Black Friday is White Friday here

[junglejim]

On Thanksgiving day I took my 4th last ride of the season to a family dinner. It was 55 degrees and I had to ride just to make some other motorcycling relatives jealous. They were. Then we got about 14 inches of snow overnight and it is still snowing (they forcasted 3"). I spent 2 hours plowing snow, 1 hour grooming an XC ski trail, and it will all have to be done again later today or tomorrow. What a change in weather. I don't think I could even make it out my driveway on a motorcycle to the road which still isn't plowed anyway. This snow is here for the rest of the winter now.

And this time I'm sure the riding season is over. Now I'm jealous of you folks who live in more southern areas who can continue to ride.

 

[charlie b]

Well you could continue to ride, but....

Need to get off road tires and insrt some sheet metal screws in the tread.

 

[vzshadow]

Fall ends tomorrow here in Maine. A rain/snow mix is forecast and the temperatures are predicted to plummet for the duration of the 10 forecast. I put the NT to bed. It doesn't mean I can't wake her up at some point, but she is sleeping soundly in the garage.

 

[Phil Tarman]

It's a beautiful, cool day here on the high plains of eastern Colorado. I haven't ridden today, but will ride tomorrow and probably every day next week. There's a remote chance of some flurries here on Tuesday, but they won't stick. We'd love to get a few storms like the one you had, Jim. We've had a rocking 9 1/3" of rain all year.

 

[junglejim]

Motorcycling on Thursday - XC skiing on Friday. You have to be adaptable.

I complained at Aerostich last week that my Darian pants seemed to be getting smaller. They've heard that a lot. Maybe if I get in more XC skiing my pants will fit better in the spring.

 

[junglejim]

That sounds pretty much like a perfect two days to me. How was the snow?

It was two pretty good days. I have lots to be thankful for. The forecast was for 3", but we ended up with about 15". I was out in the woods today and the snow was almost up to my knees. It melted down a little because the ground is still unfrozed. Now it is turning colder (single digits) so the snow will last for the winter now. We get "lake effect" snow when the wind blows across Lake Superior gathering moisture and the air temp is cold enough to condense the moisture when it hits land. So until the big lake freezes that makes a liar out of the weather forcasters quite often. 3 More inches forecasted for tomorrow.

I keep about 5 Km of groomed ski trail right outside my door. My wife and I ski about every day in the winter. Sometimes there is still enough snow to ski till May. But unlike Chuck H I don't get to take a motorcycle ride to get to my trail.

I always try to get back on the bike on (or by) April Fools day. So the NT has a few months off. I plan to do a valve adjust, re-do auxillary electic plug, and add a Russell Day Long saddle in the meantime. The bike will have to live out in the machine shed when I don't have it in my shop. I'm thinking about adding Denalis, but the summer days are pretty long and I don't ride much when the days are short. May not be worth it.

 

[junglejim]

Wow. That sounds like a beautiful spot. Do you set tracks or are you skating?

Both, but I mostly ski classical now due to my bad knees.

 

[dbandach]

It was such a pretty day here on Thanksgiving I had the patio door open! I grew up in Chippewa Falls WI, (Jungle Jim) and appreciate the longer riding season KY offers.

 

[junglejim]

It was such a pretty day here on Thanksgiving I had the patio door open! I grew up in Chippewa Falls WI, (Jungle Jim) and appreciate the longer riding season KY offers.

You are on the doorstep of my favorite riding country - eastern TN and western NC and north from there. I'm impressed with your smooth roads with no frost heaves, pot holes, gravel on the curves, and curves that are much better designed that ours in the upper mid-west. I'm envious or your weather and your good riding places. I guess you must know something about Leinenkugles.

 

[Bear]

I always get a chuckle from the people around here when I tell them that we moved to Maine for the mild winters. They are certainly mild compared to where we used to live--Syracuse NY. They get lots of raw weather and snow. We don't. I'm still riding.

 

[elizilla]

I put 800 miles on the Super10 over the holiday weekend. I spent two nights at the Lafayette Hotel in Marietta OH. It was snowing in Marietta on Saturday, but not seriously - just flakes blowing in the wind, nothing stuck. Still, not as good a day as I had hoped for. Yesterday was lovely there. Sunny, maybe 40 degrees, and the electrics make that just fine. But I shouldn't have let myself get seduced into riding around so much down there before starting for home - I rode the last two hours in the dark, and once it got dark it was not very pleasant, especially since I-75 and US23 had a lot of holiday traffic. I hear that the weather was worse, at home, where people woke up Sunday morning to see snow on the ground. It melted during the day and the roads were dry by the time I got home, but I saw piles of salt in the intersections near my house.

 

[junglejim]

but I saw piles of salt in the intersections near my house.

If you ride in the winter how do you deal with the corrosive salt spray on your machines? It's awful here.

 

[Phil Tarman]

CDoT isn't using much salt any more. Calcium Chloride (I think) and I haven't noticed much corrosion from it in two winters.

 

[karl]

Mark Twain once said

"If you don't like New England weather just wait 15 minutes, it will change."

 

[dbandach]

Hey, Leinenkugel's was on our 3rd grade spelling test, lol. I've got some vanilla porter in the fridge right now. I've got 4 boys, and friends between Knoxville and Pigeon Forge, TN. We love to head to the Smokies to go backpacking. My favorite area is on the Appalachian Trail along the NC / TN line. Took the NT and my 2nd oldest a few weeks ago for an overnighter in Gatlinburg, great ride! Thinking about maybe heading up to see the Folks next summer on the NT. Rode the bike to work this morning but they're calling for snow showers tonight...probably be taking the Expedition tomorrow :-(

 

[elizilla]

If you ride in the winter how do you deal with the corrosive salt spray on your machines? It's awful here.

I mainly only ride on dry days in winter. Getting wet in subfreezing temps is unpleasant even with waterproof gear and electric heat, and when there are puddles there is always a risk of ice. I'll ride in the wet, only if it's been well above freezing and has rained a lot recently to rinse the salt away. Avoiding salty puddles is important.

If I do find any salty puddles, I stop at the car wash on my way home, and carefully hose off the bike before I bring it home to park it. The car wash is about 1/2 block from my house, and I ride very carefully home from there, so as to avoid crossing any puddles. (I can't hose it off at home because one of the things I do to winterize my house, is put all the hoses away and turn off the outdoor taps before the ground freezes.)

I spray the my bikes with WD40 or ACF50 before the winter sets in, focusing especially on the undersides where the grime and water accumulate.

I usually have several bikes at any one time, but only one that really gets out much in any given winter. The others, well, they do come out in winter but only on the very most perfect days.

 

[elizilla]

CDoT isn't using much salt any more. Calcium Chloride (I think) and I haven't noticed much corrosion from it in two winters.

That stuff is slicker than snot when it's wet. Take care!