Summer is Over...

[Raptor]

Thanks for another great ryde report. :thumbup:

WOLFEN!! WHat up brother! I need to hear some of your tales of adventures in the saddle! I know you have some good ones up your sleeve!

 

[1spydercat1]

Hey

I actually grew up in Michigan. My parents are from the South but I know all about the white snow. I have been here in CA for over 23 years now and I am with a great man and we have been together for over 23 years. He was born and raised here and when I took him back to my parents in Arkansas in 1987 it was like a totally different world to him.

We both have Spyders, I have a limited edition of the white pearl and he has a limited (only 500 made) of the black phyantom. We love riding together, it's so fun.

So I hear ya about Michigan. I am glad I don't have to deal with the weather, but it's the prices out here that are terrrible.

Kathy

:spyder:




OTE=NancysToy;254078]Hah! You need to be here in Michigan. Summer is not over until the white stuff covers the ground![/QUOTE]

 

[1spydercat1]

It will happen!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! He will keep his heels down I promise!!

Yes, Ma'am!! And ride we shall. I promise to keep my fangs in and we'll have a blast! I look forward to it. :2thumbs:

BTW, Alice's is fun! Man you see it all at Alice's on the week-ends!

 

[1spydercat1]

Summer is NOT over, don't want to hear it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! We have more riding to do!!!!! :yes:



QUOTE=Raptor;254033]Well, kids, it would appear that summer is over. Not that we really ever had one! But summer is pretty much over. When my alarm went off @ 0600 I stepped out and realized "it's gonna be a chilly ride in!”

So I layered up (yup, took the Tour Master out!) hopped on 14 and rode in. Almost got spiked buy a guy that decided to shoot across all lanes of traffic and hit the center barrier so hard it destroyed his front end, 2 cars ahead of me! Man, I was on the brakes HARD! So hard I could smell 'em! I rolled up, asked if he was OK, he said yeah; a bunch of people were running at him so I got the hell outta there! And that was the ride in. Ah, Mondays!

Fast forward to 5:30. I jumped on 14 and off we went, eager to just melt this Monday away. At this point its 62 degrees and I’m sweatin’ because I’m all layered up, knowing that as I moved north and into the mountains things would change drastically. They did!

I made my way up 84 like I was always do, and you could feel the temp going down as I worked the twisties. At this point I’m thankful that I am layered up. Now for the fun part. I made the right turn and blew by Alice’s restaurant and started my run down 35. The first few turns were fine, but all of a sudden the weather just pounced! It's known to do this in these parts. I suddenly found myself in zero visibility, high wind and temps now down to 47. It was actually biting cold. The wind was so strong that the road was no longer visible as it was covered in pine needles. If I was a golfer (and I am!) I would be in “the pine straw”.

Well guess what? Pine straw is slippery! Especially when it’s wet. There was no one else on the road; just me and 14, and we were deadlocked in a battle for control. It was white-knuckle time, and I was not backing down. With every turn we were on the edge of disaster. But the VSS did its job; I may have slid around some and gotten some pretty serious sideways, but I never spun. I stayed on the road! It was incredible. These Spyders can handle some pretty serious stuff. It was impressive actually, and I learned quite a bit about how to keep 14 on three wheels in adverse conditions.

At last I got out of the thick woods and back below the fog line, and things started to get normal again. Leaving a rooster tail of pine needles behind me, we powered out of there and finished the run to the highway.

I made the highway just in time to watch yet another magical sunset, and as I stared at the orange sky I thought “how lucky I am to be able to do this. These guys in their cages have no idea about what it’s like to be out here, feeling the road and experiencing nature”. I didn’t want it to end, so I passed my exit and just rode on for a bit longer, still thinking about what just happened 35 miles back in those woods. But it was time to get home.

