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Winter Is Here!
Blog Date - 20 November 2016
Yes indeed ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, it's that special time of year that all motorcyclists look forwards to - winter!
Here's to another 3, 4 or possibly 5 months of cold wet rain interspersed with even colder and even wetter snow and ice. Here's to those frosty mornings where your lungs hurt as you draw in your first breath of outside air. Here's to howling winds where the rain is horizontal and staying vertical is a challenge. Here's to waking up and throwing open the curtains to see you've been transported to an Arctic wonderland of crisp fresh snow with 3 foot drifts.
Nov '16 and the first veneer of hail clings to the hills around Bolton.
We've seen a lot more snow in the past though.
We can look forwards to dodging car drivers who can't see us because they've not de-misted their windows completely. To those drivers who tailgate us because although we can feel how icy the tarmac is they think it's just as grippy as a sunny summer's day. To those drivers whom like to help us see where we are going by putting their super bright white LED headlights on full beam as we approach them. To those drivers who may not understand we're viewing the world through rain soaked visors, dealing with frozen fingers and wondering where the next patch of diesel or ice may be.
Just a little frozen hail on the fairing helps direct a cold blast of air into my face
I'm excited by the thought of grit on the roads, giving motorcycles and buses alike that dull grey patina of dirty salt all across the paintwork. There's joy to behold in watching bright metal turn to crusty orange rust as the bike rests overnight in the cold damp shed. There's always the hope that the battery will die on a particularly chilly evening, especially when you have an important meeting to go to the next day. There's nothing like a handful of seized up links in the salt ridden chain to give the whole transmission that clunky, grinding and lumpy feeling as we slither our way to work once we've bump or jump started the beast.
I so love wearing so many layers that I can no longer bend down to pick up the glove I've just dropped. While I know it's not true I feel as though I would merely bounce off the cold hard road if I were to skid on that patch of snow. I just know one day it will rain so hard that my gloves will be soaked through then the rain will stop, the skies will clear and the wet glove will start to freeze around my stiff red fingers in no time. My boots will do the same for my toes too.
2 jackets help me keep warm, dry and visible. Quilted Hi-Viz is waterproof and warm over my protective and warm textile jacket.
There's a few more special mentions. Low sunshine after rain brings the pleasure of being bedazzled and blinded, the same applies to snow. The envious task of removing ice from your motorcycle seat. Ooooh - salty visors - Such fun! Dripping on friend's carpets. Dripping on posh executive business' carpets at work. Dripping on tiles in shopping centres causing other shoppers to slip. Wrinkly fingers and toes. The men will understand when I say "shrivelled manhood" or even "disappeared manhood".
Outside of the motorcycling world there's Christmas to enjoy. Shopping in massively overpopulated complexes and having to queue in the car because Tarquin's new bicycle won't fit in your saddle bags or top box. Spending several hours with a bunch of relatives who insist on telling you you're too old to ride a motorcycle especially at this time of year. Eating more food in one afternoon than an entire African family can grow in a year. All through this convivial experience your jacket is dripping on Auntie Jessica's brand new laminated floor, causing the wet area to delaminate...
Reader's Comments
Ian Soady said :-
Many a true word.....
20/11/2016 10:16:24 UTC
Tony said :-
Well you've got my respect!
Naaa I don't miss the ice and snow.
20/11/2016 12:27:03 UTC
Ian Soady said :-
Neither do I. Of course, in the days when my bike was my sole form of transport apart from the bus, or later when I used it year-round for commuting (the best bike for this was a Suzuki SP400) I used to consider people who didn't wimps.
Now I am one.........
20/11/2016 14:18:05 UTC
Ren - The Ed said :-
It's a peculiar thing riding through the winter. At times I hate it yet there's this curious sense of challenge I feel as I'm being frozen or blown about.
Ideally winter should last a month. Long enough to help us to appreciate what little summer we get but not sooooo long for us to become desperate for warmth. Of course what we get is 9 months of winter and 3 months of spring - autumn then a day or two of summer.
Dammit.
20/11/2016 22:24:35 UTC
Bob said :-
Hand guards, heated grips, wool socks, neck tube, long johns - great fun.
I did a ride from Sheffield to Oldham and back on Friday, the Snake Pass was shut but Chapel was passable. The thing is, as soon as the weather turns the traffic jams increase so it's even more important to be on two wheels rather than four!
Riding through winter requires a little extra bike care. I just hose mine down, particularly the brake calipers, then liberally spray over with Pocket Rocket/Wurth/WD40 and put the bike away wet. I've been doing it for years and I've never had a seized caliper.
Also I can't recommend ACF-50 highly enough.
21/11/2016 11:30:17 UTC
Ren - The Ed said :-
I am presently working on some of my amazing, astounding and totally bodgetastic hand guards for the 500 today. It's not going well. The metalwork is all done but I can't find the right piece of plastic to act as the wind break. All my oil containers are just not the right size or shape. I've got some tubs but the plastic is really brittle. I've spent an hour with an old plastic paint pot but it's...just...not...quite...right.
I'll get there. It'll look bloody awful but I'll get there.
21/11/2016 12:35:32 UTC
Bob said :-
Ebay 301858464194
I've got these on all of mine - they work a treat and are easy to fit.
21/11/2016 13:22:41 UTC
Ren - The Ed said :-
Far far far too professional Bob. In fact they wouldn't work with my plan. I have created a DIY equivalent of bark busters to offer the levers a small degree of protection in the event of a minor spill. I have this afternoon zip tied on a small bucket thing cut in half, one half per side. It looks suitably awful but should provide loads of protection for my little fingers.
21/11/2016 15:47:52 UTC
Latchy said :-
how about a pair of tuppaware containers cut and drilled in a pair?
You could always use that, dare I say erm CAR you own.
08/12/2016 18:18:06 UTC
Ren - The Ed said :-
Car?!?!? Have you seen the mpg figures of a car?!?! I'm not made of money you know Latchy.
10/12/2016 06:45:29 UTC
Latchy said :-
Yes but if you use the car when it is really really bad, this would mean you only use it a few times, given that you covered say 10,000 miles on the 125 and say only 1000 miles in the car it will still average out at over 100 miles per gallon representing a fantastic economic rate, and you get to enjoy the benefits of a car when the weather is terrible, such as heat, dryness, radio etc, and you will still get to stash money in the bank, win win scenario.
10/12/2016 13:48:53 UTC
Ren - The Ed said :-
Not quite sure I agree with your logic there Latchy... Anyhow ridiculous as it may seem I do actually like riding the motorcycle.
12/12/2016 11:08:36 UTC
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