Thread Rating:
  • 2 Vote(s) - 4.5 Average
  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • 4
  • 5
Riding Year Round!!
I'm curious how many on this site are able to ride year round. Three of us all with GL 1200s took our Sunday ride yesterday afternoon again,very enjoyable and some new unexplored roads for me since I'm new to this area.We stopped for a coffee before our last leg of the ride then headed home. I happen to mention I was leaving the plates on all year like last year because even though its winter soon in the Northern Hemishere we can still ride here on Vancouver Island BC. Heated Vests,Heated handgrips,scarf,riding pants,insulated high top boots,warm socks,an insulated gauntlet gloves. My riding buddies both said yep we ride all year as well and the plates stay on.

This is Canada which is also called the "Great White North" but there are places in Canada it just is'nt like that and I wanted to mention that for the record for our friends in Texas and Florida etc. who also ride "Year Round". Are there any other places in the Northern Hemishpere you are able to ride all year,can't say I've ever read anything about this before so its good info for all us serious Bikers to know...especially as we approach retirement and riding is our passion...one of the reasons I moved here is so I can ride "Year Round". Big Grin
Reply
#1 11-12-2013, 12:07 PM,
Southern California..... if it aint raining in the morning when I leave for work, I ride.
If it is raining when I leave work to go home........ I get wet.
Cold isn't too bad, it is the wet and slippery I need to look out for, especially since the drivers down here think it is safer to drive FASTER in the rain....... I dunno what they are thinking, other than...... they are not!
Year Round Baby!

One down side to riding year round is there is never enough bad weather to allow for big projects or major maintenance. It is sad to see the days of good riding weather go by as you install a Poorboy Kit (thanks again Don!), or head gaskets, or carburetor cleaning (8X out and in before two years of sitting dormant were all cleaned out and sync-ed up).

She sure is fun to share the (s)miles with though.....

-Ride On
enjoying the view from the saddle....... due mainly to the people and information found within this site
Reply
#2 11-12-2013, 02:07 PM,
(11-12-2013, 02:07 PM)bs175dths Wrote: Southern California..... if it aint raining in the morning when I leave for work, I ride.
If it is raining when I leave work to go home........ I get wet.
Cold isn't too bad, it is the wet and slippery I need to look out for, especially since the drivers down here think it is safer to drive FASTER in the rain....... I dunno what they are thinking, other than...... they are not!
Year Round Baby!

One down side to riding year round is there is never enough bad weather to allow for big projects or major maintenance. It is sad to see the days of good riding weather go by as you install a Poorboy Kit (thanks again Don!), or head gaskets, or carburetor cleaning (8X out and in before two years of sitting dormant were all cleaned out and sync-ed up).

She sure is fun to share the (s)miles with though.....

Southern Cal. of coarse.. I knew that, must have had a senior moment there Smile

-Ride On
Reply
#3 11-12-2013, 05:14 PM,
I never store my bike for the winter as some people do because there are so many good weather opportunities to ride in the winter despite the fact that I live in Leamington, Ontario, Canada which is actually situated further South than northern California and several other U.S. states. Don't get me wrong here because I have seen 3 feet of snow piled up in front of my garage door at times, but, mostly our winters are mild here.
Ed (Vic) Belanger - 1954-2015
Founder of gl1200goldwings.com

Reply
#4 11-13-2013, 03:51 AM,
Although the oil and filter is changed, I am not putting my bike away for the winter either, mind you it could be that I am putting it on a trailer on the 29th Dec to go to Florida for Jan Feb & March.
The only stupid questions are the one's that are not asked.

Reply
#5 11-13-2013, 07:45 AM,
Near Seattle and if it the temps stay out of the 30's, I ride. Last winter, there's was just a few weeks that were too iffy for ice. Normally it stays 40 or above and if you don't mind a little rain, you can ride. I will say that, at least for me, heated gloves are a must in the cold months.
Charlie
1992 GL1500 SE
[Image: Visited.jpg]
Reply
#6 11-13-2013, 09:43 PM,
(11-13-2013, 09:43 PM)Chas Wrote: Near Seattle and if it the temps stay out of the 30's, I ride. Last winter, there's was just a few weeks that were too iffy for ice. Normally it stays 40 or above and if you don't mind a little rain, you can ride. I will say that, at least for me, heated gloves are a must in the cold months.

We are actually fairly close Geographicly, we may get rain and a few bad days but all in all we're fortunate to live in such a mild climate.This is awesome after living in Northern BC for 35 years which has such a short riding season. Cool
Reply
#7 11-14-2013, 10:02 AM,
(11-14-2013, 10:02 AM)sparky65 Wrote:
(11-13-2013, 09:43 PM)Chas Wrote: Near Seattle and if it the temps stay out of the 30's, I ride. Last winter, there's was just a few weeks that were too iffy for ice. Normally it stays 40 or above and if you don't mind a little rain, you can ride. I will say that, at least for me, heated gloves are a must in the cold months.

