As the temperature continues to drop and the weather becomes a bigger concern for a rider. A cold, wet morning on the way to work when I saw an intrepid commuter. Riding in this situation is more than just enduring the cold, it’s wrapping your head around a new way of riding. One focused on managing a new exposure to risks.
I just put the snow tires on the Vespa and will change the oil, check the antifreeze, and generally get the machine ready for winter in the morning. My body is ready for another season of cold weather riding. Now I just need to get my head in the game…
The road in your photo has that hazy shine of pretty close to freezing. After almost a week of getting rides into work, I finally rode in again. By getting your head in the game do you mean being conscience of additional hazards and marginal traction?
RichardM: I guess by getting my head in the game I mean being prepared mentally to ride as the environment demands rather than as I want to ride. Warm weather is far more forgiving of a wandering mind.
Many people ask me about riding in winter and always ask about fun, or rather about it not being fun. I’ll agree it’s not fun. But there is a satisfaction to it that’s hard to describe. Maybe we all get a rush from overcoming obstacles….
HI Steve,
I totally get what your saying ….. Even as we get older more fragile more gripped by the seasonal conditions , We now have the technology to stay warm and even safe to a degree, the rest is a change in the mind that’s necessary .
Kindest regards
Len
P.s will we see a tree on back of the vespa this year!
The best advice one can give to new winter riders is “take your time and don’t risk it”. It’s not your case, I know… But maybe someone new might come to read this 😉
Let the great stories and “pics” keep coming and stay safe.
That bike is a GS isn’t it?
Steve, winter riding sure requires more prior planning and the correct gear. I’ll admit there’s been time when riding in the cold was less than fun but the sheer rush of it at times is quite satisfying.
So satisfying that riding in nice weather can at times be yawn inducing.
Looking forward to seeing this winter’s pictures….
Len: Seems like the older I get and the more challenges that present themselves the solution always comes back to how I decide to approach them — that mental landscape of acceptance, empathy, etc.
Riding in winter is just a good, strong concrete example of the necessity of adjusting myself rather than expecting the world to adjust to me…
Charlie6 (dom): I agree with your observation that warm weather riding can be a yawn in comparison to the cold weather rush. Unfortunately that rush can be fleeting. Sounds like the beginnings of an obsessive pursuit doesn’t it.
Winter prep, both machine and gear, can be a hassle. Hell, it is a hassle. But the gift of being able to keep riding is worth it.
I really do love to ride…
W: Good advice and advice I heed myself. I don’t take foolish risks and try to gauge decisions within my narrow skill set and the capabilities of the Vespa.
When I think of the risks I evaluate, even in winter, ice is pretty far down the list of recurring dangers, down below deer, inattentive drivers, myself….
Not sure what the bike was. Those metal side cans always make me think GS though.