Reply With QuoteI had a run out on Saturday, I keep meaning to get some hot grips.
I didn't sorn my motorcycle at the end of September like I normally do.
I just don't ride in the cold/winter [I have no winter gear] bikes are for fun.
but as the sun was out today I went for a ride it was about 15c I think?
Draggin jeans, altberg boots, heavy Furygan leather jacket, TNF softshell, edz windproof and a Shoei nxr helmet
the only extras where these excellent long socks
http://www.woodsofshropshire.co.uk/b...-from-h-j-hall
and a halvarssons wintur base layer which I had bought as its supposed to temperature regulate [didn't work for me in heat] on offer here
http://www.motolegends.com/sale/halv...der-shirt.html
I felt toasty warm [hot grips on level 2 was just for comfort warmth].
all other bikers I saw had full textile suits on.
It just felt special to be out on the bike at this time of year, some leaves and wet patches but no farmers mud.
I was able to make progress IAM style [cough].
some rain for the last 10 minutes coming home but I didn't care.
it was an excellent feeling, I went past Marsh Gibbon, swanbourne, winslow to pure Triumph in Woburn.
I have some great little routes that avoid big towns and follow country lanes.
people think its strange I have been up all the major Cols in the Alps etc. but I still enjoy the UK roads just as much.
I just love riding my motorcycle it always makes me happy.
I expect some of you ride all year?
I had a run out on Saturday, I keep meaning to get some hot grips.
Didn't ride much at all in summer as the weather here was so changeable and I got the hump. Been riding more the last few weeks including commuting. It's been down to around 5C, maybe I should find something more suitable than my vented summer gloves but otherwise doing ok!
I wouldn't claim to ride all year (anymore), but I do like taking full advantage of the autumn days and so was out on mine today.
I'm planning to get at least a couple of hundred miles more on it this month as I've just upgraded the suspension (front and rear) and that'll need some bedding in.
The temperature nor weather doesn't really limit my riding, but as soon as the salt goes down on the roads I'm back on 4-wheels.
R
Ignorance breeds Fear. Fear breeds Hatred. Hatred breeds Ignorance. Break the chain.
that's another thing about the winter for me Ralphy I hate my bike getting dirty or rusty.
you got your Triumph at the right time, the dealer today was busy putting on price increases of up to £400 and said he couldn't get anymore T120s till next year.
those silver Thruxtons have been big sellers this year.
mine are Oxford grips they sent me a new design switch which makes them even more consistent with the heat range.Originally Posted by geran
I paid to have them wired in professionally this year, I am really glad I did.
get some they are worth every penny, even for cool summer mornings you can use thinner gloves [more feel].
It did get filthy today, there was a downpour and the local lanes were already soiled up so the shiny, clean bike on departure looked a right mess when I arrived back.
R
Ignorance breeds Fear. Fear breeds Hatred. Hatred breeds Ignorance. Break the chain.
Oh yes indeed. I continue tonride down to about minus 5, anything colder gets painful.
I try to avoid the snow but unforeseen weather changes have seen me ride home with my legs out the side acting as stabilisers.
I rode all through a German winter once, I was very young and very stupid.
the next year I bough a ugly green moriss marina for the winter [that kept breaking down]
I was still very young and stupid.
Get some cheap winter gear.
If the pennies will stretch...get a heated vest, a gazillion times better than heated grips.
The vest will keep your core body heat higher....and although your pinkies may get a little colder, it's hardly ever problematical. Lose your core heat though...and shortly after, your concentration goes out of the window....not good.
Heated vests aren't a cure all for the cold, but they're pretty good, and they enable you to stay out a little longer.
Consider riding all year around....pretty good for keeping your skill levels sharp.
^^^ Muffs. ;-)
Along with a heated vest, the next best thing for winter riding is handlebar muffs. Not the most attractive accessory, but they work really well and far better than thick gloves. Combined with heated grips I've ridden in -12c with summer gloves inside them.
R
Ignorance breeds Fear. Fear breeds Hatred. Hatred breeds Ignorance. Break the chain.
I'm still riding and just put the liners back into my textile trousers. Certainly didn't need them on Sunday as so warm but I tend to wear anyway.
Have just done a full projector bi-xenon HID conversion for the winter and I use Keiss heated grips as the switch is much more subtle (small button & led on each grip) but would recommend to anyone as even late summer evening rides can be useful.
I also relayed the grips as I didn't want to forget turning them off (nor trusted the way they are meant to turn themselves off if battery voltage dropped too low).
Last edited by MB2; 17th October 2016 at 20:58.
Ride all year round. Ride for a blood biking group when not using or on marked bike duty, we use our own. Get to go out in really crap weather, but got a good set of Rukka gear and Altberg boots, so generally toasty :)
It was 11 degrees today so still the height of summer here...
I've got a track day booked for Friday so hopefully won't need the snow chains.
