A few thoughts 01/05/25

“…its about the journey, not the destination…”

  …A FEW THOUGHTS…

Out for a short ride on the Scram on a chilly winter day

       The next 6 weeks are the most difficult for me. Temperatures freezing or below, wet, frozen or snowy

roads. Few chances to go for a ride. At the end of Fall I take the carbureted bikes and drain the carburetors 

and move them all to the back of the garage, parked close together. My winter regimen is to put a charger on all of the bikes overnight once a month. I have found that this allows bikes to start up easily in the Spring. 

A stop on the Interceptor on a back road in Pennsylvania 

        This leaves me with two legitimate bikes to ride in the cold weather. My scooter has heated grips so it it’s in the mid 40s I can take it out for short rides. I bought a Royal Enfield Interceptor last February and I really like it, so if there is any chance to take it out I do so. Back in mid-December I bought another Royal Enfield, a Scram 411. The name of the bike means that it has a 411 cc engine. Many experienced riders, and the vast majority of younger rides would say the motor is too small and the bike is too slow. When I was younger I thought the same way. The Scram is designed to be a “scrambler.” This means it is capable of mild off roading. The frames of the Royal Enfield’s are designed in England in a facility Royal Enfield purchased to take advantage of English expertise in this area. On of the key reasons for the popularity of Triumph motorcycles of the 60s and 70s was they way they handled. That is the reason Royal Enfield bikes are so much fun to ride. 

The protection the wind shield gives me on my R1150 GS is surprising…
The heated grips work well.

        The way you sit on my R1150 GS provides good protection due to the shape of the wind shield, the gas tank, and the motor. I have a heated vest if needed but generally my Kilimanjaro jacket and wind proof riding pants allow relatively short rides.

My Spyder on a wonderful road in PA.

        My main winter bike, and long distance touring bike is my Can Am Spyder. The wind shield is adjustable electronically, and the “fairing” really protects you lower body and feet. It also has heated seats and heated grips. Generally I don’t like riding in temperatures below 40 degrees, buy I can be fairly comfortable on colder days on the Spyder.

These are my warm weather bikes “retired” for the winter.

        My bikes with little or no protection sit at the back of the garage. To get them ready for the months long period of sitting I empty the carburators either by draining the gas from the bike or run the bike with the peacock off until the bikes stops running. Once a month during the winter I attach a battery charger to the bikes over night. My experience is that in the spring the bikes start right up.

The Scram “snuggled” up against the GS.

        Often during the winter the temps here get up into the mid 40s or lower 50s. I celebrate days like this by going out for a decent ride. Next week here on one day the high temperature is going to be 17! 😖 I’ll probably spend lots of time watching YOUTUBE motorcycle videos. Keep warm!