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Visionary
Posts: 8144
New Bohemia, VA | The temps are dropping, the weather is changing and the big and little furry creatures are wandering around the roadways more. Just a friendly and gentle reminder of this fact if you are a 'rounder, or ride late into the year before packing 'er in for the winter. I saw bambi tonight and was reminded of this. It was just a few years ago, a well know safety advocate for motorcyclists lost his life on the way home from a seminar. He made a comment during that seminar, so it was told, that he could handle all the idiots on the highway because of a certain level of predictability. However, he could never predict exactly what a deer would do, and that was his greatest fear. On his way home, low and behold he was struck and killed by a deer. Don't want to put a damper on our love of riding, just a reminder, we may throw many things into the wind, including ourselves, but we should never throw caution. Got my leathers from my head down to my toes and I'm ready for a long a wonderful winter to ride in here in Central Va. It looks like I'm moving my trip to Texas to November as I've been overcome by events, but by November I can make a long break for it. I look forward to thousand mile days and short naps in between. |
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Cruiser
Posts: 171
San Antonio, Texas | So, Chris, whereabouts in Texas are you heading? There are a few of us Vision Riders down this way....... |
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Visionary
Posts: 1436
| Va, good reminder about the deer, its the rut in full swing here in PA which means the buck are completely stupid and out on the roadways a lot. heads up for sure. Something I have noticed is that deer will not cross the path of a MC running a headlite modulator. I can't PROVE this but 10 years experience running one has ME convinced. I'll be installing my modulator as soon as the bike will be down long enough to have some time to work on it. Might be worth the investment if you ride a lot in deer territory (I do).
Might also help some to know the Visions windscreen will frost up REAL quick in below 40 temps (ask me how I know, lol) so whether you're a lid rider or lidless, plan for something to keep your face and head warm if you plan to ride in lower temps as you may well need to lower the screen.
Edited by Teach 2008-10-10 10:54 PM
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Visionary
Posts: 8144
New Bohemia, VA | Magic - 2008-10-10 9:54 AM So, Chris, whereabouts in Texas are you heading? There are a few of us Vision Riders down this way....... The cool part is it is in South Texas by McAllen, the Rio Grande Valley. Man, what a ride I had last year on my GL1200. When I go the next time, hopefully in November, I plan on doing 24hours on the Vision and pull in 1,500 miles at least. That would put me in Corpus. Texas is such a great riding state in spite of the flat land and straight highways. Don't forget the Lovebugs either, but I really enjoyed that part of the ride, not the lovebugs, but Texas. The rest of the states you're always in heavy traffic, but in Texas it is wide open and it is refreshing most folk know how to drive. It took me a little bit to get use to the wide shoulder two lanes, but was cool when you came up on a car or truck they would move out of my way. I felt like royality coming through, and offered the same courtesy to those who were able to catch up to me to pass. I think November will be a good time as the temps will be milder in the South, but still enjoyable. I'm going to iron butt it down but plan on taking my time coming home to ride with a few of the Visionaires along the way, to include the chickenman in the tiny hills of Tennessee.
Edited by varyder 2008-10-11 12:02 AM
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Tourer
Posts: 320
Savannah, GA -Year round riding!! Yay! | I saw heard about a traffic tie up on one of the bridges here in Savannah yesterday morning. Just thought it was the usual idiots at work on one another. Then, I saw this story on the news last night.... I was glad it was a guy in his truck, and not anyone on a bike..... Nobody was hurt, except the alligator.... Yep, that time of year when the hotmone's are runnig high in the furry animals, and the blood is getting colder and the reptiles are seeking the heat of the asphalt. I've seen a few snakes on the pavement in the evenings and mornings now. Might not cause a wreck, unless my front tire throws it up at me!  Y'all be careful out there....
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Visionary
Posts: 8144
New Bohemia, VA | GAgirlTrixie - 2008-10-11 4:14 PM I saw heard about a traffic tie up on one of the bridges here in Savannah yesterday morning. Just thought it was the usual idiots at work on one another. Then, I saw this story on the news last night.... I was glad it was a guy in his truck, and not anyone on a bike..... Nobody was hurt, except the alligator.... Yep, that time of year when the hotmone's are runnig high in the furry animals, and the blood is getting colder and the reptiles are seeking the heat of the asphalt. I've seen a few snakes on the pavement in the evenings and mornings now. Might not cause a wreck, unless my front tire throws it up at me! Y'all be careful out there....