I have an idea that Rukka is the best for winter, I saw a lot of Germans wearing it in Corsica when it was plus 30c.
I couldn't work out why they weren't melting like I was.
its my choice not to ride in the winter anymore so I can enjoy the summers more and not wear the bike and myself out.
I ride my Vespa year round if that counts, usually in a suit and tie and a parka.
that's cool, but those super scooters in Paris are a bleep, bleep menace.
I was cut up many times, elbow to elbow either side in my lane as well when I left Paris.
does this mean some of us in the southern hemisphere get to gloat for the next 6months?
a little sunshine and a run round the mountain yesterday and on sunday took a wee spin up to Mokau and back, it's my first youtube clip and it took all of 4min to make so dont judge too harshly :) i'll be posting up a few more over the summer to show some folks overseas NZ roads...
Last edited by deerworrier; 18th October 2016 at 05:53.
^^ Wasn't quite sure what to expect after looking at the title of your video clip...lol ^^
I have no idea what you are talking about!
I dream of riding in New Zealand, I was looking at bike shipping company this year but it was just to expensive.
If I can find a company in NZ that hires Honda vfrs (not crosstourer) with dct then I may just go.
I am on the Oz touring forum, Is that the original bulldog?
Last edited by soapy; 18th October 2016 at 08:42.
Plenty of places to hire from mate but quite expensive, more so with your current exchange rate. A lot of folks who head this way just buy a bike from trade me or local ads then punt it before they leave. The bike in the pic is a Yamaha MT01, 1670 v twin from the warrior but rebuilt for torque and shoehorned into an R1 subframe with R1 brakes and suspension:-) nowhere near a sports bike but I can embarrass a poorly ridden one on the twisties !
Last edited by deerworrier; 18th October 2016 at 11:13.
These autumn months are the best for riding, as all of the soft summer-only pussies have put their precious little babies into Winter storage.
Nothing better than a beautiful, crisp Sunday morning without the 6 month only warriors who can't get their R1, Gixxer or Diavel round the bends without constantly braking through the bend.
You get warmth through choosing the correct layers -EDZ make good thermal tops and pants, or many of the running shops carry cheap Lycra liners.
Team this with thin woollen layers and a 3 season jacket and you have no excuse not to enjoy these wonderful Autumn weekends.
Both my current bikes have heated grips, so we ride year round - but generally only when it's dry - living in the Isle of Man it would a shame not to ride the TT course as much as possible.
It's just a matter of time...
agreed, im currently a man of independent means so i do most of my riding through the week. avoiding all the sunny sunday rossis or worse still the ambling herds of Hardly Ableson riders! 2000km a years if you're lucky*. had a few really nice rides over the winter, cold but dry (when it rains here it's dangerous in a car and near suicidal on a bike) so unless it's just a wee spit you wont see many bikes out, this and the roads around here as lovely to look at but unforgiving if you get it wrong, multiple surfaces in corners, unmarked roadworks and potholes that look like 500lb'er made them are some of the hazards and the general populus where the might is right mentality prevails
*i accept not all Harley riders fall into this bracket, some of my best friends ride Harleys.
Last edited by deerworrier; 18th October 2016 at 11:12.
"the soft summer-only pussies" that's me then
still I did 3 weeks in June in Spain/France Pyrenees
4 weeks in September France/Corsica/Sardinia [this one was very hard for me]
both trips solo, routes, ferry's, accommodation,problems etc. worked out by myself
assisted or took charge at 3 bike accidents and one car accident and might have helped save a life
the last one in Sardinia where a fat German had come off on a bend [and bounced]. I translated German to English for the medics and guided the traffic.one bus driver kept waving his arms ant me wouldn't wait and drove within a foot of the Germans head while I stood over him. his road captain [rolls eyes] didn't have a clue what to do.
then rode in England at least twice a week
did I pass you on any of these trips?
wink
I met a HD rider and girlfriend on the Spanish ferry last year with a trailer, I was inwardly taking the micky.agreed, im currently a man of independent means so i do most of my riding through the week. avoiding all the sunny sunday rossis or worse still the ambling herds of Hardly Ableson riders! 2000km a years if you're lucky*. had a few really nice rides over the winter, cold but dry (when it rains here it's dangerous in a car and near suicidal on a bike) so unless it's just a wee spit you wont see many bikes out, this and the roads around here as lovely to look at but unforgiving if you get it wrong, multiple surfaces in corners, unmarked roadworks and potholes that look like 500lb'er made them are some of the hazards and the general populus where the might is right mentality prevails
*i accept not all Haley riders fall into this bracket, some of my best friends ride Harleys.
we got talking [top man] he was going to Gibraltar dropping the trailer than going over to Morocco his mileage was going to be twice mine and a week longer.
you cant judge a book by its cover, when I got home I bumped into them both at the Cassington bike meet it was like meeting an old friend.
