, 49, Troll and Chief, my new goal in life........lol.........

[gdrudd13]

Whatever the weather now, I might not get the bike out any. Came home to a petcock gone bad. Leaked gas in my garage. That was one thing I figured I'd have to replace since it started to not work quite right with the reserve. I was hoping it would hold out longer. Got one ordered. Eventually i'll open the other one up and see if it's fixable with a rebuild kit, but that's a project for much later. The main thing that was going to keep me from riding was the temperature on the way to work. It's still cold at 6:30 in the morning.

10,000 miles a year is impressive. That's more in one year than my drifter had on it when I bought it a couple months ago. It had exactly 6600 miles after being ridden from Oklahoma City.

[Troll]

   I start my season as soon as the snow melts off the road. This year, it was pretty late, like into April. Most of the time I get out by the middle of March. I end the season when it snows and stays...usually mid-November around here. I have gotten out sporadically in December, but not a whole lot. My goal is always 10,000 miles or more. Sometimes I get 15,000, depending on big trips, or lots of commuting. Before I retired, I used to ride 92 miles a day, just going back and forth to work, and 250 miles a weekend teaching. When I was teaching at Road America, a weekend was 450 miles..since I am no longer commuting like that, I've been pretty hard pressed to maintain my average...next year might be even more of a challenge..we'll see.

[CDNRatMan]

 82,000 on the Drifter and 22,500 on the W.

am am oh I kind of meant what do we need to put on per summer, like from June 1st to say Oct 31st because of the stuff we get that prohibits riding, and even the heartiest rider like PC would not be riding in knee deep snow.

yea but 13 that is not going to stay yet......you have at least a bit longer .....I am going to try for the 15 Nov before I try to park it for the winter.....

[gdrudd13]

Well, looks like I get to join the ranks of people no longer riding. Held out as long as I could. But it is currently snowing in Kansas today. I'm taking that as a sign to put the bike up and take care of winter maintenance/upgrades.

[Troll]

It's been a steady 45 deg rain/wind since Sunday...the weather finally broke this afternoon for a little while. Maybe there is enough sun to charge my solar garden lights...ANYWAY...out for a putt. I'm getting pretty close to the year's goal. Planning on a trip to MadTown on Monday to see the new "Indians"...280 miles aught to put me pretty close to my target!

[CDNRatMan]

  That is cool Troll, because of my trade in the military we kept track of our kms and or hours operating certain pieces of equipment, and I have since not kept track because it was really too much...lol.....

GB people have been telling you that for years, it is ok to come out, oh you mean to come out and play with the big boys....like more riding.....oh ok....

[greenbarn]

82,000 on the Drifter and 22,500 on the W...I need 50 more on the W and 546 or so on the Drifter, for a total of 10,000 for the season. I've been putting on a minimum of 10,000 every year for the past 50 years, with the exception of 1998 when I had a heart attack and only got about 9,000....Some years I've gotten as much as 15,000.

Wow, I'm not positive, but I think 10,000 is more than I put on ALL My vehicles COMBINED.   Living 4 miles from work has it's advantages....   and disadvantages...   Obviously, I need to get out more...

[Troll]

  I got this in 1997....they gave me 2, one I put on my TourGLide, the other I put someplace safe.

[CDNRatMan]

ok troll once I am retired I have a goal in my life thanks......

[jmbo]

I saw some photos of the he Hoggin' The Bridge rally. The Severn Bridge is a hell of a bridge with a hell of a lot of bikes. Pretty cool except they were all riding on the wrong side of the road. What's with that?

[Troll]

So Troll what is the number of miles we are supposed to be striving to reach?

82,000 on the Drifter and 22,500 on the W...I need 50 more on the W and 546 or so on the Drifter, for a total of 10,000 for the season. I've been putting on a minimum of 10,000 every year for the past 50 years, with the exception of 1998 when I had a heart attack and only got about 9,000....Some years I've gotten as much as 15,000.

