Well I'm probably done for this year...

My speedometer broke for the second time this year on the way to work this morning. (The play in the wheel bearings must be just enough to break the speedo drive clutch.)

That and pending snow for Illinois means I start my winter maintenance this week.

Anybody besides me still riding this late in the year? I noticed other bikes out on the road today besides myself so I know I'm not the only one.

 

Oh, sure. But I'm on the West coast. We won't see freezing temps here for another couple weeks (I hope). And even then, we can ride if we wait 'til the mid-morning thaw.

Ah, but a sign of the times: the bike covers I ordered from work back in August showed up. I ordered them for storing the bikes when the weather got too bad to ride. I told the warehouse not to put a rush on them 'cause I had plenty of time. Boy, that was quick! :cry:

 

Ahh...may I say "you suck sir".

I have no problem riding in the cold. Heck it was about 35 this morning not counting wind chill. But there's that snow thing pending...

I'm going to have a fair amount of things to order for my Seca but they are all fairly inexpensive stuff. Wheel bearings and seals for the front wheel, paint and filler for the tank, misc other things. Nothing big thankfully.

And I now have space in the garage to work on it so I should be able to get all this stuff done without too much trouble.

 

2 degrees celcius today. It's getting close to packing it in!

 

I would have thought you'd have had snow by now being as far north as you are. I'm mildly surprised to be quite honest.

 

When I first moved to Philadelphia, I put my ninja away at my folks house in upstate NY, and then saddly watched the winter go by with only 4-5 snow days. I am hoping to ride right through this year, aside from when there actually IS snow. I must say it is nice to go back to a bike that can actually stand up for emergency driving in crappy weather like snow. The first moment there was snow on the ground, my ZX6 and all sport bikes I imagine, became completely unridable because of all the weight on the front tire.

Anybody have some good (or stupid) riding in storm stories?

 

I was planning on exactly the same thing but since the speedo has broken a second time I'm taking that as a sign...

I'm amazed though at how well my Seca performs in the cold and on the wet. She's such a nimble little bike that I can handle almost anything.

Thanks to morning traffic I had to sort of "dirt bike" over a median strip yesterday after leaving the gas station and I was surprised at how easy it was to get that front wheel off the ground. That bike is so well balanced it's scary.

Not enough ride time on my license yet for those.

Though I will admit that there's been times in this windy state that I've been blown from one lane to another by a crosswind.

 

Not an XJ story (actually, I don't think they existed yet) but here goes.

Living in a small town in Michigan. Had a moped at the time, and rode the snot out of the thing. Sometime in November one year, I decide to head out of town to the nearby community college. I start out, and see some snow flurries. I get there, and the college is closed. Then the snow starts coming down hard. No problem, I think. I'll wait it out.

After much waiting, and no sign of the snow letting up, I figure I've got no choice and start heading home. I'm sure I drew a few stares from the passing cars. As I go to make a left turn, the bike slides out from under me; I pick it up and continue riding. The ultimate insult? As I hit the edge of town...

...the snow stops.

I took that as a sign and parked the moped for the winter.

 

It is unseasonably warm for this time of year. It was something like 30 degrees C here earlier this week.

 

Not to brag or anything but I still gots shorts and tees on

 

I heard - my wife is in Dallas today and she is rubbing it in with salt as well.

 

I'd look hard at the speedo cable - I don't know how far apart these come, but if they do, disassemble, clean, lube, reassemble, lube....

 

I ain't done yet ...

I have my Annual "Fall Foliage" Ride to go ... yet!

 

My last fill-up in '07 was Oct. 24. Not sure when my last ride was, but that winter SUCKED. I never 'officially' packed it in but my next fill-up was March 16. I've been commuting on the bike regularly since then - even with all of this rain lately (I love my new Olympia Phantom riding suit).

As for good storm riding stories: Thanksgiving 1995, my first winter on the bike, I was riding back to Evanston from my cousins' house in Schaumburg. I didn't have proper gear yet - just a helmet, jeans, a sweater, some 'insulated' work gloves, thick socks under my regular Red Wing boots, and an army surplus field jacket if I remember correctly. I took the Elgin-O'Hare, jogged around O'Hare to Golf and took that out to Evanston. I distinctly remember riding up York road along the west side of ORD leaning so far into the wind (oddly out of the east) I thought I was going to scrape pegs. The near-freezing rain started around Des Plaines. By the time I got to Skokie, I was putting my gloved hands directly on the engine to warm them up. When I got back to my apartment (by the grace of god), I started a hot shower and climbed in with all of my gear (except my helmet) still on so I could warm myself back up. I'm certain I was hypothermic to some extent. The only reason I can think of for not stopping and warming up somewhere was that my judgement was likely impaired but fatigue and the cold.

That's one to learn from. But sometimes we need reminders.

This spring I went out for a few hours on a 30-something day. By the time I was a few miles from home, the sun had set and I was getting DARNED cold. By the time I was 2 miles from home, I was missing shifts because my feet weren't working right. When I got home I stood in the house with all of my gear on for about 10 minutes warming up - didn't need the hot shower this time.

Get-there-itis they call it in aviation. It's a scary, dangerous thing.

BTW, later that week, I ordered my Olympia Phantom. Is toasty!

 

I'm in PEI Canada, and I'm still riding. I'll keep the bike out until there is at least 30 cms of snow on the ground that isn't going to melt...you just have to dress warm and think about the warmer days ahead next year.
Last year we were out until December 24th, took the batteries out in January and put them back in in March :~)
Hopefully it will go the same this year

 

I've got the girl in the garage right now as I just got the proper jets in the mail the other day and will have to do those this winter. (*fear and dread!*)

Since I'm not driving 66 miles round trip any more (laid off last month) I will likely ride her considerably more often.

 

Still riding for now. Our first snow storm is heading in on Tuesday. I'm hoping that it warms back up after that. I am hoping to ride until thanksgiving.

 

The weather is JUST NOW turning nice. I dug out my long pants and sweatshirts. Both of 'em.

 

You know it's funny, I live in the Vancouver BC area but I've been
working most of the last year in the maritimes, consequently my
XJ has been sitting at home. I'm in PEI today and it's beautiful,
and it's been raining like heck and cold at home. The were bikes all
over the roads today, riders enjoying the great weather, and I was
jealous!

Cheers ---PaulG

 

Bike is still being ridden. Beautiful day to ride today.