Spirit of the Season: What Is Your Snow Story?

[GoldOxide_imp]

I am sure many of us cheat out on a winter Sunday afternoon because the sky looks clear. But then while riding - ah crap! - a white out. If you are lucky, it lasts only five minutes and if you more lucky, you are parked at a coffee shop.

But what about other times?

Once I was out on an '82 Yamaha Seca 550 and stayed out way tooooo long in January. It got dark (I blame this on my girlfriend). It snowed and accumulated and was porridge. Fortunately, cars tracks exposed some asphalt to get "some" predictable tracking ... until the dreaded traffic intersection. Fortunately I survived all the intersections, but my riding pals the next day (yeah, they went out the next day) dropped in the middle of a plowed intersection. I believe black ice had something to do with it.

Anyway, the night temperature was about -3C and the steering stock froze up. So I was riding in the snow with no hands. No hands? ... wha? Yeah, the throttle stuck too. The Seca controls did not like the cold.

Would I do that on the CB1100? Absolutely not. Why risk damaging such a beautiful piece of machinery? (crap, the wifey might have something to say about my well being and responsibilities too).

If winter riding, be safe. Pay attention to the forecast.

[LongRanger_imp]

My story relates to one of the IBA Saddlesore 1000's that I organized. This particular event took place in August 2008, Denver to Cripple Creek, CO, 1000 miles in 24 hours. That summer had been the hottest in Colorado history. The route opened at 5:00 AM and immediately led participants towards 11,306' Berthoud Pass. On this morning, the pass was impassable, with 6"-8" of snow and slush covering the road and black ice underneath. Of the 60 riders, only 4 made it over the pass. Several went down in the attempt, including one guy on a gorgeous restored CBX. The rest of us did a widely-advised U-turn and took a 90-mile detour to circumvent the pass. Along the way, we encountered more snow and slush. One guy on a K1200LT lost control and slid off the roadway, down an embankment, and into some trees (I was directly behind him and watched him fishtail mercilessly over the edge). He was uninjured but his day was over. Most folks were able to make it through that gauntlet and finish the 1000 miles, but it was a nerve-wracking way to begin a long day in the saddle.

[GoldOxide_imp]

Yikes! That is an incredible out-of-season story. And the CBX - ouch. Sounds like the bike gods were absent that day. Really incredible.