Weather.gov calls it 'ice fog'

It’s been cold the past few mornings as I rode into work. Yesterday and today were both foggy and below freezing. If you travel through it long enough, the fog freezes on the surfaces of your bike, face shield, and even on your gloves and jacket. The road surface was fairly dry, although it had a nice shine to it in my neighborhood as I first headed out. I took my time and rode cautiously, as as if it were raining (which it did three days ago).

In addition to the freezing fog, the stock battery on my 2007 V-Strom was finally due to be replaced. It served me well, 35,000 miles over 4 years (my bike’s 4th birthday is a week from today) which is better than normal. I swung over to Yamaha Sports Plaza in Fairview, OR on my way home yesterday and bought a new gel battery for $87, then Steve, the service manager, installed it for me right there, free of charge. They not only sell Suzuki parts but their service techs are fully qualified and experienced Suzuki wrench-heads, some of whom worked for Action Motor Sports, the previous dealership where I bought my bike four years ago (in the same location). Although they didn’t have a lot of people browsing the shiny new bikes in the showroom, Steve told me they are third in the world for Yamaha parts on-line. Way to go!