Short Ride Today

I went for a short ride today. Nothing exciting, just went for lunch.
Temps. 46-50 deg F a little too cold for me, Heater gear on MAX> 2 hours+
Brand new SW second ride , purchased 12/2015. Just getting adapted to new ride.
Only have 117 miles so far. Winter in Pa. Making the most of it.

My last ride was a few weeks ago. The temp never exceeded 39 degrees F. Even with a heated jacket, it was COLD! I understand your motivation. I can't wait until the temps in Illinois climb into the 50's!

Those are Spring temperatures for us. Last Wednesday eighty mile round trip fine but a bit cold at 37f. Sunday 100ml round trip showery and windy at 39f. Next Wednesday my round trip again don't care if it is raining or windy, must have my rides

Old Limey wrote:

Those are Spring temperatures for us. Last Wednesday eighty mile round trip fine but a bit cold at 37f. Sunday 100ml round trip showery and windy at 39f. Next Wednesday my round trip again don't care if it is raining or windy, must have my rides

same here ... 39 today me and grand kid bundled up went for burger and a 2 hour ride
dress right ya dont notice the cold

We are having a better winter than last year; but it's still too cold to take any bike out. I got a big surprise on Feb 1, saw a KLR 650 with a Michelin man riding down the street !!!! My riding buddies thought I was hallucinating, but I did see it.
-10C with blowing snow today, 20 cm during the night and a few more still to come. Looking forward to the Motorcycle show in Moncton this Friday. You all can ride for all of us who can't; not just yet anyway.
Jay.
I am reshaping the oversize seat on my Helix. That's as close as I can get to a motorcycle !!!

Tip o' the hat to KLR riders. Those bikes will still be going long after the road runs out and the Beemers are tucked away 'til Spring --"Iceman" Paul Mondor notwithstanding.

Rather than riding round aimlessly which I find boring, I've been going out for short rides trying various combinations of base and intermediate layers under my unlined Klim Overland suit. Since it's been cold wet and windy most days since the New Year there's been plenty of opportunities.

Some of the gear that I'd worn under the suit like a lightweight down jacket, thermal long johns, and a Merino wool and fleece mixture long sleeved zipped top, came in very handy when Mrs M and myself spent a weekend in Gdańsk, Poland last month where it was a snowy -12°C.

I found the Aldi three layer system works very well. Base layer ,Windproof layer and outer layer. Although I do put my heated inner jacket on as well, I just keep forgetting to plug it in! I use these months to go down roads I have not ridden before and try to find some good runs for the warmer months or, at least, alternative routes for my regular runs. You don't half get about Meldrew

I just wanted a short ride, was a little cold. Had some layers on but not enough.
Roads weren't the best lots of cinders in lanes and intersections.
On JAN. 23  we got a record snow in 24 hours. 31.7 inches. What a mess, but most of it melted in last 2 weeks. Its one for the record books.  Forecast called for 5-8 then 8-12 way off, white out at times.
Still a good day.
Snowing again right now 2-4 tonight. weekend temps. highs 18F low 0F YEAH !!!!!

I also took a short ride today. 60 degrees here (70 miles north of Seattle). We haven't had snow yet this year.... :)Dave

Had a short ride myself yesterday. It was a lovely 29 degrees and sunny. Oh...that was 29 degrees in celsius scale which is about 84 farenheit.

Sixty degrees here in Chicagoland today! Had a chance to get the Swing on the road. Aired up the tires first; it's been setting in storage for a month or more. Stayed within 25 miles of home. Rode about 60 miles in two hours. Traffic is a mess even in the suburbs. Did manage to get it out on some lonely backroads and air it out a little. Rides this time of year are a gift I have to appreciate. I keep saying this, but it will probably be the last ride until Spring (another 6 weeks). This winter has proved me wrong before. I can only hope!

I took the S wing out for a 'fun run' yesterday on my favorite short loop
sorry to say I was not really amused
it's a great commuter, but you lose some involvement / fun in the twisties VS a regular Motorcycle
it's not in any way a lack of performance, the S wing out performs my S40 in any measurable way I think, it's just, less fun, like the way a modern sedan outperforms an ol 32 deuce, but the deuce is more fun
weird

50 miles each way Sunday going to a community dance in another town, 60 degrees out, 70 mph 2 lane fairly straight, cloudy going, dark coming home
about halfway home I remembered how miserable this ride was last time I did it on the S40
viva la S Wing!

