You are absolutely correct. I am a WHIMP! In my profession, I've spent enough time freezing my ass off for work. Even a slight chill (below 50), and I'll choose other entertainment on my time off. Plenty of Winter sports to get my thrills!
Thanks for your concern though...and hope to see Derek and other New Englanders's in April, or so. Curtis ----- Original Message ----- From: "Derek Baylor" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Sent: Sunday, November 24, 2002 11:34 AM Subject: Re: Come on you whimpies! > O.K., I'm a whimpy, but my problem goes way deeper than simple ambient > temperature. I'm a born and bred Seattle biker, and I rode all year 'round > in the nastiest (if not quite the coldest) of weather. Being a spoiled west > coast rider for many years, my main complaint about "here" (Brooklyn and NYC > specifically, and the whole tri-state area generally) is the lack of > quality, accessible, and relatively empty roads. I ride to find solace, to > recharge my spirit, and to have some good 'ol heart-pounding fun. It's > relaxing because it requires so much focus, and the euphoric pay-off is > high. In Seattle, I could ride for 30 minutes in almost any direction and > find a better stretch of road than I can get within an hour-and-a-half of > Brooklyn. And the commute here is no casual, relaxing, 90 minutes either! > New York City is the ninth circle of motorcycling hell, as far as I'm > concerned. Sure, the road warrior thing is fun for a while, lane-splitting, > dodging cabs and kitchen sink-size potholes, flaunting ALL traffic laws just > 'cause you can, but it's far from relaxing. THEN, once you're out of the > city, let's say Bear Mountain or Storm King, the amount of real high-quality > riding available is really rather limited (at least by my spoiled, > west-of-the-Rockies standards). In my book, a couple miles of twisties > sprinkled sparingly among towns, cities, oceans of thruways, and hordes of > maniacal weekend warriors in Audis and Hummer H2's is just not worth the > aggravation of getting there. > > What it's really all about is mountains. Mountains hem-in the urban sprawl, > they make the roads twisty and the views spectacular. There just ain't no > mountains in New Jersey, Connecticut, or southern New York, people! And no, > the Catskills do not count! If it's got a smooth, rounded peak and a > uniform carpet of trees that goes all the way up, it just isn't a mountain, > I don't care how flat the rest of the state is! Mountains = good riding, > and anyone who's ridden the Rockies, Sierras, or Cascades will knows what I > mean. > > I know I'll be catching some crap from listers who will insist that NY is a > great place to be a biker, that the traffic ain't so bad and the local > riding is actually quite good. I also understand that if I've got the time, > there's great riding just a little farther out, in the Adirondacks, in New > Hampshire and Vermont, and down in W. Virginia. But my moto-health requires > regular does of quality riding, and New York had been a real strain on my > moto-constitution. > > SO, back to the temperature issue: if I have to fight my way through NYC > just to ride a rather poor selection of crowded country roads, then it > better at least be a warm, sunny day! And that's all I have to say in my > own defense. > > -Derek > Brooklyn, NY > > > > ----- Original Message ----- > From: "Shawn Pearsall" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > To: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > Sent: Sunday, November 24, 2002 10:16 AM > Subject: Come on you whimpies! > > > > Now don't take this the wrong way, but downstate NY ain't that cold, > > very little salt on the roads cause it hasn't snowed there yet...sunny > > (verses Cloud bound Rochester) Get some electrics like Mike Coan or > > Roger Van Santen...I rode with Roger in misty Oregon ...cold and wet, > > but with electrics it was fabulous. > > > > Besides maybe 2-3 months (January-Feb) I'd be riding if the roads were > > clear of salt...rememer you have fuel injection, keep the battery inside > > on a charger..slap it in and go...I cruise around sometimes in February > > if we've had a rain storm to clear the salt... > > > > All those high taxes we send downstate must be making you guys soft! :) > > > > Shawn Pearsall > > Fairport, NY > > Upstate... >
