Less Than Ideal Weather
It’s nice to be invited along on a ride. While I’m not always able to go, I always appreciate the offer. On this morning I was free to join Dave on a 39 mile ride to McVeytown, Pennsylvania to have breakfast with some of his riding buddies. The fact that the thermometer was stuck in the mid-30s was less than ideal. And the ride provided a number of opportunities to discern the difference between cold versus cool motorcycle rides.
It was cold. Not the best time to be riding a naked bike with no heated grips. And Dave is not a cold weather rider so I’m sure he was doing some second guessing as well. But when friends and breakfast are dangled before you logic and good sense take a back seat.
Old Cold Weather Habits Fail
About 20 miles into the ride we stopped to warm up a bit in a church parking lot. The sun started to break through the clouds and that combined with ceasing of wind blast allowed us the chance to generate some heat inside our riding jackets and thaw the hands.
Over the years I have warmed my cold gloves and hands on the scooter muffler or headlight. Just a bit of warmth that can ward off misery. I placed both my gloved hands on the muffler and could feel a little heat. I looked at the exposed header pipe and said to myself if the muffler felt warm the header pipe would feel even warmer. Well, that’s sort of true.
In fact my glove instantly melted leaving a fine reminder of my stupidity on the chrome pipe. I haven’t attempted to remove the plastic yet and may keep it there as a badge of idiocy.
Time for New Gloves
It startled me how fast the glove melted. As I reached for the pipe I envisioned a nice warming grip. Instead it sounded like laying a steak on a hot grill. And had I actually grabbed the pipe, I’m certain my flesh would have burned.
With the outer layer of the glove gone I could see the construction. A vapor barrier, scant insulation, and the heating elements. The gloves still worked but now I had an excuse to replace these war torn KemiMoto electric gloves. They served their purpose but I decided something new was in order.
I now have a nice pair of Gerbing 7V rechargeable hard knuckle gloves. So far they work great and even without the heat on they are much better insulated. But they cost twice as much.
Taking in the View
By the time we stopped on Jacks Mountain the sun had made the world warmer despite a brisk wind. The view east across the Appalachian Mountains always stirs my imagination. Thoughts of the first white explorers trying to cross this region comes to mind followed by thoughts of my own exploring on a scooter or motorcycle.
By the time we departed for breakfast now far away any thoughts of cold versus cool motorcycle riders had vanished. It was still cold.
Tricks for Feeling Young
Arriving at Harshbarger Sub N’ Malt I had the opportunity to meet six other riders. They traveled much farther to lunch than Dave and I, some over 100 miles riding a variety of big motorcycles — BMW, Yamaha and Triumph (I think).
For the first time in a long time, I seemed to be the youngest rider present. It was nice to know that there may be some more years of riding for me.
Rider Portrait
A good photographer would have moved the box out of the picture. An enterprising photographer might remove it with Photoshop. What’s my excuse…
Heading for the Freeway
After lunch Dave and I rode along a small rural road until we hit a limited access highway for the final 30 miles of our ride. I’m generally not a fan of that sort of highway but when you want to get somewhere fast it’s a useful option.
So how does one differentiate cold versus cool weather motorcycle riding? Maybe it’s measured by how many gloves you melt, stops you make to warm up, or just looking at the weather forecast more closely.
It was a fine ride regardless and I’m grateful to have been invited along.
Even though the day began cold it ended up cool…
Yes mid 30’s is definitely getting into the cold factor. Glad to read you had a great time out and riding. The food looked pretty good as well.
It was a fine ride despite the cold. I am weary of riding in those temperatures though. My desire still outweighs the weariness. Thankfully spring is here with more and more warmer riding days.
By this time of the year I can tolerate the 30s pretty well physically. Mentally I can whine though.
The burger was fantastic. I need to ride there again to sample the desserts!
For me cold is not cool. I can wait for warmer weather before I ride my Vespa. In the meantime, it can sit in the garage and wait for me.
So far I can’t wait. The day will come though that I won’t feel much like braving the cold. I had better find some engaging outlet though before that happens.
That sounds COLD, Steve. An inexpensive trick for exhaust header glove-removal is to use a common nickel held in a vice grip or pliers. Elbow grease and 15 minutes is the investment. Great photos as usual!
Thanks for the suggestion. I’ll see what happens.
Ha ha! Coincidence, I just parched a burn hole in my rain pants last week. Gerbing is a good brand worth the price. Also consider, in your case they will not sit idle on a shelf. You will use them often.
The new gloves are great. Glad I melted the old ones!
Steve, thanks for joining me on that ride and showing me some great back roads to get there. A good pair of long underware helped me learn that cool weather might not be be all that difficult. A pair of those Gerbing gloves sound like a good idea. Great write up on the ride and I look forward to the next one.
I was pleased to be invited and grateful to actually been able to go with you. I’ve been looking at some maps for those unexplored roads we’ve talked about. Soon the GS and the Himalayan will have to do some exploring.
O frio acaba por ser uma questão de habituação até um certo limite. E nós temos de conhecer os nossos limites. Nunca andei tanto ao frio como neste inverno. Não abdico de andar de moto! E passei esse frio mais quando existe aquela obrigação de ter de ir trabalhar. No fim-de-semana é diferente, sou mais seletivo, apesar de ser muito difícil o estado do tempo ser o motivo para me desmotivar a andar em duas rodas. Deus deu asas aos pássaros, a mim deu-me duas rodas.
Ao fim deste tempo todo, recebi um convite para um passeio. Um colega de trabalho a quem eu vendi a minha anterior scooter quer acompanhar-me e conhecer locais divertidos para andar de moto. Vai ser bom ter companhia para passeios matinais de fim-de-semana! E será conteúdo valioso para alimentar os leitores do meu blogue!
Obrigado pela partilha, Steve! É como se eu estivesse também nesse café da manhã!
Obrigado por partilhar comigo os seus pensamentos e experiências. Eu aprecio-os.
Boa sorte na sua próxima aventura. Parece divertido. E tem razão sobre se habituar ao frio. A cada inverno adapto-me lentamente. À medida que envelheço, demora mais tempo!