WOW! Two to three weeks ago there were tons of bikes on the road. Going out on my bike to run some errands last night, and I'm seeing just a handful. The 60 degree weather has pretty much shut down most of the riding around here.
I also learned another thing. My vision is not what it used to be. Approaching a light, it turn yellow, and the car in front of me decided to take a stand and stop for it. I guess I didn't judge my speed and distance to that car correctly, but I had to do a panic stop and I locked the back tire, which made a horrifically-loud screech. I like the screech sound, only not when I'm making it. I did go into a skid, but managed to be able to get in the next lane to avoid smacking the rear of the car. Note to self: Need to be more observant and aware of following distances. Should not be thinking of problems at work while riding.
Obviously, they riders are not as hardy where you live. Drove my wife to work this morning, and there were at least 10 riders on the way there, and back, in 5 miles...Last weekend was the fall flood run, and there were thousands of participants, but not me. This weekend is the annual LaCrosse OctoberDrunk. The bikes will be everywhere...
I just gota bike so i ride as much as I can. Yesterday was gorgeous. I havent even mastered the wave yet.
It's been beautiful in Missouri...80's in the day...cooling off to 60's at nite...and bikes everywhere...Since my electrical issues have been resolved(keeping fingers crossed)I've been on mine every day/nite...whenever the mood strikes...I go!!!
Had to decide if I would ride to work on the bike or take the Jimmy, took the bike, because I am too lazy to scrape the frost off the winsheild, all was fine till the bottom of the hill, the ride up was a tad chilly, anyone got elephant ears on their rides? might need to have a set made for this time of year......in the 40's in the morning......
Same up here, but a cold drizzly rain to go with it. So, the Beauty sits, gathering dust, and lots of it in my shop. I always put up some canvas welding screens around it, totally forgot about it sitting there with no cover, while I was doing some welding and grinding, so now it is COVERED in welding dist. No grinding filings, just dust, and lots of it. So, have to swipe some of the wifes Swiffer dusters. :D
DC... No shortage of Bikes riding West of you in the York, Pa area... I bundle up every morning (actually just a few layers not really that cold yet) and ride to work, In fact I prefer to ride when the air is cooler, The bike runs better. Just a reminder to you... "White Rose Thunder" http://www.whiterosethunder.com/ Is in York this weekend at the Fairgrounds... Vendors, Swap Meet, Flattrack Racing and some band from the '60s... Grand Funk Railroad? lqtm
WOW GFR playing you are so privileged to be able to see them live////wow..........
RatMan... Are they still alive??? I saw them in the early '70s at age 18 and thought they were old... Hell I even saw Kansas open for Bachman Turner Overdrive... They were Canadian Ehhhh? lqtm Take a little ride and come on down to Pa... Your carry permit will probably be honored here in Penciltucky! lol
my permit to carry what?
BTO is definitely Canadian Randy Bachman is one of the great guitar players of his era, he was also partner with Burton Cummings and they formed the band "The Guess Who".
Bake, that is some event! 8) Looks like it will be a blast. 20-25,000 people. Looks even better than our event a few weeks ago.
RatMan... Permit to carry... Cold Arctic Winds... Morning Frost... And... MOLSON... Bring some MOLSON!!!! lol
RatMan... I wore out an 8 Track of The Guess Who back in the day... Great band... I heard Bachman is releasing some new stuff... He's phenominal!
Lot of weekend riders out and about around here in Harley country but there are a few brave souls out during the week. I try to get in at least tree breakfast rides a week while I can. Early morning rides have started out in the high 40's or low 50's. Dress for it and your OK. If it is really chilly I throw on my full face helmet. Otherwise I wear my beanie. I did beak down and put the chaps back on the bike. I have found that with a windshield, bike chaps, and lowers installed, I can keep pretty much out of the wind. Hope to ride for at least another month before I hang it up for the winter. My only consolation is I plan to paint the bike over the winter.
Quote from: jmbo on September 25, 2013, 20:58:49 PM
Lot of weekend riders out and about around here in Harley country but there are a few brave souls out during the week. I try to get in at least tree breakfast rides a week while I can. Early morning rides have started out in the high 40's or low 50's. Dress for it and your OK. If it is really chilly I throw on my full face helmet. Otherwise I wear my beanie. I did beak down and put the chaps back on the bike. I have found that with a windshield, bike chaps, and lowers installed, I can keep pretty much out of the wind. Hope to ride for at least another month before I hang it up for the winter. My only consolation is I plan to paint the bike over the winter.
What's your color scheme going to look like Jmbo? And which tank emblems did you decide on?
Here in Spain we still enjoy summer weather....It's called the "Veranillo de san Miguel" (Small summer of Saint Michael). las sunday we were riding our bikes at 28ºC and a cloudless sky. This weekend although it will star raining, but with smooth temperatures 8)
Rode yesterday, rode Monday, plenty of bikes around. I suppose being in Australia and the warmer weather starting may have had something to do with it.
I should try putting on the bike chaps the PO gave me. Maybe that'll make a difference in keeping warm. I also need some cold weather over-pants and better gloves. I've tried a bunch of gloves and none of them keep my hands warm. I haven't tried electric yet though. If I can just keep my hands warm, I think I can handle the rest.
Still plenty of people riding in Kansas. It has been in the 80s all week. Makes for some great riding weather.
Here in the middle coast of Italy we are still ridin' during the whole week.
Nice weather and womens too... ;D
Just put about 50 miles on a back road cruise...45 deg. when I left, 65 by the time I got home...no women to speak of, have to go to Italy.......
Quote from: DC on September 26, 2013, 07:05:37 AM
I should try putting on the bike chaps the PO gave me. Maybe that'll make a difference in keeping warm. I also need some cold weather over-pants and better gloves. I've tried a bunch of gloves and none of them keep my hands warm. I haven't tried electric yet though. If I can just keep my hands warm, I think I can handle the rest.
Unfortunately chaps are something the gay comunity have taken over so even though the would be a good idea, there is no way I would wear them.. You may, if you wish, call me predudiced, but I was bought up many years ago to have different beliefs about men and women than many of you younger people....gloves..avoid battery heated gloves, they are useless, the batteries last about 50 yards if you are lucky..riding gloves with a liner of some sort, wool, plastic, thin leather..and heated grips, if fitted correctly are one of the wonders of riding, I turn mine on to the Hi setting for a few seconds just as the frost starts to nip my fingers, then I turn them off as soon as I feel the heat through my gloves, none of this trying to keep my hands toasty..this method keeps the frost at bay and protects my battery and also cuts down on wear to the heating element.
John.
We are hovering in the 40's to mid 50's this weekend and so riding this weekend is a must.......
QuoteMaybe that'll make a difference in keeping warm. I also need some cold weather over-pants and better gloves. I've tried a bunch of gloves and none of them keep my hands warm. I haven't tried electric yet though. If I can just keep my hands warm, I think I can handle the rest.
DC a trick to beat the cold, neoprene fishing gloves for ice fishing, hands stay toasty warm and dry to boot.
I want to try elephant ears (soft Chaps on the engine guards) on my bike and see if they make any difference to the riding conditions,,,
I bought a set of them on eBay about 3 years ago form a guy in CANADA...They made all the difference in the world when I went to Wyoming and had to ride back in 35-40 deg. rain for 1000 miles. He makes them to last. I had them on all the time in the rainy season, and they have probably got 20,000 miles on them by now, and they are still like new.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/KAWASAKI-DRIFTER-1500-ENGINE-GUARD-SOFT-LOWERS-CHAPS-1-QUALITY-WARRANTY-/390667821893?pt=Motorcycles_Parts_Accessories&hash=item5af59de345&vxp=mtr
will be sending him an email later this weekend and see if he has the correct Canadian price on his site, and that is the ticket then, if Troll said they are good they must be good......
They're Canadian made, how can you go wrong????
It's been pretty nice here in NY for riding the last couple of weeks . I'm still putting on 156 miles at least , to work and back ! Mornings are a cool refreshing 50 * but it sure feels great for the ride home in the evening ! Like most of my drifter riders I'm trying to get ALL the riding I can in before storing the bike away here in October .
Engine bar chaps work well to protect your lower leg from wind, water and other small bits of crap off the road. NB they are not armour but do help.
Quote from: John Hopkins on September 26, 2013, 13:14:50 PM
Unfortunately chaps are something the gay comunity have taken over so even though the would be a good idea, there is no way I would wear them.. You may, if you wish, call me predudiced, but....
Bike chaps John also known as engine guard soft lowers chaps or "elephant ears". They really help when the weather turns. As far as the other "chaps", i tried a pair on. I didn't look gay. I just looked stupid. Pass.
Quote from: greenbarn on September 25, 2013, 21:03:07 PM
What's your color scheme going to look like Jmbo? And which tank emblems did you decide on?
Here's the color scheme I'm going for. As far a tank badge I am going with a modified Royal Enfield cast brass emblem.
Yes Troll how could I go wrong......
jmbo nice looking colour ideas and should look really nice.
Here's a shot of my bike with the ears on...back in the cold, wet spring....Just so you know what they look like.
Quote from: Troll on September 26, 2013, 20:34:58 PM
Here's a shot of my bike with the ears on...back in the cold, wet spring....Just so you know what they look like.
What do those take to put on? 10 minutes?
Quote from: jmbo on September 26, 2013, 19:58:06 PM
Here's the color scheme I'm going for. As far a tank badge I am going with a modified Royal Enfield cast brass emblem.
Nice 2-tone Jmbo. I love 2-tone... Have you said before- how is the word "Drifter" done in the emblem. If I remember, you started with repro Enfield badges, right?? Is the "Drifter" CNC'd out of brass or something? Can't tell from your pic.
