Dave & Teds Most Excellent Adventures 2013

[ThreeFeet]

RE: repellant for seams

:banghead: :cus: :banghead:

Found a really good repellant at Walmart . Has VERY bright orange top and WORKS!! cheap too. found in sporting goods I think.

 

[3 Wheel Addict]

Get ahold of beeswax in a block form and rub it into the seems where the threads are and that will waterproof the seems. Beeswax can still be found at your better (and older) hardware stores. This is also a perfect lube for zippers. My dad taught me that trick years ago deer hunting to waterproof seems and boots.

 

[CyncySpyder]

FWIW

Found a really good repellant at Walmart . Has VERY bright orange top and WORKS!! cheap too. found in sporting goods I think.

Get ahold of beeswax in a block form and rub it into the seems where the threads are and that will waterproof the seems. Beeswax can still be found at your better (and older) hardware stores. This is also a perfect lube for zippers. My dad taught me that trick years ago deer hunting to waterproof seems and boots.

Thanks for the tips y'all. Ron saw my comment about the Thermo-Suit loosing its water repelling capabilities after only 3 years and told me that was NOT normal & gave me the number & asked that I call FirstGear about it. I didn't even think to do this, cause the product only has a 1 year warranty on it & we're now in our 3rd year of use. I did as Ron asked and Nic at FirstGear answered and we discussed it. He agreed that it wasn't normal & stated that over years of use, that yes, the suit would eventually loose 'some' of it water shedding capibilities, but he thought more along the lines of 5 to 6 years of use, not after only 3. He reminded me that the suit does only have a 1 year warranty, but asked for my contact info cause he was going to talk with his supervisor and see if there was anything they could do for me. I was a little shocked, cause I realize as stuff ages, its going to break down in one way or another, and it being out of warranty, I kind of figured I'd get a resonse similar to, "Thanks for buying our product, but its out of warranty, so sorry about your luck" I'm not saying this ISN'T what is ultimately going to happen, but in all honesty, I didn't really expect anything more. And Nick seemed genuinely concerned & wanted to help me. Guess there's a reason Ron (BajaRon) deals with FirstGear as they both seem made of the same cloth when it comes to customer service & satisfaction :firstplace:

 

[CyncySpyder]

WoW! Above & Beyond-Both BajaRon & FirstGear are really GREAT to deal with

I know this isn't regular business practice, but it also seems that my issue with my FirstGear Thermo Suit loosing its water protection after only 3 seasons of use isn't either. Nick from FirstGear emailed me back the very same day I talked with him about my issue, and said after discussing it with FirstGears Brand Manager, they agreed that the suit should hold up to 5 or 6 years of use before starting to loose some of its water protection, so my suit giving out entirely after 3 years was very abnormal:dontknow: Said the Brand Manager wanted me to be happy & that he approved for me to send in my used suit and that they'd send me a new one :clap:.... :bowdown:

I realize their going to take a financial hit in the cost of the suit, but in the long run, they just EARNED themselves a CUSTOMER for LYFE :2thumbs:

:bowdown:Thanks again Ron for carrying such good products from Companies that stand behind them :firstplace:

 

[CyncySpyder]

Saturday - 26F on the ryde into work this morning

Here's what the weather forcast looks like for the Cincy area, supposed to be the coldest of the season yet :shocked:

Temperatures will start around freezing across the Tri-State early this morning. We'll see some sunshine around lunchtime and warm into the mid 30s before another cold front moves through the area this afternoon. This front it the big one, it will bring a cold blast of arctic air causing temperatures to tumble quickly late this afternoon. Evening temperatures will be in the mid 20s and overnight lows will be in the teens. With winds blowing from the northwest we could see a few lake effect snow showers. But it won't amount to much of anything.
Sunday will stay cold all day! Highs won't make it out of the 20s for a lot of the area. The upside: more sunshine.
All next week looks to stay cold with temperatures in the 30s and overnight lows in the teens or 20s. Cold temperatures are reinforced into Thanksgiving by another blast of cold air. Stay warm and have a great weekend!

But the rainy stuff was over & the streets were nice & dry for the ryde in this morning. First time this season for me to wear my full winter ryding gear (including full-face helmet) and I made a couple of discoveries. First of which, when you haven't worn your helmet in a few weeks & the last time you did was in wet weather (Holloween with the kids) and you forget & put the helmet away in the saddle bag after that last ryde.... well, its not going to smell all that fresh :sour: maybe a little like sour mildew even :sour:

UGH!!! And you know me, I just gotta add to the pile. Not thinking, as I was fixing a couple of sandwiches for my lunch to take with me to work this morning, I popped a couple of the Chilli-Cheese Corn Chips into my mouth for a quick bite before running out the door. Well, soon after pulling on my full-face helmet & discovering the sour mildew smell pps: I got to combine that with the smell of Chilli-Cheese Corn Chips from my breath :shocked: Lets just say, that didn't make for an appetizing start to todays ryde. I didn't care that it was only 26F degrees, I had little choice but to make sure the face shield was cracked open enough to allow some fresh air inside the helmet, otherwise I might of had an even bigger issue to deal with considering I was almost dry-heaving from the pundgent smell pps: ............... nasty I tell you pps:

But yeah, besides the smell, it was still a good ryde in this morning. Have I said lately How Much I Love Teds Red Sled?:bowdown:

 

[den1953]

26 Degree Ride

You're a hardier soul than I am, glad you could do it though!! At age 60 I just can't take the cold anymore. Arthritis and all the other not-so-good stuff acts up when I get cold. I'm seriously considering getting my first Spyder in the near future because of the effect of aging. The possibility of dropping a heavy motocycle is getting to be a big worry and the peace of mind a third wheel would give me is well worth the cost. Who knows, maybe a Spyder might get me riding in weather that I now won't even consider on two wheels!!

 

[CyncySpyder]

just my 2 cents worth

You're a hardier soul than I am, glad you could do it though!! At age 60 I just can't take the cold anymore. Arthritis and all the other not-so-good stuff acts up when I get cold. I'm seriously considering getting my first Spyder in the near future because of the effect of aging. The possibility of dropping a heavy motocycle is getting to be a big worry and the peace of mind a third wheel would give me is well worth the cost. Who knows, maybe a Spyder might get me riding in weather that I now won't even consider on two wheels!!

I can only speak from experience of ryding a Spyder, but its all about being prepared. Unlike you, I had never ridden a 2 wheeler, after witnessing a good friend loose his left leg in an accident while he was showing off on his crotch rocket when I was 16 & he was only 19, I just couldn't bring myself to do it.

But with the stability of the Y platform on the Spyder, and then the ammenities of the RT-S with the adjustable shield & heated grips to help in cold weather ryding & then the upright seating position and audio for comfort for longer trips. And then our SpyderFest Eddition came with the upgraded Elka Shocks for better handling comfort, the utopia backrest for back support, the KewlMetal Wing Covers for highway pegs to stretch out on those longer rydes, and well, I really do look at Teds Red Sled as being a Bark-O-Lounger on wheels. Tho I can honestly say, I've never had a seat that leaves me smiling from ear to ear like this one does :2thumbs:

Without our FirstGear Thermo Riding Suit however, I wouldn't attempt the year round ryding that we do, it just wouldn't be fun like it is now. I'd just be suffering thru it, and that's NOT what the Spyder is ALL About. Its about enjoying the ryde, and a person HAS to be COMFORTABLE to be able to truly ENJOY THE RYDE

Proper Dealer Set-up is one of the MOST IMPORTANT procedures when it comes to these bikes, as it can either MAKE or BRAKE your entire Experience, and I saw this from FIRST HAND EXPERIENCE, Learned the Hard Way pps: I've been bitten since May of 2010, have gone thru alot with our first experience, but I'm glad to say,
:clap::yes:ITS ALL BEEN WORTH IT :yes::clap:

 

[CyncySpyder]

Not sure if this is a case of 'Getn Soft' or 'Once Bitten-Twice Shy' or a combination

Here's our local weather update:
Even with increasing mid- and high-level clouds, temperatures will still drop into the teens overnight. Monday will be a mostly cloudy, very cold, and breezy day. Scattered rain and snow showers will return to the Tri-State late Monday night and Tuesday. In the wake of this system, more cold air and flurries are forecast Wednesday. Late week will be quiet but still colder than average.

With it being so darn cold, freezing actually, and Teddy still getting over his respiratory infection, we haven't ridden the past 3 days & my mood reflects it Surprisingly, I worked this past Saturday due to having low inventory of completed parts & the dept. I feed was working all weekend, so I actually got to work a little Over-Time ray: which is sorely needed.

