Weekend weather forecast was cold, but no snow. Time to see what riding in the cold was like.
Saturday morning rode the QEW to Niagara Falls, through two minor snow squalls, but clean roads. Rugby shirt under the jacket+liner was not enough, so pulled on a fleece when I stopped at friend’s in Niagara. Also managed breakfast of two slices of homemade banana bread. From there to the USA border was a short blast.
Only 8 mins from border to Vic & Damien’s emporium www.englishporkpiecompany.com where there was a much needed cup of tea (one milk, two sugars) and a hot sausage roll 🙂 Plus the chat:
- From two local lads learned about Buffalo’s new nano-brewery www.communitybeerworks.com open since 2012, but I have yet to visit. I was not going to start whilst on two wheels. May have to come back with a driver:)
- A Geordie and his Chicago wife are lucky to be living in Rochester. If you place your Christmas “hamper” order online/phone with The English Pie Company, you can pickup in a Rochester pub on the 22nd. Sweet.
- A lady from Cambridge evoked memories of my callow youth with her vanilla tinged perfume. Hints of Picot. But I digress.
Picked up  a Mini Gala Pork Pie (not the big one), two individual pork pies, all frozen, and 3 chicken-tikka pies (hot) for when I arrived back in Niagara Falls.
Border Control were nice both ways.
Back in Niagara, a bowl of homemade potato, kale & tomato soup with one of those still-warm chicken-tikka pies, was enough to shake off the cold in my body.
All went well till Sunday morning. Bike would not start. Only some 1,200 km. WT…….. Tried everything as per the book. Also put a heater on to warm up the bike, to no avail. About an hour later, the second tow-guy came along and suggested full throttle and keep on cranking. WORKED!!!! Theory is that there is much water in the US fuel, and full throttle clears any ice beads. If bike had been towed to BMW, it would have been placed inside the warm workshop and there would have been nothing wrong!!!!
Bike ran back to Toronto without missing a beat.
Lessons learned:
- layers need to be wool or fleece and three required under the jacket
- check all the zips, inside and on the outside of the jacket, each time before a ride. As Ukrainians everywhere know, “pro-tyah”
- insulated gloves with bar-heaters on max, will keep my hands warm enough for a couple of hours
- backpack can be placed on the rear seat, tied down with bungee cords, and will stay there securely without affecting the ride. Seat becomes a snug fit so push back, whereupon the backpack acts as a nice backrest
- if the bike will not start in the cold, crank the throttle wider and wider, until it runs. Not just a little wider as per the manual.
Will check with BMW about adding anti-freeze to the line. Never had a problem starting in the cold with Shell Premium (91 RON). The US fuel was supposed to be 93 RON. Place looked sketchy, but so is much of Buffalo, and never had any problems before.
PS: The Toughbook survived the trip. Am writing this blog on said laptop.