Spring has arrived

A week ago I attached the luggage brackets for OEM panniers. Thanks to Nozzle for the great pics in the photo galleries and to everyone else who posted install info. The temperature in my garage was 38. There was ice on the roads and gravel everywhere. Instead of a ride when I finished, I thawed out my fingers and ordered a set of ConvertiBars. Happily, they were on sale. (A small consolation.)

This week I pulled the battery off the trickle charger and put it in the bike because the temperature in my garage is 52. Its been about 5 months since I've heard it run. Ohhhh yeah! I love this time of year...

The roads still aren't ready, but at least she's alive. We'll probably get one more snow storm, but it'll only be a couple of weeks before riding season is officially here.

Yes, that was the only point to this post. I'm pretty excited about it. :thumbsup:

 

Woke up to snow this AM; it was 60 here on Friday.

 

It's 57 degrees and sunny in Ohio. That's riding weather!!
Got my first chance out on the bike this afternoon. I took it easy since I only had the bike a few weeks in the fall before winter hit. But it felt great to be out there!

I hope you get some decent riding weather in your areas soon too!

 

I'll be riding out to Rapid City towards the end of June. It'll be my first time in your State. What kind of weather should I epect then?

 

This is the time of year when the weather can and will change drastically from day to day. I rode to work a couple days ago. It was 56 on Friday. It is snowing today. Rain tomorrow and will be 60 by Wed.
It will continue this way through May here in the mountains. I just hope the good days are when I want to travel. I wish the same for all of you.

 

June will be beautiful. Our state is really two states: east of the Missouri river it is humid, the ground is flat, and we have lots of bugs that will plaster your faceshield. I think you'll be fine with the heat & humidity being from PA. West of the Missouri it gets hillier. The climate is drier, and there are fewer bugs. It is very windy here no matter which side of the river you find yourself...to the point that you have to park carefully. The wind here can blow a bike off of its side stand some days. You can sometimes avoid the worst of it by riding early in the morning.

The Black Hills are a gorgeous ride. I hope you have time set aside to enjoy them. The climate there is unique to the state. There are only four or five nights you can ride in the Hills without gear for cool weather. Daytime can get hot, but the lack of humidity makes the breeze cool. Very comfortable riding. The roads are pretty good, too. Motorcycles are everywhere all summer long (sport and HD), so people are accustomed to watching for them. It is one of the safer places to ride, IMO, as long as you keep it on the road.:smile:

I hope you'll take pictures of your trip and post them here. Ride safe! :thumbsup:

 

It was 60 here today, low 50s yesterday, and 40s last Friday, but the roads are passable so all three were riding days. I think Spring is here.

I've made a couple of trips across South Dakota in the last three years, including some nice riding in the Black Hills. I agree it is a great place to ride, but the wind can be a treat. It was always from the south when I was crossing and it can get to you after a while. I think one day it was consistently over 30 mph.

 

Ha,, talk about a tease, looks like spring had arrived as it got to 60 a couple days ago, then this is what I woke up to.