# Riding season is approaching! **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [February 10, 2006, 5:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/riding-season-is-approaching/343880 "2006-02-10T17:34:26Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 16\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2006, 5:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/riding-season-is-approaching/343880/1 "2006-02-10T17:34:26Z")
I’ve ordered a new battery for my R1. Days are growing longer, and the weather seems to be growing better. High temperatures are in the mid-50s. I’m seeing more motorcycles on the road. Ah, riding season! 🙂 (I need to get the Seca II into the shop, in case a friend wants to ride it. Time for a valve adjustment, I think.) ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Goob](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c77e96/32.png) [@Mr.Goob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Goob)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2006, 6:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/riding-season-is-approaching/343880/2 "2006-02-10T18:08:12Z")
Damn you :::shakes fist::: It’s lightly snowing here. I’ve another two months at least before I uncover the Triumph. ---
**Author:** ![Bertie\_Wooster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/58f4c7/32.png) [@Bertie\_Wooster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bertie_Wooster)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2006, 6:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/riding-season-is-approaching/343880/3 "2006-02-10T18:22:00Z")
Riding season ended? I stopped for a while when we got some snow in December, and next week looks like a washout, but this has been an extremely clement winter down here by the Chesapeake. Mind you, I go less than 10 miles a day, just to work and back and maybe an errand or two on the weekend. When spring really gets here, I’ll go a bit farther afield ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2006, 6:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/riding-season-is-approaching/343880/4 "2006-02-10T18:32:37Z")
> [@Bertie Wooster](#): > > Riding season ended? It’s a little cooler up here in the PNW than it was in L.A. Down South I could ride year-round. Up here it’s rather cold and wet for about half of the year. Another thing is that there are those damned maple leaves that fall on the curves. I was talking to the guy at the Triumph shop where I ordered a new battery, and he said that a friend of his hit some wet leaves and lost it in a curve. And the roads seem to have more debris on them than they do in SoCal. Puts a bit of a damper on my style. ---
**Author:** ![caveman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/caveman/32/7242_2.png) [@caveman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/caveman)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2006, 7:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/riding-season-is-approaching/343880/5 "2006-02-10T19:26:54Z")
Yay, a motorcycle thread! Now that I’ve completed the BRC and got my license, not to mention my scooter, I can finally participate! Of course, I only came in to brag that I’ve been riding (mostly in parking lots) for a few weeks in the pleasantly cool and not too wet weather we’ve been having. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2006, 8:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/riding-season-is-approaching/343880/6 "2006-02-10T20:35:32Z")
> [@caveman](#): > > Yay, a motorcycle thread! Is this the first one for 2006? ---
**Author:** ![Dorjan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dorjan/32/12440_2.png) [@Dorjan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dorjan)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2006, 9:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/riding-season-is-approaching/343880/7 "2006-02-10T21:12:45Z")
We **were** doing pretty good here in Cleveland, with our warm pseudo-winter. I didn’t winterize my bike at all, aside from draining the redline water-wetter and replacing it with coolant. I even got a few rides in last month and rode to the bike show. Good times. Unfortunately the weather has figured out it was off kilter, and winter is now here with a vengeance! I’ll do my best to keep my sanity until April rolls around, which is usualy when the weather is consistently warm enough (at least mid-40’s) to ride on a regular basis. As for the bikes, my CBR 600 needs some TLC. I have some broken plastic and fairing “rash” from a track mishap and my mirrors need replacing. The stock CCT needs replacing w/ a hydraulic one, I can hear it rattling. I also picked up a Kerker Titanium pipe on Ebay for $88 (Retail price is $640!) and I’m looking forward to putting it on and finally getting rid of that heavy stock exhaust! The cafe racer ('75 T-500 w/ clubman bars) will need its carbs removed and cleaned, and the stock seat needs to be replaced with the solo cowl seat I picked up at a swapmeet last summer during Vintage Motorcycle Days. Other than that it’s ready to go. My wife’s SV-650s needs nothing done to it, as usual. It’s about as low-maintenance as a bike can get. She will be racing in the Canada Women’s Cup series this year, and we’re currently working out a sponsorship deal that includes a race-prepped bike. It’s not a done deal yet, so if it falls through the SV will have to undergo transformation into a race bike. This will mean extensive safety-wiring, a thinner seat, race bodywork and suspension adjustments. I’m hoping we wont have to resort to that, but we’ll see! We have a really busy motorcycle season ahead of us. Racing school in April to brush up on our skills. We’ll both be racing this year, my wife in the women’s cup as I mentioned before and me in a local club series. We have one long roadtrip in the works, a ride out to Nova Scotia for the Cape Breton festival of Speed. There will be plenty of riding to work and with friends as usual. Argh I can’t wait too much longer, is it April yet?? ---
