Winter is on its way

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al
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Winter is on its way

Post by al »

It's getting cold first thing in the morning, the rain has returned, and the wind last night has started to bring down a load of leaves. Car drivers are still driving around like they are in a race so take care out there.

If you, like me, try and use their bike as much as they can through the winter then now is a good time to give it a bit of TLC before the weather goes down hill properly and the salt and other crap goes down. Get all the parts that are meant to move greased up, give all the bolts that need to come off for servicing a good coating of copper grease to try and prevent ingress of salty water which will corrode them in place otherwise.

Check your chain an sprockets and make sure they are clean and lubiricated over the winter as they take a battering. Take the time to adjust the chain at this point and if possible get some anti-seize grease on the adjuster bolts if you can.

If you are up for it then it is worth pulling out the wheel axles an making sure thar they are clean and give them a coating of a suitable grease (I use white lithium spray grease from Halfords for that). It will make getting the wheels of at tyre change time a lot less painfull.

Make sure your brake calipers are clean and that your pistons are free and that sliding calipers can actually slide.

Stock up on your preferred anti-corrosion products. If you use the likes of ACF-50 then they work best if you apply them before exposure to salt etc. to keep your bike looking its best.

Now is a goot time to look out all of your winter riding gear and try it out. That way you will be able to address the burst zips and fasteners that you forgot about from last winter before you need to use the kit. You will also be able to check how much the kit has shrunk since you last wore it as all kit seems to do (well mine does anyway).

During the winter I use a fluro yellow works type plastic jacket that I got from Arco a few years back sized to go over my largest jacket. It makes me a bit more visible in the dark mornings/evenings and with it being non-breathable helps keep the cold air out and the warm air in. It also keeps the worst of the rain off of my bike jacket so I'm not having to sit in the office with a wet jacket draped over the back of my chair.

If you use waterproof over trousers or a one-pice waterproof suit when it is raining/snowing then remember to carry a plastic shopping bag with you. Pop that over your boot when you put your leg into the waterproofs and it will slide through easily.

Stay warm and dry! If you are spending half your time on a journey thinking about how cold or wet you are then, obviously, that's have your time spent not watching out for yourself or concentrating on your riding. Things like heated grips do make a difference at this time of year and can contribute to your safety and general wellbeing on the bike. Even if your gloves aren't very waterproof it is far nicer to have your hands in a warm pool of water rather than a freezing cold pool. Again, if you have heated kit then now is a good time to test it out before you need it in anger.

Big Kneed Al (master of the emergency stop & "stand up" comedian).
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Dave
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Re: Winter is on its way

Post by Dave »

good post Big Kneed Al (master of the emergency stop & "stand up" comedian) :2up

it was so clod this week, that I had to close the vents on my jacket.
willian
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Re: Winter is on its way

Post by willian »

I'm getting some more Nikwax for my gear on the way home from town :2up
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The Rossi Kid
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Re: Winter is on its way

Post by The Rossi Kid »

Great post and spurred me into the garage yesterday afternoon. The Triumph is now tucked into the corner and up on stands and covered up (though need to brim the tank). The Aprilia was given a full check over and is now back in service. Might treat myself to rearsets to improve comfort and i'll top up my FS365 supply.

:freebird
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Khauff
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Re: Winter is on its way

Post by Khauff »

Great reminder of things to check :2up
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