January Ride

[jesse]

My main love in life is aviation. That is followed by sport-touring. Which is essentially riding long distances (touring) with more of an aggressive (sport) edge. It's all about having fun, but still not killing yourself.

Anyways. I happen to live in Minnesota which makes riding certain months of the year slightly inconvienant. I refuse to surrender. I will ride at LEAST once every month of the year.

Today was my January ride. I went a total of about 40 miles before I could not stand it anymore and had to go home. I took a few pictures and even recorded a video!

This is after I awoke it from hibernation. It's alive! I'm happy!

After awhile I decided to take a break and try to thaw out a bit. So I rode off onto a gravel/mud/dirt/ice road until I found something to sit the camera on to take these two pictures.

Here is the video. Excuse me for my skills. It's hard to run a camera and ride at the same time. It is even more hard with thick gloves when you are freezing your @#@ off.

http://www.jesseangell.com/video/jan06ride.wmv
6.56 meg. It's worth it

 

[Toby]

Jesse, you are amazing!

 

[SCCutler]

Jesse, that looks so cold, my hands are numb just looking!

80+ outside here today, BTW, and great flying WX.

 

[tom.]

We had too much snow to ride motorcycles, so I got this out. I didn't want to get my CL450 Scrambler dirty. (Hope the pic shows)

 

[gkainz]

Great pic! I grew up running a '46 Willys around in the snow...got a '95 YJ now.

 

[Frank Browne]

Looks really cold! The last few days here have been very pleasent. Last week we did have some pretty heavy rains, but after the rain stopped I decided to do a little fishing....

Later that day my wife threw me a birthday party with this terrific cake she made for me...

After the party we decided to take the boat out to the lake for a little fun
on the water....

Then did a little off road sking...

After all the fun, there were still chores that had to get done, but the ol' yard tractor wouldn't crank, so I had to load into the back of my pick up to take it to the shop...

Because if I failed to get my chores done I knew that I would end up in the...

 

[jshawley]

Ya gotta be nuts!!

Use to do the same, till a guard rail jumped out in front of me ; now my 83 Sabre with factory frame-mount fairing is a basket (make that several baskets) case. One of these days, I'll put it together again .

I remember the night I got off work, and with my mountain-man beard I had, open-faced helmet with flat shield, by the time I got off the bike I could hardly see through the frost on the shield, and my tears had become icicles. Needless to say, my "boss" directed me to park it and take the car to/from work .

Keep the rubber down, and the chrome up, Jesse!

 

[jesse]

Ya gotta be nuts!!

Use to do the same, till a guard rail jumped out in front of me ; now my 83 Sabre with factory frame-mount fairing is a basket (make that several baskets) case. One of these days, I'll put it together again .

I remember the night I got off work, and with my mountain-man beard I had, open-faced helmet with flat shield, by the time I got off the bike I could hardly see through the frost on the shield, and my tears had become icicles. Needless to say, my "boss" directed me to park it and take the car to/from work .

Keep the rubber down, and the chrome up, Jesse!

Eh. It's one of those deals that you just have to accept the risk. Because it's real, and is a pretty big risk at that.

I think about it *every* time I put my helmet on. Maybe one of these days I'll change my mind and will take it off and be done. For now, the benefit for me is well worth the risk.

I've went down on this bike once. I was going about 60 mph and a truck didn't see me and pulled out in front of me. This was about 30 feet in front of me or less. There was traffic in the oncoming lane and I couldn't get around this guy. I locked up the rear brake and layed it down. I then remember sliding down the centerline feet first trying to kick myself out of the oncoming lane since there was traffic coming towards me. I then was just watching my bike slide down the road in front of me sparks flying, It was a terrible thing to see. It slid into the truck.

Once I quit sliding, which seemed to take forever, I realised I was pretty much fine. I was wearing a kevlar w/ Rocktex armor jacket and it ground through the kevlar and some of the armor. I had one little scratch on my wrist and that was it.

The guy in the truck took off, I looked around to see nothing but cars stopped everywhere staring at me. I wasn't sure what to do. I didn't want this to get blamed onto me plus I had no idea who the driver of the truck was. My car insurance plus bike insurance is already absolutely insane and I couldn't risk this getting on my record. I picked the bike up and started it. It ground through one of hte engine covers and it was leaking oil over the exhaust. It was one smokey mess! The seat mounts were also busted so I just sat the seat on there and road it home like that.

Within 24 hours I was riding again. I'd like to thank JB Weld and krylon paint for that.

That winter I ordered replacement parts for most of the broken stuff and you can hardly even tell.

All that said I've been riding since I was a little guy.

I've had this nighthawk now since I was 16. I've put about 20 to 25,000 miles on it each summer and have had an absolute blast.

 

[Frank Browne]

Eh. It's one of those deals that you just have to accept the risk. Because it's real, and is a pretty big risk at that.

I think about it *every* time I put my helmet on. Maybe one of these days I'll change my mind and will take it off and be done. For now, the benefit for me is well worth the risk.

I've went down on this bike once.

I got snatched off of my Kawasaki Z1000 late one night by a telephone wire stretched across the road. A drunk driver was involved in a single car accident where he had plowed through a telephone pole and drove his car up into a sandwich shop. As I approached the pole lying in the road, I steered into the left lane and slowed to avoid it and see what in tarnation had happened. Another car had stopped and was tending to the guy, and since there was nobody else on the road, I gassed it to go to a payphone. My attention, having been diverted by the guy in his car that was now in the sandwich shop, went back to the road just in time to see the wire stretching from the down pole, up to the pole across the street. I locked up my rear brake to try to lay it down and slide under the wire, but it caught my bike across the headlight and gas tank. It grabbed the right handlebar and threw me over the wire while the motorcycle slide along the pavement under the wire. I landed on my head and left shoulder. Lost some skin off of my shoulder and forearm, and pulled some muscles, but thankfully nothing serious. My full face SHOEI helmet was split in two from the trim around the face opening to the trim along the back. I will never, not ever, throw a leg over a motorcycle without a helmet. That one saved my life for sure.

