ddaniels
Forum Sage
I believe it's balaclava.
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anyone go for a ride today? Pics?
- Thread starter trevor
- Start date
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Today it was snowing lightly, so going to Svolv?r seemed risky (being stranded on a mountain with bike and no equipment seems bad).
Instead I drove to the mainland and followed the coastal road.
I did a stop in Foldevik:
You can see the fish stuff in the background and some toruist "Rorbuer".
From another angle:
I also stopped on Gratangsfjellet, because I wanted to show how snowy its on the actual mountains.
Yes that is a frozen lake in the background.
The hippo hands seemed to allow me to drive about twice as long as before without my fingers feeling numb. I wonder if I have to get heated grips maybe. Hippo hands is a bit awkward to indicate with and use start button, but managable. They also made waving cumbersome.
It was like 1-2 degrees celcius for long parts of the ride, I had to put on a sweater in Foldvik. I was even cold on my feet.
Luckily the forecast for tonight is only 0, so it probably won't freeze, so maybe I can venture towards Svolv?r tomorrow (Svolv?r has much better mountains, and some super roads, a tad too many tunnels though).
Instead I drove to the mainland and followed the coastal road.
I did a stop in Foldevik:
You can see the fish stuff in the background and some toruist "Rorbuer".
From another angle:
I also stopped on Gratangsfjellet, because I wanted to show how snowy its on the actual mountains.
Yes that is a frozen lake in the background.
The hippo hands seemed to allow me to drive about twice as long as before without my fingers feeling numb. I wonder if I have to get heated grips maybe. Hippo hands is a bit awkward to indicate with and use start button, but managable. They also made waving cumbersome.
It was like 1-2 degrees celcius for long parts of the ride, I had to put on a sweater in Foldvik. I was even cold on my feet.
Luckily the forecast for tonight is only 0, so it probably won't freeze, so maybe I can venture towards Svolv?r tomorrow (Svolv?r has much better mountains, and some super roads, a tad too many tunnels though).
Just absolutely stunning!
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Thank you.
It is cold but I can't complain about the view.
The route I drove today I drive with my students all the time (but in a car). It is nice to know every bump on the road, but the gravel scares me. Challenging turns, and you need to use some common sense during the corners. But there were barely any traffic today (I passed an Octavia in the beginning, but after that I barely saw anyone else apart from some pedestrians and some bicyclists). I wish I wasn't so lazy so I I couyld get up earlier and see the sunset (but driving in this low temperatures is challenging, cold tires, possibility of ice, or snow and being cold myself). In a month or so we might have more surviviable temps though.
I am so lucky to live here, on this island. And usually Id be super busy with work, but now Im free to just goof around on my bike all day. I am a bit dissapointed I couldn't get to Svolv?r (but it would have been incredibly cold), at least my route was mostly dry and sunny (but I saw some snowing).
I feel a bit trapped by the mountains though, because I can't go north on mainland, I can't go south on mainland and I can't get to the other side of the island (I don't want to go where there has been negative degrees during the nights). I still have about 250km of roads in either direction that I can still access (maybe a bit less), but I want to go to all the edges of the island.
I am also scared of ferries, because I am not very good at strapping the bike down at all. But some of the smaller islands are probably worth a trip.
Noreg, I love your pictures. It's always nice to see other parts of the world though I am not sure I could handle the snow even this early in the year. Does any of that clear up and if so, when?
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Luckily I don't have to handle the snow now, because its mostly in yards, on mountains, and places I can avoid. And my handling of the snow has mostly been skillfully driving through it (Mercedes A180 is an excellent snowplow if the snow is above the bumper but not above the star... /s). And when the ice got to tall I swapped car with my boss and had to drive a Ford Kuga (terrible handling, okay awd, awesome heated windshield, old mans car).
I think the snow will be gone around the end of may, but I wouldn't bet on it. Probably it will, but who knows? It is 68 degrees north. My wife tells me she has experienced snowing in june...
Around the middle of may I will probably be freed from the snowy mountain roads so I can go north or south or whereever without being stuck.
Last summer was meh, but the summer before that we had temperatures around 30c in the summer. Thats about the same as on the Bahamas. And our beaches is just as pretty (but far less populated, our air might be decent heat, but the water will be brutally cold, at least for southerners).
I live somewhere where the amount of snow, is more of an issue than the cold. I have lived further north (Alta), and -20c on the regular is coooold (but there are places where -30c is common, and that is brutal, stopped for a smoke and a leak near H?tta in Finland on the 23rd of december once, had to stop mid cigarette, and mid stream because it was soooo cold, amazing stars though).
I really want to try driving in the US. On one hand the fines are insignificant, on the other hand the thought of a traffic cop pointing a loaded gun on me is terrifying. Also I find the lanes to be too wide. Getting my hands on some classic bike in Houston and then going north (west? or east? where is oregon?) would be great. But it would be interessting to ride a motorcycle without freezing my balls off. Seriously, today it was so cold I was fantasizing about putting an aquarium heater in the gas tank, so it would be nice and warm.
Mid june to july has good temperatures here, even out to august. And there is no night (midnight sun baby).
I am extremely lucky because gas is cheap, roads are empty and I have a decently running bike. This is probably the only year in my life I can ride up and down the island without tourists driving with their eyes on the view (every single month a handfull end up in the ditch or in the front of another car, the views at some parts are awe inspiring, and the roads are narrow and windy).