Here's a photo on my bike to the "chaps" on as well as my clear acrylic lower deflectors. Make for a nice ride in cool weather. The chaps go on it less than two minutes. (Sorry about all of the bugs - These days if its nice enough to clean the bike it is nice enough to ride.)
Nice 2-tone Jmbo. I love 2-tone... Have you said before- how is the word "Drifter" done in the emblem. If I remember, you started with repro Enfield badges, right?? Is the "Drifter" CNC'd out of brass or something? Can't tell from your pic.
[/quote]
Yes it's a CNC brass insert into a '50's Enfield rebop emblem
QuoteWhat do those take to put on? 10 minutes?
Wow are you saying that Troll is an old man and takes a long time to get things done? He is not from 0hi0 he could have them out and on in less then 4 mins, I have $10.00 on that one for Troll.
Quote from: CDNRatMan on September 26, 2013, 13:22:18 PM
DC a trick to beat the cold, neoprene fishing gloves for ice fishing, hands stay toasty warm and dry to boot.
I'll have to try those out. I wonder if Wally World sells them.
After I set the initial fit up, adjusting the straps, etc, it takes about a minute a side to put them on. Slide right on and then fastex buckles, top and bottom.
See Mr. GB he is not that slow so I win you owe me $10.00........lol
DC
If you can not find any let me know and I can get them at Canadian Tire for a decent price and then ship them to you. I have 2 pairs always, one pair is packed in the storage area of the bike and one pair in my travel pack, well worth the money.
If I have this right, the bike chaps just slip over the crash bars and help to keep you warm..they look like a good idea, they don't seem to sell them here but I reckon I could make some out of an old leather coat and clean them up with some leather shoe dye..
John.
John, I like your resourcefulness. Reminds me of the movie "The Great Escape" Just a note on the amount of material needed to make these crash bar chaps, it would take a piece of material at least 45cm x 35cm. They are double sided and slip over the the crash bar like a tea cozy.
Quote from: John Hopkins on September 27, 2013, 08:43:17 AM
If I have this right, the bike chaps just slip over the crash bars and help to keep you warm..they look like a good idea, they don't seem to sell them here but I reckon I could make some out of an old leather coat and clean them up with some leather shoe dye..
John.
I think mine were made by Singh. You might also check with him.
Quote from: CDNRatMan on September 27, 2013, 08:25:37 AM
DC
If you can not find any let me know and I can get them at Canadian Tire for a decent price and then ship them to you. I have 2 pairs always, one pair is packed in the storage area of the bike and one pair in my travel pack, well worth the money.
Thanks RatMan! I think I'm going to pay a trip to French Creek Outiftters around here. It's a local outdoor sports/hunting retailer. They have all sorts of fishing gear. I might also take a ride to Cabella's, which has a huge assortment.
Before that though, I have to go to medical supply after work and get some sutures. I was cleaning some knives last night and the blade on one of them sliced through the fleshy part of my thumb.
80 deg. here today. Just went for a 100 mile back road cruise. I saw plenty of riders on the more traveled routes, but not where I went. Here are a couple of pictures to prove it happened....It's not the middle of nowhere, but you can see it from here. Leaves are not turning yet, so maybe the winter is still off in the future. Saw a couple of flights of geese a few weeks ago, but nothing recently.. I live on one of the major N-S flyways....
The trees are a painters palette right now with all the colours, going to try to get a ride in if the rain allows and get some pictures....
Hey Ratman, you having a Hallmark Moment....
I don't know if I'd call it a Hallmark moment...some kind of moment, anyway
I looked on the hill as I rode down and the sight was really nice with the lake in the background and the trees turning a cornucopia of colours and the sunset on the lake was remarkable and I was alive to enjoy it, and riding my bike......it was a moment .......sorry will not do it again
That's OK Ratman, it's nice to see this sensitive and softer side of you... at least you're not ripping on me when you're in this sensitive mood.
Just don't start wearing women's underwear, or if you do, DON'T POST ANY PICS ... ;D
now you want underwear pictures, were the swim suit = speedo pictures not good enough?
GB I have never ripped on you unless you need it, and count this as a need time......
Troll really wondering about people now, low to mid sixties all day, really nice and bright and sunny, got up early and got my chores done about the house and groceries done, need to kick that bad habit of eating three meals a day. But amazed at the number of bikes I spotted about town and they were all decked out in their cold weather gear, riding chaps (leather for JH) big bulky leather jackets, full face helmets, and they were all congregating at the local Timmies, (Canada's answer to Starbucks) would say saw about 50 to 70 bikes during the morning errands (0700 to 0930). Called a buddy asked if he was up to a ride, said he would be over in 15 mins. We did the Martin River loop, saw perhaps 5 bikes the whole 4 hours we were out, other then in town and around the coffee shops. Fantastic day and the range of reds and hues of red in the leaves was really cool.
Troll do they have camera's in 0hi0?
Quote from: jmbo on September 27, 2013, 09:19:05 AM
John, I like your resourcefulness. Reminds me of the movie "The Great Escape" Just a note on the amount of material needed to make these crash bar chaps, it would take a piece of material at least 45cm x 35cm. They are double sided and slip over the the crash bar like a tea cozy.
I have a couple of leather jackets that I don't wear any more, plenty big enough for the job, cut a template out of paper first then sew it together and fit brass eyelets every two inches and feed a couple of leather shoelace strips cut from the leftover leather to lace it up..Yeah that sounds like a plan for the winter..
John.
Went out this morning to get in some miles before the predicted (and they were right for once) cold front/rain storm. I saw a couple of trees that weren't green, starting to go a little yellow. I read somewhere that for every 100 miles south you go you delay winter by a week...I'm thinking Brownsville, Texas might be a good idea!
QuoteI read somewhere that for every 100 miles south you go you delay winter by a week
ok so if I move south.....oh like say 739.45193 miles south of North Bay I would move summer back, by say oh 7 weeks and a few days......so that would be cool......what is 739.45193 miles south of North Bay..........mmmmmmmmmmm
Quote from: CDNRatMan on September 28, 2013, 20:11:06 PM
ok so if I move south.....oh like say 739.45193 miles south of North Bay I would move summer back, by say oh 7 weeks and a few days......so that would be cool......what is 739.45193 miles south of North Bay..........mmmmmmmmmmm
That puts you at about Chili's house, doesn't it?
Quote from: Troll on September 28, 2013, 19:55:04 PM
I saw a couple of trees that weren't green, starting to go a little yellow. I read somewhere that for every 100 miles south you go you delay winter by a week...I'm thinking Brownsville, Texas might be a good idea!
Ours are just starting to turn too. just a hint here and there. I've heard the same thing about the 100 mile 1 week thing. The same rule of thumb holds true for mushroom hunting in the spring.
not even close to Chilli's house, and wrong state too.......try again......
mushroom hunting.....is that the same shroom's as the elusive magic mushrooms of BC fame............49 has them growing.......ohhhh shhhhhhhhhhhushhhhhhhhh
Looks to me like it would put you just east of the airport in Siler City, N. Carolina...probably going to delay winter more than 7 weeks...
nope again not correct, you have it in a straight line mine line is a bit more south and west and involves some cheese......
Quote from: CDNRatMan on September 29, 2013, 00:13:31 AM
mushroom hunting.....is that the same shroom's as the elusive magic mushrooms of BC fame......
Nope, I'm talking the elusive Morel variety - the good-eating kind.
It puts me in Spain..
John.
Quote from: CDNRatMan on September 29, 2013, 08:45:17 AM
nope again not correct, you have it in a straight line mine line is a bit more south and west and involves some cheese......
I can't picture exactly where you are in Canada but 740 miles for some Canucks and they could still be in Canada..
It's a pretty big country..
John.
Ratman, you going to Troll's house? don't think that's going to delay the winter too awful long.
Well, winter is delayed a bit here, just now. I'm glad to have been able to get out for a decent putt today. 45 degrees over night, but the temp, by 11: am was 60. Took off and went up to Eau Claire...Before I left, I put on the "winter Front" and connected the controller for my heated clothes...Packed the heated stuff in the trunk and off I went. Turns out I didn't need any of it (sometimes it's about 15-20 deg. cooler up there). 72 and sunny!!! I finally gave out one of my VDR cards. About a mile from any civilization, I spotted a guy and his wife with a broken FatBoy on the side of the road. They had just gone over some railroad tracks, and the bike went dead as they did that. I didn't have any tools, but I loaned them my cell phone so they could call somebody near by.. I suspect the battery terminal, but the way that battery is buried, there was no way to check it without surgery. I put my name and email on the VDR card...maybe we need to have some for this purpose, too. No I didn't take pictures of the broken Harley, that would have been just RUDE!!!
JH depending on the direction I head it could keep my within the Dominion. If one enters the province of Ont. at the farthest eastern point and heads to the Manitoba border southern route is 2072 kms or 1287.5163 miles, northern route, 2127 kms or 1321.6926 miles. so a long drive at the speed limit to cross just one province.
Just getting way down south would delay the winter big time, and having all the cheese and having the chance to chat with a person of Troll's wisdom and knowledge would be so much fun.
Troll cool about the cards and yes they are fun to hand out, surprised they did not have a phone with them...lol should come as an accessory with one....oh bad joke.....nice pictures and thanks....
Quote from: CDNRatMan on September 29, 2013, 08:45:17 AM
nope again not correct, you have it in a straight line mine line is a bit more south and west and involves some cheese......
Did someone say CHEESE!? AS a born and bred cheddarhead I resemble that!
If you're coming here, then give me a little notice...so I can get the guest room ready, and make space in the garage for your bike....Your distance estimate was a little off, though
Troll, I think he must have been tracking "road miles", not as the crow flies. Somehow, I don't thing the 1 week for 100 miles works quite like that! Especially since it's only about 200 miles South!