After all, there is always tomorrow. And who knows what tomorrow will bring. Whatever it is, 14 and I will be ready. [/QUOTE]

 

[1spydercat1]

We actually went to Alice's on Sunday. It was so cool. There are always bikes there, every kind. It was nice going up there and on the way home it started getting foggy, but when we were on the curvy roads we saw deer right next to us, it was so cool.

We will get together!!!!!!!

Kathy

Well you, I, the mister, and your misses need to take a ride here soon. I've actually never been to Alices.

 

[1spydercat1]

Girl, when we ride that will be the first place we hit!!!!!!!!!!!!

Well you, I, the mister, and your misses need to take a ride here soon. I've actually never been to Alices.

 

[SpyderWolf]

I covered the same road and this evening It was clean. So I tore it to shreds (had a serious tire lift on a tight left hander; I mean I HAD to roll off throttle!) and caught yet another incredible sunset.

Interesting that you also experienced this on a tight left hander, just like I did on The Dragon. I wonder if it something to do with our approach, or something to do with the center of the Spyder's weight distribution? :dontknow:

Most of my rydes are fairly uneventful. I live in some of the flattest terrain in the country, and not very many twisty roads either. The excitement comes from just being on the Spyder. Of course there is always the usual obstacle course things when living in the country, dodge the road kill, don't hit the deer, watch out for the dog, possum, racoon, squirrel, rabbit, and wondering if the bird died after it bounced off the Spyder.

 

[leo76dragon]

Hey Raptor,
Took that ride but started at the 84, then to the 1, and back up the 92, to the 35 all the way down to Saratoga... what a blast... the weather was perfect, no fog, no wind... the Spyder handled well on those turns, still have the old DPS though... dealer says I have to wait another 2 weeks, which is what they told me 2 weeks ago...

:2thumbs:

Well, kids, it would appear that summer is over. Not that we really ever had one! But summer is pretty much over. When my alarm went off @ 0600 I stepped out and realized "it's gonna be a chilly ride in!”

So I layered up (yup, took the Tour Master out!) hopped on 14 and rode in. Almost got spiked buy a guy that decided to shoot across all lanes of traffic and hit the center barrier so hard it destroyed his front end, 2 cars ahead of me! Man, I was on the brakes HARD! So hard I could smell 'em! I rolled up, asked if he was OK, he said yeah; a bunch of people were running at him so I got the hell outta there! And that was the ride in. Ah, Mondays!

Fast forward to 5:30. I jumped on 14 and off we went, eager to just melt this Monday away. At this point its 62 degrees and I’m sweatin’ because I’m all layered up, knowing that as I moved north and into the mountains things would change drastically. They did!

I made my way up 84 like I was always do, and you could feel the temp going down as I worked the twisties. At this point I’m thankful that I am layered up. Now for the fun part. I made the right turn and blew by Alice’s restaurant and started my run down 35. The first few turns were fine, but all of a sudden the weather just pounced! It's known to do this in these parts. I suddenly found myself in zero visibility, high wind and temps now down to 47. It was actually biting cold. The wind was so strong that the road was no longer visible as it was covered in pine needles. If I was a golfer (and I am!) I would be in “the pine straw”.

Well guess what? Pine straw is slippery! Especially when it’s wet. There was no one else on the road; just me and 14, and we were deadlocked in a battle for control. It was white-knuckle time, and I was not backing down. With every turn we were on the edge of disaster. But the VSS did its job; I may have slid around some and gotten some pretty serious sideways, but I never spun. I stayed on the road! It was incredible. These Spyders can handle some pretty serious stuff. It was impressive actually, and I learned quite a bit about how to keep 14 on three wheels in adverse conditions.

At last I got out of the thick woods and back below the fog line, and things started to get normal again. Leaving a rooster tail of pine needles behind me, we powered out of there and finished the run to the highway.

I made the highway just in time to watch yet another magical sunset, and as I stared at the orange sky I thought “how lucky I am to be able to do this. These guys in their cages have no idea about what it’s like to be out here, feeling the road and experiencing nature”. I didn’t want it to end, so I passed my exit and just rode on for a bit longer, still thinking about what just happened 35 miles back in those woods. But it was time to get home.

