Wait for it...

For most motorcyclists, winter time is the least favorite time of the year.  It's just too cold to get out and enjoy a nice ride on your favorite highway.  So motorcycles tend to get covered and stored in garages and shelters while we wait for the calendar to turn to spring.  Here in Missouri, we are considered to have a 4 season climate, but one with possibilities of extreme temperatures.  We just endured what many consider the hottest year on record in 2012.  It started out with unseasonably warm temperatures in January and February and turned into severe drought conditions by summer, complete with scores of days above 90 and even 100 degrees!  It is not unusual to have temperatures fall below zero in the winter either, although normal lows for January are in the 20's for central Missouri.  When it comes to weather in Missouri, the one thing that you can count on is change.  It is often said that the world renown author Mark Twain, a famous Missourian also known as Samuel Clemens, once quoted, "if you don't like the weather in Missouri, just wait 5 minutes".  And he was right.  Just this past week, the temperature here has ranged from highs in the 20's to a spring like 63 degrees this past weekend!  For this reason, many motorcyclists like myself, do not winterize our bikes while we suffer through the cold weather of winter.  Instead, we wait for that 63 degree day in January and start up our bikes and hit the open road.  What a thrill it is to get out and enjoy a taste of spring time during the off season.  While short lived, we will just wait for another day warm enough to put on our leather jackets again as we wait for spring to arrive.  So keep the battery tender hooked up and be ready to ride...it could be sooner than you think!