But if it's the wisdom and cheese you want, Ratman, you can't go wrong!!
Yeah, that's why I looked at compass bearing 180...puts him in N. Carolina...not much point in coming here to avoid winter.
nope I used my road map and thought that it was ok but guess it must be as the crow flies, but notice Troll has offered me a room and meals not like you who said I could sleep under the back stairs........
Hey, buddy, if you come here, you can have your very own place. Pick from either the 1-room log cabin Dad put in back by the pond (no electric, heat, or plumbing, and smells somewhat of mice), OR you can stay in the camper- queen bed and water/heat. (that is unless it sells before you get here (I'm getting ready to list it soon....).
It's supposed to be in the 70 all week.
just need someplace before we depart to get petemoss on the way to Drift in
Quote from: CDNRatMan on September 27, 2013, 18:06:56 PM
The trees are a painters palette right now with all the colours, going to try to get a ride in if the rain allows and get some pictures....
The trees are turning here too. Maybe a bit early this year for these parts.
I'll let the next couple of shots I took this morning on my way to physio on my bike......and sailboat owners are as fanatical as bikers with getting that last run in or ride in.....so this means an early winter. I did ask what it cost to lift your boat in and out, and got laughed at.....mmmm.......they did say with 5 to 6 people in a group it was not too bad a deal.......
and these ;)
One of those "If you have to ask how much, you can't afford a sail boat" deals....
Buying it is one thing. Maintaining it is quite another.
A boat is a hole in the water you throw money into.....
BOAT: Break Out Another Thousand
The only boat I could mantain is my son's toy boat (a gift from his granparents...) ;D
Fortunately, I've got my Drifter (and she goes like a cruiser'...) 8)
I've seen so many people spend themselves out trying to maintain a boat.
If you want to ride on a boat regularly, get a job on one.
I have to agree for the most part. As a rule, it costs a small fortune just to feed most of them. A friend of ours has a 27' cabin cruiser, it takes $700.00 in fuel for a weekend. We have a 14' aluminum "car top" boat, on a trailer, it belonged to the wifes father many years ago. I was in rough shape, so we spent around $1000.00 to totally rebuild/upgrade it. It has a 9.9 hp outboard, costs around $30.00 for a full weekend. I'll take mine any day. :D
I bought a boat, was really happy, had a buddy who was a metal fabricator here in town, over the winter we turned that bare bones boat, it was a 16 ft. Legend deep V wide body, into the ultimate fishing boat, put in a floor, lights, storage area, swivel seats, and all the bells and whistles. Mariner 30 hp, and I could move along all day at just over 21 mph. use perhaps 5 gals over a long weekend out fishing. Funny part was I had people calling me all the time and inviting me out fishing, and such, then the summer with my knee issues I did not do much, and was really sorry I had to tell people I could not cater to their wish of going fishing.......sold the boat.......now no one calls me, can not figure it out.......oh well
My boat is a 15 foot kayak. Fuel for weekend is enough chocolate to keep my arms moving!! The back of our property is on the habour so don't even need to drive to the water. ::)
Well, I took a ride to Cabella's the other night, looking for those neoprene gloves. They didn't have my size, but will get more in later. I also got a chance to check out their nice arms collection. I didn't buy anything, but I did take inventory on just about everything they sell there.
The ride home was pretty chilly. Hard to see too. I'm not much of a night rider. I don't like surprise potholes, or lumps in the road popping up. The deer are the scariest thing. So as I'm riding home on the dark country roads I'm leaning on my horn, hoping they'll change their minds about darting in front of me at the last second.
I really don't like riding at night. I don't have the vision it takes to process the road dynamics. So if I can get behind another vehicle, I'll follow that for as long as I can. But my preference is to not ride at all after sunset, unless there are lots of street lights and other well-lit signs of civilization.
DC if your afraid of the deer perhaps you might want to move here we have very little deer around here, so night riding is not any danger from Deer strikes.........potholes we have, but no more then most places........
if the neoprene gloves don't work let me know then at Drift in I'll buy the beers. but I think they are the best thing for cold / wet riding.....
yup move up here and avoid the deer......then you can ride at night and relax.....
The only "Boat" I like is... "Boat-Drinks" ala Jimmy Buffet!
I don't know where you guys are located, but out in Canada... It's pretty damn cold now. It's way too cold to keep riding without heated gear.
Ok out in Canada it too old to ride without heated gear. Well I own ......nothing heated, and even though it has been a steady 13*C sorry for yu'll Americans that would be 55*F and cloudy and chances of showers I did get a couple of hours in, dress in layers and a good coat, my TourMaster Rincon is awesome and I have yet to add the quilted liner. I did cheat and packed my rain gear for the ride.
This weekend if the rain holds off we will be doing the ride around the lake..so never to cold just have to dress for it.
I started taking the pills I have to have to keep the blood circulation in my hands happening on the 1st of October...right now, and for the last few days, its been in the low 70s...however, they are predicting a cold front, the one that dropped 30" of snow in Wyoming...to come through tonight...the temps are going to drop like a stone...and then get warm again next week. I put the winter front on the bike, connected the heated clothes controller, now all I need is some cold weather... :P
Weather is weird. It's been unseasonably warm here - 80's all week. I sweat most of the day working. Of course, I've not gotten to ride the bike anyway, as i've had stuff I've had to do with the truck almost every day...
Red sky in morning drive the truck
Red sky at night ride the bike to work
Ride home down the hill along the back twist road, then up a back highway to the main highway and then a side road home......
Warm here too. . . 80s. Went for a ride tonight through some small local towns and running errands. Felt great!
Well I was out on the weekend with some friends riding. The video below is a snippet of one of our rides. OK you may not see my Drifter but its a bit hard to film the Drifter whilst the camera is mounted to the handlebars.
http://vimeo.com/76391747 (http://vimeo.com/76391747)
I have more coming as I get to edit all my footage. It only rained on 1 of the 4 days of riding.
There was so much great footage that I regret having to cut so much to keep it within the 10 minute time frame and match up with the music. I concentrated on shots when it was raining but could not help put in some footage as we rode along Eight Mile Creek Road between Port MacDonnell and Nelson. Look out for it on the Right Hand Side. Footage sees us riding south out of Mount Gambier Victoria after we had visited The Blue Lake. We traveled along Bay Road then the Riddoch Highway to Port MacDonnell where we stopped for a coffee.
We all had fun poking fun at a group of Corvette owners who all managed to scrape the bottom of their cars as they turned onto the main road near us. Our group then travelled along Eight Mile Creek Road hugging the coast before turning onto Punt Road, Crossing into Victoria and heading to the Nelson Hotel for lunch. The return to Mount Gambier was a straight run back along Punt Road. Here is a google map of our trip after we left Blue Lake: http://goo.gl/maps/R2s2E . The route was only about 95 km long but what a great 95 kilometres they were.
I hate riding in the rain and usually go to great effort to avoid it. I decided to forgo my usual reluctance and plow ahead [when I was a teenager I used to race Class Australia Go Karts and rain was my Achilles heel]. The ride ended up being the best ride I've had in quite a while, I loved it!
I was the only person wearing an open face helmet. I had my neck scarf pulled up over my face and nose and my head tilted down to avoid the horizontal rain which at times was stinging my face it was so hard. For a lot of the time I could only see a small gap between my helmet visor and the top of the rain covered windshield. Imagine two eyes scanning back and forth through a small slit like a Cylon eye (refer to Battlestar Galactica if you are not a science fiction nerd like me) and you get the idea.
Safe Riding.
Really nice, other then you are on the wrong side of the road....lol....
Really like the second song, what is it?
Never did like the rain myself, but have had some nice rides in a light rain, either because it was just a nice day or less traffic on the road but it turned into a nice ride...more reasons for elephant ears too...
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.
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 (http://vimeo.com/76481344)
See people are still out riding.
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.....
Cheers. Enjoy the ride this coming weekend. Our summer coming up so lots more riding.
Regards
Quote from: CDNRatMan on October 08, 2013, 21:53:03 PM
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 :o
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.
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.
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......
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!!!!
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..
So Troll what is the number of miles we are supposed to be striving to reach?
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.
Quote from: CDNRatMan on October 13, 2013, 21:13:36 PM
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.
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?
ok troll once I am retired I have a goal in my life thanks......
I got this in 1997....they gave me 2, one I put on my TourGLide, the other I put someplace safe.
Quote from: Troll on October 14, 2013, 07:44:42 AM
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...
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....
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!
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.
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.....
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.
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.
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......... ;)
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.
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. :(
Think I will see what the weekend will bring. Check the long range forecast, I would much rather park a week early and get the stuff done that needs doing, then having it snow and be caught and have things not done.
Want to get out for at least a 10 min ride, add some sea foam to both the tank and oil and then to get things warmed up and moving, then do the last oil and filter change of the summer, then remove the front engine guard, and then park the bike, it cannot get into the living room with the engine guard on.
Then time to commence on my winter projects...........
Unless it snows tonight (anything is possible this time of year) I'm going to ride to the Indian Dealer and take pictures for you guys. I was going to go today, but the rain/wind, and cold didn't appeal to me for a 300 mile trip to do some site seeing. Tomorrow, they are predicting 45 deg. by afternoon. There is supposed to be a poker run this coming weekend, I might get involved with that, but those aren't my favorite activities... I went out yesterday for a short ride on a newly paved section of "mountain" road that's been closed all Summer...all I need now is 499 more miles!
