Is this nuts or what?

[shibumi]

Crikey..with a capital ‘F’…it’s cold!
However, I am a stalwart and if there is a road, I'm going to ride on it. Sort of. I don’t mind being cold. I don’t mind being wet. But being wet and cold at the same time is something reserved for people whose brains are not yet fully developed.
So, anyway, there I was riding along a wet cold road in eastern Tennessee. There were some equally like-minded people riding in the opposite direction. Not many, but enough to convince me the fraternity is still strong. I am pleased to note that the nod/wave/finger lift form of greeting exists here in the US as it does in Oz. It is a way for motorcyclists to recognise a kindred spirit as two machines hurtle toward each other along a stretch of road. It is a greeting of spirits which binds the two wheeled in a way the four wheeled could simply not understand.
However, when it is cold and wet, the greeting changes. It is as if the approaching riders recognise the warrior (or the idiot) who gives not one whit about the conditions de jour, and the greeting is between men, m-e-n, MEN. We could be watching the teev, sitting inside sipping hot chocolate and patting the pooch on the head. But we, the non-seasonal rider, are out there riding because we can. And the greeting becomes far more animated. A restrained over the head wave rather than the low arm splay as favoured here in the US. It’s a sort of a ‘we-may-be-tough-but-this-is-bloody-stupid’ sort of a greeting. But what the hell!
No fair weather pansy-ing about for us. We are proper riders.
So, I stopped at a set of lights dreaming about electrically warmed hand grips when another bike arrived alongside. Potato-potato… ‘How ya doin’? potato-potato. “Good mate”, I replied “Shame it’s not a little cooler”….potato-potato “Whassat”? He asked. potato-potato. “Nothin’ mate”. Then with all the courtesy I have come to expect of Americans he said, “Wanna grab a coffee”? potato-potato. “Lead on” I say as the light turns green. (For the uninitiated, he wasn’t a green grocer, he was riding a Harley with what sounded like a busted muffler).
Just a half mile down the track there was an off-ramp and, low and behold, there sat the embodiment of all that is American, a MacDonalds restaurant. Yay!!
The ritual began. Remove the helmet, the balaclava, the neck warmer, the gauntlets, the under gloves, the rain jacket, the jacket, the fleece, the pullover, the spats and there was left, two quite ordinary blokes wearing wind breakers, motorcycle pants, bib and brace overalls and boots and, if he was as tough as me (I didn’t ask), long johns and super thick socks.
We sat and had burgers and coffee. We would have left sooner but the weather was execrable. However sitting there with someone I had never seen before and likely will never see again was an exercise in mateship. Perhaps we would have been better served staying at home watching TV with the dog, rather than sitting in a fast food shop in arctic conditions. The coffee was not too good. The burger was better. But the company, at that time, in those conditions, where two disparate motorcyclists got briefly together to solve the problems of the universe was for me what motorcycling is all about. And I wouldn’t have missed it.
We both agreed on one thing. There is a riding season. It starts on April 1st every year and concludes on March 31st. Anything else, is strictly part time.
Stay upright.

[redjay]

Is this nuts or what?

I would have to say yes :)

I enjoyed the write up.

[BigRed]

I loved reading this post. You have a knack for telling stories.

[shibumi]

Thanks Red. I appreciate the feedback.
Cheers.

[Silent Sam]

.I TO..Was Once 10ft Tall And Bullet Proof !

[johnberryus]

I can fully relate I've ridden all year round for the past 20 + years and I lived in Denver Colorado until 5 years ago. People around here think I'm crazy for riding in the rain, I don't own a car just two motorcycles.
The wife has a car but she works so it's not like I can just hop in her car when the weather goes south. I have to ride to live man.

[duffy]

Good on you.........I rode a bike as primary transport for almost 12 years in the all kinds of weather (you actually have to dodge just as many cars during a snow storm when you ride in the ditch). I'm older and much more of a wuss now (does that make me smarter?).

[Bud2rat]

Interesting story, I enjoyed reading it. Thanks for sharing. It is interesting that 2 people can come together for a brief moment in time and share a common interest. I meet complete strangers through out my journeys and sometimes it leads to friendship, sometimes not.

[smbke]

Great story! I love cigars and motorcycles. My wife knows my passion for motorcycles because when I met her my bike was my primary transportation. We went on our first date on my scoot.
She once asked me what my attraction to cigars was and in many ways, it's the same as my bike. When I smoke a cigar, as when I ride my bike, the world fades away. I begin to relax ... I'm in the moment. My friends who also enjoy the leaf are from every walk of life, doctors, lawyers, politicians, authors, UFC fighters, letter carriers, drag racers ... but we all have one thing in common that makes us all equal. A cigar is a magic wand, a motorcycle is a magic carpet!

[Top Cat]

Originally Posted by smbke

A cigar is a magic wand

That's what Monica Lewinsky thought also

[smbke]

Originally Posted by Top Cat

That's what Monica Lewinsky thought also

Yeah. I can't afford a humidor like that!

[cnc]

Nice story, like something I would read in certain motorcycle mags.

[Silent Sam]

I'd of smoked THAT CIGAR..then and there ! (fat girls need loving to) and Monica cleans-up real nice ! ..love her smile..(and her enthusiasm)

Montecristo Double Corona's, are my favorite !

[canuckrider]

I know exactly where the OP is coming from. I ventured out from Calgary for a 2 week 4200 km trip through Idaho & Washington the last week of September and the first week of October. While overall, the weather was pretty nice, there were a few days that were cold and wet, especially going through some of the mountain passes. Fellow bikers were few and far between on those days. I did have to wonder if I was "adventurous" or just plain nuts!

Looking back, I have no regrets about the trip. Within reason, of course (excepting hurricanes, tornadoes and blizzards), if you're going to let the weather determine whether or not you ride, you may as well stay home on the sofa and watch Maury and Oprah.

[robjob]

Good write up. Enjoyed reading it. That happens a lot up here with our "Canadian" coffee shop - Tim Hortons. Bikes stop, chit chat with people you've never met and then you're on your way again.
I know what you mean about the weather Canuckrider. Can't let a little rain stop ya. I know a couple of guys that spend all the nice days polishing their bikes in the driveway and when it rains of course they can't ride - might get dirty. They always wonder why at the end of the year why they only have put on 4-5 thousand k's.