I'm bored, tell me a story about riding in the cold or better yet cold & ice.

Have to go out but will tell you one or two from the days or iron men & wooden motorcycles when I get back 

Veteran's Day run to D.C. from Ohio. Actually it was the ride home. Got up in the a.m. and it was raining cats n' dogs. BTW, for over 25 years I never had rain gear. Hung around until noon and it was still raining. Rode out for about 100 miles and the temp was in the low 40's. Got a room. Dried out. Next morning......rain and temps in the low 40's. Avoiding the moonshine trail (Rte 50) through W. Virginia because of rain associated road conditions and headed south on I-81 to I-64. Raining like hell all the way. Nearing dark the second day when going down the mountain into Charleston those worthless Dunlops decided to hydroplane. I'm skimming ontop the wet pavement goin' down this mountain hangin' on for dear life. I mean, there's nothin' you could do. The bike has taken over and for the first time I felt helpless to regain control. So, it is what it is and I let go of my negative thoughts and control of the throttle; I certainly didn't need to give her the gas for God's sake. Down towards the bottom of the hill I took the first exit, didn't stop, straight thru a stop sign and into a parking lot where I rode around in a circle 'till the bike slowed enough to stop. Got a room. Dried out. Next morning..........rain......high 30's. By the end of my journey,. 29 degrees and snowing. The OL had to undress me when I made it home. I believe it was the most miserable ride I have ever been on. At least, when things seem bad I just think of that time and things aren't that bad anymore.

PEace

There I was......brrrrrrrrr.......

I love to push my luck. But I try to keep it to the rain. every once in a wile I miss compleatly....
First one is from just after I returned to riding.
I was iching to ride. Been a long winter. So I started watch the news real regular for a week. found a weather guy that seamed to know the local weather pretty good. So I put in about 3 days. Watching this guy and he started pointing out a dry spell in 3 days. So I started the spring dethaw of my old Honda 400 bobber. Grabed out my heavyest gear he never said sunny just dry. I watched the news like a hawk for the next 3 days each day getting a little more child like. The day finley arived. As was promised not sunny but dry. I grab my gear like a school kid and out the door I went. Hurry the hole time. The first half of my ride was compleatly normal cold as hell but not a drop of water. I rode to my favorate broken bike shop "Bent Bike in Auburn Wa." There I bought a few new things and some old things and figered I best be heading home. 65 miles away. So I kicked the old beast to a start. Always a lot of fun. I headed out on to Hwy 167 cracking her open I got her up to 80mph. Just getting comfortable I notice the head on traffic was wet. I figer shit rain. So I pulled up the zipper on my leather coat rolled the scarf up my face and prepared to get wet. Nothing? 15 miles later I found out why the on coming traffic was wet. HAIL big as pea gravel. Son of a bitch. I started backing out of it at 70mph I was sliding around like a skater on a good old pond. The more I slowed the more HAIL coverd the road. Up ahead I saw a bridge So as the HAIL contuned to beat me to a fine plup I wiped up under the bridge. A few seconds later anether biker pulled up and The first words out of his mouth where Holy Shit where the hell did that come from. We bull shited for a bit smoked a cig Then as soon as it started it stoped. We waited a few seconds then headed out. He on I-5 north Me on I-5 south.

On phone so.... 8 hours 41 degrees on the 7th from nc to Tallahassee 8 hours in the pisspouring rain 61degrees from Tallahassee to the Texas state line 40 degrees and rain from there to killeen...... froze and wet never so glad for a shower!!!! Lol more on my return! But I got a new job out of it!!!


Jim

It was an EARLY frosty morning in Casper Wyoming, I was sitting in my hotel room watching the weather channel waiting for the temp to go over 33 degrees so I could head to Ft. Collins Colorado and meet up with a friend so we could head to Pennsylvania. I froze my ass off from Seattle WA until just after leaving Cheyenne Wyoming... the end! :-)

 Was living in Houghton, MI, at the time a town populated mostly by laid-off miners & engineering students and heard a rumor that there was a surplus of females in Marquette, 100 miles to the east.