when i said some of my best friends, i was serious :) i have 2 mates who pretty much every year load up their bikes and ride all the way around NZ north and south, they have both done the Aus coast too...Epic milage. but for the most part i see HD's here as a sort of badge, got big house..tick..big boat..tick..Harley..tick. shouldnt mock at all really, own dozens of watches that i never use? and i know boys who only do track days, ask them why they dont ride on the roads and they say "B&u99er that, too dangerous!" doing the round NZ early next year, head from NP up to Cape R (northern most point) then down and over to East cape, on to Welly and over to south island and down to Bluff and back up the west coast. cant wait. im heading up to Mokau tomorrow to tst out my new GoPro and Zoom H2n mic so hopefully will have some better footage to show by end of week. and on the weekend i think a few of us are heading to The Republic of Whangamomona, google it, it's real :) and that is twisty road at its best with 4 saddled to work around.
http://www.not-australia.co.nz/whang...oat-president/
I misjudged and regretted, it Mutch from the motorcycle action group goes all over on his HD and very high mileage.
I commute all year round by bike. Had to take the train the other week - what a nightmare that was.
Haven't yet started to put a jumper on for the commute.
Mine is tucked away in the garage, it may get some use if there is a dry sunny day at the weekend but the car with heated seats is a much more pleasurable option in the morning.
No, I enjoyed ten days in Gemany and the Swiss borders with a group of good friends.
You commented that our enjoyment of the B500 was overrated.
I hope that we continue to choose different routes, i avoid sanctimonious pr!cks whenever possible ...
Just about to go for a "battery charger" on the Bonneville Scrambler
beautiful day down here!
Oi, that's one of my 'excuses'.
A dry, sunny day here and I've got a list of stuff to do outdoors, but I'm breaking off from doing that to get an hour in on the T120: got to 'bed in the new suspension' of course. ;-)
R
Ignorance breeds Fear. Fear breeds Hatred. Hatred breeds Ignorance. Break the chain.
Nowt wrong with the "high street", I and the missus had a great time on it!!, I ride all year with wifey on the back, I have a heated vest she has heated gloves/boots.
mike
I ride all year round and keep all 4 bikes taxed.
I wear all of the gear all of the time
Just put my 1150 RT back in the garage after a quick run out . Heavy rain but that doesn`t bother me, I`ve just upgraded to some KLIM Badlands gear as I`ve sold the car and use the bike 12 months round.
Had a Harley Vrod before the RT and that was used year round also.
I sold an R1150 RT around three years ago, and still regret it - probably the best mile-muncher I have owned in 35 years of riding. Subsequently I bought an R1200 RT, which is competent but lacks the soul of the 1150.
If you are looking for companions for Wednesday or Sunday ride-outs, join us at the Owls bike club.
Meeting on the first Thursday of the month at the Plough n Harrow in Standish.
Last edited by W124; 18th October 2016 at 16:19.
Year round rider here. I do about 1000 miles a week. I ride for a living, motorbike taxi rider in London but I travel in from Ipswich hence the big miles. Heated grips and a pair of muffs are essential. I tried heated clothing, it's ok until it breaks then you're in trouble as you tend to wear fewer layers. I just layer up topped by a decent gore tex suit. The only conditions I won't ride in is snow and ice. I use an FJR1300 for work, the Harley stays in the garage when there's salt on the ground ;-).
Mind you if it wasn't my job I'd probably not choose to go out in the rain.
I,m still riding my Ducati, just worry that its going to dissolve on these winter roads as the build quality is a bit suspect to say the least.
My S wing 125 takes me to work all year round muffs during the coldest months no grips.
Just sold my 1200 GS and bought a pan european for me and missus, she is very hardy. We will do short runs in decent weather
Which model?
It's just a matter of time...
Went out today for 150 miles with a mate, great riding, breakfast, coffee and cake at lunch time perfect. On duty with the blood bikes this week so will be out tonight for sure :)
That's what ACF-50 was made for, spray it all over in sept, wash the bike in March.
mike
Agreed that's what I use when I put my bike away for the winter, it does the job well.
I put my GSXR1100 slabside to bed 2 weeks ago,as it's going to have a winter rebuild.My Bonnieville custom will only be used in dry weather and certainly not if the roads have been salted.
Still riding my BMW F650 twin as main bike, BSA gets used for local short runs. Both my classic Kawasakis will be put to bed at the end of Oct or as soon as the first salting. Beemer will run right through, BSA will also hibernate.
Heres a mid May reminder of a lovely sunny evening on a rattling vibrating british single
https://youtu.be/bvoxb2MW_9s
Steve
Last weekend i put in garage for winter sleep. Prefer heated car for this weather..
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
love it
I have always wanted to ride up some Alpine Cols on a old Brit single I expect it would be a lot of fun.
Ride year round, have been out daily this week as my dad bought a Moto Guzzi V7 racer last week.
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