Hibernated

I follow a few BLOGS and recently Lucky mentioned something about drivers of Corvettes. (his post of Thursday, November 6th) Yup, I'd have to say that his opinion is mostly true. Yes I have a Corvette which mostly sits there gathering dust whilst I scoot around the country.



I recently mentioned that I was hibernating my vehicles for the winter and now it's 3 down (none to go) . I only insure the 'vette for a few months during the summer so I have to winterize it and take it out for its last outing of the year. So on a recent Sunday a couple of weeks ago as the sun made its last appearance (of the season) I ventured out for a ride .


(Stanley Park, Lions Gate Bridge, in the background)

My usual routine is to bring everything up to operating temperature, add fuel stabilizer to the fuel tank and ride around for a few hours. It's always good to get the transmission shifting, the oil moving, the water pump pumping you know, exercise all the components so they don't decay from lack of use. It has been my practice to only use the 'Vette (C5 Roadster) during fair weather with the top down, however not today. It is not often that I ride around with the top UP, but the air was cool and I didn't want to get a chill. Of course, unless there is ice on the road I often ride my scooter to much lower temperatures much more exposed to the elements, but you are also more prepared with suitable clothing to match. This is in direct contrast to the good old days of the '60's when we would take my Alfa Guilia Spyder, top down in subfreezing weather during a snow storm warning. I have more or less always had a convertible around.


(Brockton Point, Stanley Park, Burrard Inlet)

Stanley Park is approx 10,000 acres in the middle of the city. You would hardly know that there is a metropolis just a couple of miles away, sort of like our Central Park. There is a road which travels around the park and in the middle you will find our World Class Aquarium (with dolphins and killer whales). There used to also be a zoo here, but we let the animals out.



I have been riding for many years and have had bikes since the early 60's. I started with a Yamaha 80 (2-stroke) and obtained my motorcycle endorsement using it for my "road test", sometime around 1965 . I also had an MGB, actually more than one, so it is not unlike me to have both a convertible(s) and motorcycle(s) hanging around at the same time. You get different sensations. With one you get the wind in your hair, and the with the other you get Helmet Head. And more lately I have been getting wind on the scalp. They both give you a sense of freedom in differring ways.



During the "off" season, I am in the habit of keeping in touch with my Kymco dealer and stopped there to visit. In the summer I would be on some twisties in the middle of nowhere miles away from civilization


(Vancouver skyline, taken from Stanley Park)

Eventually we returned home and on the way stopped off at a gas station to top up the gas and add the appropriate amount of fuel stabilizer. I always store the C5 with a full tank of gas to minimize condensation. After the 'Vette was safely tucked away in the garage and plugged into a battery tender, it was officially Hibernated.



Oh, almost forgot. There is a time and place for driving fast and the streets are not the time & place to behave as if you were in the Indy500 . Call it respect for other drivers, call it maturing, call it stupidity. Yes we do test its limits once in a while but usually on some deserted road with no one else around. I used to get a lot of speeding tickets and I have been 'clean' for a few years now. 'Vettes are also LEO magnets, especially RED ones and they often they follow me waiting for me to make a mistake. All I can say is they better not follow me on my Bike (SV650nK4), or scooter Kymco X500Ri 'cause those machines don't know how to go SLOW.