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Did you ever think your ridin days were over ????
This Topic was started on another HD site. But I got to thinking about that also yesterday. The temps out here in Phoenix hit a 114 that's in the shade. So after walking across the street to get into my truck and OMG that Sun was like walking into a Blast furnace
. So I told my wife who was with me this same thing. She agreed 100% there's NO way I'm getting on the bike at this time of the yr. I guess I'll have to wait till we get back from our vacation to take her out for a spin. Got up this morning at 6 am and it was already 84. After I finished washing the truck outside it was 90. With a high of 113 today.
I made quick work of washing it and putting it back in the garage to wipe off. That's enough for one day ha ha ha. I'll cover the trike till late Sept to get back on her.
Those temps out your way are tough to deal with for sure, for a few months out of the year.
Kinda like living in New England, where no real riding is done between late Dec. thru early April.
I don't think I'd give up riding because of a few months of rough weather though
But your humidity is much lower than here. 114º with 8% humidity is actually better than our 105º with 80% humidity. Although right now we only have 79º and 98% humidity. My bike is loaded with mud from the American Legion funeral I went to this morning. My road is a sloppy mess. But I do understand not wanting to ride. I just pour water down my chest and back and hit the road when the temps are up there. 20 minutes and I'm dry though. That's when it gets rough. Too soon to stop and get another bottle of water.
The only reason some people are still alive is it's illegal to shoot them.
American Legion Rider
I agree with Hog Cowboy. Come try our 101 today with 90% humidity. It's like being steam cleaned. And that is just walking to the car. We still ride when it is this hot but we are smart abut it, riding early in the day or late in the evening, always drinking more water than we think we need. Basic rule drink until you pee then keep drinking.
2020 Triglide MidnightBlue/Barracuda Silver
Just beginning our ride together
I'd LOVE to be in your area even this time of year. I've ridden in Phoenix in the Summer at 104 and 106 and found it much more comfortable than many areas where the humidity was 90%. Besides, at least you get sun. We haven't seen much sun here in Southern Ohio the past couple of weeks and it has rain for the last week and will rain for the next week. Bummer.
Hot weather doesn't bother near as much as cold. Most of the time our humidity here in North Texas isn't all that bad. Lately,it has been bad because of all the rain we've had.
After my 2nd heart attack last year,I started to really think seriously about giving up riding,even going so far as to sell our Boss Hoss. Obviously,quitting wasn't an option.
Might sound dumb but it does work.Originally Posted by hogcowboy
But your humidity is much lower than here. 114º with 8% humidity is actually better than our 105º with 80% humidity. Although right now we only have 79º and 98% humidity. My bike is loaded with mud from the American Legion funeral I went to this morning. My road is a sloppy mess. But I do understand not wanting to ride. I just pour water down my chest and back and hit the road when the temps are up there. 20 minutes and I'm dry though. That's when it gets rough. Too soon to stop and get another bottle of water.
soak your shirt down with cold water, put it on then put on a light wind breaker, the wind breaker will keep your shirt from drying out, and keep you cool longer.
not dumb at all.
Stallion #406 // 2013 Tri-Glide
I do this on long trips ... you look a little dumb if you stop to eat ... but who cares ..
Hot and cold I can deal with. Around here it has rained each and every day for 3 weeks now. It hasn't always rained much, but it's come down every day. I absolutely hate riding in the rain. I'm supposed to have showers in the area for the next 3 days yet. I'm pretty sick of it. My very large 5 acre yard will need mowing if and when it ever drys out, so my riding has been on hiatus for a while now and I'm sick of it. I rolled it out one day last week, rode about 5 miles and here comes the rain. A few days before that, I got about 20 miles before a downpour hit.
When I was a much younger rider (teen) I could pretty much tolerate anything mother nature could throw at me and my bikes/trikes. The first thing I saw diminish as I aged was my tolerance to cold and I began to measure that tolerance point. At 22 with 6 inches of snow on the ground I rode 600 miles one way to Daytona Bike Week and the highest temperature I was met with was 18 Degrees F when I rolled into Daytona. I camped out that night (wore full leathers and my helmet, but was quite comfortable) and the temps went up to mid-eighties the next day and stayed in the vacation range for the rest of the week. A few years later I found that I could not get my body into the comfort zone while riding if the temps were not 36 degrees or above (you know, the point where everything numbs out and you don't feel the cold while reiding). Then a couple years later it was up to 38 degrees. My threshold for the cold gradually rose over years to the point where 42 degrees was my wall. At that point I admitted that I need to avoid cold weather riding. Now as I am more mature I try to avoid riding if it's not short sleeve weather. Still, give me hot or give me rainy and I'm still ready to go. My only issue with riding in the rain is that I hate having to suit up and down as it hits.
The riders that I really don't understand are the guys who are riding in 100 degree weather and still wear their leather jackets. I recognize motorcycle safety rules, but even I dress for the beach to ride in that kind of weather. I sometimes think I look pretty silly with shorts and riding boots.
As to when I might think my riding days are over, I can best point to a friend of mine who built his dream trike (HD with a Frankenstein kit) and not long after it was on the rode he was riding and passed on while sitting at a traffic light astride his trike. Motorcycles and particularly trikes have been a part of my life forever it seems and I can imagine no better way to leave.
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