How early is too early?

Decemberist · Mar 29, 2013

Well it's almost April in beautiful Upstate New York, and althought the calender says it's Spring the temps say otherwise. It has been hovering around 45 degress for the past week with no real increase in sight. So, my question is to you guys is what time is it time to just forget about the cold and just ride? A collaborative opinion on this whould be great. Personally, I think 45 degress is fine, but we unfortuntaly have not gotten a good rain here to wash all the salt and gunk off the roadways. Who knows tomorrow should be about 50 and I might take the bike out, well see.

Rohan · Mar 29, 2013

Didn't we see somewhere that Punxsutawney Phil was facing a possible lawsuit - predicting an early spring ?

swooshdave · Mar 30, 2013

75 here today. Wait a few days and it will get to you. Warning you so that if you bike is close to running, get it going now!

Snorton74 · Mar 30, 2013

Don't listen to Dave, it was raining sideways. Like it does everyday. So nobody move here!

grandpaul · Mar 30, 2013

We've already started hitting the 90s, I've put away my parka and I'm using my light jacket now.

You ride when you want.

I've ridden 400 miles in near freezing drizzle at night. So what?

Decemberist · Mar 30, 2013

grandpaul said:
We've already started hitting the 90s, I've put away my parka and I'm using my light jacket now.

You ride when you want.

I've ridden 400 miles in near freezing drizzle at night. So what?

Thanks for the input, just getting a feel of when the folks on this message board start riding or if the even stop for the change in the seasons. Haha, just making conversation as I'm fairly new to Norton motorcycles and cyclists.

Snorton74 · Mar 30, 2013

grandpaul said:
We've already started hitting the 90s, I've put away my parka and I'm using my light jacket now.

You ride when you want.

I've ridden 400 miles in near freezing drizzle at night. So what?

The things we do to get laid.

ashman · Mar 30, 2013

Just put a few more woolies under your leathers, the Norton's love the cold and will always run their best, the coldest it gets here in sunny Queensland is about 5 - 6c in winter (night time temps), abit colder in the south/westen part of the state, but our winter days get between 15 -20c great ridding weather, I like ridding in the night chilly weather, I wear a long thick wooly scarf around my Kidney area and my whole body says nice and warm and a nice warm benie under my helmet.

Ashley

batrider · Mar 31, 2013

Usually I put them away until April but the past two years have been different. Last year I had my Norton cylinder head rebuilt over the winter and was itching to try it so I was riding in March. This year I brought the Harley XR home Jan 2 so have been riding that around a bit on 35-40 deg F days. Usually it is 55 F and above for me. I think youth (and wanting to get laid) has a whole lot to do with it.

grandpaul · Mar 31, 2013

Snorton74 said:
grandpaul said:

We've already started hitting the 90s, I've put away my parka and I'm using my light jacket now.

You ride when you want.

I've ridden 400 miles in near freezing drizzle at night. So what?

Click to expand...

The things we do to get laid.

Actually, I had a Yamaha RD400 muffler stuck on each footpeg (pointing up) and bungeed together above the seat, a tool kit, and some other parts (exhaust stubs & hardware, etc.) to swap back my kid brother's pipes (he didn't like the expansion chambers around UT campus in downtown Austin). he gave me the chambers for making the trip (actually, it was a little over 500 miles round trip).

I stopped to pick up a hitchhiker, he was glad to get a ride, he'd been thumbing for hours. When we got to San Antonio and he got off, he had icicles in his moustache! He was grinning from ear to ear, but shivering like a bed in a cheap hotel.

acotrel · Mar 31, 2013

I've been trying to get into my shed for the last three months to replace the select or drum in my gearbox. Thank goodness the weather has cooled off to about 30 Deg. Centigrade and I will be able to stay there working for more than 5 minutes. In our town it is usually too hott or too cold, and the sensible weather is only around for about three months per year. The first year I was here we had 27 weeks without rain, that was the start of a ten year drought, and it got worse from there.

Decemberist · Mar 31, 2013

Some interesting variables to consider when choosing when the time is right to say the hell with it I'm going riding, that day came yesterday for me. It was about 50 degrees here and I couldn't resist taking the bike for it's first rip of the season. Felt good, the bike started on the third kick, not bad considering I didn't tend to the points, although it did smoke like a bastard. Unfortuntaly, Spring in NY is as unpredictable as it comes, and it's going to be near freezing here for the next week. Last year at this time we already had 7 days over 75 degrees. I'm at the point where as long as it's not raining, above 35 dgrees and no salt on the roads I'm good to go. This year I hope to break the 5k mark on the ol' gal.

trident sam · Apr 1, 2013

Took my Commando out for a couple of hours on Saturday , approx 45 degrees in UK.
Had to break in new pads on my newly fitted 4 pot front Brembo caliper.
Will probably take it out today aswell for a blast, cold but sunny.
sam

grandpaul · Apr 1, 2013

Decemberist said:
... although it did smoke like a ...

You should have drained the sump before starting it up.

Decemberist · Apr 1, 2013

grandpaul said:
Decemberist said:

... although it did smoke like a ...

Click to expand...

You should have drained the sump before starting it up.

I figured it was from the tablespoon full of oil I dropped in each cylinder before I put in away for Winter storage.

grandpaul · Apr 1, 2013

Well, there you go.

If you have the old style vent plumbing, you can always tell a major wet sump by the immediate wet-everything-else-below-the-air-filter (plus long-lasting mosquito repellent feature for you AND your neighbors).

How early is too early?

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