Are you still riding?

The fortnight prior to xmas or so I was stuck in the house as the ice on the roads made a trip to the shops too dicey.
I was watching the food levels in the freezer and store cupboards drop and damn near had to eat the carpets and boil my boots.
Luckily, there was a break in the weather and the roads thawed out, so I was able to get into the major shops and stock up for a month.
First time in ten years of Two Wheels Only I've been caught out like that, because I used to shop weekly and always had a month's worth of tinned and packeted goods in store, at a minimum.
Not be caught out like that again, it wasn't nice.
Otoh, time has taken its toll and I'm seriously contemplating a small 4-wheel runabout just for winter use.

 

I honestly don't know about riding on ice and snow covered roads . I'm a fair weather rider 50 degrees is about my lowest limit . Here the roads get salted and tore up from plowing , wait for spring and rains to wash the salt off the roads .

 

Several days of rain have washed our roads salt free, but I did notice a few areas of sand & grit on some of the county roads when I had the 74 CB 550 out yesterday. Last spring I installed Dunlop Trailmax tires on the bike and they are phenomenal. I had my doubts about their wet weather usability, but they offer lots of grip wet or dry. Computer aided motorcycle tire design never ceases to amaze me.

 

Was a cloudy and wet 55° degrees today, but I run some Ohio backroads for a total of 68 miles. Sorry no photos, thought about getting a shot at the State park, but my fingers were pretty cold and didn't stop to get off for a photo.

Completely re did the front brakes on the turbo and while not up to today's standards, they are now working great for a 40 year old bike. The master cylinder was really gunked up with lots of brake fluid crystals, the calipers not too bad. Just used organic pads. Hoping today's ride was enough to get the brakes all squared away. As it was wet & cold, I was easy on the new front brakes, no hard stops.

 

I rode today! It was on my Honda CT 70 up and down the drive several times.

 

@BallAquatics can you let me know which tyres you have on your bike?

 

The tires on the 1974 CB550 shown above are Dunlop Trailmax Mission - https://revzilla.com/motorcycle/dunlop-trailmax-mission-tires
The tires on the 2012 NC700X are Michelin Road 5 - https://revzilla.com/motorcycle/michelin-road-5-tires
The tires on the 2011 CBR250R are Michelin Pilot Street Radial - https://www.revzilla.com/motorcycle/michelin-pilot-street-radial-tires?sku_id=938253
The tires on the 1982 XJ650LJ are Kenda K657 Challenger - https://revzilla.com/motorcycle/kenda-k657-challenger-tires

Hope that helps.

 

Thanks @BallAquatics it will.

 

Still riding? Yep, a couple of mates and I did around 300 miles round trip yesterday to Fair Bluff, NC to check out a stash of true barn find m/c parts. Turned out to be almost all Suzuki stuff. I didn't see any XJ or even Yamaha bits or parts. A disassembled but likely nearly complete Suzuki 650L with 109 miles on the odometer.

 

High of 65F today. Had bike out for a very short ride in the neighborhood during lunch (working from home)

 

100+ miles yesterday, but it took 2 bikes to do it. Starting out I rode the 74 CB 550 to work. Had to be there at 5:00am and it was wet and hazy from some over-night rain. I'm trucking down Ohio state route 36 and this SUV coming the other way hits the brakes just after passing me. It's not long before it's turned around and on my tail. The lights come on and it's a county deputy. Seems like when I had the carbs off a couple of weeks ago, the wire to the tail light came un-hooked. He was a great young man and with the help of his lights I fixed the problem and was soon back on my way to work. That was 60 miles round trip.

Then when I got home around 2:00pm it was so nice I thought I'd better drag out the "New" bike and stretch it's legs too! About 50 miles of county back roads and a stop at a tiny little state wildlife area where I spent lots of time in my youth.



Today the temperature has already fell back to more normal temps for this time of the year. Oh well, I got my fix and have plenty of wrenching to do until the next nice day!

 

Had the 74 CB 550 out for a short ride today. It was only 38, but sunny and little to no wind. I've been working on the bike and wanted to do a test ride.

It had been making a weird noise that wasn't matching wheel speed or engine rpm and I finally tracked it down to binding link in the chain.

Also, I put the air box back on and dropped the pods after using them the last 40 odd years. It's nice to have that smooth Honda idle back, but it's got a sputter around 5000 rpm. Probably need to go down a few main jet sizes. The 1974 550's had a #98 main jet I believe.

 

Squeaked in a ride after work today. Was hoping to ride to work, but it was misting rain and foggy this morning. Just a little cool this afternoon, but some intermittent bursts of sunshine here and there. It was actually very nice when riding with the wind. I needed some bike time!

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Yep, still riding. A couple of errands yesterday and hoping to get Gus the Moto Guzzi back together and a ride in the 70 degree weather before the rain. This is about 50% of the reason I am in NC for the winter.

 

4+ inches of snow today..... no bike rides for me.

 

Temps up in the mid 40's today. Went for a couple of rides to test out the new clutch install. About 30 miles in total.

 

Beautiful day here for February in Ohio. It warmed up to 50 °F this afternoon and I got in a ride on the CB550 and the Seca Turbo.

Rode out to check on Mom's place while she is in the sunny south for the winter and then just meandered around on the back roads for an hour or so. The 550's just about ready for spring as it's running great. Did a complete carb clean and rebuild and reinstalled the factory air box in place of the pods installed back in the 80's. I might end up doing the clutch too as I am very happy with the way the clutch turned out in the Turbo..... The jury is still out for now. Ended up doing 50+ miles on the 550.

Switched helmets and gloves and went back out on the Seca Turbo. Very different ride than the CB550. Clocked 40+ miles on the Turbo, mostly state routes through rural farm lands.

 

So, my first ride 'of the year' was yesterday - about a 10 mile gas/library run. She started a little rough, but by the time I was to the library (~2.5 miles) she was smooth as silk. Today I did the commute (26 miles each way) and it was a sunny 35F when I left the house. Ride home should be a little chilly with the sun going down, but I'm pre-heating w/ some tea before I take off.

At one light a woman probably on her 60s pulled up next to me and when I glanced over she smiled and gave me a huge thumbs up. Day brightened even more.

Fun (to me) fact, I started this year off w/ 38,225 miles on the ol' gal.

Edit to add: Hell, it's up to 48F now. It'll be downright balmy getting home!

 

You, my friend, are hard core. Since my 700 X motor is still disassembled and it is to be 65F here tomorrow, I am thinking of getting the 700N out for a spin.

 

It was a balmy 55 °F yesterday and I got about 70 miles of rambling through the country side, and a curvy ride through a state park. Still dreaming of warmer weather.

I'm really starting to like this Yamaha. Smooth as silk, 4K @ 55mph, and 5K @ 70mph. Gas mileage it's too bad either and will probably improve with warmer weather.

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