Still November Riding

It's been an unusual winter.

Between bouts of severe cold and snow, it's warmed up enough to bring temperatures just above my "safety line" of 35 degrees F. Below that, I know I've got a limited chance of keeping my tire temperatures warm enough to stay sticky. I've already got one low-side slide in traffic under my belt to prove that. But at 35 F and above, I can usually work the tires laterally as I'm riding the straights, and do enough hard stops and starts and aggressive braking, to warm the rubber up enough to where I have some good measure of control over the bike.

And so I've been hesitating putting the bike into warm storage for the winter.

It's been a tough decision because I know ahead of me lay a long, cold, and snowy winter without any riding, and yet the forecast has continued to have days reaching into the low to mid 30's. As long as there hasn't been too much moisture leaving streets ice/snow covered, I've been out riding, and about 15 of the 24 days this month have been ridable, even if sometimes it's been very hard to keep my body warm at speed.

Last night's cold soak and the freezing rain and snow the previous week have left a slick, glassy "ice sheen" on most of the roadways this morning. Previously snow and rain-moistened leaves collected around the roadways in sometimes impressive patches are de facto ice traps.

Still, I give the frosty alleyway a "kick test" in my riding boots, and I decide it's doable. I mount Sunshine, my Suzuki Bandit 1250S, my favorite bike, and ride to a nearby espresso place.

I take the long route, heading north from home until the sun starts to blaze through the partly cloudy eastern sky, then east and facing the sun, soaking it in and allowing the loosening rays to warm through my many layers, then circling back south and north through the city itself.

Lots of puddles remain stubbornly frozen despite the above-freezing air temps, and the wind and sky tell tales of a coming winter cold soak. Also, no matter what I did this morning, I couldn't keep my fingers warm. The engine itself struggled to put off enough heat to warm up my legs at speed (and gloved fingers at stop lights).

Still, I saw this morning's beautiful orange and blue sunrise on the back of my motorcycle, breathing in the environment and feeling the thundering heartbeat of my bike as my pulse and speed quickened a bit to match it... well... it was awesome, and that's the point.