Nice day at the end of March or in early April, slip my really macho, Marlboro Man jacket; the one with the open cuffs & no storm front, over almost equally great looking shirt. Naturally did not wear an undershirt as it might interfere w/ the viewing of hairy chest. – Did wear long-johns under jeans & really warm Army surplus, shooters mitts.
 

Great ride there, with the low, spring sun melting the snow & warming my face.
 

About dusk headed back home on US 41, just south of the shores of Lake Superior. Great ride for a while, but then started to get COLD, the breeze from Lake Superior blowing in all the crevices of my jacket that my forward progress missed & the clear, black sky sucking up any radiant heat. - Even now there is almost nothing between Marquette & L’Anse, back then there was nothing.
 

Teeth started to chatter & arms to shake. – At last saw a phone booth in Alberta, the only damn light on the road. Pulled over & got cheap, vinyl poncho out from under the seat. My thought was to build a fire in front of the booth, then sit on the poncho & pull knees up to chest. – Shows just how much cold can corrupt thinking, would have made a lot more sense to put the seat in the booth & slip the poncho over me.  – Hands would not work, managed to grab odd scraps of paper but could not work the matches. Legs just barely worked but not enough to get me into the brush to gather wood.
 

About then the State Police came along & were a little curious. – Let me sit in the back of the patrol car until teeth stopped chattering & was warmed up enough to think. - Made it back to Houghton & went to bed but could not stop shivering. Had to put a plastic chair in the shower & sit under a hot shower until we ran out of water to get my core temperature up.

 

One more thing to worry about while riding – hypothermia 

My last year in the Army, I was going from San Angelo, TX to San Antonio, TX and back every other week for Dr. Appts. (the car was in Dallas with the wife and kids) This time was late Jan or early Feb., 60 deg and clear when I left San Antonio at 1600. About a third of the way back it started drizzling and getting cooler. When I stopped for gas I put on everything I had: 3 pair jeans, 2 t-shirts, heavy wool sweater, fieldjacket with liner and continued on. Got to my place in San Angelo around 2200 (I think), soaked through and temp around 30. When I got off the bike my outer pair of jeans broke at the knees..
Yup, I did he shower thing also, about 30 minutes to thaw out.

When in doubt, break the CHO out!

Marni and went for a ride out west of here in July and the temp dropped to 80..We stopped and had a beer and put our jackets on..The end..Cheers BOOF

Must've been rough! pfft!

My hearts bleeding for you. LOL

iT WAS MATE..I THOUGHT WE WERE GONNA HAVE TO HAVE A HOT COFFEE OR SOMETHING INSTEAD OF BEER..WE SOLDIERED ON THOUGH AND HAD A BEER...WE'RE TOUGH LIKE THAT US NORTHERN AUSSIES..CHEERS BOOF

defer to my previous comment BOOF *rolls eyes* LOL

Boof glad to hear you toughed it out 80’s can be a harsh temp.

As for me it was on my first street legal bikes when I was young and short or common sense. My cage was in the garage and the only money I had coming in was from a part time job across town. It was in the low 30’s and it was pay day. Needing the cash to get the cage back I said why not take the bike to get my check (they didn’t have direct deposit back then). Well I only have a pair of leather gloves (no liner) and no chaps. So I started off in my leather jacket and jeans. About half way there my fingers were so cold I tried warming them up by placing them on the exhaust pipe. By time I got there I was on par with an ice cube. Got the check and a gallon of coffee and headed back. I took some time for me to thaw out and it is now the basis of how I judge how cold it is to ride. There is always that trip or experience that after a while you judge as the lowest point. This one is it.

