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Riding Season

3K views 22 replies 17 participants last post by  CommandoRdster 
#1 ·
Well, even though most of you are probably starting to prep your bikes for winter storage, I on the other hand, am ready to ride!!! I guess I am on the Austalian season cycle even though I live in the US. But when it is 110+ in the desert out here in the summer, it just isn't worth it. Now that we are approaching cool brisk morning temps and daytime highs in the 80's-90's, it is time to ride!!!
 
#2 · (Edited)
Whenever it's above 8C

There's no real riding season in Canada, specifically Alberta. The most rain falls in June, and it can still freeze at night. July has hailstorms. August is almost fall, and so we can get snow!!! September is usually the nicest month - the least precipitation, though it's starting to get cold at night. October can have an indian summer, or it can be fricken freezing. November cold and miserable, as is December, January we can get Chinook winds which brings the temp up to 20C for a day or so, and then back down to minus temps. Feb miserable with some Chinooks, March has lots of snow, April, days are getting longer, May can nail you with heavy dumps of snow.

However in between all this can be wonderful days and weeks of crystal blue sky, warm sun, dry roads, clean fesh air and fanastic roads.

In 2005 I rode every month, and this year I rode lots in January and Feb.

I have to admit, if you hit a patch of black ice the pucker effect is instant and deeply disturbing:eek:
 
#3 ·
Now that we are approaching cool brisk morning temps and daytime highs in the 80's-90's, it is time to ride!!!

Here too. Summer sucks for riding from June to September, now that it's cooling off a bit I can ride! Actually, I have my bike apart for a "winter" (summer here) project, so I gotta get it back together STAT!
 
#4 ·
Haggis

Haggis, you must be in Calgary. Consider yourself blessed that you at least get chinooks and can ride every month of the year. Here in Edmonton the season is probably 2 months shorter. Ride in October if lucky, and back on the road in May. No wonder I have two bikes with not enough distance on them.
 
#21 ·
Imagine choosing to live in Edmonton for frick's sake!
Everything's better in Calgary including the hockey!!!

There, that should start a little war:FunnyFace:
Nice try Haggis! We are an incredibly understanding lot here in the Capital city and home of 5 Stanley cups - being the stable balanced citizens that we are, it is not difficult to overlook the "Edmonton-envy" that our Calgary brethren regularly express - we tolerate it much as an older mature child tolerates a rambunctious excitable younger sibling.
 
#6 ·
Yep same here in Florida. Temps and more important humidty levels should start to drop.
Morning temps this week have been cool, well 70's are cool for us, but highs still in the 90's.
Come on October.
The Bonnie is ready to roll and just got my new 06 Tiger today. Life and a wonderful wife is good.
 
#7 ·
When I left the house this morning, it was dark & about 45 degrees F. At 75 MPH, it was even colder! Glad I was dressed for it.
It was worth the 65 miles in the cold in the morning, for the 65 miles in the 72 degrees with blue skies coming home.
 
#8 ·
My personal experience pretty closely follows Tippy's. Occassionally in Feb we can get a warm-up sometimes into the 50's. But with snow on the ground and salt on the roads my non-riding season runs from early November to mid or late April. Still put 11,000 up in 362 days.
:Happy:
 
#10 ·
we can pretty much ride year around here in central tx.there is a few days when we get a ice storm in jan/feb but it doesn't stay long before it melts.it was funny when it got cold and I was riding to work there was only 2 bikes in the parking lot.a bonnie and a goldwing.all the harley rubs parked their scoots for the winter.
pete
 
#11 ·
Well, even though most of you are probably starting to prep your bikes for winter storage, I on the other hand, am ready to ride!!! I guess I am on the Austalian season cycle even though I live in the US.
Whats with you Seppos:confused:,G.W.Bush thanked us 'Austrians' when he visited and now gm16sw thinks he is riding the 'Austalian' season. Its A U S T R A L I A.....:cool: and we ride all year round here ( except maybe in Tasmania ),and their not really Aussies,they live too close to Antartica.
 
#12 ·
GOSH! Go "easy" on him it was a "typo" for Krissakes! Now, "George" on the other hand......? Well, it's more a "mental" thing!
 
#13 ·
Haggis95, Your back. Sorry I was slow returning your PM. I was mechanically involved with the timing and counterbalance shaft belt replacement on my wifes car,...! week later the starter packed it in. The lawmaker named Murphy.

I went for a ride yesterday after the snow stopped and the streets dried off. I have been out to Bragg Creek twice but never seem to see your bike.

I will send you a PM with contact info on it. Hope to get a ride in before,...well almost before the snow flies. A pic of my bike is in the members albums under Jimi_X.
 
#14 ·
Thanks Jimi

I've pm'd you.

I notice you can ride in the afternoons. That's good, so can I sometimes.

For non-Calgarians. There's riding opportunities here, not so much riding seasons. You've got to be ready to get up and go whenever the opportunity arises - even if it's boxing day and the realtives are all round!!!:p.

