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Post by ng5y on May 28, 2014 7:54:28 GMT -5
Being a native Texan I am amazed by the post and video's of my northern brothers/sisters who ride a scoot even when there is snow on the ground.
Personally, if I have more than just a mile or two to ride I won't do the scoot at all if the temp is below 43*F. I won't take the scooter if there is a 70% or greater chance of rain.
I had a Suziki 750 in the distant past and can remember the 'heat' when it's 110*f in the shade and your waiting on a long red light with the heat of the engine baking your legs/feet. Have never had the opportunity to ride in a dense fog, and suspect if I had any other way to get there would not do the scooter.
I live in the Dallas area and in the rare places where there is more nature and less concrete you can feel a huge temperature change in the 'green' areas.
I am just curious about your riding criteria. When will you ride and when will you make other plans?
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Post by JerryScript on May 28, 2014 9:11:51 GMT -5
I ride to enjoy not being in a cage protecting me from nature. So long as it is safe, I ride. This means snow and ice are the only things keeping me off my scooter. The rest I enjoy! BTW- that 110f in the shade is a pleasant afternoon in Vegas!  |
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Post by rockynv on May 28, 2014 11:37:55 GMT -5
As long as its above 38 degrees I am good for my daily commute mid 40's for a expressway trip. I live in Florida so there is always a chance that somplace nearby will have a 70% or greater chance of rain and most of the year roadway temps will be at 100 or more degrees.
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Post by oldchopperguy on May 28, 2014 14:28:41 GMT -5
Ng5y,
Well, I've been a Texan now for nearly 40 years... Sort of adopted... But I was born and raised in Chicago. Back in the day, I rode my Harley chopper year-round. That included 30-below-zero days, in 2 feet of snow. Kick-starting that beast with 2,300cc, 13.5:1 compression, 250hp and 40-weight Harley "Winter" oil in freezing weather was somewhat of an "adventure" to say the least. Accomplished only by 375 pounds of girth, lots of adrenalin and no brains... LOL!
Today, I'm pushing 70 and not the warrior I once was... I live in the Dallas area and am REALLY enjoying my "new" old Kymco 250. In town it handles much like a common 150 GY6 and on the highway, it feels amazingly like an old 70's Harley bagger...
My weather criteria these days is 50 and above, and no rain! The GIVI windshield that came on the Kymco has some amazing aerodynamics that even keep my old hands warm at 50 degrees... Couldn't even accomplish that with the old full-dress hogs...
So... Fifty and sunshine... or I drive the car... LOL!
Ride safe, and enjoy this Texas weather... It'll be over 100 plenty soon!
Leo in Texas
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Post by earlylight160 on May 28, 2014 14:47:14 GMT -5
Leo,
I totally agree with your weather criteria for riding. I think scootin' should be fun, not a survival contest. May have something to do with coming up on my 73rd birthday soon. *LOL* 
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Freshman Rider
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Posts: 79
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Joined: Mar 4, 2014 5:05:41 GMT -5
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Post by ng5y on May 28, 2014 15:24:02 GMT -5
Being in the same city (Dallas Area), maybe someday can do a ride together
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Post by oldchopperguy on Jun 1, 2014 14:04:29 GMT -5
Being in the same city (Dallas Area), maybe someday can do a ride together
Just saw this... Maybe we can get together for a ride some time. I'm in Grapevine. What area are you in? Ride safe, Leo |
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Post by oldchopperguy on Jun 1, 2014 14:07:09 GMT -5
Leo,
I totally agree with your weather criteria for riding. I think scootin' should be fun, not a survival contest. May have something to do with coming up on my 73rd birthday soon. *LOL* Absolutely! At our age, both our hair AND our blood gets thin! Leo |
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Post by spandi on Jun 1, 2014 14:32:21 GMT -5
I ride to enjoy not being in a cage protecting me from nature. So long as it is safe, I ride. This means snow and ice are the only things keeping me off my scooter. The rest I enjoy! BTW- that 110f in the shade is a pleasant afternoon in Vegas! How much snow and ice do you get in Vegas?  |
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Post by SylvreKat on Jun 1, 2014 15:40:54 GMT -5
My criteria is no not any 0% chance of rain, no big wind gusts, and probably not close to 100°. Although I now own a cooling vest so if that works out well, the hot limit may go away. Of course, I also only have about 3000 miles of driving/riding under my seat. If I had more experience, then I probably would brave the less-big gusts and at least a small % chance for rain. Also makes a diff that I view my scoot as transportation, same as my car. I bought my scoot to extend my wagon's driving life, not because I'm into the 2-wheel way of life or any of that. Although I will admit that when I scoot to work I seem to smile a lot more than when I wagon to work. >'Kat  |
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Post by JerryScript on Jun 1, 2014 20:32:36 GMT -5
I ride to enjoy not being in a cage protecting me from nature. So long as it is safe, I ride. This means snow and ice are the only things keeping me off my scooter. The rest I enjoy! BTW- that 110f in the shade is a pleasant afternoon in Vegas! How much snow and ice do you get in Vegas? Rare, but we actually had our schools closed by snow one day last year (or was it two years ago?)! Of course, it was a very light bit of snow, but we don't have any snow removal equipment, so they closed down as a precautionary measure. The main safety issue in Vegas when it comes to weather is the lack of rain. Our roads don't get washed by the rain like most places, so when it does rain the oils rise to the surface. The only accident I've had on my scooter was when it was lightly misting. I took off from a stoplight making a right turn and hit a bit of this risen oil, the torque was too much and my rear end slid around. Then all of a sudden the wheel grabbed flinging the scooter forward into the curb. Since I wasn't going but a few miles an hour, and it is a scooter, I just stepped through and off, and the scooter got a small scratch on the lower front fairing. |
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Freshman Rider
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Posts: 79
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Joined: Mar 4, 2014 5:05:41 GMT -5
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Post by ng5y on Jun 1, 2014 21:46:10 GMT -5
Garland/ east dallas area
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Post by rockynv on Jun 2, 2014 4:18:36 GMT -5
Oils rise here in Florida at the onset of rain and we are similarly blessed. You also have to watch out around car washes and fast food establishments where the soapy water slimes up the roadway (usually at an intersection) or the waste haulers leave a trail when they empty the grease hoppers. In a light mist and those areas can be like riding on Black Ice.
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Post by larry001964 on Jun 2, 2014 9:37:11 GMT -5
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Post by wutzthedeal on Jun 2, 2014 11:13:11 GMT -5
No conditions in VA have stopped me since I got my scoot two years ago. Once rode it to a graveyard for a ghost hunt about 10 miles away when it was 20 degrees. Snow is too risky, though; once you've cracked your head a time or two, you start respecting slippery shid.
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