 

[Ghery]

My full face SHOEI helmet was split in two from the trim around the face opening to the trim along the back. I will never, not ever, throw a leg over a motorcycle without a helmet. That one saved my life for sure.

I've known 4 people who needed helmets. A friend in high school had a car turn left in front of him. He hit the car broadside. Split his helmet. Tore up his legs. Doctors wondered if he would walk again. He recovered and is now on the faculty at Colordo State University.

Knew a guy who parked a big Harley where I parked my Honda 90 when I was a freshman in college. He didn't wear a helmet. He died at the scene.

My wife and I were hit broadside by a 1969 Ford Mustang who ran a stop sign. I couldn't get out of his way. Darned Honda 175 just didn't have enough get up and go. I had a line of curb paint about 6 inches long on my helmet. Wife's helmet got twisted around a bit. That was 32 years ago and we still have after effects (orthopedic, of course). But, we're still here to tell the tale.

Bottom line - everyone I've known who needed a helmet and wore one is alive. Everyone I've known who needed a helmet and didn't wear one is dead. Limited sample, but 100% correlation.

I don't ride anymore, but if I did I'd wear the best helmet I could get my hands on. No question about it. Glad you wear one, too.

 

[Frank Browne]

Bottom line - everyone I've known who needed a helmet and wore one is alive. Everyone I've known who needed a helmet and didn't wear one is dead. Limited sample, but 100% correlation.

I don't ride anymore, but if I did I'd wear the best helmet I could get my hands on. No question about it. Glad you wear one, too.

I don't ride anymore either but I can sure verify your obsevation. I too went to high school with a guy who needed one one saturday afternoon. He actually had a helmet on, but the chin strap wasn't fastened. A car ran a stop sign, and he broad sided the car. Hit the roof line on his way over the top of the car, and that knocked his helmet off. Sadly he didn't make it. I happened upon the scene just a couple of minutes after the accident. There was nothing that could be done. The guy who ran the stop sign was kneeling over the motorcyclist weeping. Yep, a good helmet is definately part of the go/no go decision.

 

[jesse]

He actually had a helmet on, but the chin strap wasn't fastened. A car ran a stop sign, and he broad sided the car. Hit the roof line on his way over the top of the car, and that knocked his helmet off. Sadly he didn't make it.

There have been a few times where I've went to take my helmet off to find that I never strapped it on. It is scary as hell when you reach down and realise this.

 

[Dave Krall CFII]

I don't ride anymore either but I can sure verify your obsevation. I too went to high school with a guy who needed one one saturday afternoon. He actually had a helmet on, but the chin strap wasn't fastened. A car ran a stop sign, and he broad sided the car. Hit the roof line on his way over the top of the car, and that knocked his helmet off. Sadly he didn't make it. I happened upon the scene just a couple of minutes after the accident. There was nothing that could be done. The guy who ran the stop sign was kneeling over the motorcyclist weeping. Yep, a good helmet is definately part of the go/no go decision.

I don't ride anymore either but, still wear the helmet !
Might ride again if it was out in the woods away from the driving public.

 

[jesse]

My first bike. This was at Airventure.

 

[mmilano]

.. wow, there are over 20 pictures of Jesse in this post.

Ya gotta be nuts!!

Use to do the same, till a guard rail jumped out in front of me ; now my 83 Sabre with factory frame-mount fairing is a basket (make that several baskets) case. One of these days, I'll put it together again .

I remember the night I got off work, and with my mountain-man beard I had, open-faced helmet with flat shield, by the time I got off the bike I could hardly see through the frost on the shield, and my tears had become icicles. Needless to say, my "boss" directed me to park it and take the car to/from work .

Keep the rubber down, and the chrome up, Jesse!

i had a sabre aslo, that thing was heavy! i ended up getting rear-ended by an f-150. i didn't get hurt, but the bike got totalled and i didn't do much street riing after that.

 

[jesse]

.. wow, there are over 20 pictures of Jesse in this post.

Yup. I like to look at myself.

I'm so beautiful!

 

[ScottM]

Very nice. In the winter here in the midwest I like to go bicycle riding. I even have snow tires for the bike so that I am not stopped by the gunk on the roads. I have mastered the art of layered clothing but I do not tend to go as far in the winter. A 20 mile ride is like a 40 or 50 mile one in the summer.

 

[fgcason]

Today was my January ride. I went a total of about 40 miles before I could not stand it anymore and had to go home.

You're not taking the windchill seriously in those pictures. If you were, you could have rode off the end of the Earth. I just pull out my cold weather gear which is good for about -50F and some horrific windchill. I rode to work that way for a week once at 20F. Doable but not fun. I was toasty inside but the outer shell was seriously cold and the visor instantly frosted up when I stopped. I limit rides to 55F and up now. Short maintenance rides monthly are >45F. Below that, it's too dang cold to be any fun and starting a cold soaked engine isn't allowed with my toys.

It's all kamikaze drivers out there nowadays. I've limited riding to state/national parks, country roads. I can't deal riding in the city except for very specific times when traffic is relatively extremely light.

For several years now I've wanted to wear my helmet in the jeep because of other drivers. It's a perfectly rational idea but the police say that's illegal - idget legal system at it's finest obviously.


<--- 1982 Honda CB650