Monday, October 10, 2011

Still Riding...

I sometimes get the feeling like I am on borrowed time. We are having some beautiful, clear days with none of the white stuff that cannot be mentioned. The miserable weather that was predicted for the weekend never materialized except for a heavy drizzle early Saturday morning. This is an iPhone photo of Ballaine Lake using an app called Pro HDR. I pass this way just about everyday and on Sunday, I was on foot. I felt that I needed to make up some miles after slacking off with exercise while in Raleigh. So I decided to walk to town via a less than direct route (9.8 miles one way). The ice was just starting to form on the south shore of the lake and by today, Monday, it was about halfway across the lake and starting to look solid. This morning, it was a brisk 21°F according to the sign at the entrance to the university and I did ride the bike in to work. By mid-morning, it was all the way up to 26°F. I thought about trying out the grip heaters again but forgot about them once I got going. After about twenty minutes, the only part of me that was feeling a little chilled was my neck. I'm still wary about using the heaters due to the anemic charging system on these older airheads. I think it is rated at 280 watts at 4k rpm so unless I'm cruising down the road, I don't think that it would be a good idea to use them. I'm still planning on putting in an improved charging system this winter. Maybe the Enduralast system which puts out 450 watts but also gets rid of the diode board. Supposedly a weak point in the system.

Tuesday Morning - The weather was supposed to be cold and sunny. It was 23°F this morning when I rode in but it looked kind of overcast. By mid-morning it hadn't warmed significantly and the clouds were depositing a very light dusting of snow. Since I had several appointments around town, I returned home and dropped off the bike. I guess I don't like carrying around all my gear when reaching my destination. I had removed the cases earlier and put them away on a high shelf since I thought that they wouldn't be needed for a while. If it clears up later today I'm going to be annoyed...

11 comments:

  1. Heather actually heard a woman complaining about the 80F weather we are having here. She said she had to turn her A/C on. She felt you shouldn't have to do that in October. I'd suggest the complainer needs to move to Alaska, but I'm sure there would be something wrong with it. Glad you are still able to ride. Also, glad you have a plan to beef up your electrical system. Very wise.

    By the way, I'm not complaining about the weather here at all.

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  2. I admire your perseverance to keep on walking, especially with the temperatures dropping. Bravo!

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  3. 21°F, now that's "brisk"!

    It sounds weird but am looking forward to seeing some of those temps here in Colorado, I want to see how the V-Strom's fairing keeps the wind off me when its that cold.

    dom


    Redleg's Rides

    Colorado Motorcycle Travel Examiner

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  4. brrrrr. I am glad you are getting some clear days so that you can continue riding. I am sure the white stuff will be there soon enough. Until then ride as much as you can and have fun.

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  5. Richard:

    wow, it sure got cold fast. This year is forecast for us to have a colder winter than usual, but no way am I going to walk anywhere. I need a heater. I doubt that I could walk far anyway

    bob
    Riding the Wet Coast

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  6. I too admire your walking prowess - that's impressive! Equally impressive is that lovely photo.

    I can understand your nervousness about the electrical system. I burned out an alternator stator on my Blackbird whilst on tour. Whilst it had a supposedly adequate rating, I still wonder whether all my gadgetry, including heated grips; contributed to the problem.

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  7. Wow! Gorgeous lake image. I was wondering if it was your HDR app, and you confirmed it for me.

    Kudos to you for walking to town. And kudos for climbing on the bike in those temps. Squeeze all you can out of summer. :)

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  8. Richard that is a beautiful picture. Enjoy your riding whike you can. I won't complain about being cold anymore. I just want to get some riding tme in after i finish my course. We had torrential rain today at vaious points off & on.

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  9. Richard,

    Yeesh, this is a testiment to good gear if I've ever read one. Not cold? I complain at 50 - or 60. Living in the south has softened me up. You going to get some studded tires and a tug for winter?

    Brady
    Behind Bars - Motorcycles and Life
    www.behindbarsmotorcycle.com

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  10. Circle Blue:
    I'm sure that person would complain about the weather up here. That seems to be a popular pastime. I think that last Saturday was the last ride of the season as it has been snowing on and off all day.

    SonjaM:
    Walking is the one exercise that I can actually do year around. Once we get a good base I'll add in x-country skiing. Looking forward to that.

    Charlie6:
    The colder temperatures don't seen to bother me much with the fairing and windshield but then again I wasn't riding all day at those temperatures.

    Trobairitz:
    I think I used up all the days. The snow started yesterday and it looks like it may be staying a while.

    Bobskoot:
    It has been getting colder pretty steadily. It seems as if the snow is a little late this year and the forecast is for it to continue most of the week. I actually enjoy walking and if I had the time, I'd walk all day long.

    Geoff james:
    Thank you though I think I slack off too many times. I.e. should I walk or take the bike? We all know how that is going to end...

    BeemerGirl:
    I still like playing around with the HDR app. I'm not sure if I always like the effect that is automatically produced from some of the apps but it gives me something to do while walking (besides audiobooks).

    Dar:
    I think I'll take the cold over torrential rain any day. Once you are wet, you start to get cold and then it starts to be less fun. The large windshield and fairing on my bike keeps the wind off of me and the engine cylinders keep my feet pretty warm. In fact, after riding in the rain, my boots are usually completely dry from the heat from the cylinders.

    Brady:
    Yes, I would like a tug for the winter. I have been reading of others in Alaska riding with studded tires throughout the winter. Maybe I need to look into that.


    Thank you everyone for stopping by and commenting.

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  11. Gorgeous pics. I bet you do feel like you're on borrowed time. I saw your post on Fuzzy's site and decided to drop by.

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