Quote :

like the way a modern sedan outperforms an ol 32 deuce, but the deuce is more fun
weird

Yeah the deuce is more fun until it breaks down...AGAIN!!  Happy to have a comfortable, reliable ride and remind myself of that fact from time to time to stave off complacency.

So far I've been able to have short daily rides since mid January. Sometimes I wish I lived farther from work so my rides wouldn't be so short (20 mile round trip). Silverwing is a great commuter for the rainy northwest.

Not so short ride yesterday,150+ miles. First good ride on new SW. Temps. 58-60F better for me.
Roads not the best, heavy rains earlier this week. End of winter still a lot of cinders left over.
Finished ride with some of my local loop, good mountain roads for this area.
SW can handle most roads suspension has it limits. I'm still impressed can really FLY on a scooter. Chicken strips are getting thin. Very flickable turns great. Brakes good.

Had my longest ride so far on the Swing, yesterday temp. about 5-6 degrees C. Hands a little cold after about an hour but the heated grips soon solved that - only needed the first setting! The new rear tyre did a lot for my confidence on the twisties.
Did just over eighty miles on the round trip of Nth Warwickshire (Shakespeare's County, as it likes to call itself). Some interesting places to revisit in warmer weather like the Ashby Canal, the Battle line steam railway and the site of the Battle of Bosworth (Wars of the Roses - Richard the Third's defeat!).
I find the only bit of me which gets chilly, apart from the thumbs, are my thighs but a pair of merino thermals seems to be the cure.

Love riding SW 1150 miles so far. Best day so far 240 miles.
Few accs. so far. Backrest, bead rider.
400 mile oil change. 10w30 shell rotella t5
LOVE IT.

Mech,

The SWing is a very smooth ride and I always thought it had really interstate acceleration. It's good you really like your bike.

Been riding my scooter most of last winter and this spring. Only a few days seriously below freezing. Never even hooked up the Gerbings gear. This week we had high eighties and this after noon 90F. Life is hard.

100 miles yesterday, down here in the Okefenokee. 90 degrees, spotty showers. I'm going to have to drill out (and expand) the vent openings in my helmet, not enough breeze gets through, too hot. No Gators though. Did see a couple snakes in the road, which I avoid.

Weather has been great here lately. Lows around 70, highs around 90, so headed out to Sanibel Island. Rode through the J. N. "Ding" Darling National Wildlife Refuge and stopped on a few beaches to dip my toes in the water, check out the scenery and pick a few shells. Total trip of 80 miles.

Hey Hankster,
You didn't have any trouble moving that SWing around in the sand???

I didn't get into the soft stuff. Where I parked was hard packed shells where cagers park. I did have to put a pad under the side stand so it wouldn't sink in.

Also took a ride through the J.N. Ding Darling NWR while I was on Sanibel. Here I parked so the side stand was on pavement.

I rode down to the seaside yesterday; I live within an hour of the South Coast. I've visited several places there but this time went to a country park, interesting for its wildlife, sea-shore and relics of construction sites for, in particular, sections of the Mulberry Harbours used for the Invasion of Normandy. It was also a place used for the embarkation of some of the troops.
It's just over thirty miles of all sorts of different types of road, the last being country lanes, hence 50 minutes' journey time.
It was chilly - North wind - but beautifully sunny and clear and as I'd put on my thermals I didn't get cold.
I had a snack in the excellent café there then sat on a bit of sea wall (there isn't much there) and soaked up the sun, sheltered from the wind by trees and low hills.

Check it on Google Maps: Lepe Country Park, Hampshire. Southampton is close by so at the right time, one would see large container ships and cruise liners entering and leaving.
I shall go again.

My scooters back home in the garage, so my short ride today was round Anna Maria Island, Florida on hired fat tyred cruiser push bikes riding wingman to Mrs M.

