Cold Start
I’ll try to resolve two truths that seem in opposition with each other. One, I don’t like being cold. And two, I choose to ride through the winter. They only seem opposed because most riders think you can’t ride in cold weather without getting cold.
That’s the challenge. Or part of it anyway. The Vespa in winter.
A few mornings ago I headed out with the thermometer indicating 29F. Cold enough to remind me it’s not as simple as I thought. Riding in cold weather demands work. For me, in these three areas:
Gear — the stuff that keeps you safe and warm.
Skill — the ability to manage the cold and the risk of snow and ice safely.
Mental — the drive to ride regardless of the weather.
Gear and skill are essential but the easiest to acquire. Money, time and practice will get you where you need to be.
The mental stuff — that’s a different story. After twelve years of winter riding — it’s only gotten harder.
When I started riding in the cold I could physically endure a lot more than I can now.
Thinking back to sub-zero rides, warming my hands with headlights and exhaust gas makes me shiver. I could do things then by force of will. Now my body can’t, or won’t go where my brain wants to lead it.
Despite the blue skies and bright sunshine it was cold enough, especially in shadowed areas, to have a little frost and ice on parts of the road. I had to tell myself to slow down and not assume the bright sky meant dry pavement.
Frustration and Blue Skies
I couldn’t get out of the house and on the scooter without more than a little trouble with gear. Rigging to keep the cold out, heat in and supplement with electrics is like a damn puzzle. One that you forget during the warm months. Get the jacket on and realize I forgot to insert the wires for the headed gloves. Get the gloves on and realize I forgot the balaclava. Put the riding jacket on three times before hitting the road. And a few false starts with the boots after forgetting the heated insoles.
Eventually I’m riding and release most of the bad vibes and am enjoying the road. And then the visor starts to fog. And I feel cold air from a jacket vent I forgot to close. At the beginning of the cold weather riding season everything seems complicated. After a few rides it will all become second nature.
Just didnt feel that way when I stopped at the church.
Mental Game
You can’t ride in cold weather if you’re heart’s not in it. How you feel and what you think about venturing out in the cold takes place between the ears. Some discipline is necessary to push past the natural resistence to risk being uncomfortable. Or abandon a warm house and soft bed. I have no tricks or secrets in this regard.
Navigating the Ride
With a dusting of snow along the road I new I needed to pay attention to the road. Often, if I find myself facing snow covered roads, I’ll seek out gravel trails in hopes of more traction and less traffic. If I’m lucky I’ll be at home when the snow flies. But sometimes I mess up.
By the time I crested the mountain top the temperature was near the freezing mark and the sun was melting snow from the tree branches. I had been wandering for over an hour and wanted some breakfast and a chance to think about the cold.
Sunset West Restaurant
Eating breakfast on a cold day is one of those simple pleasures that I enjoy as often as possible. Nothing fancy, just food and a chance to think about the ride.
The gear did it’s job from head to foot. I just need a bit more practice pulling it all together so I only have to do it once. My technique is rusty. Riding too fast, not predicting icy areas as well as I should, and my winter eyesight isn’t sharp yet.
I’m not sure how much cold I can stand anymore. But I want to take advantage of as many chances to ride as I can.
Cold be damned…
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Good morning, Steve;
I admire your spirit, and your dedication to riding! This morning, in frigid southern Ontario, while the roads remain relatively clear, there is two inches of fresh snow on the grass and thermometer reads minus-10C, or about plus-14F to you colonists. I’m sorry to admit that at my age and degree of arthritis, I’ve become a wimp of the first order. I’m leaving the Burgman in the garage while me and the missus are off to our usual Friday morning CVMG breakfast at Judy’s in a nice, warm car. I hope you enjoy your winter riding as long as you can while the rest of us just long for spring.
It’s definitely more of a challenge now than it was when I was younger. In the past I would have already been on the road in time to greet the sunrise despite the sub-freezing temperature. Right now it’s 29F again and windy. So little respite from the cold — even when you stop. I’m having a mental battle over riding. I’m fighting because I don’t want to winterize the Vespa and long for spring.
But time takes a toll on the body and mind. Everything seems so difficult at the moment. Perhaps my bowl of cold cereal will sway me into action…
Steve, I admire your resolve to ride in the cold weather. I am reluctantly storing the Vespa this weekend, having lost hope of another warm weather ride this year. I look forward to your adventures to carry me through to spring. Stay warm & stay safe!
I have to admit it is getting harder and harder to go out when it’s cold. On foot or on the scooter. Not ready to store the Vespa yet but I will have to do some work to acclimate to the cold…
I rode out to Way’s Fruit Farm to pick up an apple pie at 40 degrees 2 days ago. Love the heated gear, but I share your frustration with all the cords. Wifie has an electric jacket with the battery contained. She’s happy with it. I’ve thought about buying the gloves with battery contained, but I already have so much gear, and I may not have that many years of riding ahead of me. I plan to do Kissell’s ride tomorrow. High temp to be 36.