May 6 - must have been 2003 or 04, beautiful morning - temps in the 50s - cool, but not too bad for May in North Dakota. Just a 2 hour ride, meetings all day, then back home. Left to go home, temps in the 30s, 40 mph North wind, and I'm heading straight north on a '75 CB750, no windshield. Just a half helmet. Had insulated coveralls on, good riding gloves, rain gear in the saddle bags. The first hour or so wasn't too bad, cold but survivable. About 45 minutes from home it started raining, roads were warm enough to not freeze. Raindrops felt like rocks. When it started freezing, had to stop to chip the ice off my glasses. Whole bike was covered in ice, spokes looked really cool. Gloves were frozen. Got in the house and my wife met me with a cup of Irish coffee, not much coffee, plenty of whiskey. Best drink I've ever had.

Hum Cold weather riding? I had to think a little bit here to find one that was just stupid but really there are 2 stories that stand out. So, the players introduction. 1 chick from NJ on Dyna at a point in her life she don't give a shit, 2 chick from NC on a sportster and this point in her life she don't give a shit, 3 Dude from Florida on an R6 whom believes he's a badass sportbike rider. Scene Helen Georgia, over Memorial Day Weekend, Woman's Club Meeting. It rained there half the day the story is on. So the 3 players leave Helen GA, and decide to go to Deal's Gap for they are so close to it. The rest of the Club backs out for they don't want to ride the mountain passes at night.
So, the two middle aged woman whom really don't care about anything go ripping through Deal's Gap, however they did pay attention to the lengthen shadows. We end up waiting at the end for the "Bad Ass" Sport bike rider for over 30 minutes. Finially we see his return, and we head off to go back through the Dragon. When we left in the afternooon it was sunny and we didn't pack a thing, so rained till about 1pm was about 85 and sunny, After blowing through the dragon it was about 4pm and we still have to ride the dragon and then ride back to the hotel in Helen we've got some miles to travel with a setting sun in the mountains.. We go ripping back through the dragon, I remember watching Jo's throwovers hit the street in the corners and slide outward a bit, LOL., So we pass the campground/hotel thing and contiue down 129, we left the 'bad ass" behind. Now on 129 there's that little gas station there on the curve over the bridge, we stop there to fill up and get a couple of long sleeve t shirts, cause why pack anything right? So BA catches up with us after about 40 minutes or so. We go over how were getting back to Helen being sure that we all know where we are going cause the club dinner and party is tonight and well the NE Director, and NC Rep ought to be present, oh and diner is at 9 pm and its abound 6 now, lol! We go ripping out of that gas station and start tearing through the hills and twisties back there, trust me we never once thought about BA and leaving him behind I mean we were to sorry middleage broads on sluggish road pigs right and he had a sportbike quick and nimbble. LOL! Its get colder and colder and I have no idea why, we seem to shrug down into our shoulders when it gets colder but well I know I was doing it. Neither of us had gloves, we picked a different rout home cause we wanted it to be faster, so as we were heading up I think it was Hiawasee pass, it was freesing, JO and I are just jamming and we were going thru there like side by side and she says I think we should stop and wait for BA! there's a pull off up ahead here, she starts to slow down, so I slow down and beging to come across infront of her, she yells AAAAAA, NO NO my hands CLUTCH, so I hit the throttle and take off, and move left. We were an inch or two from slaming into each other, her hands were so cold that she couldn't bend her fingers to pull the clutch. LOL! We just slowed down and she worked on warming her fingers on the engine, and BA caught up as we were going by the campground there right out side of Helen, we passed the street we needed to turn on,cause she wasn't sure about pulling the clutch in but she could and we made it back to the club dinner party at 9:30, the SE Directer and VP were pissed, The two of us were laughing so hard telling the story of how we smoked BA and his nimble bike, We could barely tell the story about smashing into each other, after busting about Mr. speed and nibble. I think it took whole the night to warm up.
Lesson learned, 1 carry gloves and jacket in bike
2 Don't listen to trash talk by a flat lander
3 its dangerous to go riding when 2 of ya are in the possition in life that don't care for neither have nothing to loose at the moment.
have a great one! "T"