Posted by Witch Doctor on July 08, 2000 at 23:54:49:
Here in the Memphis area, it has become too hot to ride. The heat index (reat temp plus humidity) has been in the vicinity of 107 degrees farenheit. That is getting too hot for it to be safe. Heat can cause all kinds of problems for riders, including blurred vision, spacial disorientation, heat exhaustion, heat stroke, etc. It can and does cause air/air-oil cooled bike engines to get ough, overheat, boil off oil, vapor lock, and sometimes seize.
When I lived in Washington state, I thought that being a southern biker would be great. Year round riding, scantily clad biker babes, no helmets, little traffic, a true riders paradise. Hah! Bugs, birds, heat, humidity, lousy pavement, incompetent dealerships, no real sense of riding brotherhood; sheesh, this ain't the place to try to stay in/enter the lifstyle.
On a happier note, having two tear down seasons a year is actually kind of a blesing in disguise. Since it is too hot to ride, my bike is down for a repaint and modify session. I have almost two more months in which to design new parts, improve existing ones, and generally make the bike more pleasurable to ride come the cooler fall/spring months.
For those who expressed an interest in the parts I am working on, please continue to be patient for a while longer. Time has become a very tight commodity right now, and I don't have much to devote to hands on bike work. I need to fix a bunch of stuff around the house, and that comes before the bike stuff. However, I am getting closer with the hardtail kit, the rack is coming along (slowly but surely), and with any luck, there will be some touring type gear coming off the drawing board shortly. For you true riding enthusiasts, that means hard bags, trunk, and maybe a mini side car for hauling your junk around. Why not, if the big bikes can have all that kind stuff, we should be able to get it also.
Y'all have fun. Someone put in some extra saddletime for me. The shop door is always open, so feel free to drop by if you're in the mid-south (memphis) area.
-WD