Been Ridin' yet (Northeast and North Central riders need reply)

[malber]

Have you been out yet? Getting the itch? I got my bike out of the glacier it was frozen behind a couple of weeks ago. After the move further north, gas prices have precipitated the need to ride the bike over the 16 mpg Exploder and I've been riding to work half the week regardless of what number the mercury is on. Did the seasonal oil and filter change last week and took her out for a proper shakedown cruise around the Wiers and the Winnie the next day. Did the ton on a nice straigtaway in Gilford near the airport (more like an airstrip). That blew out a few cobwebs and left a nice grin on my face.

Anyone else with some early season reports? You warm weather folk don't need to gloat about year round riding!

[fredintoon]

A note from the prairies

Hi Malber,
I bought my XS11's insurance sticker last week. Early morning temperatures here are still around minus 7ºC so I don't get out until later in the day when it has warmed up a bit. And while the snow has mostly gone off the city streets the city won't sweep up their 50,000 tons of winter traction gravel for at least another month. We are seeing the Harley boys out on the city's main roads (Saskatoon is Harley central) riding real careful but I rely on the sidecar to keep myself upright. An XS11 solo on loose gravel is not for this elderly chicken.

[DJinNH]

Malber,

Just to your East here on 101, on Saturday, I was passed by a Harley rider. The powdered snow that fell the night before was blowing across the highway.

I couldn't tell if all the noise I heard was his exhaust pipes or his teeth chattering.

Don

[exquized1]

I broke my 79 special out for the first time last week only got to ride 2 days before the temps dropped and snowed. Was all over sat and sunday. Looks like the temp is gonna be in the 60's this week will be dodgeing rain drops!

[Guest]

roads dry but

roads are dry today in the u.p. but were getting 8" more snow tonite and another storm tue & wed so i'am still riding the snowmobile! they even extened trail grooming this year if any of you get up hear to ride the shore line of lake superior all the way up to copper harbor is onreal plenty of camping so onll a few more weeks of whinning up here
dick

[Crazcnuk]

I've had mine out since late February. Derwat got his out last week.

A friend has had his Royal Star out since the beginning of February.


It has snowed at least 3 times since I got back on the road, the worst being this last weekend, but it's too warm for the snow to stay frozen on the ground during the day, so it's not really a bother.

Most days it's between 4 and 10C, dressed properly no big deal./

[randy]

Been out for about an hour each day for the past three weekends, refining the routes getting ready for XSEast. Still a bit cool and it HAS to be dry for me to ride in Spring, because the salt will stick to the bike if the road is even a little wet. Learned that the hard way last season! A few more rainstorms and the salt will be washed away.

Less than two months 'till XSEast. Are we there yet? Oh, I'm already here!

[xswilly]

it will still be awhile for me

[ccogswel]

Man I remember snow like that. I feel for ya.

By the time that melts you'll have to wait for the mud to dry
up.

[Hammerhead1st]

I'll be out riding mine today, as soon as I hang the rest of the lights on it.It's 60 degrees F this morning and getting warmer. Yesterday when I went to work it was 40, last night when I drove home it was 50. I like the trend...

Much like Malber, I find the gas prices necessitating cheaper transport for the 40 mile round to work. Not too worried about salt, I have a hose...

SOOOO.....my first spring miles will be added to the odometer today. Cant wait!!! After two solid months of working on it, it's time to taste the fruits of my labor!!

[Dragon Tamer]

Put just over 200mi on the Dragon last week in two days, then winter came back. Yesterday we got another 5" of the white stuff but the weather guessers are calling for a warmup by this weekend.
Need a couple of good rainstorms to get the winter sand off the road. Unlike Fred I don't have a sidecar, was going to steal the training wheels off of the neighbor kids bicycle but he is watching too carefully so I have to just ride slow and easy. Still, it is really great to be out and about!
With the full fairing, temps are not the big problem, traction is!! At least they ran out of salt early in the season and what was out there isn't a real problem.

[red bandit]

Every weekend the weather doesn't cooperate. Either snows or 20 deg. Snowing again now. The ground is warn enough that it's melting. It'll take a week or more the way the weather has been for the mud road to dry up and be ridable on 2 wheels. It will be soon.

[SiP]

what's wrong with the north west then??

I was hoping to be out this weekend but then it snowed 4 inches again.

[malber]

I was thinking of the US Northeast and Central North. If you're in the Great White North I feel your pain.

[Hammerhead1st]

Rode mine to work today. Was 65 degrees and blustery with 40+mph winds. Got out of work at 1am, it was 30 degrees and SNOWING!! Rode the Ratster home in the snow, using the engine to warm up my fingers through my gloves at every stop sign. Thank God for my rubberized rain gear, it kept the cold from sinking in too deep. My Rat Rod is nekked as a Jay bird and the wind really wreaks havoc with it when I'm traveling a north-south road and our predominant winds are west-east. I think most of my ride home in the snow and 50+ mph gusts was at a 45 degree angle. Thankfully, the roads were windblown and dry. I was happy to finally be riding, but sad that I couldn't feel my fingers for 10 minutes after I got in the door at home.

Cant wait to do it again tomorrow!!!