I hope the adventure ride on Saturday went well. The temperature never got as high as predicted and the area you were going to be riding would usually be colder than here. I always remember a rule from one of the Alaska motorcycle tour companies — make sure you are geared in a way that you can still ride without electrics. I suppose in Alaska you don’t want to have that stuff fail when you can be far away from shelter or repair. Not so much a problem here but I haven’t ridden in cold without electric for a long time.
I’ve been looking at a battery powered vest. What kind does Lynne have?
Lynne’s jacket is a ANSAi Mobile Warming (sic), made in Bangladesh BTW. It is a jacket with sleeves, but heats only the chest and abdomen. She likes it, with a riding jacket over top. Personally I wouldn’t have a heated garment that doesn’t heat the arms, since that’s where I get a wind blast on all my motos, but I have known several people who are happy with an electric vest, one reason being they pack so small.
Re. yesterday’s ride, I dropped out about 1/3 of the way due to dust, not cold. Enjoyed my own little ride then.
Thanks for the information Robert about the jacket. I’ll add it to my search. My arms don’t seem to ever get cold. But at times, especially after a hearty breakfast on the road, I feel chilled to the core. A vest might help. Once my core cools the hands, feet and toes aren’t far behind despite electrics.
Dust! The bane of groups of riders on dirt. I can understand dropping out of that mess and going off on your own. If that was the cause.
For me it is not the cold but the hot. For the most part if I want coldI have to look for it. This year my highest was 109 with 82 percent humidity, but that was only my 5.2 mile commute. Weekend riding, my daughter rides with me and the heat can bring on seizures for her. This year we had days when it was hotter by the beach or hotter in the mountains. So more careful route planning starts to kick in, leaving early or night riding. At over 100 mesh stops being your friend, but a “Cool Towel” or a wet balaclava make a huge difference.
I’m no fan of the high temperatures either. I’ve ridden twice with the temperature over 100F and it was brutal. Early morning or night riding makes sense. So does the wet stuff.
Hope you don’t have to deal with much cold!
Ah, the tangible signs of the onset of Winter.
I’ve had to head into Gotham three days this week, which for me these days is a lot. Yesterday was the first day I broke out my thermal undies, but decided to brave it and not bother with putting in the lining of my Rev’It! jacket; even though I got home late, air temp was still well north of 45ºF, so, bullet dodged. But I knew this morning would be less forgiving, so I made a mental note last night to zip in the lining before going to bed.
And this is where your mentioning of ritual/habitual comes in. I had a 9:54 train to catch at Long Branch, some six miles from the house. I tend to be one of those people who, to quote a decades-ago magazine road test of a Laverda motorcycle, doesn’t like to rise from bed five minutes earlier than absolutely necessary, but this time I gave myself an extra fifteen minutes. Shower, shave, from and dress, pour a bowl of cereal instead of going fancy, kiss the wife, hug the cat…and struggle with the extra set of zippers and Velcro my jacket now possesses. It’s not just a question of being out of practice: I bought the jacket used from another local rider in early Spring of this year, and promptly took out the lining to hang in the closet, since it was just warm enough at the time to get away without it. It was just annoying enough for me to just about rush out the door with the wrong gloves (needed the gauntlets, which, as I mentioned in an early thread, are okay down to about 30ºF), and then nearly forgot my thermos of tea. All this, of course, largely erased whatever time cushion I’d given myself. Once settled, I unlock and hop on Melody, fire her up, and gingerly sprint my way to Long Branch, which turns out to be relatively traffic-free ride until just a quarter-mile from the station, there’s a detour exactly where I need to turn off, with a Long Branch Police officer, in his marked car, making sure people get the message. I motion to him if it’s at all possible for me to squeak through; he politely shakes his head. It’s now 9:48
I take the long way ’round, gently bending the speed limit here and there, and pull into the station parking lot, lock the bike, hastily pay the parking fee, and sprint down and up stairs to the station platform. The train is there, doors closed. It’s 9:55. I hear a voice from behind me: “Relax, they haven’t opened yet for some reason.” Seconds later, the doors open. I rush on and find my favorite seat. We pull out at 9:57.
The commuting gods took pity on me this morning. And I didn’t freeze my ass off. But I clearly need to make friends with this jacket. And think about warmer gloves.
The increased complexity of winter gear can be maddening if you don’t have some sort of ritual around it. And everything where it should be. Without it there’s much frustration. And when you run into unexpected stuff on the road when you’re in a hurry it just seems to magnify the frustration.
