I was thinking of you today while on for a bike ride.

[George-CT]

I put on the snowmobile suit, gloves and hat liner and hit the road early. It was 28 when I left but it came up nicely. Went for coffee and a begal and let the sun get a little higher. I figured I'd be the only nut case out there but low and behold, I saw about 12 others, all dress in winter gear with big smiles. It finally made it to around 45 which was nice. Couple that with 55 to 60 mph and the wind chill took it back down. All and all I was pretty comfortable. I was breaking a new rear tire I put on the machine. They are slippery for the first 100 miles so I wanted to get that out of the way, so headed for I 395 and did a 50 mile run north and then back and wala tire broke in. Did a lot of side to side stuff to rough it up and get the oils off it. Topped off the tank on way back home so it don't sweat. UP here those temps fluctuations will make the tank sweat so I keep it full to stop that. I sure enjoy it out on the road. I was thinking, darn, Fred is probably in his shirt sleeves and here I am dress up for ice fishing. Pretty much how it is here until April. Even so, I still like it after all these years.
When it really gets cold I wear felt line packs. Feet stay nice and toasty. My hands seldom get cold, and if I protect my ears, I'm golden. Hooked up with a guy on a new bright yellow goldwing for awhile on the pike. He had had it for a few weeks and was breaking it in at 55 mph. Beautiful bike, with all the goodies on it, heated handle bars, headed seat, radio, helmet intercom for him and the wife and even a duck off the engine to put more heat on his legs. Nice rig for sure. Big bucks. He and she are going cross country on it come May. Fact pretty much the same route my wife and I did 2 years ago. He was saying he even ordered a matching trailer for it so they can carry there gear and tent. Quiet machine for sure. Mine has a deep rumble to it. He kind of liked that when we were riding together. Anyhow, wanted to say hi and see how your riding is going on the new C90. I sure wish we had your weather.

George-CT

 

[Sunny]

is it not harder to ride a bike on a snow covered road than in a car? Seems like it would be more dangerous. I was just wondering if you had to put it away for a few months until good weather returns. Sounds like you had a mighty fine day. Heated handle bars? No kidding? You guys must really ride in style! Be safe!

 

[Kelley (Texas)]

We have had blizzard cold weather and rain these past several days...it only reached 42 degrees today, but the rain made it feel much colder. In a few days it will be back into the upper 70's...and I will be out riding. I really like the C-90 and the way that it handles.

A friend of mine dumped his bike when he put new tires on it and went flying out of the dealership...it went out from under him two blocks from his home when he turned a corner. He ended up with a few minor cuts and bruises, but the bike had some damage. You are correct, you need to break in the new tires for a hundred miles or so.

Say, how about telling us about that cross country trip that you and your wife made two years ago...I think it would be neat to hear about. Did you all go across the entire country? Have you ever ridden up into Canada? Please have a great day! Kelley (Texas)

 

[Sunny]

n/t

 

[Kelley (Texas)]

I ride solo and do not have the experience to ride with a passenger on the bike with me. If Debbie had her way, this motorcycle would be gone tomorrow morning...she thinks that I will end up getting hurt on it and wish it would just go away. Please have a great day! Kelley (Texas)

 

[Sunny]

waiting for it to "go away". By the way..............how did you win this one anyway????? My guess is that you just went down and bought, then said "Honey, do I ever have a surprise for you"! Am I close?

 

[Kelley (Texas)]

I really do not want to tell you how I won the battle because it is sorta like the old gunfighter theory...the gunfighter never taught the student all the tricks of winning a gun fight because if he did, the student could always come back and shoot the gunfighter. Then the student would become the gunfighter, right? Please have a great day! Kelley (Texas)

 

[Sunny]

held in a begging fashion, craying like a baby, tellin' her all kinds of things, making her feel guilty, then sorry for you.......yaddah, yaddah, yaddah!

 

[Kelley (Texas)]

I have too much pride. Debbie and I had discussed this before I made the final decision to get the motorcycle. There has always been a "trust and support" factor in our marriage and while she is fearful that I could get hurt, at the same time she knows how important this is to me. I thought long and hard before I made that final decision to buy a motorcycle. Please have a great day! Kelley (Texas)

 

[VT Dave]

n/t

 

[Micheal_R]

n/t

 

[George-CT]

Most of the big V twin bikes built today do a great job on the open road and are very reliable. Yes, new tires on a road bike can get your attention really quick until you get the slipperiness out of them and scuff them up some. I try to make sure I get them up on the sides that I would use in the cornering also. Thats where it will happen most of the times, hard corners or hard braking. My vette is the same way with new tires, real easy to get it out of shape if your playing around on new tires.

I'll fill you in on some of my trips in another post. These were from the east coast to the west coast and up and down both coast.

George-CT

 

[George-CT]

Good stuff to know if you don't live in snow country. We do ride our dirt bikes and quads in them all the time. With the knobby tires, they get good traction in the snow, Street bike tires are a different story. With these big V twins, like Ron's, Kelly's and Mine, the produce a lot of engine torque, and it don't take a lot to get them loose. Most of these bikes are in the 700lb to 800lb class so once you get beyond the balance point that can go down easy in snow. As much as I ride off road in anything, mud, snow, sand, wet leaves, you name it, with the road bike, I don't even take it out in the rain or if it looks like rain. If by chance I get caught in rain, I park it and wait it out. I've had to many friends that didn't stop and got injured or wrecked their bike. Just not worth it on these big bikes.

Now winter here off road, we love, both at the dirt bike track and woods, plus we do a lot of ice racing on the frozen lakes. We take the knobby tires, " In case you don't know, knobby tires have big knobs on them and big spaces in between them so they dig into the dirt or mud or snow and grip very well. They are not good on the street as they have very little surface on the black top to help stop you. Everything is a trade off. Where as a street bike, has big tires, lots of road surface for cornering, braking and traction, but in water they will hydroplane, and can get you in trouble fast. Wet leaves will also.

On the lakes in winter we put very sharp, specially made ice screws in each one of the knobs on the firt bike, both front and back. You can then run on the ice just like you would on the dirt or road. All kinds of traction.... We race so you don't want to get run over by one, you will get ripped up bad. I'll attach a picture of some of us racing on the ice. We can't wait for the lakes to freeze up.... Being so smooth its really fun corning and sliding around but always in control...

Here is a few pictures of ice bikes at our club....

If you live in ice country you just need to find something you like to do in it, be it ice fishing, skating, ice sailing....anything to pass the winter. Like the heat, you get used to the cold and dress for it....

George-Ct

 

[Wayne in BC]

Hilti nails or cap head screws depending on the conditions, ice or hardpack snow. It was a blast! Have not done that since the mid 70's.

 

[Sunny]

n/t

 

[Sunny]

n/t

 

[Sunny]

a knobby tire is. We ride our four wheelers all over the place in the winter and in the woods. Trouble was year before last I tried to climb a tree with one! That hurt, tree won!

Looks like the ice racing can get a bit exciting too! Thanks for the photos. Geez, I agree...............don't get caught up under the wheel with the spikes!

 

[Sunny]

you liked it once..........go do it again. Life is too short! ..... buy the shoes!