Seem to remember you saying you were riding up here on the Indian to show it to me.......let me look for that post......
forecast right now is calling for rain the next 7 days and no sun anyplace.......we shall see
YOU said that...to let you know when I was going to be in town so you could put the coffee on...I don't know if I'm going to be allowed a test ride, they only have 2 bikes....I'm going to bet..."NO"
I put 5,000 on the Drifter last year. Will be fortunate to hit 3,000 this year. Not as many Sunday afternoon rides this year, usually had an overwhelming desire for a nap I guess.
I was going to ride to work today since it's supposed to turn nasty tonight. I have a 9 mile drive to the shop & I decided not to ride since the corn is starting to come off & the deer have been moving. Glad I chose the truck as I had a small fork horn stand on the edge of the road and weigh his options. I'd rather tag one with the truck than the bike.
QuoteYOU said that...to let you know when I was going to be in town so you could put the coffee on...I don't know if I'm going to be allowed a test ride, they only have 2 bikes....I'm going to bet..."NO"
are you sure I said that ......mmmmmmm..........well ok I'll let it go this time.....
Boaski hitting a deer on a bike can really ruin your day at work, unless you can BBQ the steaks for the shop.got lots of winterizing done today and it really feels like snow today.
Got out for an afternoon ride today; it got up to a windy 60F, had to take advantage of it. Glad I got out; usually, I am plowing snow at this time of year. Funny thing happened, though, as I was coming home. About 1/2 mile from the house, there is an "S" bend in the road, with a railroad track dissecting it. As I was coming around the corner to it, I was gearing down, like I've done hundreds of times before: 5th to 4th, with a blip of the throttle, then to 3rd, with same blip of the throttle, then to 2nd, with a blip of the throttle......or so I thought; 3rd to 1st. Let me tell you, it is not a relaxing experience, when leaning in a curve to have your back wheel lock up like that; hit the clutch right away, and pulled out of it. Never had that happen before. Guess I need to pay more attention to the task at hand, inst :Dead of daydreaming....
25 deg. this morning, but the wind shifted a bit and it's 51 and sunny (!) right now. Took off this morning, just before noon for a little ride. I now need 179 more miles...might get them this weekend. They are saying 52 on Sunday. Went over to LaCrescent, MN. Up on the ridge next to the river. WINDY up there...but some nice scenery...yes, that's a guy in a sailboat.
Well my oil is changed and the bike is ready to be parked for the winter now, and it was cold out today, high of the day will be or supposed to be 31*F so I got everything needed doing done. Front engine guard is off to get it in the door.
Hey, what do you know the weather speculator is speculating that we may have 60 degree weather next week. Even though it might only last for ten minutes a day it's good enough for me. I'm riding 'cause the following week high are supposed to be 30's at best. Vroom Vroom!
I ALMOST rode the bike into work after lunch yesterday, b/c it was about 50 and sunny and felt really nice. Of course when I left work it was almost dark, and was more like 40 and felt pretty cold. I was glad, then, I left the bike at home. Then, on the way home I was REALLY glad I left the bike at home. Came up on a fencerow that comes up clear to the road ditch and met up with a deer. It was just dusk, an all I saw was antlers and heard the crash as a big buck crashed into my Ranger. He hit me just behind the front headlight on the pass. side. I saw him thrashing in the middle of the road in my rear-view, but when I turned around and went back, he was already up and out 75 yards in the field looking at me like "what the heck is wrong with you?"
Amazingly, the damage to the truck was minor, besides the passenger mirror broke off, there are only a few gouges down the side of the truck, from antlers or hooves, I presume. All I could find from the mirror was a couple small pieces of plastic laying in the road....
Whew! That would have hurt if you were on the bike. Glad it wasn't worse.
40s today, windy, cloudy...but tomorrow, almost 60! I have stuff to do around home, so tomorrow, I'm going to get those miles!
WOW close call, you have a Ranger too......and bumperettes and a sunroom wow you have it all.......
Went up the hill today to do a few chores and they had a 2" dump of snow last night and it does not look like it is going to be leaving, down the hill we had really heave rain.....and some flurries so glad I got the oil changed yesterday. Then went to the Honda shop to order my parts for my winter projects......oh boy now to wait for them to come in......
I hated to do it, but I know if I put it off too long, I'm going to be in trouble...I got my snowblower serviced and running 100% today...They weather guessers are predicting thunder storms for Halloween! 22 years ago...1991 I was helping my now Wife move into a new apartment on Halloween...It was 40 and raining most of the day, and turned cold and we got 8" of snow...I had to drag an empty 4 wheel U-Haul trailer 25 miles with my '77 Olds Holiday back to where I rented it...Ahhh, memories!
Quote from: CDNRatMan on October 26, 2013, 10:17:12 AM
WOW close call, you have a Ranger too......and bumperettes and a sunroom wow you have it all.......
a Ranger? I'm talking a beater 2WD 4 cyl truck, dude, not a $15,000 Polaris 4x4 UTV... :o And now it's got antler and/or hoof gouges all down one side, and a broke-off mirror... :-\
Quote from: Troll on October 26, 2013, 12:40:31 PM
..I had to drag an empty 4 wheel U-Haul trailer 25 miles with my '77 Olds Holiday back to where I rented it...Ahhh, memories!
Troll, you had a Holiday? and now a Riv. I bet you've had a lot of cool cars over the years. I didn't know they made the Holiday in the 70s. All I've ever seen was the run-of-the-mill 88's around here. I had a 77 Grand Prix that was pretty cool. Had the 2-tone maroon/mauve paint. They don't make 'em with style like they used to....
'77 was the last year...403 with a 400 behind it. Almost a 442, but not quite. I've had 2 Rivs before this one...a '64 and a '65. The '64 had a 401 in it, and the '65 had a 425...or at least it did when I bought it, but it was stuck tight, so I popped in a '66 401 out of a Wildcat. My favorite Buick was my '68 GS400 Convertible. I've had a couple of decent Chryslers, too. A '57 300C, a 300K and an L...Had a 65 Imperial Convertible for a while, too. I had a '58 DeSoto Sportsman with a 392. Back then, they were just cars, most of which were bought and sold cheap. I think I paid like $650 for my '66 Corvair Corsa Coupe (for those who don't know Corvair lore...the Corsa had a 164" 140 horse flat 6 with 4 carbs...2 primary and 2 secondary, like a 4 barrel carb, and mine had the 4 speed manual transaxle and air conditioning). NICE CAR...but some idiot in a '63 Lincoln 4 dr convertible t-boned it....
:-[ may have to get the bike out of the shed because while going around a corner my upper ball joint failed, truck is ok I had a 8 km walk home...lol it was kind of funny, and was thinking darn good thing my cell is at home or I would be calling my good buddy who owns his own fix it place in 0hi0 to come help a buddy.......
You were supposed to have that clunking and tire-wear issue looked at, BEFORE the ball joint separated! :o
I can help you out, but I hope you have AAA, the tow bill will be a bit steep...
;) Dude no noises no clunking no warning, went around a corner and wham it stopped, this morning it was acting a bit weird but I attributed to the amount of snow on the roads. But will have it looked at on Monday and fixed so I am ok with that . But I did make it to the Honda dealer and get all my parts for the winter projects ordered.....
This is why vehicles need periodic inspection. I was a N.Y. Safety inspector (all dealerships had to have at least 1) before I moved to Wisconsin, where they apparently don't give a damn if your wheels fall off while you are driving...
Just got a text from my son. Seems their planning what he calls a "Snot Run" Thursday (Halloween) night from Steny's in Milwaukee. Supposed to be in the high 50's during the day but back in the 30's at night. Since it's the last day of the month and my rider's insurance drops down to storage insurance the first day of November looks like this is the last run for the year.
Troll was checked by a certified service center not 2 weeks ago as my pre winter inspection, and they said it was all ok, $120.00 for the check, so now I am not happy and they are off my list of dealing with after I go and see them once the Jimmy is fixed.
You should be VERY unhappy with that, brother. I have no idea what is on their "check" list, but for $120 they should have CERTAINLY found that ball joint. If I understand you correctly, and the upper ball joint separated, it's not likely it wasn't really loose 2 weeks ago. I suppose, like anything, there's a slim chance that it was just a catastrophic failure (I've seen the ball joint just break off a couple times) but the GREAT majority of them wear out slowly and become loose, when loose enough they can pop out. Whoever is doing your work should be able to tell easily. If it was loose enough to come apart, I'd take the ball joint back to you certified service center and have a conversation. For $120 (that's almost 2 hours labor at our shop) they should have had hands on your car, and should have found that.
That kind of component was one of the major inspection parameters in N.Y. Glass, suspension, brakes, exhaust, tires, alignment, lights, all are mission critical. When I was working there, we did these inspections once a year for $5. People couldn't re-register their cars until it was done.
39 degrees, with a promise of 59...with all the snow about 300 miles west of here, and nothing to stop it but the river...I decided that today was going to be a make it or break it kind of day. Mapped out a route, and went for a ride. I got some nice scenic pictures, a little video, and most important...my 179 miles with ten extra! Anything I can put on now is just going to be gravy.....Back roads, hills and then, the River....
;) good for you Troll, I have not forgotten that I want your CD so I have video to ride with this winter......once I get my truck fixed I'll be getting that taken care of.....
4 of us went out for a loop from Mt. Gilead (everyone knows where that it at, right?) through Mt. Vernon then up through Mohican State Park. We went through Butler on the way back to Mt. Gilead. About 110 miles or so. Usually this time of year that ride is packed with bikes, this year we saw less than 10. I have to admit I was a little cold by the time we got back home.
Quote from: CDNRatMan on October 27, 2013, 17:32:38 PM
;) good for you Troll, I have not forgotten that I want your CD so I have video to ride with this winter......once I get my truck fixed I'll be getting that taken care of.....
I'm saving one for you :o
Thanks and notice you had your ears on today, bet it makes a big difference on the legs and feet. Going to order mine in the spring.....
