Another nice day for a ride in Iowa

[rjs987]

It was the coldest morning since February here.
Decided to get out for a little ride this morning.
I put on a double pair of socks in my Alpine Stars Air boots and the insulation liner along with the wind liner in my TM Venture Air pants. Behind the superb weather protection shields of my AK 550 that was plenty to keep me warm. I wore the insulation/wind liners for my TM Pivot jacket with another insulation/wind liner set from my previous jacket as well as a fleece jacket up top. I also wore my Turtle fur neck gator and TM Mid-Tex gloves. The heated grips were set to low inside my KemiMoto bar muffs.

The temp was 11F for much of the 24 mile ride. It would go up just a little once in a while and then dip back down to that again. Depended if the road was dropping into a slight valley over a stream of which we have many around here. I use an aquarium/terrarium thermometer that ranges from below -50F to over 120F and I put it in the pocket of the bar muffs with the probe hanging out in the wind so I can look at it as I ride. I was actually beginning to get very warm in the latter part of the ride. I likely didn't need the fleece jacket. The palms of my hands especially were just starting to feel almost too hot even though the heated grips were set to low. I was tempted to turn off the grip heat for a little while.

During this ride I realized that I had forgotten to move the windshield to the upper position so I'll be doing that as soon as the garage warms up a bit. I don't have an electric shield adjustment but it's just 4 bolts on the shield and 4 bolts on the brackets that are easy to get to. I only make this adjustment in the late fall or spring so no big deal to me... same as I did when I had an electric shield adjuster so one less system to fail IMO.

[rjs987]

Got out for my first ride of 2024 on January 2. I was thinking of getting out yesterday, Jan 1, but started working on an electrical diagram to add a trailer plug harness to my AK 550 and time got away from me. It was dark before I knew it and so I made sure to get out today.

I rode 63 miles for my first 63 miles to put on the annual miles list. The temp started out about 38F and dropped to 33F by about half way around at the southernmost point of the ride. Then it warmed back up to around 37F by the time I returned home. I left the heated grips turned off most of the way around but as the temp dropped I turned them on low and left them on the rest of the ride. Otherwise the Kemimoto bar muffs were plenty for the temps. I had maybe 3 miles of city road at the beginning and another 3 miles at the end of the ride but in between was all country roads.

[rjs987]

Another nice day before daycare services start up again (tomorrow) so went for a ride. A little chillier than yesterday. Started out at 37F but within 5 miles dropped to 35F. About half way around it was 33F. I did turn on the grip heat on low about 15 miles into the ride since it is better not to have slightly chilled hands... but ended up with sweaty hands and almost burned the palms. Warmer is still better than cooler. Went north and west this time. Temps also dropped all over the area during the ride. Rode 42 miles today.

Almost got a picture of an eagle sitting on a tree branch over a small river the road was following. Just as I was about to take the shot a car drove by and the eagle flew off and down close to the water in the trees so couldn't get it. This is the same spot I saw an eagle last year so maybe next time.

[rjs987]

The sun was shining and the temps were around 48F-49F and the BEST part was that the roads were dry with a few spots where melting snow on the sides was washing across cleaning off the pavement.

So I went for a ride... FINALLY. No need for heated grips with just the handlebar muffs being plenty to keep my hands toasty warm. I did still wear my Turtle Fur neck gator and one layer of insulated liner in the jacket. Rode about 30 miles. Temps stayed steady all around.

Since the AK had been sitting for almost 4 weeks with Sta-Bil in the tank. I knew it would sit for a while due to the big snowfalls we received. Today the AK was reluctant to start on the first try. It took 4-5 tries to get it to fire up. The AK has a safety cutoff in the starter circuit so that if the voltage drops below 11.6 vdc WHILE attempting to start it the starter cuts out. I did have it sitting on the BT Jr all this time. The battery was in between a recharge and drain cycle. IOW the BT Jr. turns off when the battery is fully charged and comes back on when the battery drops to a certain level. I don't ever just hold the starter button until it fires up anyway to avoid the risk of flooding the engine but rather do several short bursts. But a few times the voltage did drop under 12 vdc and the starter cut out and after letting it sit for 10-15 seconds the voltage went back up for another try. After it started it ran just a bit rough for a minute or so and then smoothed right out to normal running... but I did see a check engine light on the dash which stayed on for the entire ride. Everything seemed to be running fine at that point and I was suspecting either bad gas or the Sta-Bil was old. I did have that bottle of Sta-Bil for 3-4 years and that is past the normal expiration for the stuff. At the end of the ride I stopped to fill up with fresh gas. The check engine light stayed on for the 1.5 miles home. But after I shut it off, put it on the center stand, and started the engine again. It fired right up without hesitation and there was no more check engine light. So I'm certain my initial thought is correct... bad gas or Sta-Bil. I've had the AK sit for this long once or twice last year with no issues starting so I'm going with that.

