For Those Of Us In The North...

[Bob Denman]

I'm assuming that at some point: you have to store your bike for a while...
My question:
How do you decide, when that time comes?
Is it by temperature? Road Salt? Do you shut it down for insurance reasons? Perhaps you spend time down South, and don't take it with you...

As for me: I park mine when the Salt Trucks roll out... Temperatures are a secondary concern; although I am pretty comfortable down into the high-twenties...

How about you??

[sidecarrick]

I put it away when the salt hits the pavement. Then I get out the old rusty Ural.

[bandito]

While this will be my first winter with the Spyder I never actually put my bikes away. If the roads are not dangerous and the salt has been washed away I try to ride. I have ridden to and from Daytona bike week in February many times.

[murphybrown]

I'm assuming that at some point: you have to store your bike for a while...
My question:
How do you decide, when that time comes?
Is it by temperature? Road Salt? Do you shut it down for insurance reasons? Perhaps you spend time down South, and don't take it with you...

As for me: I park mine when the Salt Trucks roll out... Temperatures are a secondary concern; although I am pretty comfortable down into the high-twenties...

How about you??

When the snow and ice start "sticking" to the road.....modified ryding now. Where I live for any thing over 100 miles I encounter a mountain pass and yes they are getting the white stuff. FYI...I realllly do like the white stuff...just don't like being grounded from Red....but the maps and plans and new 2017 "event" calendar are ready to go!!

[Bob Denman]

Time to start planning some trouble for next year: right?

[Chupaca]

I don't deal with this problem but from a bike maintenance point I would have to agree with the salt hitting the road. There units are not undercoated nor as massive as an automobile. Even when you think the salt is washed away it isn't and can be very damaging to the small parts....jmo..

[bbodah]

I'm assuming that at some point: you have to store your bike for a while...
My question:
How do you decide, when that time comes?
Is it by temperature? Road Salt? Do you shut it down for insurance reasons? Perhaps you spend time down South, and don't take it with you...

As for me: I park mine when the Salt Trucks roll out... Temperatures are a secondary concern; although I am pretty comfortable down into the high-twenties...

How about you??

Same as you guys..temperature dont stop me but SALT does!

[Trbayth]

I play it by ear depending on the amount of snow and last time they dumped salt all over the roads. But the bike def spends more time in the garage, plugged into a maintainer than not.

Last year was able to go out around Christmas. This year we're supposed to have a warming trend the next week or so, even though the rest of this week is supposed to be cold with some of the white stuff up around Bob's way.

[Bob Denman]

I'm watching for it: hoping that the Salt Trucks stay in their stalls...

[JayBros]

Yeh, down here although we can ride year round we stay away from the beautiful North State mountains when the salt trucks come out.

[lou49]

I'm assuming that at some point: you have to store your bike for a while...
My question:
How do you decide, when that time comes?
Is it by temperature? Road Salt? Do you shut it down for insurance reasons? Perhaps you spend time down South, and don't take it with you...

As for me: I park mine when the Salt Trucks roll out... Temperatures are a secondary concern; although I am pretty comfortable down into the high-twenties...

How about you??

All of the above! Bob!

[jcasey]

Salt goes on popcorn here in southern Alabama!!!

[JimVonBaden]

I live in VA near DC. I ride from 10-110 degrees. Only ice keeps me off the road.

I commute daily.

[jerpinoy]

I used to be a rural carrier (USPS) My will do the same. I never put my spyder away and she is always ready to be ridden.

[ARtraveler]

My final rides of the year have been based on safety. Cold is not a problem for me and my comfort zone is about 10 degrees above. No more 20 below like the early days in MN. Here, we are plagued by black ice. When it hits the highway ramps and the side roads (where I live), I am done. does not like driving on ice--IMO.

They do not use road salt as a main component. They spread glacial till (sand) and a mix of an ice melt salt. In spring, the dust clouds are very noticeable from all the sand put down on the main roads. They usually do not spend a lot of time with side roads. They are more like permanent ice rinks.

Mine has been parked for the season for a week now.

[PW2013STL]

Snow and Ice! What's that

Bob you just had to bring that 4 letter word up

Normally I ride until the deicer goes down.

[Buggy]

I justed survived a near death experience which is all great but it means I can't go to my place in Florida for the winter with my Spyder so I am faced for the first time in many years the decision on when to lay up for the winter. Riding for me is all about enjoyment and I don't enjoy being cold! The bike will likely not see another ride until spring unless it warms up and the salt stays off the road.

[Saluda]

Wish you the best Buggy.
Salt spells the end for us. We snowmobile so cold is not an issue and we have plenty of good gear.

[jtpollock]

I ride year around we for the most part don't have salt but we do have macrolide very bad stuff. I just hit the car wash after a ride Colorado jtpollock

[Brettssunshine]

While this will be my first winter with the Spyder I never actually put my bikes away. If the roads are not dangerous and the salt has been washed away I try to ride.