It was very nice riding round the island working off last nights shrimp n' grits in the 90° heat. We stopped for a nice brunch at The Sandbar and a couple of jugs of Sangria to 'rehydrate'. There's some very nice beach houses here too and of course the beaches are lovely. Apart from that pesky sand that seems to get everywhere.

There were plenty of the inevitable Harley riders about, NOTG AOTT seems to be there norm here generally. It was good to see a few maxi scooters about on the roads including a Yamaha Morpheous, and a very nice red Honda Helix.

Sangria ,Meldrew, I thought you only got that in Spain?. I thought you must be away somewhere as some of the topics lately would have drawn a comment from you, I felt sure. I used to visit America regularly for about fifteen years but, last time the border control people really got me annoyed, so, I said I would never come anywhere I was not welcome ,so I have never been to America since, and holiday other places.

janitorj1 wrote:

100 miles yesterday, down here in the Okefenokee.  90 degrees, spotty showers.  I'm going to have to drill out (and expand) the vent openings in my helmet, not enough breeze gets through, too hot.  No Gators though.  Did see a couple snakes in the road, which I avoid.

I've recently taken to riding with my visor open to the first click, I like the extra breeze but like the extra protection of a full face
I've considered slotting the bottom of the visor

Old Limey wrote:

I used to visit America regularly for about fifteen years but, last time the border control people really got me annoyed, so, I said I would never come anywhere I was not welcome ,so I have never been to America since, and holiday other places.

Can't really blame you. Nowadays only legitimate people traveling legally are harassed by the Feds. Thousands pour across the Southern border without so much as a look all to live on the dole. Something's got go give pretty soon. My apologies to you not that I'm responsible, just feel bad about it. The inconveniences apply to Americans returning across the border as well. Stupidity of the rulers.

just in from a test drive, about 30 miles is all but it sure felt good and not a whimper from my new implant, after this next rain spell I crank up a 100 / 150 miles ride and see how I feel after that.

We're in Naples tonight after a detour through Fort Myers and one of Mrs M's cultural detours to the summer homes of Thomas Edison, and Henry Ford. It was OK and Edison's swimming pool while ahead in it's time looked a bit basic and reminded me of the 'cement pond' from the Beverly Hillbillies.

All rides are good rides! Enjoy.

hankster wrote:

Weather has been great here lately. Lows around 70, highs around 90, so headed out to Sanibel Island. Rode through the J. N. "Ding" Darling National Wildlife Refuge and stopped on a few beaches to dip my toes in the water, check out the scenery and pick a few shells. Total trip of 80 miles.

Hankster, is your bike flat black or is that photo just playing tricks with me?

Gustafa wrote:

Hankster, is your bike flat black or is that photo just playing tricks with me?

It's flat black. When I bought it the previous owner did a hack rattle can paint job on it. I sanded out all the orange peel and did the flat black. I would have liked to have painted it white but from past experience I know that getting a decent rattle can paint job that I would be happy with just would happen considering my skills

It's well equipped with two additions I put on my last SW, the Givi Adjustable windshield and mirror extension. Made it a lot more pleasant bike to ride.

hankster wrote:

Gustafa wrote:

Hankster, is your bike flat black or is that photo just playing tricks with me?

It's flat black. When I bought it the previous owner did a hack rattle can paint job on it. I sanded out all the orange peel and did the flat black. I would have liked to have painted it white but from past experience I know that getting a decent rattle can paint job that I would be happy with just would happen considering my skills

She looks rad!

Also added a little bit of pinstriping too.

I was visiting Anna Maria Island/Sarasota area back in early March.  Nice area. Didn't get a chance to ride though but still had fun.

Short summer, season will be over soon here in PA. A few more weekends I hope. Put 5,000 on this summer, new 2013 SW. Weekend rider only live to close to work to make it worthwhile. IRC tires OK. Front very noisy when leaned over, rear choppy. Belt squeaking at one time, loaded it hard on brakes good since then. Plan on some mods. sliders maybe fork springs. I enjoy this SCOOTER plan on riding it a long time.

My best this year was the pre ride for the annual traveling picnic, I lead three gents one from N.Y one from Wi. one from Oh. on a 165 mile Hocking hills tour, great day great roads great guys great food. As the saying goes wait till next year