Friday, December 28, 2012

Martha asked for it and so…

How about 12-inches (Hey! That's a foot!) of new snow?

Is that good enough, for a day?


GOOD NEWS!
SNOW!

GOOD NEWS!
I GET TO TRY AND RIDE IN IT…..

BAD NEWS!
YOU CAN'T GET THERE FROM HERE!
WET SNOW AND STANDARD TIRES

=

YOU AIN'T GOING ANYWHERE BUDDY…



So, I figure, it's just slushy stuff.  Kind of like heavy rain.
And….
I make it to the street, turn to go down to the light and…

Fall down, go boom, go wheeeeee!!!

What happens is the rear of the scooter's body starts to go to the side, but…… you're steering straight ahead.

AH HA!!

So, you're front wheel is going straight ahead, while you driving wheel is going 90-degrees to your front wheel.  Doesn't work, everything just slides out from under you and down, straight down go you.



It took me about 20-minutes to decide that, although doable, it is just too much physical work to ride in this type snow without snow tires.  Unfortunately, no one sells my size.

(Am I being told something?)

However, if you want to try it, here are some suggestions - based upon my very real experience:

Watch for dips in the snow…. they are not friendly. They grab your tire.

You really need to look ahead and read the terrain.  Go for the slushy, soft stuff.  The packed snow is just as slippery AND it allows your tire to dig itself a hole - whereupon, you just ain't going anywhere.

You must ski along.  Both feet out and firmly on the ground.  Ski -- or, perhaps more accurately, out rig -- your legs push, shove, straighten, push up, right, left constantly.  After a while it's really a bit of fun.

Be prepared to be real tired after a very short time-frame.  Never realized how heavy my machine is….

Of course, once you're on a main road, it's just like riding in the rain.  So, unless you wish to join my club, head for the main road --- pronto!


I know it's blurry.  You try and hold a camera steady after wrestling with this monster for an hour….


Wonder if I screwed small screws in……?


Stuff sticks everywhere..

Anyway….

Today's score:

One Fall: slow speed, so scoot's not hurt.
One very sore left hip and thigh.  Scooters are clearly better able to take falls then people are.
1/2 mile trip on snow.
One bemused BRW.
One slush-covered Honda.
One bright outlook for a new attempt tomorrow.

Provided I can walk….. Stay tuned!!

Posted by at

14 comments:

  1. UnknownDecember 28, 2012 at 2:50 PM

    Mike:

    I think I'm going to stand beside BRW and shake my head too . . .

    hope you didn't get too badly hurt. Sometimes I wonder if you Maine'rs are related to Newfies

    bob
    Riding the Wet Coast
    My Flickr // My YouTube

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    1. UnknownDecember 28, 2012 at 5:27 PM

      Nope. Didn't get hurt at all. Landed on head.
      Haven't had a haircut in about 2-months, so, at the very least, I look pretty much like a Newfie.

      Thing is, someone's got to get the "Oh my goodness, it's October, I can't ride anymore" attitude demolished, and if I can get the darn thing to ride in the snow, perhaps others will ride when it's just cold.
      Can't help myself…. Always been like this, much to BRW's dismay.
      Stay tuned, more fun to come.
      Ciao.
      Mike.

      Delete
    2. VStar LadyDecember 31, 2012 at 4:16 PM

      I'm with Bob ... well about the shaking my head. Sometimes, it's just better to walk (saves a lot of pain.) At least wait til the road is plowed.

      Delete
  2. Martha December 28, 2012 at 4:08 PM

    Now that's more like it! A little bit o' snow makes it "normal". One foot is a good start for your area.

    After BRW and Bob, you can add me. No more hospital visits...If this blog goes quiet for a few days we will know why.

    I think they call Maine folk "Mainiacs" don't they?

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    1. UnknownDecember 28, 2012 at 5:33 PM

      Yup. Mainiacs. And…. I'm from NYC, so I'm twice blessed… Hard head and a maniac.
      By the way, our normal snow amount ranges from 5 ft. to 8 ft. Last year we had more than the average. We still had snowbanks (in the shade) in mid-May.

      Thank you for your concern. It is deeply appreciated. I promise not to go overboard with my experiments.

      Ciao. Mike.

      Delete
  3. RichardMDecember 28, 2012 at 5:08 PM

    I think you need some studded tires before trying that again. Aerostitch has them (http://www.aerostich.com/self-tapping-carbide-tire-studs.html) but probably others have them as well.

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    1. UnknownDecember 28, 2012 at 5:36 PM

      Thank you Richard. I'm going to talk to my handy dandy scooter shop and see if we can get something like this going. After all, we have studded tires on our automobile.
      By the way, do many ride their machines up your way? With Studs I assume, yes?

      As always, thanks for reading and for the input. OH. Did you get a chance to listen to the show? Remember, 1:30 to 3 PM Mondays. Stream it through wmpg.org.

      Ciao. Mike.

      Delete
    2. RichardMDecember 28, 2012 at 5:42 PM

      Haven't had a chance to liste to the live stream yet. There are some who ride year around on studded tires but mostly around Anchorage where the temperature is more moderate. But I think they use automotive studs instead of the screw in ones. I almost have the sidecar installed and I've been looking at these studs as well.

      Delete
  4. BigqueueDecember 28, 2012 at 5:12 PM

    Check ou the ICEMAN studded tires here:

    http://scgt.wordpress.com/2008/02/08/those-are-some-serious-snow-tires/
    http://www.schwalbetires.com/scooter_tires

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    1. UnknownDecember 28, 2012 at 5:40 PM

      Thanks for to direction. I'll see what I can get that will work.

      I'm sorry, but I don't think I've seen your posts before. If not, welcome, if so, sorry not to have noticed. Anyway, standby. More madness to follow.
      Ciao.
      Mike.

      Delete
  5. Keith - Circle BlueDecember 28, 2012 at 11:42 PM

    I know how much fun you had! It's tiring but great fun to play in the snow. I've found weight over the rear wheel helps some, but it's still about playing pickup a lot. Everyone else has given you the ideas about studs. Studs aren't legal here, but I know one guy who runs them on his BMW GS650. He doesn't own a car.
    Have fun!
    ~Keith

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    1. UnknownDecember 29, 2012 at 10:11 AM

      Well Keith, Studs are illegal there because you have the Slugger - who takes care of all the Studs.

      (Sorry…. couldn't help myself.)

      It was great fun, but let me tell you, I HURT today. Perhaps my BRW is correct, at my age it should be Rum and Cokes under palm trees. She tells me that until I remind her of the 20-someodds who are also a compulsory part of the scene - then she starts looking for snow tires for the Honda.

      (Just kidding…. she's not known as BRW for nothing.)

      This tire thing is one of the reasons we are looking up in CCs and size… there are more items available.

      Anyway, enjoy your posting… Let me know when snow arrives --- oh, I too sold my car…. it's scooter or walk.
      Ciao.
      Mike.

      Delete
  6. Martha December 29, 2012 at 9:44 AM

    I see by the forecast you are set for more snow! Fashion a blade on the front of your scooter, slap on those new studded tires and clean up the neighborhood! I'd suggest elbow and knee pads and a snowmobile helmet.

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    1. UnknownDecember 29, 2012 at 10:17 AM

      Martha….
      This is an actual text message conversation between my friend and I re: snow.
      F: Another storm on the way.
      M: Going to make for tough scootering.
      F: Perhaps a front ski, or, an outrigger?
      M: You know, that just might work. Let me think about it, see what I've got that will do the trick.
      F: Next stop the Funny Farm!

      I guess great minds think alike.
      Ciao.
      Mike.

      Delete

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