|
|
Visionary
Posts: 8144
New Bohemia, VA | if I'm calculating right, I'll be on my home just a head of the "storm". I'll leave augusta around 3, and I'll be getting home by 9 or 10. They're calling for rain by 5pm here in Ga and snow by 10pm in VA. I will not be letting any moss grow under my tires.
However, my major concern will not be on the storm, but on all the friday night drunks out buying bread, milk and toilet paper. |
|
| |
|
Tourer
Posts: 554
2 mi from Jim Beam n KY | Ride safe! Hope you can get an early start!!
|
|
| |
|
Visionary
Posts: 8144
New Bohemia, VA | thanks Danny. wife works overnight at wally-world and she said they're getting a jump on the storm. unbelievable, snow that will last a day makes people believe they'll be snowed in for weeks on end. |
|
| |
|
Iron Butt
Posts: 1117
Northeast Ohio | Chris, you have already proven to us that you can handle snow on the Vision. Are we going to have another video?  Be safe my friend. The Southerners don't deal with snow well. |
|
| |
|
Visionary
Posts: 8144
New Bohemia, VA | I didn't bring the cam, but goal is to make it home before the first flake. Thanks. |
|
| |
|
Tourer
Posts: 363
Goldsboro, NC | Chris,
If your rekonin' turns out to be a bit off and the road turns slippery on you... please know that you can drop your bike in Goldsboro. Glare ice is vastly more dangerous than snow. I have a garage and I'll give you a ride up to VA.
You should have my number. Just in case, I'll drop you a PM right now with it. I can get you from anywhere north of Fayetteville.
Ride safe, brother. |
|
| |
|
Visionary
Posts: 8144
New Bohemia, VA | Thanks brother Paul, I've got the numbers in my phone and I'll be watching the roads like a hawk. As crazy as some might think I am, I'm not that crazy. I thank you for the offer and the option! |
|
| |
|
Visionary
Posts: 2118
Pitt Meadows, BC Canada | Send the snow OUR way !
2010 Olympics are here in 10 days and we could use some on the local mountains - damn near tropical here so far this winter..... |
|
| |
|
Cruiser
Posts: 284
mansfield, MA United States | I have got caught in the snow a couple times on the Vision. The bike handles it very well! It goes without saying that you need to take precautions. Go slow over bridges (They ice up fast) and leave plenty of room to stop slow. Down shift to slow down and take corners slowly. You should be fine even if the white stuff comes down. Good luck!
Fred |
|
| |
|
Visionary
Posts: 8144
New Bohemia, VA | depart 2.54Pm |
|
| |
|
Visionary
Posts: 8144
New Bohemia, VA | arrive 22.48 and a snow storm to boot. I almost called you TB. |
|
| |
|
Iron Butt
Posts: 804
Perry Hall, MD | Good to hear. Looks like your entire route turned into a nightmare.
Really making me rethink the idea of riding to Charleston next week. |
|
| |
|
Visionary
Posts: 8144
New Bohemia, VA | a nightmare to say the least. when it began to snow in NC my first thought was flurries for a while then I'll be out of it. I was thinking "I wonder if Cometman every rode through snow yet at night." It reminded me of the opening credits of Star Trek and going through the stars, on a bike it is super cool. Then it got heavier and started to show on the road. Then I heard on the CB that it started at the 150MM on the north side, I was at the 122 and no good place to exit. The road markers were fading away and realized mostly because of the snow that had hit my windshield and had frozen. I turned on my emergency flashers and pulled to the side of the road. Only thinking of keeping the bike up and not going into the ditch I put my feet down and let them slide until I came to a stop.
After cleaning my shield off I kicked around in the snow and it didn't seem to be packing though it was covering the road and it wasn't really a slush but was wet I decided to give it another go. I eased back onto the road and was tooling along at around 40 - 50 mph and then I came to my first bridge. I let 'er slow down some and went across the bridge, feeling it slide just a little but the momentum keep it up right. Somewhere around the 127MM I was thinking I still got another 23 miles to go I was ready to stop and call Trailbarge. I wasn't sure if he had a trailer though and I didn't want to abandon the bike on the side of the road so I pressed on. Along the way there were a few cars that had gone into the ditch and even one NEW mustang up against the guardrail and the guy out on his cellphone. I thought to myself that he had more money than he had sense. Then I thought about "look at me, no money, no sense, at least he had one thing going for him." I continued to press on contending with a few more bridges and thinking that I'll never make it to the 150mm doing 40mph and I'm bound to go down somewhere.
Ice had built up again on the shield and I needed to clean it off but then resorted to rising up a little in my seat and looking over. I could see the road path and stayed in my far left lane. I kept the hazard lights flashing hoping the little traffic that included trucks would see me well and give me some room, they did. I even had a few pickups pass and thought to myself "why don't they ask if I could put the bike in the back and take me out of here?"; but they kept on riding and so did I. Finally, around the 132MM it started to slack off some and I could see the white lines again. I had ridden through the worst stretch of highway in my life. I was able to speed it up some until I got to my first bridge and there my heart stopped. However I went across with no problem, though I had slowed some and let it roll across, it didn?t feel slippery like the others.
It was like this into the 140'sMM and by the 150MM it had skiffed some and the road was still wet from any previous fall, but it looked like I was out of the worst of it. Around the 160MM it was dry and I had about another hour or so to go, so I was back to wide open riding.
It has definitely made me rethink my winter distance riding, and I didn't mention through all this until now it was below freezing and I didn't have the proper dress for it. Normally I would wear long-johns at this temperature but I didn?t bring any. I did have on a sweatshirt under the jacket and over my other shirts and I did have my chaps on, but I was still cold. When I had left home a week ago it had been calling for the 40's this weekend, but by Monday when I got to Georgia it was calling for the snow and I had hoped to beat it back before it fell. I did beat the Virginia snow, but I didn't know about the NC snow until I saw the first flake fall. Just riding that 9 miles in the snow wore me down more than riding 1,600 miles to Texas, I was tired and tired of riding until I got to the 160MM. But just like all the other times when I had a jam, I got myself into it, I'll get myself out of it, and I thank the Lord He watched over my foolishness.
So this week's trip to Georgia I?ll put up with the knot I feel in my stomach every time I see a bike go by when I'm not riding and hope they'll ride to ride again.
Edited by varyder 2010-01-30 8:36 AM
|
|
| |
|
Visionary
Posts: 1484
LaPorte,Tx. | Chris, really glad you made it back ok. I was watching that storm move across Tenn. on into VA and it was really moving fast. You need to get some of those tires they use in motorcycle ice racing. |
|
| |
|
Visionary
Posts: 8144
New Bohemia, VA | I really don't plan on doing that again, I think my snow riding days are over. Replacing seats are getting expensive  |
|
| |
|
Visionary
Posts: 3204
Memphis | varyder - 2010-01-30 9:00 AM I really don't plan on doing that again, I think my snow riding days are over. HA! Yeah, right. Your little practice session that you shot on YouTube prepared you for that ride home. Sure would have like to have listened in on the conversation between you and the little voice in your head.
Edited by SongFan 2010-01-30 9:35 AM
|
|
| |
|
Visionary
Posts: 8144
New Bohemia, VA | In the scheme of things, that little precursor ordeal had my mind right for what I encountered unexpectantly, both times I might add. In tracking the weather I kept checking Augusta, Florence and Richmond to see what it was to be like. Florence being the halfway point I figured it would evenly match with Richmond. I even had checked Fayetteville a time or two and came up with the same weather predictions. However, if I checked points between Richmond and Fayetteville, I would have probably stayed at my daughters who lives near Fayetteville and then just came back to Georgia without ever making it home for the weekend.
My goal was to get home, leave the bike and then drive back to Ga. for the weekend. Determination was the only thing that keep me going once I got into the storm as there was little other options to employ.
Yes, my voices in my head were going back and forth every second, but then another one jumped in said "you know you love it!", I don't even know where he came from...
Edited by varyder 2010-01-30 12:00 PM
|
|
| |
|
Iron Butt
Posts: 1158
Richmond, Virginia | ___ smart rider ____ stupid rider __*__ crazy ass rider dude, its a motorcycle, glad you're safe but come on...
its a MOTORCYCLE !!! none of us on here wanna read a final post about you from your wife unit. take the car. |
|
| |
|
Visionary
Posts: 8144
New Bohemia, VA | okay, okay, I'll take the car. The wife unit still doesn't know I rode in the snow storm. When I got home she was at work so I went straight there. All she knows is that I was cold and told me not to ride long distance anymore in the winter time because it is too cold.
"But honey, the cold wasn't what I was worried about, it was the snow...."
If I was someone else reading this I would have said...take the car dude. Anyway; done, over with, finite, home, glad, bike covered for the next week. Peace....out. |
|
| |
|
Visionary
Posts: 2118
Pitt Meadows, BC Canada | Chris - please do not become another entry to "The Darwin Awards" ....<grin> |
|
| |
|
Cruiser
Posts: 284
mansfield, MA United States | Glad you made it ok! WOW Your right its not fun but you where on the wright bike for it. |
|
| |
|
Visionary
Posts: 1436
| Cold probably contributed more to the adventure than the snow. When you get cold you tighten which is the worst possible thing you can do, makes everything feel squishy/slippy. With that said the solution to getting home when caught out at a distance in snow on a bike??? UHaul. Glad you made it before it got too bad out...... T
PS... spent more than a day or two hunkered down in a hotel waiting ou weather. It is part of the adventure, lol |
|
| |
|
Tourer
Posts: 363
Goldsboro, NC | I was actually expecting your call. That storm moved in fast and was quite a bit more energetic than I expected.
varyder - 2010-01-30 12:58 PM
Yes, my voices in my head were going back and forth every second, but then another one jumped in said "you know you love it!", I don't even know where he came from...
I know that damn voice well. It has almost gotten me killed more times than I can count. On the other hand, I'd never have any stories for my sons to say "bullsh!t" to if I didn't have that voice.
Klotzen, nicht kleckern!
(Literal translation: boot, don't spatter)
(Literary translation: kick 'em in the a$$, don't pi$$ on them)
Maybe I'm foolish to romanticize danger. For what it's worth... I do. Well done, mein herr. |
|
| |
|
Tourer
Posts: 354
20 miles west of Chicago. | All's well that ends well....
I'll bet those brass cojones of yours were awful cold when you got home. |
|
| |
ridin' the storm out