It really helps with the lower extremities...and it keeps road crap off the engine in the rain. I had them off all summer, and the chrome REALLY got covered with dead bugs...
Fall color ride today! Great weather for the end of October. Only 100 miles today. Rearranging things in the garage for the inevitable.
really like the lowers on your bike makes it look nice and bet they work too......need to get them over the winter too.
Quote from: Boaski on October 27, 2013, 17:55:05 PM
4 of us went out for a loop from Mt. Gilead (everyone knows where that it at, right?) through Mt. Vernon then up through Mohican State Park. We went through Butler on the way back to Mt. Gilead. About 110 miles or so.
Yeah, I know where Mt Giliad is! Nice place to visit....
I was able to go on a quick Fall color ride today as well. It was still warming up when I went out, but I had stuff to do later so had to go or miss my chance. I think it was around 45-50 when I was out. Chilly but tolerable. I took some pics, otherwise Ratman would never believe me....
;) ;D ok so
Quoteotherwise Ratman would never believe me....
today was Sunday and we all know you do not work on Sundays, so the second picture, at your work place in the parking lot, some ride that is.
The first picture of your old school house, fine and how far was that from your house, right you walked to school both ways uphill and in your fathers pj's.
The third picture is a cool old building, and then a pic of your bike on the side of the road while you have a nap, cool.....
Went by the shop, b/c the grocery store is 3 doors down - needed eggs - I thought a Drifter picture next to the old trucks would be cool.
Your question about the shiney round thing, left side, front of motor.... That is a crank breather. When I did the Grampsize mod, I did away with miles of hoses for the crank breather stuff, and just ran a single hose to a new chrome breather.
The school building is an old abandoned 1-room schoolhouse (like the one you used to go to) a few miles from here.
The log cabin is at our local fairgrounds; there is a group of folks restoring a few old cabins and putting them up in an area of the fairgrounds. They have antique tractor shows and such there.
The backrest? Yes it's comfy.
Had a slight drizzle early this morning, woke me up, driving to work, the roads were ice covered, and all the puddles were frozen, salt trucks out and salting the roads, so I am glad I got my bike ready and it will move in the house on Sat. I am now going to start my project list, unless GreenBarn messes me up again.....
61 deg, sunny and wonderful, Sunday, 40, gray, and nasty today...promising snow showers over night!
Our fall colors are.......white. As of yesterday morning. About 19F this morning. No more rides for me this year..... :-X
Quote from: CDNRatMan on October 27, 2013, 21:26:21 PM
really like the lowers on your bike makes it look nice and bet they work too......need to get them over the winter too.
My PO bought or made the lowers for the bike. They work great. I road with them off during the mid summer heat and noticed hot air blowing up in my face and under my helmet. Put the lowers back on and problem went away. I might try to fab a metal set and see how they would look painted to match the bike.
I took my bike over for state inspection yesterday afternoon. It started out around the low 60s. By the time I left and got home it was 49. BRRRR!
It passed inspection with flying colors. The guy that does my inspection rides a Harley touring model of some sort. He loves working on my bike, and gives me a decent break on price, just because he likes the bike. It's been a year since he's seen it and I showed up with the addition of a light bar and tank shifter on it. I don't think he wanted to give me my bike back. Poor guy has Drifter envy.
This may well be my last ride of the season. Supposed to rain tomorrow and the insurance drops back to "storage" status on Nov one. Fitting that my both my first ride and last ride of the season ended up at Gill's Drive-In. Gonna miss the ride but just as well. My Hot Rod project has suffered a bit from all my fall colored rides.
I rode to work yesterday after lunch, and went over to the next town to the pharmacy. Nice/cool about 65 at that time. By the time I left, though, it was down to 53 - that's pretty chilly. Had to put on my winter gloves - the mesh back gloves were not very warm... I was wishing I had put the liner in my jacket.... I was not dressed nearly warm enough to be comfortable at that temp.
Found this wind chill chart- it's amazing at 60MPH how much difference there is between 60F and 50F. :o
http://www.cyclefish.com/RoadCaptain/blog/768/
Good info. Brrr!
That'a interesting that at 95 and above, it actually feels hotter the faster you go. I wonder if that's a function of density altitude.
Quote from: DC on October 31, 2013, 07:05:28 AM
That'a interesting that at 95 and above, it actually feels hotter the faster you go. I wonder if that's a function of density altitude.
I figured it was just like "chill factor" but in reverse. If the air is hot ENOUGH, then the more air you get blowing on you, the hotter it feels? Kind of like having a fan blowing hot air on you when its REAL hot.
Not many people out riding anymore! Not tonight anyway. Raining cats and gerbils out there. Even though it looks like there just might be a few nice days ahead I guest I am officially off the grid. My insurance drops to storage status tomorrow. Guess I have to face the music and finish (start) some of the projects that were interrupted by the sunshine, the road, and the sound of my Roadhouse two-in-ones. So as the memory of my morning breakfast rides, cranking through the back roads of the Kettle Moraine, fall color rides, and burgers at Gill's slowly fade into the background I can always look to the future sitting on m bike in the cold cold garage making putt putt sounds while bouncing up and down on my new Singh seat.
Boy That Sucks! Winter! Bah Humbug!
QuoteI can always look to the future sitting on m bike in the cold cold garage making putt putt sounds while bouncing up and down on my new Singh seat. Boy That Sucks! Winter! Bah Humbug!
Dude do not give PC any ammo to hammer you, send a pm to himself Mr. Troll, and order his CD of all his rides this summer with the sound. Then park the bike in the living room, who is the king of your house, surly you are, and set up the bike in front of the Big Screen TV , drop in Mr. Troll's CD and then a couple of industrial fans and you can sit on your bike, of course on a lift so it is level, and the winter is your release.......
if you are not the King in your own home then get with it and insulate the garage and make it a real man cave.....snap out of your dreams....
I went to an ABATE meeting this afternoon. Just a little run north about 30 miles. There were lots of people out riding, today...because the weather liar is predicting winter, starting tomorrow. 55 deg, sunny but VERY windy....
33*F high at 1400 today and so bike is parked and I am doing my winter projects, so Troll keep riding for me as long as you can......
I have my limit at 41 degrees F. Below that, it just becomes too dangerous to ride with humidity and rain threaten to turning the roads into an ice rink.
On top of that, they salt the roads here in Sweden when it goes ner freezing temps and the potential damage to bike and frame is just too big.
If it weren't for this, I could ride all year round...
They salt our roads here in the upper mid-west, too. That's one of the reasons it's called the Rust Belt. Sometimes it's just salt pellets dumped out the back of a truck, and sometimes it's salt water brine sprayed all over everything that's near the truck...Spring is probably the hardest time to judge, since the salt left over from winter is just waiting on the road to mess up your bike...
>:( Salt...only good think is it brings the moose to the highway so you don't have to walk far anymore......Saw a hero today on his big bad a$$ H-D and he had a neoprene face cover and all the gear riding around town, and best part is there were frozen puddles on the road........even PC would not be riding on a day like today......other then to mess with us northerners
Nawwww, I don't do ice!
The thermometer said 51 degrees this morning, so I rode to work. Did not pay attention to the weather forecast. Just looked at the radar, might get a little damp on the way home...
Gonna take a biker bath, huh?
45 degrees. Windy, cloudy, nasty, but no snow...yet. Here's a couple of views of our Mississippi bridges you don't often see. I'm taking every chance I can get to ride. They are saying mid 20's over night, and a Monday high of 31....
5" of snow, and COLD here. Winter workshop about to open......
Today from my living room were I was cleaning my bike and taking the rear fender off......
Tomorrow was calling for rain but now it is.....Rain ending in the afternoon then a mix of sun and cloud. Wind northwest 20 km/h. Temperature falling to minus 1*C in the afternoon
Troll, that's a great pic with the bridge- I like it.
It was chilly here today, I think it got as warm as 54, but really windy. I had too many chores to do, and had to get them done so I could go this evening to see Dad in the hospital. When I was in town for a couple things, (in the truck) I saw about 20 bikes, though, gathered at the restaurant- they were just leaving when I pulled through. I was told at the hardware store that there were about 70 just before that. COLD day for a ride like that with that much wind.....
I hate seeing that white stuff in those pics.... Just keep it up there for a few more weeks if you don't mind! It's supposed to get in the teens (F) next week. bah humbug.
Well, I probably got the last decent ride in yesterday. It got up to 60F, so the wife and I headed out for the afternoon. The weather guesser is calling for up to 1/4" of snow Tuesday.
I've gotten a few rides in lately. It snowed the other day and the weather people were talking like it wasn't going to warm back up. Had one day that would have been nice except for the wind. It was blowing 34 mph gusting 50 mph. It's always windy here, especially during storms where it can gust over 70 mph, but that was pretty crazy for a warmer sunny day. Now they're calling for it to get colder and stay that way. See if they're correct this time.
No riding in these parts going on for me . With the cold weather hanging around as well as wind just no fun to ride . I ride more for enjoyment then transportation reasons . To me riding with sub zero gear is meant for woods riding , now that's fun ;) One of these days when time allows I'll get my last ride in though picking the scoot up from the shop to give her the winter cleaning and added mods ideas ::) For all those still riding enjoy and be safe .
We had an inch if snow this morning, but it melted right off by noon. Went riding to the store in the afternoon and on the ride home there were a few flakes falling. Getting chilly too!
We had about 2 inches and still have most of it. It was 18F this morning, a bit CHILLY. Barring an Indian summer, I'm done - of course now there's salt and brine all over the road.
