Road Kill Diaries

Daytona Bike Week starts February 26 and for those of us who have been stuck in three major snowstorms since Dec. 18 here in the Blue Ridge Mountains, the lure of sun, surf and sex sounds very appealing.

I'm not much for large bike rallies. I don't drink, so hanging out in bars has little appeal. I'm happily married, so leering at bikini-glad beauties doesn't accomplish much and I'm too broke to afford a new rear tire so burnouts are out of the question.

Big motorcycle events like Bike Week and Sturgis have grown into overblown vendor shows and places for wannabes to act tough.

But getting away from the bitter winter that has gripped this area has a lot of appeal.

I've ridden about five times since Dec. 18 -- less time in the saddle than ever and it's driving me crazy.

I need to get on the open road and put some miles on the Super Glide.

So I'm thinking about Daytona -- if I can afford to go and if the weather clears and if I have the time.

Most people consider a trike safer than two-wheeled motorcycles.

Not always. From The Associated Press:

A woman died on a St. Petersburg highway after the three-wheeled motorcycle she was riding on lost a wheel and crashed.

The Florida Highway Patrol reports that 63-year-old William Riley was riding his 2009 Harley Davidson TriGlide with his wife, 63-year-old Janet Riley, on the back Thursday night. The bike crashed, and both riders were thrown. Janet Riley died at the scene, and William Riley was taken to a nearby hospital with serious injuries.

The crash was not alcohol-related, and both riders were wearing helmets.

The Super Glide sits in the garage -- unused, unriden and unavailable.

A foot of snow fell Friday night and Saturday -- the second major snowstorm of the season. Two ice storms also this year. Snow covers the roadways. The thermometer reads 14 degrees.

I ride in most kinds of weather -- even cold weaher -- but I draw the line when there's ice and snow on the road and there's been way too much of both since Dec. 18.

Bike week is three weeks away. I generally don't go to large rallies but the prospect of a week away from this madness is tempting.  I need to get out, to put miles on the Glide, to ride for a day and come home with a smile.

Ain't happening. Not with a foot of snow on the ground.

Damn I'm depressed.

From The Associated Press:

Harley-Davidson, the motorcycle maker, reported a fourth-quarter loss Friday, its first quarterly shortfall in 16 years, hurt by restructuring costs and the sluggish economy.

Harley-Davidson has come under pressure over the last year as the tight credit markets and the weak economy led consumers to shun purchases of its high-end, heavyweight motorcycles.

The company has been reorganizing its business through layoffs, factory closures and closing or selling unwanted brands. Harley said shipments of its bikes to dealers in 2009 fell 27 percent, to 223,023.

For 2010, Harley said it expects shipments to fall another 5 to 10 percent to 201,000 to 212,000 motorcycles.

Harley-Davidson said it lost $218.7 million, or 94 cents a share, during the fourth quarter. That marks its first three-month loss since the fourth quarter of 1993 and contrasts with a profit of $77.8 million, or 34 cents a share, a year ago. Revenue tumbled 40 percent, to $764.5 million from $1.28 billion a year ago.

Monday -- Martin Luther King Day -- dawned warm for a change. The thermometer read 42 degrees at sunrise, a contrast to more than three weeks of subfreezing overnight lows.

Some ice remained on our driveway but rain Sunday changed most of the rock-hard frozen tundra into a muddy mix of gravel and dirt so I suited up, backed the Super Glide out of the garage and fired her up, confident that I could make it down the steep driveway.

I made it and turned onto Sandy Flats Road, finding a hard-surfaced secondary road covered with water, mud and debris from the sometimes-heavy rain that fell on Saturday night and Sunday. Water and mud coated the bike as I negotiated the one mile stretch to Poor Farm Road, another secondary road also dotted with water and mud.

By the time I made it to U.S. 211, the Glide and the lower legs of my chaps looked like I had been dirt-biking but I found the main highway mostly dry as I turned south and headed to Floyd to meet friends for breakfast.

After breakfast at the Blue Ridge Restaurant in Floyd, I grabbed a cup of coffee at Cafe del Sol and pondered a route for the day's ride. The conditions on the secondary roads pointed to only one riding strategy: Stay on primary roads: Too much water, mud and debris on the other byways.

I needed to run some errands in Christiansburg so I headed north on Virginia Rte. 8. Some wet spots on 8 as well but mostly dry pavement. The glide carved through the corners and I enjoyed the sun and the first ride in more than a month.

At Christiansburg, I turned south on U.S. 11 and headed for Radford -- a pleasant 12 mile stretch of three-lane road. Just outside of Radford, a stretch of road where the sun doesn't reach offered some challenges.

From Radford, I turned onto Rte. 114 for a ride back to Christiansburg. Took care of errands and headed back to Floyd as the sun began to set and temperatures started to fall. My driveway had melted some more and the slick mud offered a end-of-the-ride thrill as I gunned the Glide and sent mud flying at the left-hand turn at the top.

Hosed the Glide off and put her away for the night. With luck I'll get a couple of more rides in this week before the weather turns cold and wet -- again.