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Cruiser
Posts: 175
Colorado | As motorcyclist we are all interested in what the weather is doing so we can adequately prepare for the elements. I assume being older and wiser as Vision owners, we make special efforts at watching the weather on the news or watching weather related websites for forecasts the night before a ride even days or weeks ahead of time.
I don't think its a secret that I am with the Colorado Victory Riders Association and we have a 50 Pass program which includes a hard bound book provided to each rider, please see the website for greater detail.
What I want to add to our book is a chapter of proven methods or frequently used signs of predicting the weather. Yes we will make sure to give credit to this forum and/or its members for any contribution made that is actually used in our book.
This post is to see what other natural characterisitics or events you may watch for to be prepared for what mother earth throws at you. For instance we all watch the clouds for darkening skies naturally the darker the skies the more likely it will be to rain. However what I am looking for are any additional or less known signs you might use.
Example 1: Certain flowers like a "Morning glory" close prior to a rain storm.
I am looking for how much prior? What other flowers do the same if true?
Example 2: They say cattle tend to lay down prior to snow or rain to keep their place dry of a pending storm.
Personally I haven't paid close enough attention and think this is more myth than a factual behaviour of a cow.
I hope its clear what I am after and that some of you can lend some assistance from things taught by a uncle, father or grandfather.
You might be asking what can I lend when I live in Florida to a book in Colorado. We are expanding the 50 pass in another direction with state borders in the lower 48 making it a national program in the future. Still my hope is that we can generate enough for both books that will be valuable to any rider.
Edited by badnvegas 2007-12-24 12:16 PM
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Tourer
Posts: 495
Carrollton, TX | Good idea but I would prefer an option to have real time satellite images downloaded and displayed on my GPS. I don't think this option will be too far off. The Garmin weather service over XM radio is not bad but a real time satellite map on the GPS would be totally cool.
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Craig
08 Midnight Cherry Tour Premium on order |
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Cruiser
Posts: 175
Colorado | Spock....LOL. Ok GPS is another tool with many benefits, however should it be stolen, broken, bad battery or some solar sun spot hit then what can you rely on? Technology is good actually great, however having a good foundation of old world techniques, knowledge and best practices is a good back up should technology fail. Don't ya think?
Edited by badnvegas 2007-12-24 12:39 PM
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Tourer
Posts: 495
Carrollton, TX | Good point so I will sign up for both the tech and non tech method of weather prediction.
Once I get my Vision I won't be as concerned about the weather as I have in the past due to the great weather protection the Vision provides.
Spock
Ride long and prosper
badnvegas - 2007-12-24 11:38 AM
Spock....LOL. Ok GPS is another tool with many benefits, however should it be stolen, broken, bad battery or some solar sun spot hit then what can you rely on? Technology is good actually great, however having a good foundation of old world techniques, knowledge and best practices is a good back up should technology fail. Don't ya think? |
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Cruiser
Posts: 185
Nebraska | If yer ridin through the flat lands (Nebraska,Iowa,Kansas,Oklahoma,Texas) and the temp drops 10-20 degrees rather quickly. Head for cover.....And when its raining its to late for the rain suit.
Edited by maddog 2007-12-24 1:31 PM
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Tourer
Posts: 547
Mount Vernon, WA United States | In most of Washington and Oregon, although not necessarily true in a couple of isolated "rain shadow" areas where it doesn't rain or snow much..
If you can see the mountains, it's gonna rain. If you can't see the mountains, it is raining. |
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Fountain Inn, SC United States | And then there's....
Sorry John, I couldn't resist.  |
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Tourer
Posts: 547
Mount Vernon, WA United States | I'm trying to find the one from Shemya, Alaska.
It looks like this, but at the end of the chain is about a 2 foot piece of railroad tie. While I was there I saw it nearly straight out!!!!
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Cruiser
Posts: 57
| Miles do you mean the one by the air terminal? |
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Visionary
Posts: 1350
| The only time I check the weather is for a chance of black ice. I don't ride in ice or snow.
I normally check what weather I missed the next morning in the motel room. When I rode to CA the evening of the second day I saw a big bad ass storm coming for me. I was behind an 18 wheeler in the rain for about 18 minutes. The highway took a long lazy swing to the south and we missed the storm. The next morning The Weather Channel said that storm was severe tornado warnings in Kansas City.
Never can picture myself looking like the wicked witch on a motorcycle. But when you are 2000 miles from home there is no sense in turning around and waiting out a storm really cuts into the time off of vacation.
To each there own. |
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Visionary
Posts: 3006
San Antonio, TX | Can the Vision radio pick up the National Weather Service (NWS) radio transmissions? I was thinking that I read it could.
Edited by radioteacher 2007-12-27 12:22 PM
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Tourer
Posts: 354
20 miles west of Chicago. | There is a NOAA weather band integrated into the radio, with seven preset frequencies. |
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Visionary
Posts: 8144
New Bohemia, VA | One of the obvisious things around here in VA is the gentle mist or rain when the temp is 32 degrees. The road themselves are fine because the temp is above freezing, however, the bridges are frozen. That has happen a few times in the past few years and it catches drivers completely off guard as we have three bridges in a single curve on 295 between home and work.
Another thing is that I pay careful attention on the weather radar of storms moving across the states. Do this on a regular basis to see what the weather does in the valley, mountains or city where you live. We live where if we have approaching rain is coming from the west heading east, because of the mountains, it may never reach us, though we have a prediction of rain. If the rain is moving up from the south, we going to get it, but directly from the west moving east, it often breaks up before it gets to us.
Just like today, it is moving upward from the south-west, to the north-east through NC, so chance are, I'll get soaked on my way home. Wait, that was with the Goldwing, the Vision, however, I'll be dry as a bone because of the rider envelop that is a standard feature.
Edited by varyder 2007-12-28 9:29 AM
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Weather Prediction
