Can’t believe there are no motorcycles at work today. With the temperature near 50F I thought I would have trouble finding a parking space today. Once the days get warm only the early bird riders will find spaces here. Had to go look at my calendar to make sure there wasn’t some big riding event somewhere that I missed.
Who’s riding to work? Has the normal riding season started yet? Is it still too cold to ride?
I’m in the “still too much ice on the road” category. Temperatures are just fine. Plus I’m still waiting for my essential engine parts to come back from the shop. Must use BMW Unobtanium….
Richard
I’m fortunate enough that I work from home, so no riding to work for me. However, I ride my motorcycle for all of my errands…at least, I did until I broke my clavicle last week. Now I have to take, *shudder*, the car.
I did get snowed and sleeted today but riding season is year round for me! Spokane Wa. 42 deg
Richard: Being in Alaska I suppose you have a good excuse.
When was BMW Unobtanium added to the periodic chart?
Keith: Broken clavicle? Is that a riding injury?
the scooter dope: One of the best things about a Vespa is that it’s so versatile and maneuverable making year around riding an easier decision to make than if you were riding a Harley or some other heavy motorcycle.
Steve, I see that your area’s motorcycle are more dilettantes than riders…sad.
I am finally seeing more than one other rider in my work commutes….
Dom
Redleg’s Rides
Colorado Motorcycle Travel Examiner
Charlie6: I can think of five year round riders here. Four ride a Vespa and one is on a BMW. I’m sure there are others but the riding population is largely gone from October to May.
I would go crazy not being able to ride for that long.
Today was a nice sunny blustery spring day with big clouds floating by. A few people gave me an approving smile. One guy said the bike was nice. I said in January when it’s raining no one notices me but today everyone thinks the bike is nice. Go figure. I hope he didn’t think I was rude. 🙂
Riding season is all year for me, and I do a lot of riding for work. I’m a photographer and unfortunately, April being both wedding and prom season, I end up spending a lot more time hauling equipment in the car now when the weather is just getting nice than I do in the dead of winter…
One of these days I’m going to figure out how to carry a full portrait lighting set-up on the v-strom.
Steve: Mountain biking accident. I would have fared better if I would’ve been on my motorcycle since I wear armor when I ride it and next to nothing when I ride my mountain bike.
Mike: I have the same experience. In the dead of winter when it is so cold you would think someone would comment about the scooter or riding.
Nothing.
When it’s nice they talk. Perhaps they think I’m insane in the cold weather…
Keith: Sorry to hear of the mishap. Bicycles falls hurt. It’s been years since I’ve been dumped but I remember the ground being awful hard.
I watched the movie American Flyers many years ago and was astounded that stuntmen would hurl themselves to the pavement at high speeds with nothing but those skimpy riding outfits.
I still get the chills thinking about sliding on concrete from a bicycle crash.
On the scooter I am geared up to slide a lot…
Samuel Perry: Work and responsibility are a bad mix for a rider. Most of the days I can’t ride are a direct result of work or the dog.
I’ve carried some lightware cases strapped to the Vespa but it’s kind of time consuming to get everything to stay put. So the truck is the vehicle of choice.
I can get my Wisner view camera and a big wooden tripod strapped on the scooter but the Speedotrons stay at the studio.
Guys, when you ride in the dead of winter, it’s not that people don’t notice you. They notice you alright. And they think you’re absolutely nuts. So they’re AFRAID to say anything to you.
I’m like Keith in that I work from home. My only errand today was taking one dog to the vet, and she would get pissed if I crammed her in one of the top or side cases.
Here in NE TN. I ride all year round. We do get snow, ice, hail and some of the other demons of winter, but I think for the most part winter kind of lies around: it don’t really get nasty. It just sits here and stays dormant for a couple of months.
But most riders here are “fair weather” riders too. Even though the weather hurts the bones in my hands, my family pushes me out the door. They know I’m a witch and killing me is out.
Steve: Thanks for the well wishes. I’m alive and grateful for it. I went down going downhill rather fast on “dirt” that has been soaked/dried numerous times this year. The dirt was as hard as any concrete I’ve ridden on.
I firmly believe I’m alive today because I wear a helmet when I ride my bicycle (and motorcycle). Said helmet was cracked all the way up the side and had rocks embedded from the force of the fall.
The crack in the helmet would’ve been a crack in my skull, I have no doubt. In the end, I’ll be off bike and motorbike for the better part of 2 months, but I’m alive. I know I keep repeating that fact, but it’s a fact that excites me a great deal!
Dear Steve:
I got up this morning and fell over when my left hip popped. This arthritis is getting monotonous. As yet, I have not ridden snce last November.
Fondest regards,
Jack • reep • Toad
Decided to go on my first ride to work on my new scooter… got hail and rain in exchange for it.
Steve; sometime I would like to tell you about my brief career as a stunt cyclist in the tv series “Breaking Away” The ground is hard indeed.
@Mike Saunders
I remember that movie well. I was really into cycling back then and enjoyed the cycling scenes.
I try to ride everyday. It’s a bit cold in the morning but inte the afternoon it’s usually fine.
Very nice blog by the way!
Fredrik
Ystad, Sweden
I just picked up my “new” GTS300 in Toronto and rode it 5 hours up to Ottawa. The temp was about 5 degrees Celsius but I survived using snowmobile gear.
I usually ride in all weather but when there is ice on the roads I get a little nervous. I put the bike away for the winter once that starts to happen.
ToadMama: You are probably right. When it is cold, wet, and snowing and you walk into a place with a helmet on people do probably give the insane a wide berth…
chessie: Please clear something up for me. Do witches float or sink in water?
Keith: It is good to be alive. Glad you were wearing a helmet. I see bicyclists on the road all the time moving at a good pace, without helmets, and in those tight little riding shorts. A fall to the pavement would be trouble.
Best of luck for your recuperation!
Dear Mr. Riepe: Sounds like you’ve had a grim winter and not much better spring. When my schedule eases and the weather tempers I’ll ride down and entertain you with Vespa stories.
Hope you feel better soon.
SonjaM: Hope the Vespa didn’t get too dinged up in the hail. So far I have managed to have the scooter under cover when hail has arrived.
Mike Saunders: Just to make sure I have the right Mike in mind — tree house Mike?
And you were a stuntman on top of all your other accomplishments?
RichardM: Breaking Away was a great film. It reminded me a lot of what life was like in high school for me in 1970. Can’t believe how young Dennis Quaid and Daniel Stern are in that film.
Fredrik: Thank you for the kind words about the blog. You have some great images of your Vespa S50 on your blog. I look forward to seeing more of your adventures in Sweden.
Reuben: Congratulations on the GTS300. An excellent Vespa and one I have in my head as the replacement for my own GTS when the time comes. I’ve ridden them before and they have a bit more power through the entire range. No more top speed but you get there faster.
Your blog is great. My wife and I chuckled at the baby video and were impressed with the Russian avalanche one as well.
Its cold and a little snowy. This is not reason enough for me to not to ride; love riding in the snow. But not very comfortable as in the dry season.