How prevalent is motorcycling in the summer? (Houston, San Antonio: neighborhood, school)

[brently54]

Simple question.
Is it too hot in the summer to ride a motorcycle? (In any of the metro areas)


I asked some friends in Phoenix, and they laughed and said no one rides in the summer.

[loves2read]

no--they are out there day and night
whether there are more of them in cooler weather I don't know
I see them mixed in other traffic in DFW area on surface streets and freeways...

[NOTAM]

well this really aint a "metro" area, but Killeen/Temple/Waco has a sizeable population. Ft Hood, largest military installation in the world. LOTS OF motorcycles here-big thing with the active duty members. they ride em during all seasons, even more so during the summer, no matter how dadgum hot it gets

[brently54]

Thanks for the answers!

I plan on getting a scooter and motorcycle when I move to Texas. Can't beat 100MPG!

[loves2read]

just watch out--I see death notices in the FTW paper very frequently for people who have died riding motorcycles---
I know someone who went to school with my daughter--lived in our neighborhood--who was riding motorcycle to work after he graduated from college--was newly engaged--and was killed--
it was on a neighborhood street --not a freeway where most accidents occur--
he pulled around a car backing out of driveway and BOOM--met a car or truck head on coming toward him...dead at the scene
no helmet but don't know that would have prevented his death...

[tstone]

First of all, I wouldn't dare commute with a motorcycle (much less a scooter) in any of the large metro areas such as Houston, DFW, Austin, San Antonio, El Paso. You're simply asking to be killed by someone who won't see you. As far as leisure goes, I wish I had a Sportster to cruise about 90 mph on the freeway at 3am. However my wife recently witnessed a GoldWing, trailer and husband/wife go airborne about 15 feet, so that idea is officially off the bargaining table.

Anyway Central TX seems to be a popular place for riders in the summertime, riding through the steepest, twistiest hills they can find, such as Ranch Road 1431 (Round Rock to Lake Buchanan). The crazy, crispy sunburns don't seem to stop them at all. Also Galveston Bay/Galveston Island is a very popular area for all bikers ages 17-70 from rice rockets to Harleys almost every weekend of the year. Galveston County = Harley County.

If I were to throw out stereotypes, there are a lot of ''rebels w/o a cause'' who ride in Central TX, plain rowdy/trashy acting people, esp the spittin, yellin' all-female groups. The ones along the SE TX coast seem to have a much more mild-mannered demeanor and are some of the nicest people I've met. And according to my wife's volunteer group the bikers down here are among the most generous as far as donations go, whether they be NASA engineers or boat repair/maintenance workers.

[Delta Planter]

When I see them, whether hot or cold, rain, snow, or shine, year round, I envy them. Rich, poor, young, old, rowdy rebels or civilized, they have my plaudits. However, the ones on the crotch-rockets, zipping in and out of traffic, even driving the shoulders with loud pipes are the ones I disdain. Wanna race? I always wonder where the gendarmes are when one blows past me. Go find a track. Have fun, and be safe out there, OP!

[CallMeLaura]

Originally Posted by brently54

Simple question.
Is it too hot in the summer to ride a motorcycle? (In any of the metro areas)


I asked some friends in Phoenix, and they laughed and said no one rides in the summer.

It really depends...

I don't ride in the summer for the most part because of the places I need to go. I either need to not stink or carry something. I will take it when I can, and still take pleasure rides.

The main obstacle in the cities is stopped traffic. Lane splitting isn't legal, so you sit with all the other cars, which means no airflow. I wear full gear, too, so it gets toasty (and the last thing you want is to become confused from heat exhaustion while on a bike).

My bike is air cooled, so sitting isn't great for it, either.

It can be done and I see lots of people out riding, especially on weekends. Coming from that far north, the first summer may be a bit of a shock to you, though, so I'd probably stick with early mornings and evenings. Drink lots of water!

And good lord, why does everybody always need to tell a motorcycle accident story every single freaking time the subject is brought up?

[tstone]

Originally Posted by CallMeLaura

And good lord, why does everybody always need to tell a motorcycle accident story every single freaking time the subject is brought up?

How about the guy whose feet were sticking out of that car's front windshield on Westheimer, with the bike in about 5 pieces ~200 feet away?? I guess I'll just pretend I didn't see that one.

[love roses]

I have no idea, but it's certainly not a pleasant thought. I witnessed a pretty scary one in my neighborhood as a teenager, and as I was one of the only people outside who saw it happen, I had to stop and help. Luckily it ended up looking worse than it actually was and the guy was a little disoriented and banged up. I think he was going about 30 or so, came up behind me and passed and ran up into a yard and hit a parked truck and got thrown into the back of the truck. It also pushed the truck a little into the yard. He said his brakes failed and that was the only way he figured he could stop.

But, anyway, I've seen lots of bikers this summer and there's always a group of them year round out where I am near Austin, east of 35. I think they are all pretty much regular folks and they actually do a lot in the community as well. In fact, one of them goes to my church.