IT'S OVER!!!!!!!!!!

With a foot of snow on the ground, and a ton of salt to go with it, the '06 riding season is oficially over here in Illinois (for me, anyway). Got a lot of mileage outta this one; last weekend I did 55 miles on the Seca! Who else is "done" for the year?

 

Although I have been in Winter-prep Mode. It ain't over yet; near Boston!

Hey! Check this out ... I'll have the sweetest running Snow Blower on the block, this year.

Oh, yeah! ColorTuned it !!!

I'll be throwing snow 50-feet when the White Stuff piles-up in New England.
Just a matter of time, now.

 

I thought it was over too. Then last Tuesday turned out to be so nice and I was off work.

I put the tank on, fueled her up. Then after an hour of not getting started I pulled the tank back off and noticed that I had previously disconnected the enrichner.

Now it needs to be re-winterized (no rush, just in case).

 

I am in Illinois too, right across from St Louis, MO. I guess I'm done also; it was so nice last weekend I put several miles on my seat. Rode to work Monday and Tuesday and should have Wednesday, but they keep talking rain and the streets were a little wet that morning but turned out to be a nice day. Now it is so nasty and cold ice and snow all over. Man I am ready for spring again. Leaving for Mexico on Saturday for a week I wish I could take my bike with me.

 

It's never over! I keep my bike on the road year-round. I just leave it on the battery tender and start it up once in a while. That way, I'm ready to take advantage of the occasional rideable day we luck into around here, even in the dead of winter. I get to feed my riding jones now and then, and I'm spared the hassle of winterizing the bike and re-prepping it in the spring. I just find the idea of putting the bike away, and resigning myself to not riding at all for three or four months, way too depressing.

 

I'll do the same until Jan. Then it's time for some work on it. Gotta be ready by the end of March for the new season.

 

Ah, the beauty of living in a snowless zone. Basically riding all year long. Only difference is the riding gear. Leather for winter and a Dririder Airflow for summer. Occaisionally the bike gets parked for a week in winter due to rain but other than that it's all systems ride.

But, a few months tearing around on a snowmobile would be fun too. :wink:

 

Guess that's why they be callin' it "Oz", aye 'Mate?

Oh, for New England to be free of Winter. Sure, we sing about dreaming of white Christmas'. Lovely song lyrics; but far from reality.

It's bad enough that the days are short of sunlight. The bone-chilling sub-freezing temperatures, for days on end; I could live without, too.

It's that 'Nor-Easter ... that comes-in off the Atlantic; dumping three or four feet of heavy, wet snow on the landscape, that makes me shiver! Clogs the blower's impeller making the machine in-op! Tough on the old back!

Makes we want to strap my Snow-Blower to the front of a nice, big RV and keep driving South, until someone asks: "What in hell is that contraption you got on the front of that-there RV, boy?"

 

I'd love to keep the bikes ready to scramble at a moments notice; two things stop me from doing that.
1) The salt, sand and other loose debris on the roads before the spring rains make every corner a potential low-side. This is one of the calculated risks of riding I choose to heed.
2) I've seen bikes that are ridden year-round-and it ain't pretty. Headers, engine cases, frames and mag wheels all suffer mightily under the ravages of salt, especially in the amounts they use around here where drivers are retarded and couldn't back out through a wet paper bag. Again, not worth being impatient. Last year I did my first ride before the end of March....so a 3 month layoff is bearable, anyway!

 

Salt. Salt an a half. Sand. More sand. More sand than that. Freezing and thawing pavement disintegrating into moonscapes. Those moonscapes filled with water until repaired or water evaporates. Water-filled craters at depths sufficient to harness for hydroelectric power. Craters filled with patch consistency of burnt popcorn. Loose chunks of pavement around until weeks after the last snowflake melts. Frozen pavement stress fractures filled with special asphalt material which cures in less than a light-year! All that sand in the road until traffic blows it over to the shoulders. Natures little ball bearings left on the shoulders and corners until the road crews are out in T-shirts and sun block. A few months of good road and it starts all over, again!

When I park it and pull the drain screws ... that's it until it's safe again!

 

God almighty, you paint a bloody dismal picture Rickomatic. And to think I was almost a Yankee, still at least I know now why my New England cousins are such miserable sods.

Faighaigh

 

Your info says something different but I think you secretly live around Chicago.

