Safest way to travel....our motorcycles?

[Whip]

You couldn't make me use mass transit right now or ride in someone's car.... even my own cage gives me the creeps depending on who has been in it lately ... so is my bike the safest way to travel?

 

I think so

 

 

 

 

[RPondaRoad]

As far as the Corona virus is concerned...I think you're right about your motorcycle being the safest way to get around.  I put a bag full of nitrile gloves in my top case and put a pair on before I begin re-fueling.  They're purple and I get some attention from others nearby when I use them.  None of the other customers, have appeared to be laughing though, and I'll bet a few now have a glovebox full of  brightly colored gloves of their own.  

 

My wife and I are retired, so "social distancing" wouldn't be a big deal except for one thing.  Our schools have closed and our grandchildren require care.  Isn't this an unforeseen consequence?  We're in the "elderly" catagory (which has now been defined as a little younger than I had hoped!), and I have a compromised immune system which puts me in the "endangered" category with regard to the virus.  Yet, with the kids out of school my wife and I need to care for them with the possibility of exposure from them or from their still working parents.  To make it worse, our daughter works in a hospital.  So, with that said, the nitrile gloves appear to be a very small part of a much larger picture for us.  

 

But, this is what we should be doing I think.  Taking whatever steps that we can, regardless of how small to protect ourselves and others, while acknowledging that we can't avoid all risk of exposure.  

[Miguel!]

Nitrile gloves are the best, so much easier than latex gloves. I always have a couple boxes on hand. I use them in the garden as well. They are remarkably  durable.

 

Motorcycling is one of the things you can do without exposing yourself to other. I was hoping to get out but its supposed to rain on/off all week. I'll definitely be out doing some walking tho.

 

Im guessing many of us on this forum are in the more vulnerable age category. I am. I am definitely not in the "this is all a hoax" camp. I've decided I'm not going to work this coming week and probably won't work the following week either. We'll see.

 

Take care all. There's all sorts of MC videos on YouTube to watch. 

Miguel

[szurszewski]

I've been thinking the same thing - very glad I just got new rubber for the GS

 

 

 

As far as kids out of school, here the YMCA and Boys and Girls Clubs have stepped up to offer full day child care for school age kids at reasonable rates AND I believe they are both offering care at NO cost to first responders and medical staff. It's going to be an interesting few weeks for sure (Jeremiah is actually out of school for the next SIX weeks at least, so I guess "few" isn't the right word...).

 

 

[chrisolson]

Yes, but what do you do when you get where you're going ?  Keep your helmet on ?

 

I'm also in the elderly (72) with other health issues  and therefor at most risk .... don't know exactly what that risk really is  only that most deaths are in my age group or older.  Worrying, yes,  but its not a certainty ...  but what is fairly certain is that the occurrence of "mild" cases become more rare the older you go.  So you survive but may be hospitalized ... yuck, not an overly appetizing thought particularly when the possibility of actually securing a hospital bed is definitely not certain.

 

Fortunately my wife's job is virtual , no office and now, no travel, so exposure there is non existent.

 

But groceries are a concern ... I'm not in the preper mode, so stowing away 6 months of food is not something I've done ... or are really capable of doing now.

 

The Safeway relatively close to us has on-line order and delivery possible ....that is, if there are anything left to deliver.  Amazing the panic buying already occurring.

 

But obviously there is an additional cost and items are limited to what's available on line which is not the complete selection of items/brands. But I suppose its only money and better than starving .

 

[Rider1260]

Riding sounds like a great idea and way to get away from it all even for a short time , I wish it was just a bit warmer. 

 

[Red]

I believe Illinois has closed restaurants and bars.  WA, OR, and CA are seriously considering same.  So, if you go for a ride, better pack your own grub and fluids.  I often get my on the road provisions out of a grocery store, but then you have a hard time social distancing.  Camping out in the boonies is probably the safest place in the country right now.