We got 5-6" of snow on Friday-Saturday, down to 4 (F) on Saturday, warmed up Sunday-Monday, around 43(F) today. :D
Well, yesterday I drove the cage for the first time since May. It was kinda weird! I was moving, but there was no wind! Had to open the window to feel at home! Wife wouldn't let me take out the T-tops though...... 8)
Pretty much the last time I had the Drifter out, I put about 50 miles on it. That was last weekend. The weather here is getting uglier every day. I changed the oil in the W today, and because it's 55 deg. now, I had to go and take a ride. I almost didn't take a camera, but you guys swear it didn't happen if there's no pictures. I have the front fender off the Drifter for a little more paint work.....They are promising rain tomorrow, rain on Sunday, and possibly snow on Monday...
Last weekend:
http://vimeo.com/79630329
A Long and Winding Road
This day [OK last weekend], somewhere in Northern Victoria, you would have found:
One Man
One Motorbike [1999 Vulcan Drifter 1500]
At peace with the world
Just Drifting along.
Today I ride, tomorrow I work.
;) that is like riding in Saskatchewan long and flat......lol......
Here I am riding my Drifter 2 weeks ago:
http://vimeo.com/79733987
Nice video, good music. Took me a couple of minutes
to realize your on the wrong side of the road, but then again your
also on the other side of the planet. Would love to get down
there one day. And there is nothing wrong with a bit of self indulgence
once in a while.
aralph
That video just made me remember how odd the drifters look from the back with that floating rear fender. When I bought my bike I didn't have a license yet so my brother rode it back. It was odd seeing the saddlebags and fender and taillight moving around but not the rider. Just not what I was used to. Odd, but in a good way.
Although those streets look really smooth. If they are, I'm jealous.
My Brother in law was always talking about how much the rear fender on my 800 moves up and down, well near the end of the summer I finally let him ride it, we swapped bikes....HOLY COW it does move a lot...lol...funny to watch it go......but he did not look as cool on it as I do so told him he has to develop the cool look and not to wear orange and black on my ride....
My brother had to ride back on it before it had a windshield, so with the amount of bugs he ate I couldn't give him too hard of a time about his HD preference.
This was the first footage I had of my bike form the rear. I need to get a close up so when I get the chance I will mount a camera on the side looking back at the fender to get some footage. Everyone tells me my my is strange to follow at first. It freaks some people out.
14" of snow, -28C (-10 or soF) definitely no one riding around here! 3 1/2 hours plowing yesterday!
BTW, Washbrook, nice vid!!
No snow yet , but man it sure is bone cold here ! The bike is now put up in the man cave so off to work on them winter projects ::)
So city has decided to install water meters, came on Friday to install mine, they could not put it were they want it because the shut off valve is too high, ok so move it, ok they can do that, but now need to shut the water off at the city valve in the front............
They find the valve under about 18" of dirt, make a big hole in the yard, then they try notice the word try to turn off the water, the valve is rusted open...so they call the city to come fix it, City said we would be there next week, so Monday they come out I am not home......they "fix" it so when I get home I call them and tell them I have a rather large puddle in my front lawn. Told it is normal and will go away over the night, this morning it is a small lake so I call from work.....get home and they are pulling up as I get out of the truck, so then the 2 of the guys walk around play with the valve and yup it is leaking...duh ok.....now the issue is the leak on my side of the valve or theirs.....mmmmmmmm prior to them working on it, it was fine they came and did some work on the pipes and it now leaks......and who's leak is it....man......life is complicated....
Since it wasn't leaking (obviously) before they "fixed" it, even they should realize it is on their nickle to fix it. If not, a quick trip to your lawyer and a phone call from him should take care of it. You hope. Good luck on it. :)
Another foot of snow yesterday and -15*C (5*F) and supposed to be melting on Saturday.... my snowplow is getting a good workout this month. Think I'll go out to the shop and look at my Drifter and pout.... :D
;) 49 I am feeling it with you buddy.......go sit in the living room and think and plot......
We got an inch of snow last night. Not much by Canadian standards, but enough to spoil my mood. Too early in the year to have that!!!. On the bright side, the clouds parted and the nasty white stuff melted off pretty quickly. They are predicting around 15 deg. for overnight, so with or without snow, it's winter...If we have an Indian Summer, both bikes are ready to go...just need a clear shot to the road. Sometimes it happens, mostly it doesn't.
Well, you are a lot closer to being able to go riding than I am; but, I suppose I could right the length of mu shop and back.....a 50 foot ride would be better than none, I guess....but, as memory recalls, when I did that last winter on Frankenstein, testing my hand shifter setup, I got the front wheel locked up and slid into the overhead door; not hard, but enough to realize the potential for disaster.... :D
Quote from: CDNRatMan on November 22, 2013, 11:53:13 AM
;) 49 I am feeling it with you buddy.......go sit in the living room and think and plot......
.....and pout.....gotta get that lip out.....
oh buddy not pouting I have lots of parts back from the powder coating place, got my front springs here, next three days off and Dave the kaw mechanic is supposed to come over and start to teach me about 800 and valves.....so I am pumped......ready to go regardless of the major snowstorm happening outside right now.
49 man I guess your getting a work out as well with all that snow . Rain here with more expected this weekend with a possible storm hitting on Wednesday .
Ratman holly MOLLY couple more bolts removed and you can have the frame powder coated :o WOW !!! your really getting ready for Maggie , I'd say ;) Hope you remember how to get that scoot back together . Think you have us beat for mods this year brother ..... LOL ... Your way ahead of me , I just got mine up on the lift today ;D
I have GreenBarn to help put it together and if that fails, and would bet on that I have the World Book of knowledge to help out but would need to have Troll stay awake that long....lol....
Troll may still be riding . I saw he had his front disassembled the other day for paint . but I'm sure he has that project completed . Hell He probably takes his scoot apart and puts it back together blind folded just for haha's .
GB I'm sure would be assistance to keep him off any winter pictures coming from the good north this year ;D
Quote from: CDNRatMan on November 22, 2013, 11:53:13 AM
;) 49 I am feeling it with you buddy.......go sit in the living room and think and plot......
Man, Ratman, you working on a Bobber project there bud??? Didn't that used to be a SUNBEAM RED scoot, dude? D1 is right, looks like you're almost to a frame off resto.....
Quote from: CDNRatMan on November 22, 2013, 16:22:14 PM
oh buddy not pouting I have lots of parts back from the powder coating place, got my front springs here, next three days off and Dave the kaw mechanic is supposed to come over and start to teach me about 800 and valves.....so I am pumped......ready to go regardless of the major snowstorm happening outside right now.
Well old buddy old pal, if I had your money I wouldn't be pouting either.....I would be able to Overhaulin' my ride too.....if I want bike parts, I gotta build my own.....and I have to walk 10 miles to town for materials.... uphill both ways... :'( ;D
in you fathers pajamas.....notice one thing if I had money I would be paying some one to do the major parts but because I am on a very fixed income I need to do it so it can be done.....now if I had 0hi0's money I would be living the life of the rich and famous
10 deg. over night...high of 15 today. First day of deer hunting...
I like my venison steaks medium rare, done on a charcoal barbeque, what time should I show up......
HOLY CRAP!! I dreamt I was Ratman there for a minute!!! ;D ;D
Is cabin fever setting in early this year 49?
Yes...it's all back together, and ready to go. It's 15 deg. right now, so maybe not today. They are saying it might hit 40 on Monday....I'll believe it when I see it. I took the Buick to the store today...both doors were frozen shut. I'm going to silicone the weather strips when it warms up a little bit.
Man a really nice venison chilli or stew would be awesome today and add some really hot fresh rolls and butter....Troll what time is dinner......
Quote from: CDNRatMan on November 23, 2013, 17:50:05 PM
Man a really nice venison chilli or stew would be awesome today and add some really hot fresh rolls and butter....Troll what time is dinner......
Amen to that.
My wife just made a batch of bread and cinnamon buns today(the old-fashioned way, no bread making machine in HER house) I'll bring the bread and dessert......
We had chicken Kiev and Au Gratin potatoes...no venison chili...that was last week. Did you know that one 6 oz chicken Kiev is 550 calories!!!! I used to eat like 3 for dinner! Since the beginning of August, with just a little will power and reading labels, I have lost 3" off my waist, and all the pants that were "snug" are now loose...and the best part, that 30+ year old leather riding jacket that shrank hanging in the closet, had regained it's normal size. Thanksgiving is going to be a challenge, but I'll do it! Too much invested in this game to blow it now.
I really need to get back on a healthier diet myself... did a good job a few years ago and didn't get that back...
Suposed to snow today. Looking forward to next spring.
It got DARN COLD this weekend here. High teens/ 20's Sat. This morning it was about 16F at 8:00 AM.
I went to Iron Pony Saturday to look at some products for a project I'm working on. Needless to say there were not many bikes in the Bike Parking area...
The street bike on the left (just headlights) is one of theirs "for sale" , only the 3 cruisers on the right were customers. One in the parking lot.... Too cold for me....
really strange weather in the last four days, high winds off the lake, normally not a good sign so just waiting for the fall out from that
Very crazy weather here as well ! It poured rain this morning starting out at 35* . By this afternoon it reached 61* with rain , of course . By 1500 the temp dropped to 35 and now at 1730 it's 31 and wet snow . Suppose to be very high winds over night and in the 20's . So with all this craziness I have to work tomorrow 0430 till 1900 hrs . Looks like a turkey sandwich from the deli for me guys . Oh and I did get passed by a biker riding between traffic on the Tappenzee Bridge . Now that's " HARD CORE " :o
Sorry about the ruined Thanksgiving Richie!
On another note, we had to go to the next town over earlier today and I tried real hard to get the wife to ride Nadine with me, but she just wouldn't do it. She said it was too cold! I don't know what her deal is! I mean, REALLY? It was 18F and with the wind chill (before the one you make while riding) it was 4F! That's above 0F for goodness sakes!