Yikes! Last December when I rode to Mickey World I thought what would I do if came around a corner and there was a pack of gators in the road and I went down. All they would have probably found was the Vision. Those and sharks are the only two creatures I have utmost respect for. |
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Visionary
Posts: 1324
So Cal | I'll stick to dealing with the earthquakes here in CA. |
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Visionary
Posts: 8144
New Bohemia, VA | cjnoho - 2008-10-11 5:52 PM I'll stick to dealing with the earthquakes here in CA. Yeah, but as smooth and steady as the Vision rides, how would you know? |
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Visionary
Posts: 1324
So Cal | Ive had that problem since I moved here, people would come up to me after and tell me that I have to evacuate the building during a quake. I'd ask, what quake? |
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Cruiser
Posts: 141
| It hasn't snowed yet so I'm still riding. A good day, and dry roads may not stop me after it does. |
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Tourer
Posts: 374
Tucson, AZ | Im lucky enough to live in Tucson..ride all year long. It does get chilly in the mornings (20s) but not very often. Just got back from a trip through Utah and Colorado where we had to wait for a small snow in the mountains but no big deal. Man i love this bike.
mike v |
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Puddle Jumper
Posts: 38
San Diego, California | I live in San Diego and we also have year round riding. I get to enjoy my Vision every weekend. When it gets REAL cold (50's) my friend get in a tizzy! LOL I get grumpy when I have it in the shop for whatever reason and I can't ride it for a few days. I couldn't live where some of you guys do and wait all winter. If anyone ever makes it to San Diego and need a partner, post and let me know and I'll show you some local riding and make a trip down to Mexico down the coast for some lobster! |
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Iron Butt
Posts: 600
Linwood, MI | Digby - 2008-10-11 6:14 PM
It hasn't snowed yet so I'm still riding. A good day, and dry roads may not stop me after it does.
Ditto here. I'm figuring that as long as there isn't snow and ice on the road I'll ride until the bitter cold of January. Hopefully.
Now, if gas prices go back down to $2 a gallon I might park it and get the Camaro back out for a little while. Poor thing looks so sad being ignored in the garage for a year or so. But I'm betting that it isn't going to happen. |
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Visionary
Posts: 3006
San Antonio, TX | I try to ride every day. This week some family stuff came up and I had to take the cage for two days. It was only two days but I really missed the Vision.
Yesterday on a off-camber left-hand sweeper I scraped the highway peg and floor board for the first time. I lowered my body (to lower the center of gravity) to stop the scrape but held the line on the turn without incident. This is nothing I plan to do on a regular basis.
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Cruiser
Posts: 64
Altoona, Wisconsin | Deer are plentiful here in northern Wisconsin year-round. What really scares me, though, are wild turkeys. At least the deer will run off when you blow the horn, but you have no idea what turkeys will do. I hoped to be riding for a while yet, but had to have emergency gallbladder surgery a week ago and can't ride for a while. The weather can turn into winter really fast so I'm probably done for the year. This weekend was in the mid 70s and it really hurt not being able to ride, especially with the fall colors. To all of you that live in warmer climates, I'll be jealous all winter. |
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Visionary
Posts: 8144
New Bohemia, VA | I hit a FLC (furry little creature) today. I tried to avoid it but it kept coming into my path, poor little ground hog. |
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Iron Butt
Posts: 742
North Orange County CA | Chris, I met a cousin of your poor little groundhog a few years ago on a back road in Pennsylvania at a high rate of speed. He came away the loser, as have a couple o‘possums, and a skunk over the last 35 years. I guess every biker has his or her share of brushes with animated nature.
We've all eaten bugs, but in my naked bike (no windshield) days I had the great good fortune to ride through a swarm of yellow jackets, a couple of which managed to find their way inside my helmet. Now that was fun, with a capitol "F"!
Y'all might be surprised by the number of stings a yellow jacket can inflict in the time it takes you to get to the side of the road and yank your helmet off.
But I have to agree with StarChief , there are birds my friends, BEWARE THE BIRDS!
I once flushed an adult Ring Neck Pheasant from the weeds at the apex of a turn on two lane highway in NH. It bounced off my headlight and damn near caused me to wreck the BMW. On the same trip, while I was heading west through New Brunswick on the Trans Canadian Highway about dusk, a preoccupied barn swallow hit me head on while diving for an insect. I estimate that the closing speed was close to 120 mph. The bruise on my sternum grew to the size of a pie pan over the next couple of days.
My first thought was that was that I had caught a stray bullet, as the only thing I could see was blood on my t-shirt and my ability to draw breath had stopped.
The PANIC subsided after I got the bike stopped and forced my curiously fumbling fingers to unzip my jacket, where I discovered FEATHERS. Once my heart rate and breathing returned to normal, I realized that the sky was filled with swallows feasting on the ridiculously large insect population of eastern Canada.
When I got home, I bought a Wixom bar mounted fairing and have ridden behind a screen ever since. Which is all the excuse I need to mention that I love the adjustable shield on the Vision.
We rode up to Big Bear last weekend - "Rim of the World" is a little over 7500 ft; it's starting to cool down in SOCAL ,which local newscasters refer to as "the Southland" and I find strange, since we cant get country ham or whole hog sausage (and what passes for a biscuit would appall you). I used the heated grips for the first time. The cloud cover and mist in the valleys reminded me of the Smokies and fall.
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Still Riding?