Edited March 16, 2020 by Red
added a state

[Rinkydink]

My mother in law (82) lives with us, me 63 and wife 58. We went to SAMs three weeks ago and did our every third month or so stock up on TP and paper towels etc. Got home and realized we had an extra TP in the garage. We are all retired, semi stocked up and can hunker down. Not wanting mom to go out we intend to run all errands for her even though she still drives. As luck would have it she needs some critical prescriptions refilled today (at Kroger)and I am the mule. Pouring down rain so I will be taking the cage. Not looking forward to it and am sure the line will be super long. Cover me I’m going in...

 

EDIT

 

   Line wasn’t long at all. Lots of people there and lots of gloves and masks. Canned goods, bread, crackers, meat, eggs, and butter gone. Per Kroger employees yesterday after 6pm was stupid. Lots of restocking going on. 
  
  Overall customer mood was cordial and pleasant but I did overhear some cussing when people realized they had procrastinated and couldn’t get everything they came for. 
 

Good times. 
 

 

[Hosstage]

Good Times!! So true

[Whip]

[chrisolson]

ATGATT takes on new importance ....

[JamesW]

I think I'll just go out and horde some more toilet paper

[Lowndes]

On 3/16/2020 at 8:54 AM, Rinkydink said:

My mother in law (82) lives with us, me 63 and wife 58. We went to SAMs three weeks ago and did our every third month or so stock up on TP and paper towels etc. Got home and realized we had an extra TP in the garage. We are all retired, semi stocked up and can hunker down. Not wanting mom to go out we intend to run all errands for her even though she still drives. As luck would have it she needs some critical prescriptions refilled today (at Kroger)and I am the mule. Pouring down rain so I will be taking the cage. Not looking forward to it and am sure the line will be super long. Cover me I’m going in...

 

EDIT

 

   Line wasn’t long at all. Lots of people there and lots of gloves and masks. Canned goods, bread, crackers, meat, eggs, and butter gone. Per Kroger employees yesterday after 6pm was stupid. Lots of restocking going on. 
  
  Overall customer mood was cordial and pleasant but I did overhear some cussing when people realized they had procrastinated and couldn’t get everything they came for. 
 

Good times. 
 

 

 

My wife (70's) went to Kroger pharmacy yesterday here in GA for a precsription, too.  Lots of people in there but no line at the pharmacy counter, middle of the day.  She said a "rather rotund" (fat guy) came to the counter beside her with a shopping cart piled high with junk food of all kinds.  The pharmasist looked at the pile and wispered, "look what that guy's hoarding."  All kinds of take-aways from that.

 

Myself, the phone was quiet and nothing else much to do, was 35 feet up in a 75 foot maple tree with a chainsaw limbing and topping it out before the leaves are out.  I'd be safer and having more fun on a bike in the north GA mountains and the weather is really good.  

[Rinkydink]

I’m glad my RT uses mid grade. This is at Kroger this morning. Marquee on other side said $2.09 for unleaded. Probably not good for business. 
 

 

[wbw6cos]

*GASP!*  That's priiiiiiiiice gouging!!   Ooooooh.

[Cap]

On 3/15/2020 at 10:41 AM, Whip said:

You couldn't make me use mass transit right now or ride in someone's car.... even my own cage gives me the creeps depending on who has been in it lately ... so is my bike the safest way to travel?

 

I think so

 

In the week since you posted this, we've all seen the consequences of "exponential growth."  My guess is that we are all thinking seriously about the tension between sheltering in place to help our public health system, and the economic disaster that results when everyone stays home.  That tension has some special significance for those of us on this forum -- a forum that is dedicated to Sport Touring.  Emphasis on Touring.

