BMW R1200R R1150R/T F800 K1200R R1100R/T R1250R RnineT Message Board

Hey folks, just saying "hi". I haven't been checking the board in recent months. Reading the board just kind of depresses me. My bike has been in "winter" storage since early October. In fact it really never came out of storage last year at all. I managed less than 2K miles all of 2005! When I have so little time to ride the beak, chatting about it just falls off the priority list entirely. In fact a few months ago I really had grown to resent my RR. Pulling into the garage and looking at it everyday, never having the time/money for play time, was making me bitter towards my favorite toy.

Now the good news. Our (me and my girlfirend AMY) business has survived the first year! 13 months now and counting. Managed to pay the bills and making headway into our debt. We now have 4 part-time employees, and looking forward to riding the beak a bit more this season. Of course sharing my motorcycling adventures with you all!

I tell you what, just writing this small note makes me feel better. Like maybe there is more to my life than just work! Thanks everybody you just made my day.

Keeping my beakster/Losing my mind

You and Amy should move down under and you'll never need to worry about Winter storage again...

I hope you get to enjoy the bike more this year...why can't you ride..is it the work or the snow and ice.

DJ

I store mine all the time. Sits in the garage until the weekend and then gets ridden. All year. Every year. Summer - Head for the cooler mountains. Winter - Head for the warmer coastal areas. Damn this is a great country!

DJ, Moving down under? An absolutely wonderful idea!!! OZ has been at the top of my "must see" places for many years. Maybe we should look into opening another location with year round riding season. How much do Aussies like pizza? I don't think shipping cheese around the world will be very cost effective. How are Mozzarella prices down there? Maybe a BBQ joint? Well it is fun to think about anyway.

I haven't been riding for all of the above reasons: cold, snow, ice, slush, salt, and of course WORK. We started our own business with no money. We have paying for it all with lots of time, labor and sanity.

Good luck on the business venture. That would suck up more free time than kids, which used to be my number one reason for low miles.

But even in the worse of times, I never have to store the bike. Even in the mountains here, I rarely go more than 2 weeks between rides due to snow or ice!

Hope you manage to get out some this year!

Yeah neighbours - no such thing as "winter storage" round here either.

Iowabeakster,

You need to use your R as a mental health break - whether it be an hour during the day (you're make up that lost hour easily with that re-energized feeling) or a half or full day blast out to somewhere scenic (sorry, geographical knowledge of Iowa nil, so hope this is possible).

Or just find an excuse to get out on it. E.g. when Amy asks you to go buy some milk - easy. 50kms later she'll have the milk! (and you'll have scratched the itch).

One other option, to ease the frustration, is to put the bike into proper storage. I was off the road myself for six months (doctor's orders). Had the R taken away cos knew seeing it every day would be just tooooo tempting.

Good luck with the business.

Iv'e been thinking about getting a battery minder thing for when I don't ride for 2 days, as it starts just a tad slower than when I ride every day. Think I've managed to go no more than 3 days between rides this winter.

Iowa - might as well ride now, the business time crunch never lets up, you just end up with bigger numbers & more stress.

Mine has been in storage since Saturday afternoon. And today was such a nice day! Alas, looks like another day in the garage.

Hello,

I cannot answer any of these. Even at one month, that is too long. Here in NW Louisiana people ride straight through the winter and do not put their bikes into storage. Yea, sure, I might go a few weeks but I do not consider that "storage".

Rick

Since I got home from work earlier - around 3:30pm. I do miss riding it while it's in 'storage'. I guess I'll break it out again in about seven hours. Sheesh - I need to get off this website and get to bed!

never more than 8 to 10 days in january, when there is too much ice in the alley to get the bike out to the street. I have missed maybe 3 weeks of riding to work this winter since last november.

Bill from Chicago

What do you mean, storage? Parked? Uhh, I guess about 35 hours.
J/K guys. I know some of you poor bastards have 8 inches of snow on the ground for weeks on end. Been there. Done that. Don't care to do it again.

My bike is stored in my garage 24/7, and is ridden regularly.

I guess winter weather has an impact on everyone. The water in my swimming pool has dipped down into the low 70s, burrrrrr.

Maryland had a very mild winter. Over 5000 miles since Jan. 1 and didn't go anywhere . In bad winters the longest I did not ride the bike was about two weeks. Obviously our bad winters are like Minnesota/Iowa fall or spring.

Storage, that will be the day. Storge is for hobby cyclits and people who live north of the artic circle.

Paul Mihalka wrote:Maryland had a very mild winter. Over 5000 miles since Jan. 1 and didn't go anywhere . In bad winters the longest I did not ride the bike was about two weeks. Obviously our bad winters are like Minnesota/Iowa fall or spring.

What Paul said (except for the part about 5K miles ). This is a far north as I ever want to live. I consider myself very lucky, missed only two days riding to work due to crap on the roads.

I usually ride through the Virginia winters, but this year it was warmer than usual. This was offset a bit by a very busy travel schedule for me, so I only logged 2k miles from late November 'til now.

So no, my bikes are never in storage during winter.

edit - I should say however that I think nothing of riding in 20 degree weather. VA is a lot colder than many northerners think, especially in the Appalachias. Our weather in western VA is on par with that of New Jersey/New York City.

Here in North Eastern Ohio, the decision process is pretty simple...ride the R and plug the Battery Tender into the snow plow or ride the snow plow and plug the Tender into the R. It's always one or the other.

Man, reading all this is really depressing. Mine's been on the centrestand with fuel conditioner in it and on the Battery Tender since early December I get to start it once a month to keep it happy and lubed up. Oh well, the price you pay for clean air, a small population, great skiing and good public health care

I guess I'll just have to live vicariously through all you year-round riders and take a warm weather riding vacation once per winter to get my beakster fix.

over one month of no riding for me. this winter has been the mildest in years and i've ridden the least amount for any winter that i've owned the bike.

sucks.