After all, there is always tomorrow. And who knows what tomorrow will bring. Whatever it is, 14 and I will be ready.

 

[Raptor]

Hey Raptor,
Took that ride but started at the 84, then to the 1, and back up the 92, to the 35 all the way down to Saratoga... what a blast... the weather was perfect, no fog, no wind... the Spyder handled well on those turns, still have the old DPS though... dealer says I have to wait another 2 weeks, which is what they told me 2 weeks ago...

:2thumbs:

Hey Leo! Whatup man! Have not seen you out here for a while. How have you been? Isn't that run a blast! I love it. I ride it almost every day. In fact I did the Saratoga run today ater work. I got rained on in San Jose but as I moved north it went away. Each time I do it I try different lines and see what works best. We are pretty lucky to have such a beutiful place to run around in!

I hope they get your DPS done soon. I also had RT shocks installed. You wouldn't believe the diference! Get ready though when they do your DPS; you'll have to adjust your style just a tad. This new box is VERY precise.

I don't know if I told you this but I work right buy Mineta Airport off Central Expressway. HMMMMM...

 

[Raptor]

Interesting that you also experienced this on a tight left hander, just like I did on The Dragon. I wonder if it something to do with our approach, or something to do with the center of the Spyder's weight distribution? :dontknow:

Most of my rydes are fairly uneventful. I live in some of the flattest terrain in the country, and not very many twisty roads either. The excitement comes from just being on the Spyder. Of course there is always the usual obstacle course things when living in the country, dodge the road kill, don't hit the deer, watch out for the dog, possum, racoon, squirrel, rabbit, and wondering if the bird died after it bounced off the Spyder.

WOLFEN!! I truly think it's a geometry thing but I could be wrong. I have found some counter to this by doing a kind of helicopter spin move with my body. It gets the rear end moving early, so I'm basically drifting the thing! And by applying more force on the inside peg, I am able to keep the tire down. And of curse, the crazy lean! You should see me dude; it's truly insane But I love it. It's really kind of violent but it works!

Of course, on this particular turn on this particular day, I was just waaaaay too hot going in. Was feeling my oats a bit!! :yikes:

 

[SpyderWolf]

Of course, on this particular turn on this particular day, I was just waaaaay too hot going in. Was feeling my oats a bit!! :yikes:

I hear you on feeling your oats, but many times they are better left for breakfast or horse feed. :roflblack:

 

[Raptor]

I hear you on feeling your oats, but many times they are better left for breakfast or horse feed. :roflblack:

:roflblack: :roflblack: I hear you man. I have come to the conclusion that is time for me to back off just a little bit. I got sort of outta control there for a while! I can't explain why other than I was hooked on the adrenelin rush; but that can get you into trouble and I was coming close man! But when you least expect it something will happen that makes you re-think things.

I went and watched the MLB playoffs with my best friend last night after work (Go GIANTS!) and got out to ride home after 2100hrs. It was 49 degrees out, but a beautiful night. I switched over to my clear visor and took off. Since he lives up in the hills there are no lights out there and it was DARK! But the headlights on our Spyders produce some pretty decent light in my opinion; visibility was very good.

I was on Deer lookout of course on the road, But looking up into the night sky and seeing all those stars made me kind of just slow down a bit and really just take it all in. Night riding is a completely different experience and I really enjoyed it. Even once I got back into civilization I was still just really enjoying being out there and not going 110 per cent. It was very peaceful. Just hearing the purr that our engines make and just one-handin it, puttin along the highway at 80 was really cool. It has changed my perspective a bit and has definitely made me enjoy the Spyder experience even more, as if that was possible!