I’m currently easing into things. Haven’t found the flow yet.
Best wishes with the cold riding. Be careful if you’re out below freezing. So many opportunities in the city for unexpected ice on the road. People dumping coffee and other liquids from their car. Leaks from all sorts of things. And just the natural tendency for water to appear. A little spot of ice can be catastrophic. And you’re riding in places with far more traffic than I do.
Be safe.
Two items I’ve seen to better battle Winter cold that are fairly common to scooterists – and one that has made prominent inroads into the motorcycle brigade – are handlebar muffs (Hippo Hands were a prominent brand but there are others) and a Winter scooter apron. Muffs with electric gloves/liners are especially well-received.
I second the importance of the handlebar muffs. Without them I wouldn’t be doing much riding at all below 30F. I have the Tucano Urbanos but the Hippo Hands are good too. Just don’t look as pretty.
I’ve been told the apron would be a big plus to my winter riding. I’ve just not been able to get past the idea that it would be really complicated. But more and more it seems like something I should consider.
Cold be damned indeed!
Over the years, I’ve arrived at the right combination for cold weather riding…I find though that its not as enjoyable if there’s not at least 3-4 inches of snow covering everything.
The URAL allows you to play in snow. For the Vespa, that’s a far trickier situation. I’ve ridden in it but it’s tiring to have my ass gripping the saddle…
A couple of inches of snow on the road is perfect for riding. The fluffy snow damps out the noise and there’s just enough sliding for it to be fun. The cold is just a minor part of the experience.
Not very much riding for me these last few weeks. Not enough time…
Hi, Steve,
My tolerance for cold weather riding is decreasing. I don’t really have to worry about snow or slush out here, but I can remember just a few years ago I rode with a group every Saturday morning without fail, and the temps were anywhere from 28 to 35 degrees. It goes without saying that those rides were with layers, and electrified gloves, socks and vest. Makes me cold to just think about it!
Now, if the temp is below 45 degrees I take the same routes, but in the warmth of my car. Don’t know if it’s age, or a modicum of weight loss, but it really does get to me.
But, the temps around noon to three o’clock are usually very nice. And, with my wariness of riding even on wet roads out here, the hazards of snow and ice are way beyond my limits…but it is interesting to see and hear of your outings. Good luck!
The march of time no doubt is coloring both our perceptions and tolerance of cold. I suppose I’m struggling a bit with that realization. It was similar last year at the beginning of the cold season and then either my body or mind adapted. Time will tell if that’s the case again.
Stay safe and have fun on the rides you will make!
It’s definitely more of a struggle with the cold. First, to check the weather….dry surfaces, not too cold (we’ve had 16 degrees overnight already…brrr!). Gearing up takes more time….. Rode into work this morning at 25 degrees, no problem. I don’t like the aesthetics of muffs, but my fingers are starting to get chilled with my Corazzos. Discovered another vulnerability, which is the gap between my buff and helmet. Not much, but I can feel the line of cold, which gets more annoying with time. Solved that with borrowing my wife’s fleece neck gaiter. Still haven’t put the insulated liner in my riding pants yet, so there’s wiggle room there.
Electrical gear is somewhat tempting, but I’ve made it my line in the sand. If I have to plug in for cold weather riding, I’m going to park…for now. And I’m not getting younger either…
The muffs certainly add a layer of ugly to the Vespa. No argument there. But they’re SO effective in keeping the cold at bay. So I’ve swallowed hard and use them. Considered putting them on today actually but I think I’ll wait a bit longer.
Air hitting my neck is the worst. Feels like a knife. I’m careful to keep my balaclava tucked in tight to the jacket.
As far as electric gear goes — the temperature where I want it keeps going up and up. If I don’t use the gloves, insoles, and likely a vest soon, I would be parking the scooter at 40F. Not ready for that line. Yet.
Steve,
Great post again, thanks for sharing your thoughts.
Riding 3 scooters and living in Lisbon, Portugal, is a privilege: mild temperatures in the winter (today 9ºC to 20ºC) and less rainy days than we should.
Despite these mild temperatures, I love traveling to the mountains in the winter where we can find snow and tricky conditions to ride.
But it is different to face these difficult conditions every day. Sometimes your mind is just not prepared for it.
If you can go on holiday, or on a previously selected weekend, in which we have the opportunity to tune gear, body and spirit to the hard conditions of the rigorous winter… that´s a pleasure and an adventure.
Vasco
Winter here can feel relentless. The short days and cold temperatures are draining. And if you add snow it is down right oppressive unless you are a skier or other winter enthusiast.
I’ll be on the lookout for those times when riding can be a pleasure and adventure.