IMO the biggest contributor to ride/rider counts being down this season is the weather. Seems to me wx was the biggest single factor that had me say "nah" when it came time to commit (throw a leg over and head down the street) to either the Solstice or BBQ rides. The weather hasn't been very cooperative at all this riding season, late start, crummy weekends seem to have been the rule, rather than the exception this season, including a couple just too damn hot. Fortunately, the weather, similar to group dynamics, is cyclical, and I'd imagine both will swing back towards "normal" without outside intervention.
The couple of rides I have posted up were very short notice (breaks in the weather), so it is understandable that no one could make the under-3-hours to KSU from the time they were posted.
Other than weather, I don't think the forum/group is doing anything wrong, speaking for myself. Workload has any thoughts of playing hooky right out the window, so no weekday rides work for me, at least this season.
Well OK, there is one thing that would make rides a bit more appealing for me...later starts. I know the "typical" start time of between 8-9AM has evolved for many reasons, but again, just for me, Nelson is 2+ hours away, which means leave home at 6AM. For the record, I get up at about 7AM on weekdays  so 0530 on a weekend isn't ideal, but I'm setting an alarm for tomorrow morning's Tri-State. Hope it isn't snowing in the AM , I've been hoping all day today to get that new rear tire scuffed in, but geez, the wx just aint cooperating!
Regards,
+Wade

Whether you knew it or not Ray, you and Nick Ienatsch were with me on my ride this evening. I committed to myself to only ride the left tire groove (24" or so, about 24" in from the stripe). I kept it up for the first 50 miles of my ride. But then felt that was enough "exercise time" and frankly it was feeling very restrictive, and requiring too much mental energy to keep projecting imaginary lines onto the asphalt, and counter to at least one of the reasons...freedom...that I like to ride. So for the rest of the ride I was back to giving myself permission to use my normal lane...ahhh...so liberating.
It did magnify a couple times I was not set up correctly for a corner, so it is definitely a valuable exercise.
Also, even after I was done exercising for the ride, I found that during longer corners, or sections of road I was paying more attention to speed limits, that it was easy/fun for me to revert to the tactic.
Next time I work on it, I will modify my game, to use the right tire track for left turns. a) I don't want any part of me (i.e. helmet) across the yellow stripe and b) focusing too much on imaginary lines in the road caused a bit of unintended tunnel vision, and in 90° lefts a couple times an oncoming car snuck through my peripheral vision and spooked me, which I think in my more typical out-in-out cornering, with both a wider vision sweep and more gradual corner entry angle, wouldn't happen.
I'm just sharing my experience, that in my case anyway, there is benefit to it, but like everything, it may not be right for all situations, enjoy in moderation.
+Wade

Welcome!
At least you're on the "right" side of town .
I'm in Forest Lake, but my long loop drops down through White Bear / Oakdale. Hope to ride w/you this season.
+Wade

...to my two sons, Austin (19) and Blake (18). Austin got his project CBR1000F back into running condition after a couple months of tinkering, and that was his motivation to get legal. I took it out for a few miles in one of the "dry" half hours this week, it does what it's supposed to. Not a great "learners" bike by any means, unless your in training for a rhino rodeo, but it may hit Craigslist very soon, make a couple dollars profit, or at least break even, and a more suitable "first bike" acquired.
Blake saw gas hit $4+ and thinks his plan is a good one, to ride this "great deal" he can get from one of his buddies...a '72 Yamaha AT2 125 (yep 2-stroke) street legal enduro. So far, everytime that one has left the garage, it has gotten quietly pushed back in. Good exercise program, if nothing else.
Debbie and I could see what was coming, so for their birthdays a couple weeks ago we gave them each a Basic Rider Course...hopefully they pick dates soon, before acquiring any bad habits, or lessons learned the hard way (but is there another way to learn them?!?)
+Wade

Most of my free time this weekend has already been spent lurking/learning/shopping at cbrforum.com and ebay. i now know more about the CBR1000F than a person ought to...Sport Tourer (not an RR) that bridged between the Hurricane and the 1100XX Blackbird. "Linked" braking system is interesting. Definitely not a great bike to learn on (big, heavy), but if he can handle it, he should be set for about anything else. And if there are a couple (please God, let them be dumb/low speed/solo) "oopses" along the way, not a whole at stake on the bike itself.
Austin is going back to where he picked it up from to hopefully recover some of those missing "bits" which have made themselves more obvious this weekend. Hope he finds some of them, as parts are available, but enough $40 + shipping widgets add up fast.
Fortunately he already bought head-to-toe top notch riding gear, prior to buying the bike, so he'll figure out a way to make the budget work.

My 18 yo son dragged home a new "project" last night...'94 CBR1000. Been down a couple times, hard enough the last time to bend the front wheel pretty well (curb?) and some obvious cosmetic damage, but it is a runner. It's partially disassembled, although I am more confident in his abilities to get it back together, than I am in his abilities to "use" it once it is back together  .
Anyway, anyone got a bits stashed in the attic for one of these? Not sure yet what it may need, but confident there will be needs.
Thanks,
+Wade

Thanks Matt! mmm...almost Zen..."The" section really imprinted on me was a bit more tree canopy shrouded than this section, at least in my memory of it ...but it still just put a bigass smile on my face to watch that.
Until we all get back to our favorite roads, or find new ones...
+Wade

Being in midst of another crappy, non-snowmobiling winter, really has my cabin fevered mind wandering. Anyone here racing Pit Bikes at Prokart?
From the Left Brain/Right Brain post, it will all make sense that I am analyzing whether I would prefer the Honda 50 based bikes or the KLX 110 based bikes. Any input? Is there enough advantage in the 110's (handling? speed? brakes? tuneability? modability? comfort? other?) to justify the seemingly higher budget?
On the Honda "clones", I am seeing SSR most often. Are they OK? Or stay away and stick with Honda OE?
210 pounds, 6'0.
Thanks!
+Wade