This is my ride style too. I have some heated gear and thanks to MotorcycleDave, I'll soon have a heated seat!

[ruralgirl]

They use sand, not salt, around here, but I live on and am surrounded by dirt/gravel roads which don't warm up from traffic traveling on them, so they stay icy in the shade and turn to potholed muck in the sun, and they're rarely plowed when there's snow. So, since my Spyder's near zero traction can barely get us out of the barn when the lawn is dewy, let alone frosty, below freezing temps ground me. But that's okay. When I can't road ride, I switch to my ATV and enjoy the winter zipping around our fields (and ... shhhhhh ... the dirt roads).

[Sam Mac]

I'm good till about 45 degrees or salt what ever comes first.

[SPYD3R]

STORE....???
OH YA.... I STORE MY F3-S FOR UP TO 3 DAYS... THEN I TAKE HER OUT OF STORAGE TO RIDE HER.... YOU SEE BOBBY, DOWN HERE IN THE SOUTHERN HALF OF THE GOOD OLE U.S. of A. WE RIDE YEAR-ROUND... OH SURE, WE GET SNOW LIKE YOU GUYS UP NORTH, YOU KNOW, BUT IT'S MAYBE ABOUT 1/2" @ A TIME, BUT IT'S ALL GONE BY NOON TIME YOU SEE... EVEN ON THE BLUE RIDGE PARKWAY IT SNOWS, BUT WE TUFF IT OUT UP THERE ALSO... IT'S KIND'A SCARY RIDING THROUGH THE TUNNELS WITH ICICLES HANGING FROM THE CEILINGS OF THOSE TUNNELS... WINTER RIDING IS 'HELL', WE EVEN HAVE TO WEAR OUR 'LONG-JOHNS' SOME TIMES TO BEAT THE COLD... WHAT REALLY BUGS US 'FORMER NEW ENGLANDERS' IS WE DON'T GET THAT 'SALT TASTE' IN OUR MOUTHS WHILE RIDING.... YOU SEE BOB, SALT IS NOT NECESSARY DOWN HERE... WHY WOULD WE NEED IT? BY NOON TIME MOST DAYS THE TEMPS ARE UP TO THE MID 50'S, EVEN DURING FEBRUARY WHICH IS THE COLDEST MONTH OF THE YEAR... WELL, ENOUGH SAID ABOUT MY STORAGE STORY, WHAT ABOUT YOURS....?
DAN P
EASLEY, SC
SPYD3R
PS: hope you didn't mine the screw-turn'n my friend.... come on down n ride with us... you'll never look back... PROMISE...
20160123_135752.jpg 20160123_135806.jpg
this was Feb. 2016, and it was the most snow i've seen since 1999 when i moved here... by 5PM, it was all gone....

[quasi]

now that I am back here in wild wonderful West by God Virginia, when the snow and salt hits, i'm done til the roads are clean.

[Bob Denman]

STORE....???
OH YA.... I STORE MY F3-S FOR UP TO 3 DAYS... THEN I TAKE HER OUT OF STORAGE TO RIDE HER.... YOU SEE BOBBY, DOWN HERE IN THE SOUTHERN HALF OF THE GOOD OLE U.S. of A. WE RIDE YEAR-ROUND... OH SURE, WE GET SNOW LIKE YOU GUYS UP NORTH, YOU KNOW, BUT IT'S MAYBE ABOUT 1/2" @ A TIME, BUT IT'S ALL GONE BY NOON TIME YOU SEE... EVEN ON THE BLUE RIDGE PARKWAY IT SNOWS, BUT WE TUFF IT OUT UP THERE ALSO... IT'S KIND'A SCARY RIDING THROUGH THE TUNNELS WITH ICICLES HANGING FROM THE CEILINGS OF THOSE TUNNELS... WINTER RIDING IS 'HELL', WE EVEN HAVE TO WEAR OUR 'LONG-JOHNS' SOME TIMES TO BEAT THE COLD... WHAT REALLY BUGS US 'FORMER NEW ENGLANDERS' IS WE DON'T GET THAT 'SALT TASTE' IN OUR MOUTHS WHILE RIDING.... YOU SEE BOB, SALT IS NOT NECESSARY DOWN HERE... WHY WOULD WE NEED IT? BY NOON TIME MOST DAYS THE TEMPS ARE UP TO THE MID 50'S, EVEN DURING FEBRUARY WHICH IS THE COLDEST MONTH OF THE YEAR... WELL, ENOUGH SAID ABOUT MY STORAGE STORY, WHAT ABOUT YOURS....?
DAN P
EASLEY, SC
SPYD3R
PS: hope you didn't mine the screw-turn'n my friend.... come on down n ride with us... you'll never look back... PROMISE...
20160123_135752.jpg 20160123_135806.jpg
this was Feb. 2016, and it was the most snow i've seen since 1999 when i moved here... by 5PM, it was all gone....

Danny,
I think that I could hate you just a little bit...
...If you weren't such a good friend!!