Things to Keep in Mind About Riding a Scooter or Motorcycle in Winter Weather
I’m whining and complaining. Some unexpectedly warm February weather melted my winter riding resolve and now that the temperatures are plunging (I understand that -20F is a balmy day in Alaska) into the 20s I’m sort of miffed. Pissed off. Angry. Generally discouraged that life is so unfair. And even though I rode to work today and plan to again tomorrow it’s like the beginning of winter all over again and I have to reset my brain, renew habits and generally do a lot of tedious stuff just to ride to work.
It’s no wonder the smart people I know park their machines until the weather is such that they could ride naked if they wanted to. And here I am futzing with the lining of my Gerbing Electric glove so it doesn’t burn my hand.
In my whining frustration this evening I made the infographic to remind anyone watching that winter riding is work. And to question myself why I continue to wade through the tedium to ride to work. Why put up with the misery?
Good question.
The answer? Truthfully — I do not know. And there I am, riding again on another freezing day.
Cold and Dark
On the way home at the end of the day. Cold, dark and windy. All terms associated with pleasant riding. At least it wasn’t raining or snowing.
Put a gun to my head and ask why am I doing this? Well, I suppose it’s pretty simple.
No matter how tedious, chaotic or frustrating it is to get ready to ride, no matter how harsh the weather is or how challenging conditions on the road appear, once I’m riding I am transported to another state of being and my mind and body follow. Age evaporates along with worldly concern. The noise of living is stripped away and I am left flying through life without care or concern. For those few moments anything I have to go through is worth the price to be riding.
Whining and complaining about winter riding — the price of admission to another state of being.
I like your explanation of why you ride in the winter.
It’s a balancing act between common sense, safety and the desire to ride. I can make the proper clothing choices and get in the right frame of mind, but ice and snow are a reality I can’t control. How willing am I to land on my ass? Turns out, not very.
I think you’ve characterized the balancing act that a rider must embrace. And each of the elements changes continually. My desire can shift day-to-day depending on what is going on in my life. The landing on my ass part — that’s the part that’s hard to predict. Certainly the risk increases and you need to decide on that. Just like riding at night, in the rain, fast, etc.
I’m less will to ride in the winter but I still do. Just not as much as I used to.
You mention riding at night. I would hate getting caught in a snow squall like you did but I’ve always said if you don’t ride at night you’re missing out on half a day of bike time. I guess we all have our comfort zones.
Your right about missing out. If you only ride on warm, sunny days, you will considerably shorten your riding season here in Pennsylvania. And perhaps more importantly, you won’t experience the world in a variety of light and circumstance. It’s a different place at night, or on a rainy day.
But as you said, we each have our comfort zones and willingness to manage the associated risk. And that’s fine. There is no right way to ride. It’s always an individual choice for when to right, how to ride and what to ride.
Great info graphic. ?
“…the price of admission.” Loved that!
We do sort of pay an admission price don’t we…;)
Good graphic, and yeah, leaks in one’s riding gear can translate to knife sharp stabs by the cold wind.
Yep, a small travail to don the gear but once moving….
The fear factor and one’s brain talking you out of a ride? The biggest obstable, so much easier to surf the coach. In my case, I have grown tired of nearby ride destinations but am working on finding new angles.
obstacle that is, not obstable….sigh
Don’t forget surfing the “coach”.
That cold air, especially to the neck, is like a knife.
Because my gear is never in the same place it gets frustrating to find individual items sometimes. It stands out in my head as larger than life. But when everything is ready to go it’s pretty simple.
Surfing the couch. That’s really, really easy. I’m there right now!
Steve,
You don’t have too much longer before you are retired and not riding to work anymore. I am retired since October 21 and do not miss the turnpike and 18 wheelers rushing by me. Now I can going riding most days whenever I want to.
Hang in there. You will get there.
Ah, it will be nice to have more of my life under my control. I’m looking forward to see if I can make it productive.
Digging the infographics!
My reason not to ride, I’m sick and not at top condition to watch out for my self.
Janet is not well & I might have to come home quickly.
Janet reason for me not to ride, rain is predicted in commute times. Active rain or snow is predicted where I want to ride.
Lets be honest where I live it does not get cold enough to justify electrics (this does not mean I don’t covet them). As I get older my consternation turns to heat I find it harder to get excited about riding as the temps go above 100.
