Sorry, I just need to share...

[daveinva]

... I CAN'T WAIT TO GO RIDING THIS WEEKEND!!!

The summer here was brutal: hot, sticky, and stormy. 105 in the desert sucks; 105 in the Mid-Atlantic is disgusting. I rode a heckuva lot less than I wanted to this summer, but it simply wasn't any fun.

This weekend? A *high* of 68 degrees, and FINALLY no rain. :2thumbs:

My flooboards and pegs finally go on tomorrow, so I hope to be able to ride a LOT farther and longer at any one time than I have been able to do so far. (If only my Ultimate Seat was here already-- shipped this week, NEXT weekend I'll get to enjoy it!)

Saturday I've got the kitchen pass for the whole day to goof off, I'm going to do a circuit out west and enjoy the pastoral foothills of the Shenandoah. I'll try to stop every so often to take some photos, maybe even some video, to share with folks.

Anyway... no serious point to the post, I"m just getting excited to simply RIDE. :doorag:

 

[Lamonster]

:2thumbs:

 

[SpyderAnn01]

We are enjoying that cool weather here today. Sunny and 51 at the moment. Enjoy your ride.

 

[Bob Denman]

:cus: I've been roped into scraping and painting windowsills this weekend! :gaah:

 

[SpyderAnn01]

:cus: I've been roped into scraping and painting windowsills this weekend! :gaah:

Better not risk it it might be too cool for the paint to dry. Better ride instead.

 

[BajaRon]

:cus: I've been roped into scraping and painting windowsills this weekend! :gaah:

That is just WRONG! :gaah:

 

[daveinva]

:cus: I've been roped into scraping and painting windowsills this weekend! :gaah:

Rope yourself into paying someone else to do it for you-- it's good for the American economy, AND your riding soul!

 

[SpydherLuv]

Rope yourself into paying someone else to do it for you-- it's good for the American economy, AND your riding soul!

:agree: :2thumbs:

 

[ARtraveler]

Yes, by all means ryde, ryde, ryde. You know what is just around the bend, so take advantage of every good riding day.

I am looking at 46 more possible riding days for the season. We usually have our first snow by the end of October--and then I will be parked until sometime in March.

Last Saturday was glorious--we went on two afternoon rides totaling 375 miles. Drove south to Hope AK--you can see a picture of the place in the current issue of Rider magazine--where they talk about a tour group that was here this summer. Also went north, along the Matanuska River to view the mountains, and valleys.

The leaves are now in their fall glory so its a combination of gold and green--accompanied by the blue sky we had both days--it was a great day for a ride.

Are you stoked yet--Bob? :roflblack:

 

[Bob Denman]

 

[daveinva]

Yes, by all means ryde, ryde, ryde. You know what is just around the bend, so take advantage of every good riding day.

I am looking at 46 more possible riding days for the season. We usually have our first snow by the end of October--and then I will be parked until sometime in March.

I'm probably a fool for thinking so, but I'm making an effort to ride all winter long this year. Already bought my winter & weatherproof gear, getting the Powerlets installed for the heated stuff. I'll stay out of the cold rain as much as I can, and I doubt I'll be snowmobiling with my Spyder, but with any luck, the D.C. winter will be mild enough to accomodate plenty of spirited riding. Heck, certainly far, FAR milder than what you get in Alaska!

What can I say? I don't want to stop, the fun's just getting started...

 

[Rayelljay]

Scraping paint....anyone here will tell you that paint is easier to remove at a certain temperature and the weather channel says your windows will be nowhere near that temp this weekend.

 

[Bob Denman]

The last time I had to paint, I got out of it by falling off the ladder! nojoke
This fall would be a bit too high up for that though...:yikes:

 

[ARtraveler]

daveinva: I would also drive all year if I lived in your area--except during blizzards.

I am not a winter rider--although there are a lot of times when I could be out and about on the main highways. My problem is that I live rural--and once the snow hits--there will be ice and snow on my 2 miles of road until the spring thaw. I also drive through some non main streets in Anchorage--so those roads are also snow covered.

The :spyder2: is pretty squirrly on ice and snow--so I try to avoid inviting something bad to happen.

They do not sand the highways here--so black ice patches are a constant hazard in winter driving. I have seen 4 to 5 cars in the ditch from black ice incidents--on a clear "looking" patch of highway. This happens so often that we refer to them as "ditch divers".

Just my take on winter driving. I know there are hardy souls that think nothing of driving on snow and ice. I am not that brave anymore.

 

[daveinva]

daveinva: I would also drive all year if I lived in your area--except during blizzards.

Yeah, like I said, no comparison. We get blizzards-- do we ever!-- but we never get consistent snow. Jan/Feb we'll get a cold spell that won't rise above freezing for a few weeks straight, but the rest of the time, "winter" here is 40s and rain.

But since I don't have a garage, the Spyder's going to be outside in the cold under a cover all winter long anyway, so I figure I might as well *use* the freakin' thing and keep it active through the season. Just gotta keep the salt off the undercarriage, and stay away from icy days.

Yup, when it's cold and dry, I'll ride. When it's just cold and wet, I *may* ride. When snow's on the ground... why, I'll find a nice parking lot and drive the Nanny insane slippin' donuts :joke:

 

[Weave2u]

... I CAN'T WAIT TO GO RIDING THIS WEEKEND!!!

105 in the desert sucks; ... no serious point to the post, I"m just getting excited to simply RIDE. :doorag:

I'm in the desert, and I've been ryding in 105+ degrees for most of the summer, and you're right, it sucks :gaah:... But, I'm addicted to ryding now, so I just go as for this post being serious...any discussion of addictions is serious :roflblack:

I just bought my winter gear from BajaRon, and I also intend to ryde during the winter. When it really comes on, winter around here is typically 7 - 9 degrees...far better than the folks in the northeast have to deal with...

 

[daveinva]

Well, this sucks.

I'll capture a couple thoughts in separate posts, but the short version of a long story:

1. Got my Rivco floorboards, highway pegs, and two Powerlets installed yesterday afternoon at Trumbull Motorsports. Not bad service, not perfect service, I'll review in another post.
2. Got home about 6:00 pm to discover my Ultimate Seat was waiting for me on the porch. Stupidly decided to install it last night using what little daylight (then a flashlight) I had left. Was an exercise in frustration that led to a near-disaster that I thankfully managed to recover from... THIS Saturday morning, when I was planning on riding.
3. Good thing I got delayed from riding. What was forecast as a *10%* chance of rain proved to be a *100%* chance. Combined with the cooler weather and depressingly overcast skies, I've done no riding yet today, despite my eagerness all week.

Blech. Just a rotten day so far. :gaah:

Oh well. My floorboards are finally on, and my Ultimate Seat is fannnnnntastic, so once I *do* get to riding this weekend (knock on wood), I'll be riding in style! :joke:

 

[Bob Denman]

...and I'm stuck here with paint in what's left of my hair, and four windows to go...

 

[daveinva]

...and I'm stuck here with paint in what's left of my hair, and four windows to go...

See, this is what I get for teasing you, Bob!

 

[Bob Denman]

A Sunny Sunday morning and all of the chores are done...WOO-HOO!!! :2thumbs: This summer; the weather has seriously put a kink uin the riding time. It rains so that nothing can get done so that when the sun decides to make an appearance we're catching up on yard and house duties...

Next weekend is shot while I teach some Hunter Education courses.... Today has got to be the day! :thumbup: