Fall is definitely in the air here in the Northeast. Temps in the 40s today. Makes me think I should go ahead and take a day this weekend to pickle the bike and park it.

But I just know we're going to wind up having a week or maybe two of glorious Indian Summer before it starts to get really cold.

Indian Summer is great... nice temps, fresh air, leaves turning. A great time to be outdoors and a great reason to live in a part of the country where you have four real seasons.

I also know that if I go ahead and ride, I'm going to wind up sometime in early November on a rainy, cold day working on the bike and cursing myself for waiting too long.

What to do, what to do.....

I'm thinking the same.. was cold this week.. but next week looks like I might be able to get a few work commutes in.. maybe...

Keep riding it and buy a space-heater for the garage to warm it up in there while you winterize... or pull her in your kitchen when it's time to winterize...

I'm picking mine up tomorrow, no time yo put it away yet, still needs a tire and an inspection. I certainly hope we get a warm spell this month, but I'm not really counting on it. Pretty sure it will be cold and wet when I bring it in for the inspection. Might be the same when I pick it up tomorrow.

I am nowhere near the 1000km maintenance mark (I'm at 781km), so I guess I'll have to wait until next year to do that. :( It's going to snow tomorrow so I am going out to buy all the stuff I need to store the bike, and also to perform my first oil change.

I am nowhere near the 1000km maintenance mark (I'm at 781km), so I guess I'll have to wait until next year to do that. :( It's going to snow tomorrow so I am going out to buy all the stuff I need to store the bike, and also to perform my first oil change.

first maintenance check IS an oil/filter change... that and some nut and bolt tightening, so consider the 1000km check done when you prep and store the bike for winter.

I really wouldn't know what needs tightening and how much. :/

check your owner's manual. :)

I also know that if I go ahead and ride, I'm going to wind up sometime in early November on a rainy, cold day working on the bike and cursing myself for waiting too long.

Hehehe...it's alread cold and raining here and I still refuse to call it quits. I usually end up doing work on my cars/bikes way late into November anyway. A good poncho goes a long way! I also keep a few pairs of snow pants handy for oil changes in the winter.....:D

I plan on trying to ride all winter, idk how thats going to turn out. My desire to ride seems to drop with the temp, but I have know place to store bike, so im just going to try to ride as much as possible. It should not be too bad, the temps tend to stay around the 30's and 40's most of the winter in Bama. Too bad I can't afford any cold weather gear until next Jan or Feb,(Car will be paid off in Dec, as well as bike insurance for the year) leaving me with an extra $420 a month, whoot whoot. :partytime20: :whoo:

I'm glad I live somewhere you can ride through the winter.

I'm gonna keep riding until theres snow or ice on the ground..I may be taking a ride out to L.A at the end of October, hopefully the weather doesnt get too bad by then....

I usually ride until I get snowed on...often it's one day longer than was advisable.

+1 on riding through the winter. It never gets cold enough here to need to winterize! I can ride every day of the year unless it's a freak cold front or something! :p:D

Hehehe...it's alread cold and raining here and I still refuse to call it quits. I usually end up doing work on my cars/bikes way late into November anyway. A good poncho goes a long way! I also keep a few pairs of snow pants handy for oil changes in the winter.....:D

Yeah, but you're in Canada.

It starts snowing there in what, August? :p:D

I say wait until you no long have at least 1 riding day per week. Then winterize.

id wait until you dont have a riding day every 2 weeks... think how mu8ch better it would be if u didnt get to ride in 2 weeks!

I could wait until I get no riding opportunities for 2 months. Then it'd be REALLY great to get back on the road.

Or better yet, four months...

... but then it'd be time to fire the bike back up for spring.

Yeah, that's it.....

check your owner's manual. :)
or the wiki, I hear someone wrote a great DIY for it there.... ;)

I'm going to add Sta-Bil to my tank at the next fill-up. That's the most critical part of winterizing for me, because I hate cleaning carbs. The other stuff can wait until all chance of ridable days are past.

You still have a month of riding.

I plan on trying to ride all winter, idk how thats going to turn out. My desire to ride seems to drop with the temp, but I have know place to store bike, so im just going to try to ride as much as possible. It should not be too bad, the temps tend to stay around the 30's and 40's most of the winter in Bama. Too bad I can't afford any cold weather gear until next Jan or Feb,(Car will be paid off in Dec, as well as bike insurance for the year) leaving me with an extra $420 a month, whoot whoot. :partytime20: :whoo:

With very few exceptional days, you can ride year-round in AL. Some days you end up freezing your nuts off, but it can be done for sure.

West Texas, on the other hand... that'll throw you a curve periodically.

http://hedge36.smugmug.com/photos/123771115_Ndnj4-M.jpg

When to put it away for winter??

Never.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v137/mistabob/n578295496_6252287_370627.jpg
Some of my best rides were done in the middle of winter here on that 250.

http://hedge36.smugmug.com/photos/123771115_Ndnj4-M.jpg

That picture scares me.

Tell me you made it out of that parking lot okay....

You still have a month of riding.

YOU still have a month of riding. I've never met you, but I've seen enough of your posts to know that you're way more hard-core than I am..... lol. :D

I've decided to have one last, really great ride tomorrow (I could be talked into going to Abbott's in Noank CT for the world's greatest hot lobster roll if you'd like to meet me there) and pickle the bike in the afternoon.

Reply here or via email... adouglas@optonline.net

When to put it away for winter??

Never.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v137/mistabob/n578295496_6252287_370627.jpg
Some of my best rides were done in the middle of winter here on that 250.

That's a dry road.

Doesn't happen much here.

No offense meant, but the BMW is FUGLY!

No offense meant, but the BMW is FUGLY!

Eye of the beholder, friend, eye of the beholder.

I'd love a BMW. I just can't afford one.

There are many BMW I'd like to have too, but they do not need the huge nose, just looks stupid. Almost bought a K75S but decided it wasn't quite in my price range, then the devil took over and the Buell appeared.

That picture scares me.

Tell me you made it out of that parking lot okay....

That was an epic ride report. Holy bejeebus.

No offense meant, but the BMW is FUGLY!

:D It really is - that's part of it's charm.

In about 20 minutes it'll roll over 50,000 trouble-free and smile-filled miles, though, through some hellish conditions. When your butt's in the seat you don't notice how ugly it is.

(This is the same attitude I take with most helicopters)

That's more or less the attitude I've got about my face, actually..... :eek:

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a115/adouglas2001/Indy_land_o_meat.jpg

You still have a month of riding.

+1. I put her away in mid November last year. As long as you don't mind chilly rides to work, October's got some great riding weather to give.

Need good gear for those really cold rides.

Need good gear for those really cold rides.

Ayuh. I'm a HUGE fan of the Gerbings stuff, as long as your alternator will handle it.

Need good gear for those really cold rides.

True. But October in RI or Southern CT won't often be below 40 even in the morning, and that's not honestly too bad.

Now, if I routinely saw morning temps in the low to mid 30s, I'd be putting her away for the year.

That's more or less the attitude I've got about my face, actually..... :eek:

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a115/adouglas2001/Indy_land_o_meat.jpg

Looks delicious ;)

It was 35 when I left for work on Thursday - and we're considerably further south... kinda sucky actually...

True. But October in RI or Southern CT won't often be below 40 even in the morning, and that's not honestly too bad.

Now, if I routinely saw morning temps in the low to mid 30s, I'd be putting her away for the year.

+1 Rode in Dec, Jan (ok only 1day), and Feb in RI last year.

It was 35 when I left for work on Thursday - and we're considerably further south... kinda sucky actually...

You forgot to mention the rain too. Last week pretty much was a washout.

I'm never putting it up for winter. No snow here, just rain. Actually started pouring right before I left work today. I'll live.

Well, looks like I'll be riding another week at least.

I wanted to install my new Jardine fender eliminator before putting the bike away, and the $#*()# cheap fasteners the big K uses tripped me up. I couldn't get one of the turn signals unscrewed and wound up mangling it. So I had to remove it the hardest way possible, with a hacksaw and a file.

Fortunately I had a metric hex-head screw of the correct size in my miscellaneous box.

In between everything, it took most of the afternoon and there was no way I'd be able to ride the bike, plus do all the winterization before dark.

But I did get that kit installed, and it's a nice piece of kit. I'll post pics and comments in another thread.

I have no intention of putting my bike up for the winter. I have a heated garage/shop and plan to ride when the roads are clear. Worked fine last winter and we had a lot of snow. We also had a lot of days when the roads were clear and dry. I ride my bicycles during the winter as well. Did you know that you can get studded tyres for your bicycle? We have a guy who rides a Ural sidecar rig year round around here. He sports studded tyres as well.

Salt, sand... even when the roads are clear...

No thanks.

Great day of riding in RI today, hit some back roads along RI/CT border, weather was great, the only problem was the smelll of the cow farms. Don't give up on the riding season yet. One of my best days riding in a while!

I spent the day tearing the bike apart to get at all the idiocy and try to remove it:(

Now I need to wait for parts that I can't even order until tomorrow:(:(

I spent the day tearing the bike apart to get at all the idiocy and try to remove it:(

Now I need to wait for parts that I can't even order until tomorrow:(:(

I feel your pain. Argh.

Yeah, but you're in Canada.

It starts snowing there in what, August? :p:D

I intend to ride all winter, and I am in Canada. Well, Vancouver BC anyway , which sits right on the Pacific coast, benefiting from that mild oceanic climate - pretty much same as Victoria, but far warmer than Toronto or Montreal, seldom dipping below breezing. The wet season is from late October to mid-April. Normally we get about 3 short snow dumps around January, which clear up within a week (last winter was an exception, with LOTS of snow). Normally it's about 80% wet, 20% dry, or on average 1 dry day a week. Well worth keeping the bike on the road.

The problem is finding a dry place to park the bike the 6 wet days of the week. I have a good heavy-duty cover, but I want at least the ground on which the bike stands to be dry. An open carport is the baseline.