Poll trade riding all year for seasonal riding

[12bar1]

If you had a choice what would you pick. Living some place that allowed you to pretty much ride all year long but not exactly the best roads or seasonal riding with great roads.

[tor1150r]

Living on Toronto it's seasonal. Some riders keep theire bikes 'ready to go' all winter in hope of getting out for a couple of hours on the odd sunny and dry day.

Our little game is to see who can get out for a ride each month of the year. A ride must be minimum 10kms to count.

Given the choice I's rather be able to ride all year with not so great roads. Reason being that if I could ride all year I'd probably have more time to travel and find great roads.

[MIXR]

South is the NSW/Vic Alpine region, North is the NSW Southern Highlands, East is the Saphire Coast, West is undulating grazing country. I can ALWAYS find a great road within an hour of home, and some short runs are within a few minutes from the garage!

[R4R&R]

Given those options, that's a tough one. I commute all year and while the weather isn't perfect at the extreme's, I still get to ride! Now in the good months, I'll get out for longer R&R rides.

[boxermania]

All year....my philosophy is that practice makes better......not only all year but as many bikes as i can get my hands on.

We have a ~60 mile route that encompasses a bit of everything, highway, bad surface, twisties, high speed.....it is all encompasing. I ride the R and the Bandit every weekend and sometimes during the week to work.

I'm still looking for a Honda Pacific Coast to add to the stable.....anyone.....anyone.....

[riceburner]

as long as it isn't snowing - I ride all year anyway.

[Boxer]

I would never sacrifice the seasonal beauty of nature just so I could ride my bike in greater comfort. I don't like to ride when its below 40F anyway. Too much gear to wear! Here in Atlanta we really don't have what I'd call a definite 4 seasons like farther northeast, but it DOES get cold.

[FGanger]

My wife and I made our choice. In 8 months we will be in our home in Florida. Yes! It has been known to get cold there, but after living 30 years in Alaska I have a different idea of what's cold and what's not cold. I'm looking to the day that the temperature goes below 40 and I start complaining, "Good Lord it's cold out there."

My personal record is -62 degrees in Alaska. Good Lord it was cold that day, the damn snow machine wouldn't start, lucky I kept the truck plugged in all night or I would have needed to walk to work. For those who are not familiar with the term "plug in;" we would have an engine plug heater, a battery heater and I also had a small heater inside the cab. All were kept running on the cold nights/days.

I guess I could have called in sick.

Frank

[jimcameron]

12bar

We have to face it, riding in Florida is pretty boring, at least the southern part of the state. Obviously, the best of all worlds would be to have moderate temps, great roads, and limited population. Generally, Florida is hot, flat, hot, straight with hellacious rain. My riding in July and August is very limited and I would trade in a second for New England, Northern Calif. etc.

My next stop to fulfill my critera? New Zealand.

Ride On!

[jonothan]

Winter can be cold here but there are glorious sunny winter days where the roads are dry.

Keeps the battery topped up and the engine free.

J

[italr1150r]

I ride all year long . Hear in Sicily, the weather is excellent for riding all year around. Actually, I prefer riding in the winter, as it's not too hot or cold.

[mistercindy]

The Dallas area riding "season" is nearly all year. We'll have our weeks of freezing or near freezing weather, but not many of them. Arguably, the worst time for riding is August when even the lightest mesh jacket feels oppressive in 105 degree heat. But I'd love to have year round Southern California or Santa Fe type weather. I wouldn't even mind the relatively boring North Texas roads if the weather was predictably beautiful.

[arkline]

If you don't mind a little damp, the PacNW is very temperate and can be ridden nearly all year long (if you don't mind a little damp). That's on this side of the Cascades anyway. On the other side, it gets freekin' cold and snowy....

[AndyfromPoland]

Now back in the UK where, in the South East at least, there are only about 2 days in the year when you can't ride. But I ride on those days as well anyway.

In Poland I rode down to -18C (on a dirt bike with no heated kit or plastic to keep the wind off). And many longer, faster trips when the snow piled around should have given some kind of message ... But I did have to take a break, usually for around 2 months, sometimes a little more, when the roads were just packed snow and ice. Although round town I'd ride in the snow, coming back with a good layer of the stuff, or in freezing rain which forms a thick immovable layer on your shield. Ahhhh ... those were the days.

If we hadn't moved back I think I'd have gone ahead with buying a side car rig for winter.

[wncbmw]

Here in the mountains of North Carolina, I ride year round, except for the snow days! Have to watch the ice patches some but I seldom go more than two weeks without cranking it up. And of course, we have some great roads. November is actually my favorite riding month. The tourists have gone; leaves have fallen, so visibility is great around the curves; and it is cold enough all the gear feels good to wear. Lots of guys around here put them up for the winter but I don't ride with those types!

And Frank, I lived in Montana for a while. I know about "plugging in".

[pinecone]

Our little game is to see who can get out for a ride each month of the year. A ride must be minimum 10kms to count.

Given the choice I's rather be able to ride all year with not so great roads. Reason being that if I could ride all year I'd probably have more time to travel and find great roads.

Tor -
I like your reasoning. How did you do in your contest last winter? I rode every month but January last winter (in St. Paul, MN) but would love to make it every month this winter. Probably didn't do much more than 10km on a couple of occasions and definitely stayed off the freeway when it was much below freezing. I know of at least a couple of guys who drove Ural sidecar rigs every day, all winter - might be tempted to try that sometime!