FJR and snow

[Charlie Hoss]

Word from the frozen north, here's how to handle ice & snow with an FJR.
1. put on all you're cold weather gear.

2. go to garage

3. place bike on center stand

4. Mount bike

5. Make motor noises with your mouth until (a.) the ice & snow goes away or (b.) your lips get cold and break off.

:dribble:

6. Plug in Battery Tender.

7. Leave it right there til April or May.

In Maine, it isn't necessarily the occasional snow or ice that keeps me off the bike, but all the crap they dump on the roads, mainly salt and sand (rocks). I don't want that stuff on my bike, always wait till after a heavy spring rain before taking her out.

I swore of riding in snow, driving in snow, walking in snow, shoveling snow, snorting snow, looking at snow, thinking about snow, skiing in snow, snow angels in snow, peeing in snow and anything else that has to do with snow and it's affect on my own self 11 years ago. Enjoy that white ****, y'all!
Oh, it's sunny and 70 again.

:****:

:****: See location. Thats it...I gotta move south!!

 

[NovaFlyer]

Sheesh guys... If I need the thrill of a speed wagon when it's snowing, I'll borrow a snowmobile and have at 'er. Like Charlie Hoss mentioned, It's not just the snow .. but the corrosive, bike eating, leather ruining cr*p they put on the roads that makes me say adios til spring. :cold:

Oh yeah ... For TWN's - Oh, it's sunny and 70 again. ... ahem ... :****: (kidding .... well maybe not too much <lol> )

 

[HaulinAshe]

Just remember, I consider anything under 70F winter. Snow is entertainment.

 

[Midnite Rider]

Good ******* Luck, you will need it.

 

[RonC]

I was on my KLR 650 a few weekends ago when we encountered some ice-snow at high altitude. We were on a dirt road that was mostly clear, but in some steep mountain valleys, ice remained from a snow about a week before. That was my limit for enjoying snow riding - a few sections here and there that I could slide my rear tire around on occasion.

I'd put studs on my tires, but I am the only stud on that bike. :blink:

Ron

 

[Mike-H]

Sheesh guys... If I need the thrill of a speed wagon when it's snowing, I'll borrow a snowmobile and have at 'er. Like Charlie Hoss mentioned, It's not just the snow .. but the corrosive, bike eating, leather ruining cr*p they put on the roads that makes me say adios til spring. :cold:
Oh yeah ... For TWN's - Oh, it's sunny and 70 again. ... ahem ... :****: (kidding .... well maybe not too much <lol> )

+1 on all the above.... .....

 

[FlyingLow]

Need for speed? Snow skiing will do it.

If yer not a skier, try it, then try airing it out on a fast steep straightaway. Maybe you'll break an ankle but no risk to your bike.

 

[twowheelnut]

:****:

Proctologist did me like that once. Didn't even buy me a drink first.

But you enjoyed every moment. :haha:

 

[OrangevaleFJR]

This is not riding in snow

This was riding on tar. Snow was around me, but this doesn't count as riding in snow. Riding in snow is involved when the tires are on snow.

 

[Mr Bill]

This is not riding in snow

But this was,

Going to EOM a couple of years ago. I turned right instead of left in PA and ended up in CO. First snow of the CO ski season 2005. Two days later it was in the 90's in the Smokey Mountains and two days before this picture it was close to 100F in Nebraska.

Ok I really had planned to go to EOM via CO Ride Report

 

[OrangevaleFJR]

Going to EOM a couple of years ago. I turned right instead of left in PA and ended up in CO. First snow of the CO ski season 2005.

As I escaped Colorado in mid September, I got so much snow on Berthoud pass that I had a quarter inch of snow/ice on the windscreen. How I wish I took a minute to get a picture of that but something made me feel hurried to get out of the hills. That said, the snow only collected on the painted lines, the tar was just wet. After Berthoud Pass, I found Rabbit Ears pass had chain contols, so I headed back south on 9 from Kremmling to Silverthorne to take I-70 out of Colorado. It snowed on me there too, but not as badly as it had on Berthoud pass. All this was exciting, but the roads were just wet, and a little slushy on the lines and worst. It was nothing like this

 

[Mr Bill]

The traffic going West was covered in snow, we just followed the slushy tire tracks on the highway. It wasn't bad except for the uncertainty of how deep it could be up ahead.

