No matter what lies I tell myself, how well I prepare, or how much gear I put on, I feel the burn of cold and ice, the doom of the warm-skinned man. Another cold morning ride with the thermometer just below the freezing mark. Without heated gear my behavior changes with each action weighed against the potential exposure to the elements, a tedious ritual at times but essential to keep doom at bay.
By the time I was wandering in Rothrock State Forest I felt the slow chill of my right thumb as the frigid air relentlessly attacked my Black Diamond Expedition mittens. A little patience when I stop would allow my hands to regain heat organically but I made the mistake of taking pictures, a decidedly mitten-free activity. The Canon G15 body gets cold on bare fingers, even for a few moments.
I tell myself something warm awaits down the road and depart before hands rewarm. The rest of my body is warm, toasty, making the beginning-to-ache hands emerge as a loud complaint.
More miles on the Yamaha Vino 125 reveals a solid machine. Nothing fancy, just “little engine that could” performance. Just stay away from busy freeways or pavement full of maniacal road warriors.
I was mainly a sightseer this morning, wandering familiar territory exploring the changes brought by time and season. An unexpected advantage of the Vino came to me while making this picture — the kick starter. The Vespa GTS 250ie electric start has failed a couple times due to battery issues leaving me waiting for another vehicle for a jump. Those rare experiences have left an indelible mark on my brain, especially in cold weather when batteries are stressed. No cares at all with the Vino — the little kickstarter really works.
The Vino can ply the same open road as the larger Vespa requiring just a few more pullovers to let traffic flow by — traffic that remains rare most of the time. This time of year attention is focused more on scanning the road surface than the rear-view mirrors. And managing body heat reserves and flesh exposures to avoid the doom of the warm-skinned.
“Watch for Ice” — a visual warning that cannot be overlooked when you’re on two wheels. Those signs are not randomly placed as I once thought — little polite reminders for the motoring public. They are deliberate placements because of known issues. Not far from this sign is a place where water routinely runs across the road in wet weather and continues for awhile in dry. When it freezes, well, you can imagine.
No ice today but I have seen it here many times and conduct myself accordingly. I recall one trip where I had to come to a complete stop and gingerly footpad my way across a six foot span of shiny, slippery nastiness.
All in a day’s work for winter riders north of the Mason-Dixon Line.
Just a few miles ahead I found food and hot chocolate and the chance to reflect on the cold. I’ve begun adjusting to it, my resistance to exposure has diminished and it’s easier to venture out. And I have to say I love the feeling of coming in from the cold — invigorating, exhilarating.
It’s great to be alive and walking (and riding) on the earth.
The kickstart on Martha’s Genuine Buddy 125 has saved us a few times when the battery was dead….it’s apparently really easy to leave it “on” even when the key is in the off position….sigh.
One thing I do, when riding in cold weather and taking pics, is to lay my gloves on the left jug of the URAL’s engine….I come back from taking pictures with frozen fingers, put on the now toasty warm gloves, all is well. Is there a spot on the Vino where you can lay the gloves you just took off? Perhaps the muffler?
I wish my GTS had a working kickstart like the Vino. I suppose technology with starters has improved to the point where they seem quaint rather than functional.
The Vino doesn’t have a good spot like your URAL for heating and cooking. The muffler is shielded and hard to get to the hot spots.
I’ll have to dance on the roadside with my hands in my armpits, looking sad and forlorn…
I was thinking about the cold earlier. Without the heated gear, I wouldn’t want to be out in subzero temperatures for very long. I used to spend all day outside and camping at night in similar temperatures but I would have different equipment. The wind while riding really changes things.
The driving wind from even slow speeds is a real game changer. Hiking in the cold is simple compared to dealing with wind.
I wonder if NASA sells riding gear? They have experience protecting people from the elements, or lack of…
I find the weird looking 3 finger over gloves that Areostich sells really help with wind chill, but then I rarely get below 36 f.
I’ve worn those rain gloves from Aerostich and they do make a difference but once things drop below freezing you need more insulation or heated gear. But they do cut down the wind that penetrates through seams to chill the old hands…
I had some interest in doing the “Polar Bear Run” on January 1st. I had only ridden a couple days before and it was fine in the 40’s. When I woke up on New Years day I checked the temperature and it was a foggy 17 – wow. I decided rather quickly that I didn’t want to ride that bad!
Seventeen degrees definitely is an alarm bell when you are thinking of riding. I’ve spent some miserable time on the road in that kind of weather because I wasn’t fully prepared. Staying at home is often a great choice, especially in the winter. Same goes for those days when it is 100F.
I really like the first pic – the scooter in the forest. How’s riding on 10″ wheels? The suspension must be “simpler”, too. Is it sipping noticeably less full than the Vespa? Could you see yourself using this scooter permanently, Steve?
The smaller wheels and simpler suspension make for a different ride on the Vino than on my larger (and more expensive) Vespa GTS. The Vino isn’t bad and the small wheels don’t cause problems, it just lacks the smoothness and riding finish of the Vespa. Same with power. The Vino doesn’t use much fuel at all but I’ve not checked the mileage.
Performance wise I could see using the Vino permanently though the choice would be driven by factors not in play at the moment. The would be:
1. Financial — can’t afford a more expensive machine.
2. Health — some reason my body can’t handle the larger, heavier machine.
3. Challenge — intentional downsizing to smaller, less powerful machine as mental exercise. I would be more likely to go further though to a 49cc Honda Ruckus.
But for now it’s pretty cool.