 

I think I agree that for local transportation, riding a motorcycle might be relatively safe, although I don't see how it might be any safer than driving your own car.  The issue is more about touring.  If we think about leaving our homes for a week-long moto tour, and assume that we are uninfected when we depart, we still have challenges.  Fueling the bike can be safe if we avoid other people, and use good hand hygiene.  What about public bathrooms?  Again, probably ok if one is careful.  Motels?  Maybe camping is a better option, but that rules me out -- I want a bathroom and a bed.  With most restaurants closing, meals may be about browsing the deli at the supermarket, and returning to the motel room.  None of this seems insurmountable from a risk-management perspective.

 

But here's the thing: risk management does not work when you scale up to many touring riders.  That is, some of those touring riders will contract the virus.  And they will not know they have it for several days, typically. And having contracted the virus, those touring riders will be inadvertently spreading it to other people as they ride around, covering long distances.  It is inevitable that if enough riders are touring, some of them will be spreading the virus widely.  I don't want to be "that guy."

 

Nevertheless, I wonder about my obligation to stay at home and take no risks.  Or, more concisely, I wonder about my obligation to stay home so that I don't risk infecting other people inadvertently.  I feel comfortable managing risks to me... but I don't want my actions to harm others.

 

Where do you come down on this?

 

Cap

 

 

[realshelby]

Right now I would not head out on a bike trip. Nothing beyond a day ride. I can get gas safely enough ( I think ) and I can put some sandwiches and something to drink in the top box. That is what I do anyway. 

What if you DID get sick on a trip. Not just the probability of spreading it, but how/who are you going to rely on for help? We came back from an RV trip last Tuesday when it should have been a return on Saturday. Just not comfortable being away from the "fort" of protection a home can give. We are lucky in that and well supplied. So, looks like no overnight anything for us for a while. 

 

BUT..can you imagine the thrill of finally being able to take off for a week or so late summer or fall!!!!!

[Whip]

If it was warmer I would have no problem putting my camping gear on my bike and taking off for a week....but it is still snowing in all the passes around me. 

 

 

[TEWKS]

2 minutes ago, realshelby said:

 

BUT..can you imagine the thrill of finally being able to take off for a week or so late summer or fall!!!!!

 

If it gets much worse before it gets better, I would imagine the celebrations are going to be on par with the big one!

 

 

[szurszewski]

Well, that would give us all something to do with our extensive toilet paper stocks...

[chrisolson]

1 hour ago, Cap said:

Where do you come down on this?

 

 

Even if all things can be managed ,and I'm not sure they really could .... touring is not so important to me (I can still ride locally and did yesterday)  that I would deliberately create  a scenario where I  could become sick (possibly quite sick)  far away from home . But this may be tempered with the fact that I'm in the high risk group for COVID-19

[RPondaRoad]

2 hours ago, Cap said:

Nevertheless, I wonder about my obligation to stay at home and take no risks.  Or, more concisely, I wonder about my obligation to stay home so that I don't risk infecting other people inadvertently.  I feel comfortable managing risks to me... but I don't want my actions to harm others.

 

Where do you come down on this?

 

Cap

 

Two-up, long range touring is why I bought my RT.  Otherwise, my last bike pretty much met my needs as a daily ride.  I have two tours planned...the April tour goes south from S.F.  and down the California coast, and then up the eastern side of the Sierra for a 1,200 mile loop.  The early June tour takes us into eastern Oregon and Washington.  It's a  2,000 mile tour that I did by myself last year that I really want to share with my wife.  We also have a handful of "overnighters" that we like to do along the north coast and in our mountains.  We have put all of this on hold in order to keep ourselves and others safe.  Even though we are "motelers" and not campers, I'd do the same thing if we camped on a long tour.  If it was my presence in a market in one of our small, remote towns that started an outbreak and the people who became infected couldn't get reasonable medical care because of where they live...it would be an awful thing.  

 

If, on the other hand I were a camper out doing a shorter tour which allowed me to carry all of my supplies, I'd still consider myself to be "isolated".  As I mentioned above, I'm being very cautious about how I refuel my bike, so, I feel the same way about doing daily rides from my home now.  

