Well my time of regular riding is about over. It's getting icy on the roads to the house at night so I'm about call the commuting quits for the season. I just bought a '67 VW Bug for the winter. Good little car but needs some TLC.
I hear ya! I work a mid-shift so in the winter I have an Ice issue going home. Hence the Bug. Last winter it cost me $600.00 plus a month to commute to work.
That does it I'm getting back into riding regardless of the weather.
I had to stop riding to and from work at the start of winter because the roads turn to ice before I get home. I bought a Bug to get me through the winters. However this little monster has so many nickle and dime problems that I might as well start to ride again. So I am. starting tomorrow. The car gets stripped and rebuild before I need it again later this year.
I’m hoping to get my bike back on the road in the next week. I dropped it a few months ago, so I thought I would do it up while I fixing the damage. The body work is all painted now and I have made the foot pegs and shift lever. I just need to finish the engine. I have been doing a top end rebuild and changing the heads for desmo units. I fitted the heads this afternoon, I just need to put the flywheel and starter clutch back together then fit the primary drive gear and clutch assembly and the engine can go back in.
I ride all year round, but admittedly I don’t really commute anymore, saying that I’m off to London next week and you can bet it’ll be cold when I leave the house at 5am!
Whatare the various file extentions used for pictures. I want to post some of my pictures but I can't copy and paste them. It opens in MS something or other and is a jpg extention.
I had been on a great ride on some of the mountains in my area with a couple of mates. I turned down the wrong road off the mountain. It looked like the right one, but suddenly finished with an old rusty iron gate across the road. The bitumen was covered in gravel and as soon as I hit the brakes the front tucked under and down I went. I did a nice mae ukemi (shoulder type roll / break fall) and got up un hurt. It was an interesting ride back down the mountain with the left foot peg and gearshift missing as well as one clip-on turned nearly all the way into the tank.
I’m looking forward to getting the bike going again the new desmo heads and bigger barrels and pistons should make it more fun.
was thinking about posting this in the jokes section, seems more relevant here. FYI, some of my best friends are harleys so don't go calling me names
> Wayne reports:
>
>
> I raced a Harley today and after some really hard
> riding I managed to PASS the
> guy. I was riding on one of those really, really
> twisting sections of canyon
> road with no straight sections to speak of and where
> most of the curves have
> warning signs that say "15 MPH".
>
> I knew if I was going to pass one of those monsters
> with those big-cubic-inch
> motors, it would have to be a place like this where
> handling and rider skill are
> more important than horsepower alone.
>
> I saw the guy up ahead as I exited one of the turns
> and knew I could catch him,
> but it wouldn't be easy. I concentrated on my
> braking and cornering. three
> corners later, I was on his fender. Catching him was
> one thing; passing him
> would prove to be another.
>
> Two corners later, I pulled up next to him as we
> sailed down the mountain. I
> think he was shocked to see me next to him, as I
> nearly got by him before he
> could recover. Next corner, same thing. I'd manage
> to pull up next to him as we
> started to enter the corners but when we came out
> he'd get on the throttle and
> outpower me. His horsepower was almost too much to
> overcome, but this only made
> me more determined than ever.
>
> My only hope was to outbrake him. I held off
> squeezing the lever until the last
> instant. I kept my nerve while he lost his. In an
> instant I was by him. Corner
> after corner, I could hear the roar of his engine as
> he struggled to keep up.
> Three more miles to go before the road straightens
> out and he would pass me for
> good.
>
> But now I was in the lead and he would no longer
> hold me back. I stretched out
> my lead and by the time we reached the bottom of the
> canyon, he was more than a
> full corner behind. I could no longer see him in my
> rear-view mirror.
>
> Once the road did straighten out, it seemed like it
> took miles before he passed
> me, but it was probably just a few hundred yards. I
> was no match for that kind
> of horsepower, but it was done. In the tightest
> section of road, where bravery
> and skill count for more than horsepower and deep
> pockets, I had passed him.
> though it was not easy, I had won the race to the
> bottom of the canyon and I had
> preserved the proud tradition of one of the best
> bits of britiron.
>
> I will always remember that moment. I don't think
> I've ever pedaled so hard in
> my life. And some of the credit must go to Raleigh
> cycles, as well. They really
> make a great bicycle...