Today was 20F degrees when I took Teddy out this morning before leaving for work, & I decided since it was just going to be me, and that its dry & not calling for anything wet til later tonight, that I'd start up the Sled & let it and the grips warm up in the garage while Teddy took care of his business. Well, to my shock, I turned the key & waited for the Mode screen, pushed Mode & then the Starter and the sled turned over once and everything went.......... blank:yikes:

Uh Oh, sure sign of a Low Battery :sour: UGH!!! Are you serious? So I flipped everything back off & tried it one more time, and the digital gauge that I added that reads the temp and battery meter was only showing 11.6 Volts Yup, low battery:lecturef_smilie: So before trying again, I powered off the Garmin GPS, cause I know at start-up the Spyder pulls more amps/volts (??) than at any other time, and sure enough, the Sled roared to life :clap:

But there was that nagging in the back of my head, about the last time we got stranded at close to midnight in pouring down rain in the parking lot of the SpyderFest Wedding this past year, and even tho I knew the situation wouldn't be the same, cause it would be in broad daylight when it was clear, just freezing this time, when I would be leaving from work today. But I wasn't sure the short 19 mile ryde on the Interstate would be enough to get the Sleds system fully charged, and didn't want to deal with a 'situation' such as this when I went to leave work today. So I made the decision, even tho I had already donned my FirstGear Thermo-Suit & was really looking forward to ryding today, I turned the key back off and allowed Teds Sled to return to blissful slumber.

Guess now that I'm "Get'n Soft' I need to invest in one of those trickle-chargers that everyone is always posting about on here :dontknow: Saying the words 'Better Safe Than Sorry' just seems so ..................................... giving in

 

[MarkLawson]

...Guess now that I'm "Get'n Soft' I need to invest in one of those trickle-chargers that everyone is always posting about on here :dontknow: Saying the words 'Better Safe Than Sorry' just seems so ..................................... giving in

Not certain I'd agree that taking hard earned experience into consideration and making an informed decision would qualify one as 'Get'n Soft'. You made the right decision which I would call 'Get'n Wise'!

 

[SporterSpider]

I always plug the Spyder into the trickle-charger when I get done riding. I did the same thing with the Harley ( RIP ) I especially do it now that I use heated gear because, I have heard that it pulls a lot of juice out of the battery when using the gear.

 

[CyncySpyder]

Snowing 30F 1st real snowfall of the season so I caged it into work this morning

We had our first actual snow fall of the season overnight, and for much of the Cincy area, its still going on, tho not bad nor much at all, at least for the downtown areas. Areas to our east will probably get around 1-3 inches, tho at home, we barely got a covering of the ground and anything on the streets & sidewalks were melted and just wet. In our area, the flakes were large and very wet, so it did make for a nice view covering the grassy areas and all along the riverfront. I tried to take a couple of pics from our balcony before leaving for work this morning, but it was just too dark to clearly see anything. Hopefully the snow will stick around on the grassy areas til after I get off work today & if so, I should be able to get some decent shots to share with y'all

It was funny when I took Teddy out to 'do his business' cause its been a while since we've actually had enough snow to cover the ground, and at first, he was like, ummmmm......... I don't wanna get my paws wet and cold. But then he just jumped right in and thought nothing of it :thumbup:

 

[CyncySpyder]

Pics of the snow coming down this morning while waiting in McDonalds Drive Thru

:yes:Let it snow, Let it snow:yes:

 

[KatLen0405]

love those big flakes!!

I love those big, goose-down flakes of snow. It sounds like we are going to get plenty of it here in NW Indiana tonight and tomorrow morning - we are expecting 6 - 12" overnight. :clap::clap: If I can get caught up with my work, then I can take a vacation day tomorrow and just enjoy the view from inside by the fireplace with hubby and the dogs. So off to work I go :spyder::spyder: I wish everyone a very Happy and Healthy Thanksgiving!

Dave, Hubby and I will be sending you and Teddy our very best wishes for a wonderful day. (and an extra bone for Teddy)

 

[CyncySpyder]

You're a good man Charlie Brown

We have a local historic hotel & covention center here in Northern Kentucky that has been closed for over a year, a casualty of the recession & over all down turn in the economy. It was really a sad day to see it close & some of you that know the area may have heard of it or even visited The Historic DrawBridge Inn & Convention Center. Sadly, it's slated to be razed, the entire complex is to be taken to the ground & set for redevelopment into who knows what.

I personally had never visited when it was open & was sad to know that I missed out on experiencing such a Historic Landmark back in its hey-day. I saw an episode on our local news that anything & everything that literally wasn't bolted down, was all for sale and at rock bottom prices. I think they had somewhere around 300 or so guest rooms & all furnishings, decor, anything & everything that you could carry out was for sale.... Cheap.

The complex is only about 10 minutes down the Interstate from where Teddy & I live, so we have travelled by it countless times & I figured this would be our last chance EVER to see what was once a Jewel in the crown of the Tri-State area before its untimely demise.

This was a few days back, and it was in the 40s but clear, sunny & dry so I geared up Teddy & we headed off on his sled just to see what there was left to see. We were able to park right up front by the main doors of the Convention Center & that in itself was (as usual for Teddy) an experience, cause it took us at least 20 minutes just to get Teddy off his ryde. It would seem, as soon as we'd chat & Teddy would pose for pics & appease his newest fans just discovering the JOY that IS Teddy, here would come the next set of fans wanting to be appeased & so we did.