:D I can picture you trying to convince mama to ride Nadine LOL . So when you got back to the homestead after your "cozy warm ' ride in the cage to the next town , did you take poor Nadine out for a spin ? Or did you leave her cooped up in the garage ::)
Pastor Dude , hey man Thanksgiving isn't ruined at all . Lets see work + holiday = Double time and a 1/2 ;) ..... I wonder how handy a pair of those Osprey saddle bags would be for Driftin 14 ::)
Naw....sad to say that the snow had started flying by that time. She was probably right to take the cage.
Supposed to be near 40 on Sat. Might have to go for a short putt.
Troll your an animal , brother .
Quote from: John Hopkins on September 26, 2013, 13:14:50 PM
Unfortunately chaps are something the gay comunity have taken over so even though the would be a good idea, there is no way I would wear them.. You may, if you wish, call me predudiced, but I was bought up many years ago to have different beliefs about men and women than many of you younger people....gloves..avoid battery heated gloves, they are useless, the batteries last about 50 yards if you are lucky..riding gloves with a liner of some sort, wool, plastic, thin leather..and heated grips, if fitted correctly are one of the wonders of riding, I turn mine on to the Hi setting for a few seconds just as the frost starts to nip my fingers, then I turn them off as soon as I feel the heat through my gloves, none of this trying to keep my hands toasty..this method keeps the frost at bay and protects my battery and also cuts down on wear to the heating element.
John.
I actually don't agree with the hting about the battery powered heated gloves. The battery heated gloves are a lot better than the hhooked up ones. If you can find a battery pack that is strong enough... you'll have enough power/heat for a while.
45 deg...for a while. I had to get rid of the old lawn mower fuel, so it made a good combination of what to and excuse....Ice is forming on the main channel, but not enough to close it, yet. Some of the back waters are ice covered, but not thick enough to go ice fishing yet...Glad I have the car, but that's only for real winter. Still seeing some geese flying South, so maybe it's going to be ok for a while, yet.
;) well once the snow stay's on the ground and the lake is ice covered I think the prudent choice is to park the bike and drive the truck. Troll does WI give insurance discounts for use of winter tires?
FYI North Bay is the line across ON where if you have a address North Bay or north you are allowed to have studded tires over the winter, love going to visit my sister, when I do put them on and have the local police pull me over for them
Enjoy your riding, and now for PC to come and crow about his ability to still be riding.......
Went riding today....a bit nippy, but not bad.
There ya go Ratman!
Thank you Pc that made my day.
You got it!
40 deg. and rain yesterday, 17 deg, and clear right now...They are saying sub zero by the weekend...DAMN, I hate winter. My winter project parts arrived today...adapting a Nomad rear seat to the '99 horse shoe so I can use my VERY comfy solo seat and still have passenger accommodations when necessary. Pictures as the work progresses... At this point, looks to be a pretty easy mod.
Quote from: Troll on December 05, 2013, 15:53:45 PM
40 deg. and rain yesterday, 17 deg, and clear right now...They are saying sub zero by the weekend...DAMN, I hate winter. My winter project parts arrived today...adapting a Nomad rear seat to the '99 horse shoe so I can use my VERY comfy solo seat and still have passenger accommodations when necessary. Pictures as the work progresses... At this point, looks to be a pretty easy mod.
Looking forward to those pics....
Just got me thinking - I hate winter more and more the older I get ..... By the time I get to be your age, I'm gonna REALLY hate it!! 8)
QuoteBy the time I get to be your age,
with your attitude you just might not make it much farther......32* F outside all day and freezing rain all day...........
Well Ratman, winter finally arrived today. Sleet changing over to snow. More snow over the weekend. maybe it'll melt off soon, who knows.
Buddy I will ask the big guy to bring you some nice weather and to let you get back on the road, because you deserve it......
Back at ya Ratman!
Well, we had 5*F this morning. That's -15*C I should say (That sounds SO MUCH COLDER). It's supposed to reach 15F/ -9C this afternoon. What LOVELY fall weather - it's not even Winter yet, you know. I know, I know - for you "Northern Boys", this IS NICE fall weather. I shouldn't complain, but it's cold for here for now.
Cold enough to freeze the brass.... well you know. Definitely NOT riding weather, at least for me...
But they say if you don't like the weather in OHIO, wait a minute... It's supposed to reach freezing on Saturday. Who knows, maybe I'll take a drive in the truck to go see what trouble I can get into.
Minus 19C (-2F) and lots of snow to plow.... :(
Quote from: 49Reo on December 12, 2013, 10:19:05 AM
Minus 19C (-2F) and lots of snow to plow.... :(
Now, on the other hand, my oldest son has a landscaping business, so all the snow and ice is like a great big paycheck to him.
I've heard it said "It's an ill wind that blows no one good".
(Sigh) an hour and a half with the truck plowing so far, about an hour more to go, then going to do the neighbor's driveway; they have been gone for a week and won't be able to get in the yard.
Then......I get to go play in the shop...... :D
49 hire GB son to plow your driveway....
need to check in with my counsellor because I am entitled to having VA hire a driveway cleaner, but I don't mind doing it if it is not too bad and some times it is a way to relax and unwind......but I have a normal 3 car wide driveway.....
Take what they offer. You earned it.
-17 C /+3F Way colder than normal with blowing snow! Dog even refused his walk and beelined back to the house. :o
We got ice. No snow, just ice. It warmed up to 40 the last few days so no more ice. Would have gone for a quick ride since I finally got the bike together but they went batshit crazy with the sand. It's everywhere, and a lot of it. Even my Jeep has gotten sideways on curves. Bad thing is it'll probably stay there forever. They never actually clean that up.
left home this morning (0600) and it was -22*C /-7.6*F got up the hill and it was -24*C /-11.9*F, then came down (2330) and it was -29*C/-20.2*F and the wind chill tonight in my weather station on the deck tonight at 0004 is winds at 4 kmp/ 3mph making the wind chill temps -33*C/-28*F a nice crisp and brisk day.......
22* here with 8" of snow fall today and doesn't look to be stopping any time soon . So far today finished painting front fender and waxing the front forks . Off to plow for the third time then work on getting the front rim cleaned up . Even though it's a nasty day outside seems to be very productive .
Hey 49 how many times have you gassed up the plow truck ;)
Quote from: CDNRatMan on December 13, 2013, 23:06:32 PM
left home this morning (0600) and it was -22*C /-7.6*F got up the hill and it was -24*C /-11.9*F, then came down (2330) and it was -29*C/-20.2*F and the wind chill tonight in my weather station on the deck tonight at 0004 is winds at 4 kmp/ 3mph making the wind chill temps -33*C/-28*F a nice crisp and brisk day.......
So why are you not ice fishing?
That Buick I bought sure has a good heater....and I need it! Just as usual, it "warmed up" today, so it could snow...again!
I have picked up my yearly dose of flue, I'm hoping it has cleared by Christmas..
One of the problems with owning four old bikes is that I have to spend four times as long on maintenance in a cold garage.
Ride safe, when you can so that you can enjoy the warm weather when it arrives..
JOhn.
QuoteSo why are you not ice fishing?
because as cold as it has been the ice has not gotten thick enough yet, a feather weight like yourself perhaps could walk out on the ice, me I prefer it to be thicker.
Well, now we have an unusually WARM spell, here in Ohio. As much snow as we had, it's all but GONE now. Supposed to be in the 50's F all weekend. We've had rain most of the night, heavy at times. Weather guessers are guessing 1-4" of rain for the weekend. I can see right now we'll get more than the minimum guess. Looks like a warm, wet, soggy weekend. :(
We are getting the end of that storm on Sunday but they are saying rain/snow here. Yesterday we were in Calais, ME, for the funeral of a good friend from our GMC motorhome club, and it was freezing rain/snow all the way home. Couldn't keep the windshield clear of ice most of the day. Usual six hour drive took just over ten hours!
Sorry to hear about your friend, DG; glad you made the trip safely. As to gassing up my plow truck, too many times....more plowing today. Oh well...at least I have heat and stereo in the old bucket of (rusty) bolts!
nice day out today and it was clear, forecast for tomorrow, of course I am leaving to drive to sister's in the morning....five hours and they say I'll be in the freezing rain most of the way, oh well just have to drive like an old person from 0hi0 nice and slow.........
Cloudy an 26 right now, predicting 1-2" of snow overnight, and then -10 for Tuesday...unless they change their minds. I remember 1 Christmas morning...I think it was '99, We had all the inlaws over, and it was -25 overnight. Took all day to get the cars running...Soooo, it could be worse!
Sorry to hear the bad news DG. Prayers for your family and theirs.
Thanks PC, 49. Bill was a great guy. I'm sure he's playing the sax and grilling great sauages in the big campground upstairs.
Ratman and everyone travelling for Christmas - Go Safely
So sorry to hear of the loss, DG. This is such a tough time to lose a loved one. One of the guys at work lost his dad last weekend as well.
To all of you traveling for the Christmas season, safe travels.
thanks DG, planning on leaving about 1000 take 17 to Petawawa then down B-line to Rankin and then 41 the rest of the way, pretty quiet road for the most part, so hope I don't hit the freezing rain till at least Kaladar, then it is only like an hour to her house.
yes everyone travel safe.....
Dg give my best to Fred.....and say hi to Mike
Wow just hobbled outdoors to fetch the newspaper and it's 55* with plenty of fog . The 11+ inches of snow has dwindled down to nearly nothing and the water is running like a stream down the street way . Weather forecast is calling for rain this afternoon so looks like a white Christmas isn't going to happen for the children around here .
Well although it's definitely warm enough for a ride , between the wetness and emergency surgery I went through on Wednesday night no riding going on in these parts .