 

I just put my bike away last week. My last ride was last sunday night and it snowed a few inches monday morning. I think if I had a garage of my own I would keep my bike on standby all winter, but, I dont so, I store my bike at a friend of mines place who graciously lets me keep my bike in his garage with all his other toys. If a nice day comes around, I'd have to ask him to move his tractor, his boat, jeep,mower and so on just to get my bike out. I really hate to hang it up for the winter, but its alot better knowing my bike will be out of the sub zero temps and brutal "north eastas", we have here. Although right now its raining and in the 40s and tomorrow we should see 50s. This is a very unusual winter, And I'm loving every nice day I can get. Hopefully I'll be riding again as soon as possible!

 

After the last snow a week ago the temps got to -14.....
Yes here in sunny Arizona!

I added a bunch of seafoam to the gas in the tank, ran it into the carbs, disconnected the vacuum line, plugged it and ran the carbs out of gas, I pulled the battery and put it in the well house with my Rv batteries (50 deg in there all the time)

This Sunday they are calling for lots of snow down to 2500 ft elev..... down to the outskirts of Phenix, I live @ 5500 ft elev. OH WELL!

I guess Ol Man Winter is officialy here!!??

Nice weather and I might run the bike around on a sunny "Indian Summer Day"

Wel, it was real in 06

Come on April 2007

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays all!!
Here's wishing you and your families all the best for the Holidays and in the year to come!

 

Note that running the bike, with the fuel line disconnected, will not drain the carbs fully... to fully drain them you need to loose the drain screws.

 

Thanks Woot
I really intend to ride er' again before a month goes by.... max 2 months.
If not I will be running er' in the carport periodicaly.

Thanks Again

 

You all make me happy that I'm a Yankee transplant from Duluth Mn. living in the sunshine state.(what's a battery tender for?)

 

I hear ya, Jerry...still riding here!

 

Are there any southerners still living in Florida everyone I know there is either a Yankee or a Canadian on holiday.

Could still be riding here if I had my bike back and running.

Faighaigh.

 

My wife and three children were all born right here, And they all go for rides on the Max!!!

 

Season isnt over yet in st louis. I put 56 miles on mine yesterday

 

It was 53 here today....tempting, but my rules is my rules. No rides after the first salt. I found other things to keep busy and deliberately stayed away from the garage. :cry:

 

It ain't over yet in New England! I took the Max out and cruised over to Duncan Donuts, today!

There were a bunch of bikers adding-up some RARE late-season miles on their rides, out, today!

This is very, very freaky! I have the lawnmower put-up for the winter. The sno-blower is up on the flight-deck ... but, we're still launching the bike 'til it gets freezin'-ass cold or the snow starts flying!

What's-up with this? I'll take it as long as I can get it!

 

Either global warming or hot air from DC politicians!

 

Let's hope it's global warming; there might be a fix for that... :lol:

 

You guys are making me SICK!!!!
I just woke up to snow again!!!

And I don't have a whole lot of off season work to do on my bike.......

LUCKY/UNLUCKY

Hard choice

at least they dont salt the roads here (mostly cinders)

 

Its been pretty cold here in southern california, but i'm still able to ride. When it gets too cold I ride with a scarf on and some thermals underneath and im good to go. Anyone ever ridden in the snow before?

 

Not because I chose to!
I left on an Indian summer day only to find myself in the snow coming down before I got home.
The snow was not sticking yet so, no I didnt ride on icy roads.

 

Pete.

Rode in snow several times years ago, mind you in London we rarely had more than an inch or two. The worst thing to ride in was the fog, the infamous pea souper. I rode home from my wife to be's house one night in 63' with my left foot on the kerb all the way and praying there were no cars parked on route. It was less than a mile but it was bloody scary.

Faighaigh.

 

I lived 400 miles farther up north when I was a teenager. I had a blast riding my Honda 90 on the side roads and in the bush on snowmobile trails. I would put on my woolies, extra pants, a couple of jackets and a scarf. I never put my feet on the foot pegs, had to keep them on the ground as outriggers. One time out on the bush trails I was going to fast and missed a turn. The snow was so deep the bike stayed upright, just as if I had parked it in a bicycle rack. I went flying to safe landing in the deep stuff, had a good laugh but a tough struggle to get the bike back on the trail!

 

We used to ride dirt bikes in the snow. Thing is, we were in snow, not the hard packed stuff on the roads. Also had knobby tires.

Had plastic things that laced on boots called Ski-N-Skates. Would put a water ski towrope on one of the bikes. Someone put on the skates, grab the rope, and off we'd go. It's a wonder we made it to 16 when we switched to cages.