Trying to Reason With Cold Weather Season

[fatguyzinc]

(reading this at 10:30pm in his underwear while its 78 degrees outside
wondering what this "snow" stuff is that people speak of)

hmm. thats weird.

[cstmwgn]

(reading this at 10:30pm in his underwear while its 78 degrees outside
wondering what this "snow" stuff is that people speak of)

hmm. thats weird.

pop on over to the big island (not sure what the dress code is for island hopping). You should be able to find some at the top of Mauna Kea.

[pdub]

The kids will probably get a whole month off from school.

[tedly]

This was a few days ago, before this storm rolled through. No way my fat ass is going outside now, but it's probably double that. If you look at the railing you'll see the top of a ruler peeking out. Yall want snow? Come on up. We got enough for everyone.

[pdub]

Tedly, you can keep the frozen sky crap right there. Don't bother to ship it.

And it's really neat, admirable, how you sure do type well with one hand. I'm guessing you're right-handed. Because I've lost the use of one hand and then the other. Typing becomes a real challenge. And with one hand you can't possibly talk on the phone and type at the same time, that's OUT.

[tedly]

Tedly, you can keep the frozen sky crap right there. Don't bother to ship it.

And it's really neat, admirable, how you sure do type well with one hand. I'm guessing you're right-handed. Because I've lost the use of one hand and then the other. Typing becomes a real challenge. And with one hand you can't possibly talk on the phone and type at the same time, that's OUT.

Yep. Lots of daily things have become a challenge, but I've been getting more and more use out of the left hand. It's only been about a week that I've been able to type with it to any degree. It fits in with the thread, because I broke it when I slipped on the ice in the driveway.

[pdub]

Thanks for the photo post Tedly, a face to a name. It's not impossible, when the world thaws out we may get so lost on the highway one day we'll end up in your neck of the woods. We've been darned near everywhere else in the eastern sector. We're retired, we can do anything we want to, but getting inspired is Step One.

Or, while you're laid up, plow through the snow and come down here where it's balmy. I hope you have an automatic transmission in something though. One handed driving.....yeah. Yeah, that's another thing.

[tedly]

Keni (my fiancee) and I have been talking about moving to East Tennessee, but that's at least a year and a half away. Without a doubt, you get up this way, or around Chicago let me know. Next time I'm down there, I'll hit you up.

[pdub]

Cool beans! PM sent for your future reference.

[Barry Donovan]

I am glad you are all cold.
2 below here in january is still warm. Not sure why we are getting so lucky
have not even seen a 25F below yet.

I purged the hydrogen from the radiator today. A mid january routine.
the syntheitc clear power steering does not need to explode the lines this year...
the perfect whirl of that engine is just astounding at a time like this.

Everything is white, the roads with the chemistry frozen is a powder my iron direct fan sends flying.

As if to be in some strange movie scene, my mind wanders on the rural ride home with frost heaves just starting to make their mountains in the road. I am the third in a row of all black gmc somehow staying clean to further the contrast of the locomotive this rural place must here coming.
60mph and 1600 rpm..

Not much for imagination, I ponder each driver emerging in some southern suit, low cut comfortable shoes and breath letting out is a white cloud as strong as the vehicles they emerged from.

I am living a dream.

also stopped and looked at on overpriced duramax...
yikes.

I rowed my gears out of that dealer lot with confidence.

[Gateclyve Photographic]

Tankslappers can happen in a car. They will not happen in snow, period--grip is required. It's comparable to death wobble for me, which is definitely a car-only thing.

True, there has to be some traction. But I've seen drivers overcorrect (or worse yet, brake and overcorrect, then get behind on the steering and over correct the other way. Maybe tank-slapping isn't the right term for it And most of the time folks just straight spin.

Some of the bike guys don't like the term applied to cars because they say there's no gas tank or handlebars to slap it, and it should be limited to speed wobbles on two wheels. But back when the old Indy roadsters had side tanks, It seems like oscillations between the inside and outside walls on an oval could be described as tank slapping . .

As to FWD, I suspect it appealed to the lazy folks who don't want to chain up or run snow tires. Any slight traction advantage on take off (because of static weight distribution) is mostly outweighed by reduction in control at speed. . But then most would rather see the wreck than back into it, so the straight-ahead skid bias probably seems like a "safety" feature to those who "learned" how to "drive" mostly from reading a book . . . .

[pdub]

I can totally identify with tank slapping in a car. I do it in Red if I wait a few days to drive him, out of practice already. And those stupid duck-walking shoes that are too new, I can't feel the pedals through them. Yep, tank slapping, going up the slight hill out of our driveway. When the right foot makes a surge and then the reaction for that is to let off and then that just throws you into a repetitive sort of resonant thing. Dang, I'm going to tear this car up before I even get to the stop sign.

[AndyB]

I'd say that's almost a weave, but I know exactly the feeling. The car goes this way and that, and has a particular rhythm to it. It's the lateral version of what happens when you bog a clutch on the launch and the forward and backwards motion of the car throws your body around, timed just right to bounce against the gas to keep it going.

Tankslappers are a significantly more violent thing for those on two wheels. Like rip the bars out of your hands, retract the brake pads on the front calipers sort of violent. I've only been so unlucky twice, and after the last time, a steering damper (which I am totally against--they're not necessary if the geometry is correct!) was added to the big bike. Set down a mild wheelie on the 2-3 shift around 120mph and had absolutely no control over what direction of travel was going to be. Fortunately, it was short-lived and on the racetrack.

Deathwobble (poor geometry, worn suspension, out-of-balance tires--usually on lifted 4x4s) is the nearest thing I can compare it to. The difference is, you can brake your way out of it in a car. The ideal answer on a bike, if you have enough control, is to lock the gas WOT and scootch your butt back some to calm the effect of trail on the front end. I understand pro racers can do it, but that's some serious mental zen mastery there.

[studemax]

Headline on The Wichita Eagle today.... Cold Spell a Bust in Southeast.... Maybe an over-reaction? (like usual)

[Gateclyve Photographic]

I
Deathwobble (poor geometry, worn suspension, out-of-balance tires--usually on lifted 4x4s) is the nearest thing I can compare it to. The difference is, you can brake your way out of it in a car. The ideal answer on a bike, if you have enough control, is to lock the gas WOT and scootch your butt back some to calm the effect of trail on the front end. I understand pro racers can do it, but that's some serious mental zen mastery there.

What about too much boot black on your home-carved, weather-cracked tires . . .