Once we found a break in the stream of fans, we took advantage & made our way to the Main Doors, unsure exactly what to expect.

TBC....... Teddy is demanding my assistance in fetching his ball that's somewhere he can't reach.

 

[lookerjdc]

good to see you are out and about

 

[CyncySpyder]

You're a good man Charlie Brown ..... Continued

As we made our way to the first set of double doors, I could see and hear a woman inbetween the doors and she was struggling with something, so I did as usual and opened the outter set of doors and stepped aside so she could more easily make her way out. At this time, I had Teddy cradled in my one arm while holding the door open for the laday with my other and as soon as she made her way out, and her eyes saw Teddy in my arm, her face lit up like a Christmas Tree and she went from a frustrated look of desperation to wide eyed & grinning from ear to ear :2thumbs: I couldn't help but smile back at her....... it was just contagious :2thumbs:

After a moment or two of smiles, I noticed her cast on her one arm and I then understood why she was having so much of a problem in getting out the double set of doors with the small desk chair that she was pushing. At first meetings with new people, I'm actually usually pretty reserved and quiet, as was the case here. Now once you get me going, good luck in getting me to shut up ... pps: So yeah, I let the lady lead the discussion asking all about Teddy & at first, I feared that we would once again get stuck outside and with Teddy stuck on his Sled posing for more pics & handing out 'Hi5's' like they were candy on Halloween night, but thankfully, this episode only lasted about 15 minutes. In talking, the lady walked over to her car, which she had parked right by the Front Doors, even closer than we had parked. And as soon as she got to her car, she said, "Hey Look, I have a surprise for you." and she opened her passenger door and out comes a little black smooth coated dog just a little larger than Teddy. That really lit up my face, I tell ya :2thumbs: Always good to meet another dog lover :clap:

Anyways, her dog was a mix of something like a Jack Russel & a Min-Pin, deffinitely different looking and even tho she was a female, Teddy wasn't really all that 'into' her, and she felt just the same for Teddy. We allowed them to snake around & around with their introductions but they kept tangling their leashes, so I finally just undid Teddy's so the could continue their 'dance' without getting all tied up. But soon after, Teddy wasn't interested in her anymore at all, and he decided it was time for him to mark out his territory and there he went, leg lift after leg lift on just about every bush and tree that was there.

After a few more minutes, I once again placed Teddy on his Sled and allowed the nice lady to take a couple of pics of Teddy pose'n like usual on the back, and she was just in love with his Spyder. Said she thought it looked like something out of one of the Transformer movies and very futuristic :thumbup: After that, she said that she still had a couple of things to get from inside, so we walked back in together.

Once inside the double doors, this was the entrance to The Great London Hall part of the Convention Center and where they were holding the sale of all the furnishings from the guest rooms along with any and everything else that wasn't litterally bolted down. Before entering the Hall however, at the reception area just outside, their were two ladies sitting up high, almost like in a judges box and they were the cash ladies collecting the money for any purchases and basically were running the sale. As soon as the lady saw Teddy, she frowned which really perplexed me at first, cause I'm just so use to the opposite and seeing just about everyone that see's Teddy break out in a BIG 'ole Grin, but not this lady :lecturef_smilie:.......... at least ............ not at first She locked eyes with me and stated rather sternly, "No Dogs Allowed! Well ...... unless you hold him the entire time and don't set him down or let him run around."



TBC .....................

 

[3 Wheel Addict]

Seriously he can't run around in a building being torn down? What gives.............. I tell them you have a reservation and would like to check in.

 

[CyncySpyder]

Teddy & I hope that YOU ALL have had a Wonderful ThanksGiving Holiday

:clap::yes: Happy ThanksGiving to all of our extended SpyderLovers Family :yes::clap:

 

[CyncySpyder]

Seriously he can't run around in a building being torn down? What gives.............. I tell them you have a reservation and would like to check in.

I think the reason for this was cause they had hundreds & hundreds of different items all around the convention center, literally in piles and it would be bad if a dog were to go up to one of those piles of say like alarm clocks, radios, telephones or blow dryers and lift his leg and mark his territory on that pile of electronics nojoke so I could understand her request and honestly, I think she learned that the hard way :lecturef_smilie:

 

[OJ UK]

:clap::yes: Happy ThanksGiving to all of our extended SpyderLovers Family :yes::clap:

Right back atcha Dave! Give the boss a hug from me!

We don't celebrate Thanksgiving here in the UK but Hey! I feel the good vibes regardless!
Best wishes to all of the SL crew from me !!