We are actually fairly close Geographicly, we may get rain and a few bad days but all in all we're fortunate to live in such a mild climate.This is awesome after living in Northern BC for 35 years which has such a short riding season. Cool

Hey there Sparky. Never get used to your two handles. Oh well. I absolutely agree with you on the climate here. My location puts me just 2 k from the US border so I get most the same weather as Seattle. We actually miss most of the bad stuff to hit Vancouver. I never did unlicensed Baby prior to my letting her go. I TO I rode year rode providing the roads were clear of snow & ice. Street car track were a proper bitch tho'. Cheers Angela
Angela(fysty-1) & Dani
Surrey, B.C., Canada
'85 Honda GL 1200 (fully dressed) I. (sold)
pres. 95 Virago 1100
"No matter how blue life may get always remember that there's a rainbow in the sky."
"Grab life by the handlbars an hang on."

Reply
#8 11-18-2013, 05:57 PM,
(11-18-2013, 05:57 PM)fysty-1 Wrote:
(11-14-2013, 10:02 AM)sparky65 Wrote:
(11-13-2013, 09:43 PM)Chas Wrote: Near Seattle and if it the temps stay out of the 30's, I ride. Last winter, there's was just a few weeks that were too iffy for ice. Normally it stays 40 or above and if you don't mind a little rain, you can ride. I will say that, at least for me, heated gloves are a must in the cold months.

We are actually fairly close Geographicly, we may get rain and a few bad days but all in all we're fortunate to live in such a mild climate.This is awesome after living in Northern BC for 35 years which has such a short riding season. Cool



Hey there Sparky. Never get used to your two handles. Oh well. I absolutely agree with you on the climate here. My location puts me just 2 k from the US border so I get most the same weather as Seattle. We actually miss most of the bad stuff to hit Vancouver. I never did unlicensed Baby prior to my letting her go. I TO I rode year rode providing the roads were clear of snow & ice. Street car track were a proper bitch tho'. Cheers Angela

Angela Smile There's a story behind the two Handles I use, one is depicting my Goldwing of coarse... thats a given..the other was my nickname given by the guys I worked with in Kitimat after my D-9 Cat blew a main fuel line and exploded in flames while I was operating it,,$45,000 damage..hence Sparky and my age at the time. LOL its also very close to my surname Undecided Big Grin
Reply
#9 11-19-2013, 01:13 PM,
We get a lot of sloppy weather here, snow and rain in the winter - but other than taking the battery out and throwing blankets over old blue it is pretty much road ready all year. But once the first heavy snow hits, they treat our roads with cinders and chemicals, and it takes a good heavy rain to wash them off to the point that they are ride able. Even then cinders accumulate at stop signs etc. and one has to be real careful.

I did ride Christmas eve one year, it was 70 degrees. But that was unusual.
A rainy day off beats a sunny day at work any time..................
Reply
#10 11-19-2013, 02:49 PM,
(11-19-2013, 02:49 PM)85GL1200I Wrote: We get a lot of sloppy weather here, snow and rain in the winter - but other than taking the battery out and throwing blankets over old blue it is pretty much road ready all year. But once the first heavy snow hits, they treat our roads with cinders and chemicals, and it takes a good heavy rain to wash them off to the point that they are ride able. Even then cinders accumulate at stop signs etc. and one has to be real careful.

I did ride Christmas eve one year, it was 70 degrees. But that was unusual.

I was watching one of the TV Shows with the Tow Trucks clearing wrecks off the highway and the Highways Dept. was spraying liguid Beet Juice on the highways the same way they oil gravel roads. Apparently it works far better than salt or chemicals, works at lower temps without crystalizing and is Biodegradable and won't eat the metal of your car or truck. Someone discovered this property of Beet Juice by accident so now they use it in some States.
Reply
#11 11-19-2013, 07:35 PM,
If I had tried to ride this last weekend, I would have been chased down by an EF4 tornado. I live about 10 miles from New Minden, Il where two people were killed by the bugger.

Once the ground temperature drops below freezing, the roads around become treacherous anytime there is significant humidity in the air. Black ice is quick to form and you don't know it untill you see cars spinning out of control. Think what would happen if you only had two wheels and hit the ice.
The other downside here is that the deicing fluid used on the highways is mainly salt and that quickly causes rust in hard to reach places.
The current temperature here is 37F, with a low of 32F forecast for tonight. The rest of the week looks about the same, but throw in clouds and intermittent rain. I'll leave the bikes in the garage, thank you.
I have been stationed in locations that allowed year round riding, Southern California, Okinawa, Thailand, Georgia, and Florida, but I've also lived near Utica, New York where we got 200 inches of snow in one winter. BRRRRR!
Reply
#12 11-19-2013, 08:33 PM,


Forum Jump:


Users browsing this thread: 1 Guest(s)

Contact Us | GL1200 GOLDWINGS | Return to Top | | Lite (Archive) Mode | RSS Syndication
google-site-verification: googled4b4fe31e07b65d8.html