[John Hopkins]

I've got to do a few hundred miles whatever the weather on Thursday to attend a fellow bikers funeral..then on a brighter note on Sunday another few hundred miles to attend Hoggin the bridge where they more or less hand the town of Chepstow over to motorcyclists for the day.

John.

[CDNRatMan]

 So Troll what is the number of miles we are supposed to be striving to reach?

[jmbo]

Ran a tank pf gazz through the old 99er today. High '50's today.  Not bad until the sun started going down. Once the temp dipped into the high 40's it got a bit nippy. Getting to that point in the year where the morning breakfast rides are going to be few and far between..

[Troll]

  Went out for a putt this morning. When I left, it was 45 deg. with a promise of 65...yeah, right. Saw lots of groups of riders, everything you could imagine, including somebody flogging a 250 Rebel trying to keep up with her group. It goes without saying, there were no other Drifters. If Ratman can go out on Thanksgiving, then I can ride on New Years...so happy Hmong New Year!  Halfway through my planned route, I decided to go home and put a new thermostat in the Buick, since it's getting to be the time of year I actually need a car, and a heater is one of those little things that makes life here tolerable in the winter...So I only rode about 90 miles today...I only need 546 more this season!!!!

[CDNRatMan]

  Ok forecast for yesterday was way off and it was nice so I did the ride locals call the double loop, 2 stretches on the different Trans Canada Highway, part on 17 and part on 11, the rest is back paved roads and they have some nice turns and twists to keep you awake. Lots of nice colours this time of the year, but a lot of the leaves are off the trees now. Today is wet and damp, so no riding, but forecast is 40 to 60 *F tomorrow so if it is then I'll do the ride again tomorrow.
A really nice way to burn up an afternoon or about 5 hours......

[CDNRatMan]

  DC just to remind you 14 Oct is Canadian Thanksgiving, we have ours in Oct so we can use up the turkey before xmas comes around and we are cooking another bird. I will be getting a bunch of riding in this weekend

0600 and 37*F riding up the hill to work, the difference 600 vertical ft makes is cold....lol....but temps are suppsed to be in the mid 60's by afternoon.

[DC]

Thanksgiving Weekend has always been a decent weekend for a ride.

thanks Washbrook, 1968 DC was in his forties by then and I was in my oh not teens yet......

Thanksgiving Weekend?  BRRRRRRR   

Yes, those were the days.  I had several local wives that would keep my helicopter polished and fueled, ready to go for a pizza run.

A friend of mine went back to Vietnam to do legal contract work for businesses.  He met a nice woman and they have been together a while now.  He's late 60s.  She's 26.

[Washbrook]

Cheers. Enjoy the ride this coming weekend. Our summer coming up so lots more riding.

Regards

[CDNRatMan]

good for you; forecast for the next four days is sunny and clear temps ranging from the low 40s to mid sixties in the F scale, ride to work for the rest of the week and get some last few miles in, and hope to get a decent long ride on Sat or Sunday, Thanksgiving Weekend has always been a decent weekend for a ride.

thanks Washbrook, 1968 DC was in his forties by then and I was in my oh not teens yet......

as for the correct side of the road it depends on were you are right.......Newfoundland still drove on the right till 1947 and joined the Confederation in 1949...

nice vid again.....

[Washbrook]

OK, I will not get into a debate about which is the correct side of the road, suffice to say that I did not have a head on with oncoming traffic so I must  have been on the correct side.

The second song is "I wish it would rain" by the Temptations from back in 1968 [Note I was only 4 years old at the time but I thought the song suited].

Coffee certainly helps to warm one up. Here is another video clip taken the day after the one above. I was riding alone, or just Drifting along.

http://vimeo.com/76481344
See people are still out riding.

[jmbo]

Hit the road for a breakfast run this morning after a couple rain days.  Forty-one degrees (F) this AM.  A bit nippily out.  I usually ride for a bit then find some place to eat but this morning I hit the first cafe I could find. Ate my grub and downed a few cups of Joe then hit the road. It was back up in the '50's by then.  I can handle that. The color is spotty here.  Still a lot of green. Might see more color by the weekend. We'll definitely be out and about.