So far this year all my rides have been at temps above freezing. I filled the tank at the beginning of the year and then again today. So far my mileage is 52.5 mpg for riding mostly in temps that were in the 30sF.

[Iahawk]

yesterday was our first sunny, warm(er) day in a long time! Glad you made it out. I'm still aiming for a Wednesday ride so I can maintain my streak of riding in all 12 months...better weather coming, soon!

[rjs987]

It was a very nice day today. Sunny with temps around 59F so I put the bike back together and went for a ride. I had a few parts under the seat removed to facilitate me sizing and cutting metal tubes for a trailer hitch that I am making. I did have a destination today. I was headed to the state DOT office to register my new-to-me trailer. Rode a total of 37.0 miles today.

[rjs987]

Not really a warm day. Even very cloudy so that the sun was hiding. But it was still a nice day for a ride. I had taken the handlebar muffs off yesterday and didn't feel like putting them back on just for temps warmer than freezing. The heated grips were more than enough for this ride. Temps started out about 38F and went up to 39F. Then dropped to 37F and back up to 40F by the time I returned home. I rode just over 66 miles today. My route was a common one that I like to take. Long stretches of low rolling hills. Several sections of sweeping curves, some up and down those hills. And speed limits mostly 45-55 mph which I favor. It was an enjoyable ride.

[rjs987]

Another sunny clear blue sky day with temps staying around 56F. Delay getting in at the metal shop for some welding on my hitch frame so went for a ride. One of my favorite routes to the south and out in the country on county roads. Rode 60 miles today.

[Iahawk]

I'm jealous, I was stuck in my home office in my basement all day...only time I got out was before 7 to get the newspaper. I had no idea it was so nice out!

[rjs987]

Was a very nice day today. Near 60F and sunny but VERY windy. 25+ mph constant wind with higher gusts. Only went for a short ride. 1.5 miles to go to the UPS office to return an Amazon item but forgot they closed 20 minutes before I got there. Then I took the long way home resulting in over 16 miles riding today. I pulled the trailer again for this ride only it was empty so I could see how it went with no load other than the weight of the trailer itself (70 lbs). The trailer bounced a bit more when going over bumps and bigger cracks in the road but otherwise stayed smooth rolling.

[rjs987]

Who says you can't go shopping with a bike pulling a trailer?
Went to Walmart yesterday to pickup a curbside shopping order. There is a big bag of dog food in the very bottom of the trailer under all the sacks. Only half full this trip.
https://photos.app.goo.gl/3jnnZFtW69XmHR2s9

[Neil955i]

Good job Rob.

[rjs987]

Just returned from another camping/riding trip to Minnesota. Total of 642 miles. Most of that was getting there and back with a little 70 mile loop ride and a few shorter rides while there. Great weather, if a little cool.

Here is a link to some pics of this event:
https://photos.app.goo.gl/WN86pVivRyWCnFD29

[rjs987]

After family matters and being sick for a week I was wondering when I'd finally get my first ride of 2025 done.
Last Sunday I finally got out on the AK. Bundled up real warm with extra layers, with the wind/thermal jacket liners X2 (I have an extra set from previous riding jackets) and the wind/thermal layer in the riding pants and my neck gator. I have Kemimoto handlebar muffs on the bike and with the heated grips inside those my hands stay warm. The ride was only 12 miles since I was on a shopping errand (so the sun was well up in the sky) but the temp was down to -2.7F (that's -19.3C). I'm not the first place rider this year since there is someone in MN who is riding at -22F!!

I use an Aquarium/Terrarium thermometer sensor in the clear pocket of the bar muffs to keep track of the temps for the annual Coldest Ride game on the ST-Owners forum. I've won that game a few years over the last 14 years and have been in the top 5 (bottom 5?) for all but one year when there was excessive snow hanging around. Right now we have almost no snow anywhere but where the shadows are constant. So the roads are clear and dry and there really hasn't been much, if any, surface treatment put down.

Today was colder than the weekend so I took off for another 20 miles this morning. Temps varied from -13.7F to -12.1F but stayed below -13F for about 80% of the ride. The sun came up about the time I returned home so this was my first sunrise ride in a little while.

Sorry about all the snow falling way down south. I know that can't be easy for you guys.

[Iahawk]

You went for a 20 mile ride yesterday morning?? Before sunrise? My outside temp showed -15 F at 6:30 AM. You, sir, are a lunatic! And I thought riding in the 20’s was cold..you win the Iowa coldest ride award!