Who's still riding? (Fall 2016 / Winter 2017 edition)

I will ride today.

I'm am deeply ashamed for expressing such bravado. How do I get sucked into these things? I went into the garage, kept at a comfortable 62F thanx, looked at my dirty forlorn bald tired beast and cried NO MAS!! Fingers crossed my new Avon Trailriders should be in on the morrow from Petes. No ride today, sorry.
 
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Went out today for a couple of hours. T'was chilly but good to get her out once more:

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8 tomorrow - 13 on Tuesday ....I'll take it.

A few friends were planning on sudden onset illnesses Tuesday that would prevent them from being able to make it to work....but every forecast I've seen shows rain.
 
Your offer and request for riding companionship, while laudable, falls woefully short on detail. What if I showed up wearing @$$less chaps and a dickie? Or worse, on a cruiser? Nobody needs another awkward moment this close to Christmas.

Not a mind reader? Ok, fail on my part.... got my 10k though....
 
i rode out downtown today to get a haircut and saw a LOT of riders out. i thought i wasnt going to ride in tomorrow to work due to weather (says ~10mm rain!) but then i checked the hourly and it doesnt even start till 11pm. sweet.


I picked up a Ducati scrambler this fall to replace my old 05 monster thanks to an inattentive driver and the resulting insurance write off. Does anyone out there have experience riding these stock Mt-60s in the cold?

sorry i have an unrelated question. how is the clutch on the ducati? are they stiff compared to other bikes you've ridden? i'm considering a scrambler for my next bike.
 
sorry i have an unrelated question. how is the clutch on the ducati? are they stiff compared to other bikes you've ridden? i'm considering a scrambler for my next bike.

The Scrambler has a wet slipper clutches, like my Monster before it. They're fairly light. I'm very happy with it as a commuter. The clutch weight is similar, as I recall, to the sv650s I've ridden. The clutch is nothing like the dry clutch on some Ducatis. My brother's 06 S2R 1000, for instance, was a workout for commuting, and so is my friend's Moto Guzzzi V7.

Coming from the Monster, the stance and high handlebar on the icon variant threw me off a bit. Might have gotten used to that, but I opted for a variant with straight bars, and with 1,500 Km's of just short commutes since August, I'm loving the bike.

Aside, I quite liked the new Triumph Street Twin as well, when I rode it back to back with the Scrambler. I imagine the new Triumph Scrambler would be a good alternative to the Ducati if you're looking for that style.


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I'm still commuting until the snow stays. I've got a 12k cross-city commute, heated gloves and vest and wear full rev'it sand 2 gear. I briefly hit 80-90kph on some routes, so it's a pretty comfortable ride down to just below zero where my fear of ice or unexpected snow would keep me off the road anyway.

Curious to hear how Sadrik's M+S tires work out for him.

I picked up a Ducati scrambler this fall to replace my old 05 monster thanks to an inattentive driver and the resulting insurance write off. Does anyone out there have experience riding these stock Mt-60s in the cold?


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Congrats on your Scrambler! I got mine in May (full throttle variant, first bike) and love it! If you commuted last week, then you have more cold weather experience with those tires than I do. I plan to commute with it today though. This temp is my lower threshold since I don't have heated gear. I will take it easy until the tires warm up a bit.

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Congrats on your Scrambler! I got mine in May (full throttle variant, first bike) and love it! If you commuted last week, then you have more cold weather experience with those tires than I do. I plan to commute with it today though. This temp is my lower threshold since I don't have heated gear. I will take it easy until the tires warm up a bit.

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Congratulations to you. Great choice for a first bike, in my opinion. Upright stance, low weight and centre of gravity, great torque that means you don't have to pay as much attention to what gear you're in.

I've found the tires noticeably slippy at <5 deg until they warm up. Thankful for the abs. Once they're warm though, they've got surprisingly good traction for what look like knobbies.

If I were you, I'd get heated grips on it asap. They're super convenient compared to heated gear on you. Even if they aren't as effective in very cold weather, they make borderline temp trips much more pleasant.


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Congratulations to you. Great choice for a first bike, in my opinion. Upright stance, low weight and centre of gravity, great torque that means you don't have to pay as much attention to what gear you're in.

I've found the tires noticeably slippy at <5 deg until they warm up. Thankful for the abs. Once they're warm though, they've got surprisingly good traction for what look like knobbies.

If I were you, I'd get heated grips on it asap. They're super convenient compared to heated gear on you. Even if they aren't as effective in very cold weather, they make borderline temp trips much more pleasant.


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Thanks! Actually, after a few rides in Oct, when it was <10 degrees I decided to get heated grips and I totally agree, it's the difference between enjoying the ride and not so much ;). I had a similar experience with the tires too. Almost dropped it just leaving the house a couple of weeks ago, about 4 degrees C, on a sharp 90 degree turn, when the rear slid out. Luckily I recovered. I always knew it could be an issue, but experiencing it was a good, humbling lesson on how slippery cold tires can be. I probably won't ride on days colder than today (unless I find some deals on heated gear), but interested on how you find the bike if you keep riding in colder temps. Ride safe! :)
 
Pretty nice today this afternoon in the sun. Not freezing with the long johns on around town. Parked beside a really nice FZ-09 on Balmuto (Bay/Bloor). Only bikes there sadly.

Higher temps for the next couple days but rain...
 
A few friends were planning on sudden onset illnesses Tuesday that would prevent them from being able to make it to work....but every forecast I've seen shows rain.

Started coughing yet?

Hourly forecast here has the rain ending around 7 AM.

I just got back from a short hop.
 
didn't even get the bike out today ....too damn busy....good for cashflow ...not so good for mental health
 
I looked at my dirty forlorn bald tired beast and cried NO MAS!! Fingers crossed my new Avon Trailriders should be in on the morrow from Petes. No ride today, sorry.

Looking iffy for tomorrow, took too much of the bike apart today and snags. Tires arrived AM sharp. Quick question, is it normal to get wood over a new tread pattern? New tire are like pr0n.
 
Started coughing yet?

Hourly forecast here has the rain ending around 7 AM.

Yes, but that's because a front is coming along with it. Forecasted 30K gusting 50K winds. It's not until the late afternoon (probably around sunset) that it's forecasted to quiet down and be pleasant enough to ride.

Too icky a forecast to justify a day off for what might likely amount to nothing enjoyable. :(
 

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