With the extended weather forecast calling for the sort of weather that made the Battle of the Bulge so much fun, this, the first couple of weeks of November are a time to hustle. The daytime highs in this part of Pennsylvania soared into the high 60s several times, prompting the crew at CRM to scramble to the garage and roll out our fleet of bikes for what could be the last time in a long time. Riding is precious this time of year as our winters are positively Arctic in their intensity. Ah, but with Sol beaming in the fall sky, we headed out for a god 400-mile, two-day excursion that, hopefully will stick with us for months. The roads are clear, especially on Sundays in fall as everyone in these parts who owns a TV is glued to the weekly Steeler game- that mean local backroads are eerily, post-apocalyptic zombie movie empty. Oddly, though, few of us ride as hard in November than we do in, say the heat of July. Maybe it’s because the bikes are in need of end-of-season maintenance or maybe it’s the slightly creepy, ominous feeling we get knowing there’s whitetail deer lurking around every blind corner. Nevertheless, twisting the throttle, taking in the leaves and digging on the crisp air makes for some of the best riding to be had. There’s a slight sense of panic as bikes that have been ignored or under-utilized all year are suddenly rolled out for a final burn-up. We promise ourselves to keep a better, more detailed log of what bike got ridden when and for how far next season, while cursing ourselves for wasting the odd sunny afternoon working on the next issue (there’s always another!) Matters not – peeling through the curves, revving the old British twins until they roar – is the best psychological reset button ever devised.
Most of the other riders we encounter seem surprised and pleased to see anyone still riding this late in the year as lots of bikers tend to ride only when the mercury is well above 70, their bikes shoved away in a corner of the garage until next summer. When we stopped for a post-ride beer, several people asked how we could endure the cold and continue riding in November, but truth be told, some of us will keep at it – in small, commuter rides, that is – well until the snow starts to fall.