[wbw6cos]

What about riding behind a cager that is smoking or vaping?   Can the virus be carried that way?

[Red]

Areas that currently have no confirmed cases of Covid19 are pleading for tourists to stay away.  So, beware if you go touring you may not be welcome and you may also cast negativity toward motorcyclists.

https://www.opb.org/news/article/oregon-washington-northwest-coronavirus-cases-live-updates-march-22/

I live in a town of 4,000 with a demographic toward the 60+ age group.  No cases yet.  Locals I have talked to / emailed with agree we don't want people coming here from areas with cases to our uninfected town with a hospital of 12 beds and only 1 ventilator.  It's a 130 mile one way trip to the next biggest town.  So, if our hospital is quickly swamped, it's not just like a 10 minute drive to the next option.  

Be responsible folks.

[Veefore]

Day trips for the time being here.  I've managed to sneak out for a few hours a couple of times this week and the mental break from news and social media is not only a relief but needed........

Nitrile gloves when filling up and never enter the store or take my helmet off........ride on fellas, better days are coming.

[Corazon de Pollo]

I'll give you a tiny bit of advice: even if it's cold and the roads still dirty, go out and ride, ride, ride.

You people have no idea what it means living under a full lockdown in the worst affected area of the world: I try to ride for the little hops I am allowed to make but that's about it. If those hops are outlawed as well (even more stringent lockdown coming?) what's left? Not even "ride to work" and "ride to buy groceries". How long before we are walled up in our homes without being even allowed to water the garden?

The worst part? Not only this stuff isn't working (Italy as a whole is doing better but this area keeps on getting worse) but we have no clue if this lockdown will ever come down.

 

So you that are still alowed to do so, please go out and ride like there's no tomorrow.

[Shane J.]

All the state campgrounds in Washington are closed for the duration (however long that may be). If I were to go camping now it would be NFS open camping, taking along everything I needed for the trip so no shopping while traveling.

Gas stations would be my biggest concern. Right now I pack disposable gloves to use when using the pumps and bathroom. Although I am going to start taking along my own empty Gatorade bottle so I can avoid the bathrooms as well.  

[chrisolson]

3 hours ago, Corazon de Pollo said:

If those hops are outlawed as well (even more stringent lockdown coming?) what's left?

 

The UK apparently tried to leave motorcycles out of travel restrictions, but too many (stupid people) took advantage and had large groups of riders and gatherings ... so .... no more , even solo riding , only for essential purposes (at least for a while)

 

LINKY

 

hopefully that doesn't happen in Italy or the US

[chrisolson]

17 minutes ago, Shane J. said:

Although I am going to start taking along my own empty Gatorade bottle so I can avoid the bathrooms as well.

 

Yeah, public bathrooms can present a problem ... I have some really heavy duty, hospital grade disinfectant but it takes 3 minutes of saturation to be totally effective and you really wouldn't want it on "sensitive" parts . 

[Bill_Walker]

On 3/22/2020 at 2:33 PM, Red said:

Areas that currently have no confirmed cases of Covid19 are pleading for tourists to stay away. 

I've seen bunches of pictures posted on Facebook of small town city limit signs that have home-made signs taped over them saying "CLOSED    GO AWAY", or other words to that effect.

 

Realize, also, that you may be infected and contagious and not know it.  The incubation period is 5-14 days, during which you're already contagious, and many people get mild symptoms after that and don't realize it's COVID-19.  You could unknowingly be responsible for somebody's death.

 

Also, I know we all tend to have a certain amount of "it can't happen to me" feeling about crashing, but if you do get in an accident, you may be going to a hospital filled with COVID-19 patients.  You might take up a bed that could've been better used for a COVID-19 patient.  You might need intensive care and be unable to get it because the ICU is full of COVID-19 patients.  Seriously, in Italy, they won't even let people ride bicycles for fear they might need a hospital.

 

So, in sum, stay the fuck at home!