This weekend I went on the local RAT "sport" ride through the Highwood pass. Meet lots of new people, including most of the staff at Blackfoot who were riding Triumphs for the day. We had a blast.

The fastest riders were on the Sprints and big Daytonas. I wasn't far behind since I kept the bonnie at 80-100mph most of the time.

What was suprising was all the 675's set off by themselves, but were the slowest group overall, apart from a few speedmasters.

Moral - age and wisdom beats youth and beauty.
 
#15 ·
amanger

This "Seppo", rides all year except for snow or ice which doesn't happen that often. Mild climate here. You don't have to to store a bike for winter when the bike is ridden throughout the year. I enjoy 4 seasons on a bike. It gets cold and wet here but you can ride!

About seppos
The U.S.A has truly earned a less than admirable status on the globe. And I can understand name calling, however "seppo" is a derogatory term you just taught me. I am not offended but curious. Is seppo a slang term for a New South Welshman, as well. Yank = septic tank = "seppo". Whew....

"A person from the Australian state of New South Wales; used as slang derogatory by Victorians and Queenslanders."

Explanation: The three eastern states of Australia are Queensland in the north, Victoria in the south, and New South Wales between them. They are colloquially seen as being Canada, Mexico and the USA respectively. Since seppo is a slang term for American (see above definitions), it becomes a slang term for a New South Welshman.

(Yank = septic tank = "seppo". An accurate description do you think? I want to know. Educate a fellow biker. Thanks, and I can take the deserved flack from being a U.S citizen. Seppo, seems an un nice slang for New South Welshman. I do hope the seppo is only used for Ynaks. Seppo Steven, here saying ride on and enjoy the good seasons.
 
#16 ·
This "Seppo", rides all year except for snow or ice which doesn't happen that often. Mild climate here. You don't have to to store a bike for winter when the bike is ridden throughout the year. I enjoy 4 seasons on a bike. It gets cold and wet here but you can ride!

About seppos
The U.S.A has truly earned a less than admirable status on the globe. And I can understand name calling, however "seppo" is a derogatory term you just taught me. I am not offended but curious. Is seppo a slang term for a New South Welshman, as well. Yank = septic tank = "seppo". Whew....

"A person from the Australian state of New South Wales; used as slang derogatory by Victorians and Queenslanders."

Explanation: The three eastern states of Australia are Queensland in the north, Victoria in the south, and New South Wales between them. They are colloquially seen as being Canada, Mexico and the USA respectively. Since seppo is a slang term for American (see above definitions), it becomes a slang term for a New South Welshman.

(Yank = septic tank = "seppo". An accurate description do you think? I want to know. Educate a fellow biker. Thanks, and I can take the deserved flack from being a U.S citizen. Seppo, seems an un nice slang for New South Welshman. I do hope the seppo is only used for Ynaks. Seppo Steven, here saying ride on and enjoy the good seasons.
Steven,

Yes its true that Victorians are refered to as Mexicans,being south of the border.However New South Welshmen are refered to as Cockroaches and Queenslanders are refered to as Canetoads.
I think the term "seppo",septic tank (rhyming slang) for yank was origionaly a British term.
I dont think anyone in OZ would take offence at being called a "Canetoad" ,"Cockroach" or "Mexican".So maybe its an American thing to be upset over name calling.Best leave New Zealanders out of this though...........Baaaa..........:D:D
 
#18 ·
good here

Well in Sth Australia (and most of the country for that matter) It is riding season all year round!! We dont really get extremes in weather. I ride most weekends with the Triumph club or the M/cycle Riders Assoc and over the past 12 months I have chosen not to ride on only 2 occasions. (one 40C day and one wet day)!

Not only is the weather "bike firendly " here but we have the BEST foorball team in the country!!!!!!!!!!
GO THE POWER in the grand final next saturday!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
 
#19 ·
Here in Minneapolis, I ride year-round - I just switch to the scooter for the bad winter months (not as worried about it getting eaten by salt), and switch out the modern tubeless sport tires on it for old-school block treads. I'll run the Bonnie a little this winter too, I think, just enough to avoid having to winterize it. But really, when your daily commute is 5 miles round trip on city streets, you can commute on two wheels in all weather short of ice storms. I've ridden through ice on the scooter - not pleasant, high pucker factor, but doing it occasionally isn't bad.

I really wish I could get over my fear of salt on the Bonnie's exposed metal though - the air-cooled engine (de facto hand warmers), gobs more power for running heated clothing, and greater potential for large windscreens means it would be a much more comfortable ride in on those -18 F (roughly -30 C, my coldest two-wheel commute last year) mornings. On the other hand, the Stella's simple 2-stroke, low compression, and small displacement make it a lot easier to start in that weather. All things considered, I don't think I'd be an all-year rider if the Bonnie were my only bike.
 
#20 ·
I have to admit other than south florida that I have it made in Galveston county and can ride every month. Very few blue northers make it this far south and they only last 2-3 days. Living on the coast can be 10 degrees cooler in the summer and 10 deg warmer in the winter than the Houston area thats just 70 miles away.
 
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