**Author:** ![Dorjan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dorjan/32/12440_2.png) [@Dorjan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dorjan)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2006, 9:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/riding-season-is-approaching/343880/8 "2006-02-10T21:14:00Z")
Caveman, congrats on getting your license! ---
**Author:** ![caveman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/caveman/32/7242_2.png) [@caveman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/caveman)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2006, 10:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/riding-season-is-approaching/343880/9 "2006-02-10T22:08:49Z")
> [@Johnny L.A.](#): > > Is this the first one for 2006? I haven’t seen any about in a while. I searched and found one about [Bad Bikers](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=355208&highlight=MOTORCYCLE), which is more about riders than riding. Oh, and thanks **Dorjän**! I’m still waiting for my new card to arrive (with my first new DL photo in 6 years…I look different now). I’ve ventured out on the street a few times, mostly just around the neighborhood, but the other evening, I thought I’d try actually going somewhere. I went to the nearest comic book shop, looking for a copy of Transformers: Infiltration #2. On my way there, though, I fell, twisting my knee as I stupidly tried to put my left foot down as I faltered in a turn. Luckily, the driver behind me stopped in time, and I’m fine otherwise, as is my scooter. After pausing on the sidewalk for a few minutes, I continued to my destination, where I found they were sold out. Insult + injury, that. I made it home, and up the stairs, not without a fair amount of swearing and recriminations. After a visit to my doctor, I’m in a knee brace and crutches for 2 weeks. Ah, well. I’ll probably be back to riding in a few days, but not with any sort of destination, as I can’t figure out how I’d carry crutches on my scoot. ---
**Author:** ![Coldfire](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a587f6/32.png) [@Coldfire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Coldfire)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2006, 2:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/riding-season-is-approaching/343880/10 "2006-02-11T02:06:42Z")
My Divvy’s covered and well outside, and has been since late October. Time, weather, it all plays a part. It still freezes at night, and the days are wet and cold. No conditions for a fair weather nancy like myself. 🙂 Ah, late March is just a few weeks off. I’ll take her in for a bit of TLC, and the riding season for 2006 can commence! I want a new bike, really. Badly. But without a garage, an FJR 1300 (or thereabouts) would be uninsurable. Grrrr. Oh well, it’s not like I have the talent for 150 BHP anyway. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Bertie\_Wooster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/58f4c7/32.png) [@Bertie\_Wooster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bertie_Wooster)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2006, 3:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/riding-season-is-approaching/343880/11 "2006-02-11T03:09:52Z")
> [@](#): > > those damned maple leaves that fall on the curves Oh, yeah, wet leaves are the Devil’s flaking skin.No one needs that nastiness. Yeah, I was gloating. But we have had a _very_ clement winter this year. ---
**Author:** ![StGermain](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/stgermain/32/2868_2.png) [@StGermain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/StGermain)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2006, 4:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/riding-season-is-approaching/343880/12 "2006-02-11T04:22:19Z")
Riding seaseon! I need to start lunging Irish. I haven’t been on him since he dislocated my finger last Fall - it’s still sore. I need to have the farrier out, but can’t really afford to have him reshod right now. It’s good that the grass should be coming in soon. I need to mow the back pasture and the field by the road. StG ---
**Author:** ![Rico](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rico/32/3582_2.png) [@Rico](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rico)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2006, 5:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/riding-season-is-approaching/343880/13 "2006-02-11T05:16:17Z")
I understand you had a beautiful summer in Bellingham last year, **Johnny** – it was on a Thursday, if I’m not mistaken, right? :smack: 😃 ---
**Author:** ![enipla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/54ee81/32.png) [@enipla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enipla)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2006, 2:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/riding-season-is-approaching/343880/14 "2006-02-11T14:07:21Z")
20 BELOW 0 fahrenheit here this morning. A very big snow year too. We are starting to worry that our 5 foot fence won’t contain the dogs much longer… ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2006, 1:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/riding-season-is-approaching/343880/15 "2006-02-14T01:40:10Z")
Picked up the new battery today. The guy at the shop said it’s supposed to snow on Friday, and it’s my fault for buying the battery. ---
**Author:** ![SandyHook](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/dec6dc/32.png) [@SandyHook](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SandyHook)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2006, 4:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/riding-season-is-approaching/343880/16 "2006-02-14T04:31:39Z")
I’ve been out a few times since the first of the year. Can’t hardly wait until May 1 when we leave on a 30 day ride to DC. The bikes were thick in California this weekend. Ms Hook had a three day weekend and we made a trip to the coast. The weather was just about perfect the whole time.