Winterisation.

[Johnny4428]

Well it’s that time of year (unfortunately) to put the classics to bed for the winter. Drained fuel from carbs and turned engine over a good few times to draw any fuel from jets. Drained fuel tank and diesel washed the inside and just left the diesel in the bottom of the tank. Gave the chrome and paintwork a wax, removed batteries and placed bike cover over them. I have a well insulated shed to store them in. And just for good measure a small tubular wardrobe type heater underneath. Works for me! Roll on spring!😜

[Athame57]

Well, I don't have a garage myself. But while you are tucking yours to bed I'm gingerly getting ready for my first longish ride in weeks as I'm recovering from my first ever dose of pneumonia that came with a wider chest infection.  Just wondering, are there many of us who approach winter riding with their health in mind. My pneumonia was community acquired  but I'm not going to push the envelope too far I don't want to end up on a ward for five days again! 

[Johnny4428]

Well, I don't have a garage myself. But while you are tucking yours to bed I'm gingerly getting ready for my first longish ride in weeks as I'm recovering from my first ever dose of pneumonia that came with a wider chest infection.  Just wondering, are there many of us who approach winter riding with their health in mind. My pneumonia was community acquired  but I'm not going to push the envelope too far I don't want to end up on a ward for five days again! 

Bloody hell! That’s not good, you wouldn’t been feeling much like a bike run with that! Hope you are feeling fine now. I still have the Pan which I keep on the road over the winter for that rare nice dry day. But the 750 and 550 just end up sitting around gathering dust this time of year if not put away.

[McCabe-Thiele (Ted)]

Well, I don't have a garage myself. But while you are tucking yours to bed I'm gingerly getting ready for my first longish ride in weeks as I'm recovering from my first ever dose of pneumonia that came with a wider chest infection.  Just wondering, are there many of us who approach winter riding with their health in mind. My pneumonia was community acquired  but I'm not going to push the envelope too far I don't want to end up on a ward for five days again! 

Yikes Pneumonia is very serious - I wish you a speedy recovery.

Did you have the Pneumococcal vaccine?
Due to my heart problems I qualified for the vaccine a few years ago.

For health reasons I only ride in the warm summer days as cold weather would probably finish me off.

[Athame57]

Yikes Pneumonia is very serious - I wish you a speedy recovery.

Did you have the Pneumococcal vaccine?

Tell me about it, the first couple of days in hospital I was wondering if I might not make it, my lungs felt like a sack of spuds. I never got around to my flu jab but once I'm a bit better I'll go get it. I'll ask about covid too. Once I do ride I'll keep it to shorter trips a while and wrap a scarf around my boatrace, I ride with an open face lid.

[McCabe-Thiele (Ted)]

I'm about 9 years older than you, this year as well as the Flu Jab & Covid one I was also given a third one a coupe of months ago it was some sort of general immune system booster.

The Pneumococcal vaccine protects you against the more common Pneumonia strains, you might now have the anti-bodies as you have had Pneumonia.

I would ask your GP  they might stall the Flu Jab - they will know. Likewise when you qualify there is the Shingles vaccine - I think 69 is the qualifying age for that generally unless you have a compromised immune system or other health issues.

[Athame57]

Maybe a bit of fuel injection would do people like us good as well! 

[taysidedragon]

Maybe a bit of fuel injection would do people like us good as well! 

I knew a guy who used to drink petrol. He was fit as a fiddle and used to run everywhere at full speed.
One day he just stopped dead.
"Why did you stop?" people asked him.
"I ran out of petrol"

I'll get me coat...

[Eldrick]

I am going to run my 400f as much as possible down here in Cornwall. I think I can get 50miles per week in the dry gaps...

[McCabe-Thiele (Ted)]

A bonus for living  down south Eldrick lots of sunshine & milder weather, here in the East Midlands it seems like it's raining evry chance it gets.

[taysidedragon]

A bonus for living  down south Eldrick lots of sunshine & milder weather, here in the East Midlands it seems like it's raining evry chance it gets.

I lived in Cornwall for 12 years and the winters were mild but they were also very wet. The slugs that came out of the cornish hedges when it rained were massive. Biggest I've ever seen. 😲

[McCabe-Thiele (Ted)]

At night our rear concrete driveway is awash with big greenish slugs. They must have the Wilderbeest gene, no wonder Hedgehogs have returned to our back garden to feast. 👍👍👍

[K2-K6]

Slugs, its weird that I can only remember black or brown as a kid, some small white on lettuce maybe.

Now there's all sort of colour down here too Ted, stripy, spotted and odd colours. Wonder what happened in slug world to get such change.

Cornish one's, when camping there in August, there are some whoppers like submarines out at night on relatively undisturbed common and headland.  Some quite large Adder too .

[Athame57]

I feel sorry for these homeless snails! When you ride over a slug on the drive they go POP, when you ride over a snail they go CRUNCH! On a wet night the last few yards of your journey can sound like riding through a plate of Ricicles, snap crackle and pop! 

[McCabe-Thiele (Ted)]

Our garden is dominated by Slugs, I can pick up a snail & re-home it over the garden fence, s Slug urg revolting.