Chaps, remember to keep the bike shiny side up this winter. The bastard enemies of the rider aren't limited to idiot car drivers, but include the leaves, white lines, drains in the middle of the road, and my new favourite enemy, the black lines on the motorway. Having these painted at the point a bike will accelerate out of a bend is beyond belief. The ZZR performed a tank slap of the highest magnitude. In all honesty I don't know how the bike managed to stay upright and recover.
I normally put mine away to hibernate as soon as the Council bring their salt wagons out. :)
Here Here .... Down here in London and the South Coast it is really quite decent at the moment ... Rode home today with just a T shirt on under my jacket .. But the perils of winter are not far away. I never ride if there is a risk of snow or ice on the road and even for a good few days when it has all "gone" .. You know what I mean ... Bike covered in black crud from the road, a mixture of old slush, salt, sand and grit etc ... Just awful stuff !! Leave the bike in the garage and let the train take the strain (and the cost) but I would rather do that than have an accident ! Remember chaps even if you just hose the bike off for a minute or two when you get home it will help keep it looking great for those summer days ....
Aye, when its been snowing my bike is firmly locked up. The weather can be unpredictable here - maybe raining on low ground but on the Pennines could well be a snow storm. That's the only time I have to grin and bear being in a car.