I understand the limitations introduced by the body. My back issues kept riding light for months. And I feared it may be longer. Thankfully it’s eased enough to ride again.
I’m with you with riding in the high heat. We don’t have many 100 degree days but even at 90 it’s oppressive.
Best wishes for some physical recovery and being able to get on the road again.
Nice infographic! I found that really thin glove liners are sufficient to keep the hot Gerbing wires from direct contact. And just the combination of a fleece and/or heated jacket liner is sufficient under the one piece RC. “Gearing up” rarely takes even a minute. Plus RC eliminates the gap between riding coat and pants. Staying warm while riding has never been a problem even at sub-zero temps when the heated stuff actually works. (Don’t get me started on the reliability of Gerbings stuff) A third wheel eliminates most of the road concerns which just leaves the brain. And the whole “ride to work” thing…
Infographics are fun. Hard for me to figure out what to do with them though. I’ll keep tinkering. Certainly a lot easier that thinking about video blogging!
I finally looked inside the gloves and found one of the heating wires was outside the glove liner and making direct contact with the flesh of my hand. No wonder it burns. I’ll look for a glove liner. I’m also going to send Gerbing some photos. Maybe they’ll have some ideas.
My gear up issues I realize have a lot to do with disorganization. I don’t put things back where they belong. And them I’m searching. And frustrated…
Three wheels. What’s that about? You mean a trike? Wouldn’t it be cool if there was a way to add a third wheel to a motorcycle to make it more stable. And if you could put power to that wheel — wow, what a machine that would be…. 😉
BTW, it’s -29°F right now and I have no plans to ride anywhere. That’ll just be silly….
I can’t imagine riding in that. Our Creamery has a huge walk-in freezer at -30F. I’ve been inside many times. It’s otherworldy.
I have discovered there is additional joy in getting the “GEAR” right.
Assessing the weather…and its progression…dressing…then discovering…YES!….got it right….if not…short ride….
No electric clothes in my world ….yet.
Absolutely. It does provide a huge bit of satisfaction. It’s like solving a puzzle correctly.
I went a long time without electrics but in the past couple years I changed. Electric gloves first. Then electric grips. And now heated insoles. I can’t use the gloves and grips together. Nothing more on the horizon though.
I’m giving my ride the once-over this month in anticipation of spring sometime in the next few weeks. A new battery, new windshield, new seat, new fluids, new Mobil 1, new tires, and a new state inspection – it should be ready to go in just a couple of weeks, hopefully just in time for warmer spring weather!
Let’s hope the weather in a couple weeks feels more like spring than winter. I’ll be changing the fluids and filters at the end of the winter season. Things get dirty and gritty and require a change.
Steve:
There’s one item missing from your list: age.
As our physical body’s age, so does our mental being.
And we as who we are discover the infirmities of old age,
we simply don’t want to go riding in the winter.
Your own definition of age came with your heart ttack, mine with Lupus, cancer and Celulitus. What ages us hits us at different chronological times and in different ways.
After you retire (and it will take time to adjust to the idea of retirement) you will hopefully explore new ideas and directions.
And then maybe riding somewhere in the winter or wandering in the woods with the dogs; on your schedule and as you are at the moment.
Age alone isn’t the issue. Age and state of health combined is perhaps the better indicator. But you’re right about things gathering to create the state of old age. And with it — who wants to ride in the cold. I’ve been quite old in the past year. And young too. It’s a moving target.
Retirement holds many mysteries. I’m anxious to explore them. Dogs are too!
This being Lent we needed something unmeatly for dinner. I called the local Takeout restaurant for fried shrimp and white rice. Then I hopped on the scooter to pick it up with a good wind blowing and thirty degrees showing on the thermometer. Since it’s only three miles there I could brave it easily. I know I’m probably violating some PC standard with this but I always laugh when I pick up Chinese takeout on a Chinese scooter. It somehow seems fitting.
I love fried shrimp. The fat content has pushed it into my no-go region of post heart attack foods. But I have fond memories.
Thirty degrees and a good wind, even for a few miles, is a challenge. Chinese takeout on a Chinese scooter? That’s an alignment of the stars or something…
Despite the gear required, winter riding is still worth it…to me anyway!
If it’s just the cold then winter riding can be a lot like warmer weather riding — save for the gear. And there are plenty of above the freezing mark days that you can easily have a few rides every month in most winters where I am. Seems a shame to part the bike for six or seven months.