This island has some of the nicest mountains and ocean views (there are better fjords in the south, and there is taller mountains though). The drive into Svolv?r is breathtaking, I wish I had a helmet camera to show it. I totally understand the tourists...
For the record, the ONLY time that happens is if they are chasing an actual violent criminal. I have been pulled over way more than once in my 31 years of driving and have never seen the working end of a policeman's gun. Cops are not the shoot first ask questions later folks the TV shows like to portray.
Nice pictures! but ! Do you salt your roads there? Better rinse that Suzuki REALLY well! Riding in the winter....it was anyways the Age of Rust generally and not many 80s vehicles survived it.a lot of Scrap steel went to Japan in the 80s and the paint is not thick.
If you do go to the States, get medical insurance.
You would probably enjoy a ride down a long straight prairie highway after all those shady mountains... I know I do!
If you do go to the States, get medical insurance.
You would probably enjoy a ride down a long straight prairie highway after all those shady mountains... I know I do!
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I am sorry, that might have sounded harsh. Police with guns generally make me uncomfortable. Most of my life Norwegian cops had their guns locked up at the station. I don't know, its just unusual for me? I don't have anything against guns in general, and I am planning to get into handgun shooting at some point, and maybe hunting.
They do sadly :/
I am having problems getting it properly clean. I am afraid to degrease her and the high pressure hose seems dangerous? I usually rinse it with the hose. Our high pressure hose has heated water (usually set to 60 degrees celcius) if that matters.
Any tips on washing it properly?
I have all year travel insurance (unlimited treatment and unlimited repatritation(I can't spell it)), as soon as the government says its safe to go. My wife is from Houston so we are hoping it will be safe to go soon.
American roads are so different, so yeah it would be a nice change of scenery. And I assume I won't be as frozen in the US.
Maybe spray it with some ACF-50 a couple times a month after washing it down?
https://learchem.com/products/acf-50.html
https://learchem.com/products/acf-50.html
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That seems interessting. Not sure how much salt is on the roads now though, at times its cold enough for salt and today it was snowing... They don't salt with clear dry roads (unless snow is expected).
mmm. Not my strongpoint either but I make attempts to control it as I see it eating my bikes... warm water and maybe a dash of hair shampoo (it's gentle- avoid powdered detergents!) is a good start. No to your high pressure hose though, although an AIR hose might help to dry.... A 20 litre fertilizer/pesticide hand-pumped sprayer works gently and the nozzle gets it in the crevices. I fill it with warm water and use it because my water is shut off outside in winter.
A heated garage would help a lot too!
places to watch: rinse twice! Inside that chrome fender! It wouldn't hurt to take it off and repaint inside it with something tough or sacrificial because they are VERY vulnerable to rusting out from the back..., the swingarm gets the paint beat off quickly, and underneath where the exhaust crossover pipe is ...these are especially hard to keep paint on. I wish it was stainless...
Any vehicle ahead of you is throwing a cloud of salt of course so that gets everywhere.
I've tried barrier coats of magic oils and waxy coatings but haven't found any that work for me. Maybe they even trap salt. Not as good as axle grease smeared on in any test I've done and one wonders why and Nothing sticks better than an oil leak at the valve cover or the chain oil thrown off mixed with dirt. Someone should market this stuff!
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I have never experienced a vehicle detergent that is powder, maybe an american thing?
We aren't a mechanic shop, so no air (but I am sure I can get adequate airflow by just riding it like I stole it...). But the garage itself it the garage of a shop (we rent some space from the Volvo dealership, but we don't really do much mechanic stuff apart from light stuff).
My bike doesn't have a chain though. I find it hard to clean of even the dirt with a hose without pressure. I have aluminum safe degreaser, but I thin I might have to use pressure.
Went for a little 40 mile spin today. Tortilla Flat is a great little jaunt. It sucks when you get traffic jammed up on the road due to a chicken driver, and on the way back today, an idiot on some ratty CBR that has seen more mileage on its side than its tires was pvssyfooting it around corners like a kid who just got his first tricycle. A line of half a dozen cars was stuck behind the *@%^$*@%^$*@%^$*@%^$, who, as soon as the road was straight lit out at 100+, passing over the double yellow several times before he was gone. I wish that sort of rider would just go over the cliffs so the rest of us can enjoy a good ride.
About to go get groceries and then some beer and barbecue.
About to go get groceries and then some beer and barbecue.
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That looks so nice and warm. Cool picture.
I feel like having really really strict drivers education here is good. Our test to get the licence requires doing track exercises and stuff. And there is a strong focus of not bothering other people (like, if you want to go slow, thats okay, but pull over and let the faster people pass).
Why is there double yellows there though? The visibility seems to be adequate for passing.
You'd have to see the rest of the road from there. It's about 15 miles of switchbacks and esses. No guardrails, 500' falls possible in places.
That curve there does not allow for a good line of site to pass especially knowing the speed limit on that road is probably, and I'm assuming, at least 55 miles per hour
The speed limit there is 25. It's headed out of the tiny town of Tortilla Flat and almost immediately begins a mountain ascent that has 15-20 mph twisties for the next 15 miles.
True, I rode that same route at least a couple of times while I had my Honda there in January. Beautiful scenery for sure.
