Winter is slowly departing Idaho!

[JimW]

I've heard the winds can be pretty gusty in your area, doc. My wife and I aren't fair weather riders but there are alot of them in the area. Needless to say alot of low mileage bikes also. Usually my wife stops riding at 40deg. I'll ride in the mid 30s just wearing my chaps, leather jacket and fingerless gloves. My helmet is a scorpion half shell with drop down visor. A couple of weeks ago, I took my memphis fats windshield off my shadow and put on a batwing with a 9" screen. I'm amazed at the difference in wind resistance and how much less hits me also. On the atvs we'll ride much colder but we're not normally more than a mile or two from our house so refuge isn't to far away.

Saturday we had a 20mi stretch we went directly into the wind. The rest was side winds. I really couldn't tell alot of power loss to the wind but, I'm sure there was, I just wasn't willing to run off and leave my wife on her own. She was running 50 give or take a little so I stayed with her. I do know there was plenty of throttle left and when we turned into the wind 60mph was easy but, I didn't open it up to check top speed. However when , I think about it, my balls aren't as big as they were 30yrs ago so, I'd rather save the skin and the bike and be more cautious. I'm not sure if you guys have russian thistles in your part of the world? We call em tumble weeds and they can grow to 6' to 8' in diameter. Our first freeze will kill them and they sit and wait for a good wind to roll them. The fences in my part of the country are littered with them thick enough you can't see the barb wire. I've had them break loose from a fence and bounce into the hiway and nearly knock me off a bike. As a matter of fact we got nailed several times by some smaller ones sat.

[FastDoc]

I'd rather save the skin and the bike and be more cautious.

Copy that! I am more cautious than ever in my life but I live as if the gas pedal is stuck down. Full speed ahead and try to steer. I'm getting better. :wink:

Oh yeah we have tumbleweeds! :evil:

I've seen them large and heavy enough to knock a guy over. After a wind storm I'll see them 15 feet up a tree. Trees we don't have many of...

The big danger/PIA with tumbleweeds for me is when they fill in a gulch you have to cross on a dirtbike. The bike can get stuck in them or even catch the front wheel and toss you off.

I hate tumbleweeds. :evil:

[JimW]

Things sure look different the older a guy gets. We don't have a lot of trees in my country either. Ditches, we have plenty. I saw a guy get his atv stuck in a big pile of tumble weeds one time. They were piled as deep as the ditch was

[FastDoc]

+1 for age changing a guy. For the better I think. Thank God I'm still strong and healthy but even that will fade as more time goes by. The point for now is to enjoy Creation as much as I can, build relationships that matter, and serve God because I'll be accountable soon enough.

+1 also on the tumbleweeds. I've been stuck in them on my dirtbike so I could get off the bike and not have it lean, much less tip the tumbleweeks were so thick.

Sumbitches really burn when you're clearing your yard though. 8)

[JimW]

Absolutely doc! I try to get my girls to understand what your saying and for the most part they listen. Took me a while to understand too tho.

And yep those are the hottest burning sobs I've ever seen.

Sorry spud for running off with your thread. Getting closer to your subject. The winter here this year has been strange in this manner. For example it might be 40deg for a high one day and at 10pm that eve ya go to bed and the next morning instead of it being 20deg it'll be 50deg. That's happened more times since the first of the year than, I can count. It hasn't been unusually warm like it was last winter just strange?? Anyway, I'm as content as a tick in a dogs ear spring is close and it's slowly warming up

[SpudRider]

Originally Posted by JimW

...I'm as content as a tick in a dogs ear spring is close and it's slowly warming up

You have expressed my sentiments exactly, Jim!

Spud

[Weldangrind]

We're getting there in Southwestern BC. We didn't get the snow that was forecast on the weekend, and it was a really nice day on Sunday. Midlife even managed to get out on his first ride of the year.

I'm slowly working on our junk in the evenings, so that Son of Weldangrind and I can begin riding dual sports this year. So far, we have two very old two strokes running, and we hope to have the TW and the KLR running soon.

[FastDoc]

Work fast Weld, the Desert 100 is in a month!