That CO weather is something else. I found it snowing on top of Mt Evans back in August of 1981. That was before it was a toll road. The snow was sticking to the road and my rear tire was worn pretty smooth. I rode my xs850 down that hill really slow!

 

[OrangevaleFJR]

The traffic going West was covered in snow, we just followed the slushy tire tracks on the highway. It wasn't bad except for the uncertainty of how deep it could be up ahead.
That CO weather is something else. I found it snowing on top of Mt Evans back in August of 1981. That was before it was a toll road. The snow was sticking to the road and my rear tire was worn pretty smooth. I rode my xs850 down that hill really slow!

Yep. I grew up 6 miles East of Morrison in Colorado. Mt. Evans was my favorite playground. It was our tradition to go to the summit for fireworks on July 4th. There would be about 100 people up there enjoying the fun. We got snowed on numerous times on Mt. Evans on July 4th. Here is a picture of snow on Mt. Evans in the second week of August 05. It snowed the night before our ride up the hill

 

[Graham Downunder]

What's snow ???

In Sydney Australia we generally do not get even down to freezing point.

I remember well 1979 riding a fully loaded XS1100 with pillion in the mountains going to the Alpine rally Forget black ice try clay roads frozen temperature -8 C ( about 16 F ) after midnight and 6 hours already in the saddle after work .Let's just say slip factor HIGH as the 8-10 feet wide road had some few big drops of the edges. I think they wrote a song about it

" Slip sliding away"

 

[Mr Bill]

We got snowed on numerous times on Mt. Evans on July 4th.

And I thought my Mt Evans snow storm was special! :lol:

I was stationed Ft Carson for 3 years and had many enjoyable rides through those hills.

 

[OrangevaleFJR]

And I thought my Mt Evans snow storm was special! :lol:
I was stationed Ft Carson for 3 years and had many enjoyable rides through those hills.

Your Mt. Evans snow storm was special. It is a special place with a special spirit. You were blessed that day.

.....................................................................................I'm just more blessed than you! :yahoo:

 

[Mr Bill]

.....................................................................................I'm just more blessed than you! :yahoo:

:lol:

 

[Whybu1]

Rode my Volusia in a bit of snow up on Mt Hood in Oregon. WE thought that since it was May the snow would be gone. WRONG! Not much fun to be on twisties with patches of snow on the road. A month later my friend spent 45 minutes trapped under his Harley in the same spot when he went down on a patch of balck ice.

For me 2 wheels + snow = bad. Most folks aren't looking for motorcycles on those days either so that adds to the problem. I'll stick to the Jeep in those conditions.

 

[HaulinAshe]

Rode my Volusia in a bit of snow up on Mt Hood in Oregon. WE thought that since it was May the snow would be gone. WRONG! Not much fun to be on twisties with patches of snow on the road. A month later my friend spent 45 minutes trapped under his Harley in the same spot when he went down on a patch of balck ice.
For me 2 wheels + snow = bad. Most folks aren't looking for motorcycles on those days either so that adds to the problem. I'll stick to the Jeep in those conditions.

The absence of traffic was both a concern and a blessing. Couldn't help but think about how long it might take someone to find me if I dropped the bike in a slow, slick corner spot. Yet, it was really nice not to worry about lots of oncoming or close-following cagers. Definitely a double-edged sword.

 

[Silver Penguin]

Before the FJR - we found unexpected snow in Lake Tahoe - in June.

Since the FJR, I've ridden over ice one time, where the water had run down a hill side and frozen across the road. By the time I saw the ice, and said bad words, I was over it with the bike upright. The two sport bikes in front got through OK. Two of the HD's behind us went down though.