Safe travel during the Holidays fellow drifters and enjoy the family time .
Drift1...what did you do to yourself?
Quote from: Troll on December 22, 2013, 09:14:50 AM
Drift1...what did you do to yourself?
Yea, hope you're doing OK.
You're getting the weather we got over the weekend. My rain gauge was put up for the year, so I don't know exactly how much rain we got, but I'm pretty sure it was over 3". Saturday morning the local farmers were saying they already had over 2", and it rained heavy on and off all day Sunday until sometime after midnight.
Troll I was having pain in my side that I keep ignoring and dealing with to function throughout the day . Well Tuesday night and Wednesday morning it was pretty bad . I drove home from work early around 1000 to get it checked out . Turns out I had appendicitis and was getting ready to burst . So they rushed me to surgery , witch didn't happen till 2100 that night . I'm home sore , but getting around . It's driving me insane not to be able to do anything . I'm walking the stairs once an hour just to keep motivated . My wife keeps yelling at me because I'm not one to stay still for to long ...LOL . I asked about the doc about getting back to work and he laughed at me , said he wouldn't even see me till after the holidays . Think the miss's had something to do with that ::)
Well, at least you have a good excuse not to shovel snow...and when the kiddies come over to your house on Christmas, they can wait on you hand and foot. My little ankle problem is pretty much resolved, so I just went out and did the driveway and the walks with my snowblower...My wife and one of the grandkids have been doing it all week, so I figured it was time to help. Ankle hurts like hell right now, but I'm not telling her that, she'll just bitch at me for doing too much too soon...Remember that when you decide you've had enough of taking it easy!
You guys- your wives are just doing their jobs, you know!! Taking care of their stubborn old men!! (It's good to keep them busy like that, otherwise they might get bored, you know).... ;D ;D
Troll, glad your ankle is doing better, but don't over-do it. It will heal faster and get back to 100% faster if you take it easy, you know. But I know how hard it is to stay down and not do too much.
D1, sorry to hear about your illness. Sounds like you surgery went OK though. My father-in-law had his appendix get bad and nearly burst a few years ago - I believe he was in his 60's at the time - and he was really in bad shape for quite a while. I think he was in the hospital for almost a week. Glad yours went better than that!!
Thanks guys and yes the hardest part is staying still . I move around pretty well , but have to remind myself not to lift , push or pull as I don't want to " over do it . "
Troll like GB said try to ease into things with out overkill so your uncle heals up . The last thing you want to do is re aggravate an injury . Glad to hear your getting around , though . I'm sure your going stir crazy like myself ;)
Glad you're better D1. That could have been bad!
Thanks Pastor Dude , wishing you and your family a blessed Holiday ;)
Glad you guys are all feeling better, and getting on. I left this morning at 1000 after clearing the driveway and the walks for a last time before Christmas. However jerk that I am I forgot and locked my shed before I departed.....and forecast is for lots of snow over the next few days.........
My neighbours 35 year old son has moved back home after getting caught with a local bad girl, and he will now have to shovel the driveway rather then use my snow blower.....
my normal 5 hour trip to Kingston took a bit over 8 hours, first couple of hours were heavy snow at times close to a white out conditions, and then the last 5 hours was into and with freezing rain.
But it was worth it to see my sisters face when I came in because she did not know I was coming down, just her husband.......so I am here till the 27th....then like a scalded cat out of here and home before the 6 or so grand kids show up.......lol......
Ratman glad your journey ended safely after driving through such bad weather . Your sisters face must have been priceless when you arrived ;) Man that's what the Holidays are all about after all . Hope you enjoy your stay with the family and pray your journey home is just as safe . Happy Holidays my friend .
Ohh so I'm guessing your not playing Santa this year like you have in the past , or did you already do that ? Big A says to tell you Merry Christmas and he's taking good care of Dad .
Quote from: Drift1 on December 22, 2013, 19:10:04 PM
Thanks Pastor Dude , wishing you and your family a blessed Holiday ;)
Likewise......
Thanks D1 we did the Santa thing at work and it was a blast, to make it easy I can use the US rank structure but our Sqn Frist shirt and Santa had talk in front of the whole Sqn about who runs the Sqn and it is not the first shirt, but Diane.....lol
Now my sister thinks I left the Santa suit at home because none of her grand kids are here till the 28th.........
so Christmas morning I'll be up early and into my Santa suit, pants and boots, and a red T shirt.....wig and beard.........having breakfast when she gets up to come down......lol......and another surprise for her.....
Quote from: CDNRatMan on December 23, 2013, 13:23:33 PM
Thanks D1 we did the Santa thing at work and it was a blast, to make it easy I can use the US rank structure but our Sqn Frist shirt and Santa had talk in front of the whole Sqn about who runs the Sqn and it is not the first shirt, but Diane.....lol
Now my sister thinks I left the Santa suit at home because none of her grand kids are here till the 28th.........
so Christmas morning I'll be up early and into my Santa suit, pants and boots, and a red T shirt.....wig and beard.........having breakfast when she gets up to come down......lol......and another surprise for her.....
That wil be PERFECT!!! LOL... fun for sis
Ratman that is awesome . You have to have Dave standing bye for the first reaction of your sisters facial expression . That's going to be priceless for sure ;) Man she's in for a much needed perfect Christmas .
Quote from: CDNRatMan on December 23, 2013, 13:23:33 PM
Now my sister thinks I left the Santa suit at home because none of her grand kids are here till the 28th.........
so Christmas morning I'll be up early and into my Santa suit, pants and boots, and a red T shirt.....wig and beard.........having breakfast when she gets up to come down......lol......and another surprise for her.....
(https://www.vulcandrifterriders.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi83.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fj319%2Fpcarrell%2FAvitars%2F309.gif&hash=a8eae66fa7af9efd36b84340696dc89141debad8) (http://s83.photobucket.com/user/pcarrell/media/Avitars/309.gif.html)
I have to report myself here! Today, it was 50 degrees and sunny. Very unusual for a December day. I put 50 miles on the Drifter today. It made for a nice Christmas Day for me.
OK, put a check mark in the December box for riding 12 months out of the year.
Once again, the roads have become bike-bare around here. Several riders have pulled up to me in their cage-rides to chat, but I'm not seeing too many other active riders out there. I think I'm the only one left holding down the local bike meeting place. No one is showing up anymore. I did check my breath and it still seems okay. I continue to bathe regularly and use deodorant. So I don't know what the problem is.
I've noticed fewer and fewer here as well. There have been some cold, rainy days lately which seems to have sent a lot into hiding. I can't really talk too much though. I don't purposefully ride in the rain, so took the Jeep instead. Was going to ride today, but the uh, key uh, might have uh, been left in the bike uh, after I uh, worked on it and it may or may not have killed the battery... Oops... It's charging now though... Even on the nice days (today really wasn't one of those) there are fewer bikes out. People seem to have started parking them for the year. I have warmer riding gear, so I plan on riding till there is the threat of ice in the mornings.
Quote from: gdrudd13 on October 03, 2014, 22:08:33 PM
I've noticed fewer and fewer here as well. There have been some cold, rainy days lately which seems to have sent a lot into hiding. I can't really talk too much though. I don't purposefully ride in the rain, so took the Jeep instead. Was going to ride today, but the uh, key uh, might have uh, been left in the bike uh, after I uh, worked on it and it may or may not have killed the battery... Oops... It's charging now though... Even on the nice days (today really wasn't one of those) there are fewer bikes out. People seem to have started parking them for the year. I have warmer riding gear, so I plan on riding till there is the threat of ice in the mornings.
I never plan rides in the rain either, but I just make do if it does rain. We've had mostly decent, dry weather. It's just a lot cooler, which I guess is a big turn-off for a lot of people. But I mean, it's only 60s. It's not like its 30s or 40s here. About half the riders here go lidless. So maybe their heads are cold. Just a guess though.
This has been an unseasonable wet summer, rain at least every other day, and at times for the whole week or weekend so not a lot of riding, and we have had dry rain already about an hour north of here on a couple of occasions, and only 28 days left before I park mine for the season. I have already cleared it with my boss that any nice afternoons and I'll have personal business to take care of as I go for a ride to just go, and off the last 8 days of the months so hope to get a few rides in before that. Oil and filter are bought for final change.
I've noticed fewer bikes out as well. Shoot, I even had to put on my leather to ride the other day! We're roughing it here in Indiana! High's in the 60's and all the bikers go home? Pansy's!
Since I got my "new" saddlebags...from Canada...we have had crappy, cold/rainy weather. Last night, it snowed. Third earliest snowfall on record...somebody trying to tell me something?
Quote...from Canada
not sure what you are inferring, but you did not have to make the purchase, no one forced you to buy them.
Perhaps you brought this on yourself, might have to start going the church rather then out riding those Sunday mornings.
Weather gods are getting back at you for being mean to people......
who knows.......
at least you have fancy bags to hang on your bike for the WINTER........ ::)
We've had kind of the opposite. The last 2-3 weeks, we have had warm afternoons but it's been pretty nippy in the mornings. I've ridden the bike as much as I can, but too much stuff going on where I had to get stuff done on weekends- but it's just like EVERYBODY in the county that owns a 2-wheeler has beer riding around me - everywhere I go - just to spite me. Today is a little different though- high of low-40's today, and it rained, windy all day - COLD - and we had snow/sleet mixed in the rain. It's coming....
Tomorrow is an important ABATE meeting, about 30 miles away. I will be riding, no matter what...I wonder who else will. Next weekend is the 40th anniversary of the founding of ABATE of WI, down in Madison..about 150 miles away...Riding to that one, too, or I'm not going....I have a new Winter riding jacket, and my electric gloves....no worries!
Forecast for the next 8 days is rain everyday.......