I have a feeling things will be different moving forward. There will be times when I push it, but I'm also gonna kick it alot more now too and just enjoy the ride. :thumbup:

 

[SpyderWolf]

I have a feeling things will be different moving forward. There will be times when I push it, but I'm also gonna kick it alot more now too and just enjoy the ride. :thumbup:

That is the exact mode I am in now. The sun was just rising when I left the house this morning for the 1.5 hour ryde to get the new front tires installed. It was 52 degrees outside and there was fog here and there. I had all of my lights on, and was just cruising between 65 and 70. I passed 2 freshly killed deer before crossing into Georgia. A little while later I saw this large brown shape on the side of the road. As I got closer I saw it was a big 10 point buck and I hit the brakes to be on the safe side. I got about 40 feet away from him and he turned and bolted back into the tree line. Less than 5 minutes later there was a doe eating on the side of the road, but she didn't bother moving and just looked at me. The rest of the trip was uneventful.

 

[Pincushion]

WOW, Raptor I got excited just reading your post....sounds like a lot of fun.
I remember the first time I raised the right tire 6 inches off the ground (slow tight right hand turn uphill on Mt Baldy with a passenger) I almost wet myself!

Sound like an awesome daily ride.

p.s. everybody, it's always ryding season here in San Diego.

 

[Raptor]

WOW, Raptor I got excited just reading your post....sounds like a lot of fun.
I remember the first time I raised the right tire 6 inches off the ground (slow tight right hand turn uphill on Mt Baldy with a passenger) I almost wet myself!

Sound like an awesome daily ride.

p.s. everybody, it's always ryding season here in San Diego.

Yeah Picussion! One of the best spots on the planet. You can ride almost 365 a year there. San Diego is the best dude!

As far as I go, Pretty much the same thing up here. The ice is going to be a little strange come February and March, but I'm looking forward to it! That's going to be a whole new deal man! That could be another reason why I'm charging hard now. I'm getting it in while I still can! I am truly blessed to be able to ride where I do. It's just great up here. It never gets old either! Rode home again in the dark. Night riding is a trip! your reaction time is cut pretty dastically of course, so you have to use instinct and trust your machine to get you through. So far 14 hasn't let me down!

 

[PCBeachBum]

Put the liner back in my cold weather jacket Friday, I may need that come December and January. During Thunder Beach, the weather couldn't have been better. Monday had long sleeve shirt and vest on, same for Tuesday, Wednesday was sweating bullets, removed the long sleeve shirt and into the trunk it went, putting the vest back on over the tee shirt.

With the cold spell over it back into the chilly 80s and just coming in its in the mid 50s now at 6:33 in the morning. The only white stuff here year round is the beach sand. If its windy its like getting sandblasted but, it must be good for the skin, cleaning out the pours. :yikes:

 

[SpyderWolf]

Put the liner back in my cold weather jacket Friday, I may need that come December and January. During Thunder Beach, the weather couldn't have been better. Monday had long sleeve shirt and vest on, same for Tuesday, Wednesday was sweating bullets, removed the long sleeve shirt and into the trunk it went, putting the vest back on over the tee shirt.

With the cold spell over it back into the chilly 80s and just coming in its in the mid 50s now at 6:33 in the morning. The only white stuff here year round is the beach sand. If its windy its like getting sandblasted but, it must be good for the skin, cleaning out the pours. :yikes:

Best of luck staying warm on the beach Brian.

 

[Raptor]

Best of luck staying warm on the beach Brian.

That's cold, Wolfen!! HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!! :roflblack: :roflblack:

 

[SpyderWolf]

That's cold, Wolfen!! HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!! :roflblack: :roflblack:

Actually I am quite warm, it was 92 degrees here today. :roflblack:

 

[Raptor]

Actually I am quite warm, it was 92 degrees here today. :roflblack:

92... 92? This is madness man! I trust you were out riding at some point. Although, if your week was anything like mine, you were probably re-charching your batteries. That's what I did today. Gotta work on 14 tomorrow, so I'll have to DVR the morning games, races etc.