Will you ride till snow comes down

[JackFunTeach]

I have two questions for my VMAX family:

1. What is your cold weather calendar limit of riding? I know some guys mark Thanksgiving as the official time to get the StaBill in the tank and Carbs. My friend Jeff for instance is a good biker, but only rides in 80 degree dry ice cream cone weather. I keep my bike registered and insured 365. What say you?

2. And when I finally do, I do not care about the car. To me, the car is a cage. I used to revel with my BMW M5 (E39). But then, I decided to put all my time and money into bikes, not high end cars. Sold the E39 Bimmer, and now have 4 bikes and one dirt bike.
So, I only care about reliability from A to B. Right now, I have a deal in front of me. I am looking at a private sale for a Crown Vic. Older one from 97. I was wondering if anyone out there likes those crown vics, P71 (copy shocks, copy brakes, but not the 440...just the 4.6) interceptor...usually a state cop or detective car. The mileage on the highway is suppose to be 26 to 29 miles per gallon. So, as an aside, does anyone have an opinion or comment on my winter vehicle. The Crown Victoria cop car special?

Thanks for reading my post/thoughts.

Jackster

 

[Lew L]

I'm at an altitude of almost 6000 ' and it is often below freezing when I leave for work. Thus I ride the valkyrie with the big wind shield( its got a small sporty shield onit now). We really have a desert style climate here with snow in the winter, so not much rain (thunder storms though, a passing shower)
Bikes are put up when the snow falls and sticks-----The skis get a tune and wax though. The local resort season pass is reasonable and I use it alot ( for an old man)
Lew

The Crown Vic wouldn't get out of my driveway with an inch of snow ( but it's usually measured in feet in these parts)

 

[SledHead]

Snow?? That's what the PRO RMK 800 is for.

 

[Biker Dash]

Once we have the first storm... the bike goes in storage. Till then, I FREEZE MY BALL OFF but I ride

 

[Tex85]

I always ride here in FL until it snows... :eusa_dance:

 

[Fire-medic]

I always ride here in FL until it snows... :eusa_dance:

Yer nuttin' but a damn Northerner, Orlando!:rofl_200:

"Snow? What's snow?"

I have the rare distinction of being a south FL firefighter/paramedic who fought a structure fire in the snow!
http://www.miamiherald.com/2009/02/03/886359/jan-19-1977-the-day-it-snowed.html
Sadly, it was a fatality involving a small cottage made of Dade County pine, a wood so-resinous that you had to drill holes into it to drive a nail easily. An elderly woman died when her bedding caught on-fire. She was a heavy smoker, she was known to enjoy a pipe, and the cottage was popping and crackling as the resin from the pine kept the fire going. By the time we found her in the bedroom, she had died.

In Miami I am more-likely not going-to ride because of standing water from a frog-choker downpour. Luckily, because of the sandy soil and limestone bedrock, the percolation of standing water happens relatively-quickly. We usually seem to get a couple 8" accumulation downpours a year, June is traditionally the highest rainfall. Fourteen inches in a few hours was getting me worried about localized flooding, (16" over 8 hours was what it ended-up being in my area) as the roadway was totally-submerged, and the standing water came probably within 10' of the door threshold. It all percolated-away, into the aquifer, within two days. No riding during that time! Some kids used their personal watercraft though.

 

[HyperPete]

I ride all winter, but I switch to a Goldwing once it gets down to the 30's. I have heated gear so as long as it's above about 10 F I'll be riding when there is no snow/ice on the road.

 

[dannymax]

Not so much the snow as the salt that forces me off the roads....once they trowel that crap on....I'm done! unk:

 

[marsmax85]

I turn my motorcycle gear into hunting gear and will spend most of time stalking bambi , yogi and wylie .. well maybe ride on sunday's if its kinda nice out just to circulate juices mine and the maxes ..

 

[sdt354]

I'll pull my bike out of storage if it's all together, and ride on a nice day in winter. The engines love that cold dense air. For me, the cold air sucks. I got heated gloves one Christmas. The ugly windshield extends my season a little too.
Steve

 

[vladthedog]

I live in Colorado, but I ride year around, as long as there isn't (too much) ice/snow on the road... Although probably won't be as daring on my VMax as I was on my KLR. My KLR has heated grips and hand guards though, so may spend the cold days on it instead; unless I get around to installing some heated grips or something on the VMax. With the grips/hand guards, I found I was ok in anything above 40 degrees without any major gear changes (leather jacket and jeans with some chaps). Below that, short distances only

 

[PaulVmax]

I ride all year round decent gear and a endruo bike will see you through no bother plus who dosent like a back end slide now and again !!!

 

[johnpclynch]

I ride all year round - I might get wet, but at least it's only rain

 

[Traumahawk]

I ride all year round - I might get wet, but at least it's only rain

But atleast its GREEN there.

 

[johnpclynch]

But atleast its GREEN there.

Yeah, green things love all that rain...
but lots of rain makes lots of potholes
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6ylsTz2DgXc

 

[95spfldmax]

Not so much the snow as the salt that forces me off the roads....once they trowel that crap on....I'm done! unk:

Same here.....first salt......Stays reg/insured 365......Some years I'm able to put xmas lights on the bike and do my shopping in mid December.....you never know what the weather will be day-to-day......I LOVE it!! unk:

 

[thepretender]

We have snow here is So. Cal but we just put it on the mountain tops to make things a little prettier. Just not an issue here for that matter we only got 9" of rain all of last year. For a week or so dips down into the 50s suppose I'll stay of the bike then

 

[The Beekeeper]

I'm not as hearty as some of you, I'll ride into Nov as long as the roads are clear, once the first salt is dropped I'm done too.................Tom.

 

[tugla]

way before first snow...gets too cold to enjoy the ride. so far its holding out but not too many days of ths left.

 

[Redbone]

I generally will ride to the end of October which is when generally the snow will start flying. Like Danny/ Tom and probably others, I too live where they will spread the salt/ sand/ rock chip paint blasting and metal eroding crap so then I park Redbone for the winter. I have ridden late into December and as early as March but those are the exceptions to the norm. I don't mind riding in the cold as long as it's sunny, as Steveo said our Vmaxs really like the cool air but my general ride/ no ride temp is 30 degrees. If I was behind a windshield had heated clothing it would extend that range but around here once the weather changes they like to start put down the salt mixture.
If/ when I get a dual sport I think it will be subjected to a bit more abuse from the elements(and me) than what the pampered Redbone gets.

Here are a couple of pictures just before storing Redbone in 2010: