It’s not a fashion thing. Standing naked at the window this past Saturday morning as the world begins to appear from the darkness I touch the glass as if that will supply any useful information beyond it’s cold outside. No new snow on the ground is a plus. But I don’t know what I should wear for my ride to work. As I startup the computer I jump into the shower. I didn’t feel like making a picture at the window so I used one taken the next morning by my friend Gordon Harkins that shows how things look when I am geared up for cold weather.

18 degrees Fahrenheit. I rely on Accuweather to point me towards the right gear selection. Still don’t know where I’m going but at that temperature I pretty much need everything if I want to stay warm. And I like being warm. And it’s a lot of stuff. Just think about what I put on for a cold morning ride — from the skin out:

1. Underwear
2. Polypropylene long underwear
3. Cotton/wool blend shirt
4. Blue jeans
5. Wool sweater
6. Windproof jacket
7. Tourmaster Overpants with armor
8. First Gear Kilimanjaro IV jacket with fleece and armor
9. Lycra balaclava
10. Ear plugs
11. Electric gloves
12. Heavy wool blend socks
13. Boots
14. Fulmer full-face helmet

I’m finally ready to ride but it’s a lot of stuff. It transforms you into a patient person or you put the scooter away in September and watch TV. It takes time to get ready and if you are going to commute daily and run errands in this kind of weather you better turn this gearing up into a ritual. One you can do with your eyes closed. Everything in its place. Or just get frustrated and go insane or freeze alongside the road because you forget some things.

I left the house with two plans; ride twelve miles at 60 MPH or so to see how I did in the cold, and then ride to Starbucks for something warm to drink. I rode down Route 45 towards Pennsylvania Furnace at a brisk pace and was pleased that I was pretty much airtight except for one small knife of air piercing the left side of my neck. I didn’t want to stop though so put up with it until I got off the road and headed up towards Tussey Mountain. Didn’t venture too far though once I realized that there were still quite a few deer hunters out in the woods. I did manage the above picture without taking off my gloves. Patience and being careful how my big gloved fingers were placed on the little camera meant I didn’t have any cold hands to deal with.

On across the valley towards Starbucks, another 10 miles or so away. I stopped in the middle of the valley to stand in the wind and feel how hard it was pushing me around. In my riding gear I felt I was protected from anything like an astronaut on the moon.

In the cold it is always nice to stop somewhere warm and have a snack. This morning is was Starbuck’s Signature Hot Chocolate and a warm roll with butter. Enjoyed driving both into me while reading the comics and making some notes for this post.

I made one more stop at the grocery store before heading home. I’ve gotten pretty good at estimating how much I can fit on the Vespa. A surprising amount fits under the seat or in the rear bag. Another big pile can be attached behind me with bungee cords and any delicate things hand on the purse hook. A real utilitarian vehicle.

Winter riding holds different meanings for different riders. For some it is the epitome of idiocy and others the cold reality of daily transportation. I’ve ridden my Vespa through several winters and have refined my own limits and sensibilities in a range of cold-weather conditions.

I’ve compiled stories and pictures posted over the past couple years for anyone interested in venturing out in the cold on two wheels. It may not be for everyone but with a few modifications to gear and riding habits you may find that you can extend your riding season. You may even find an unexpected enjoyment.

Feel free to post questions if you have them. If I can’t answer them directly someone else may or I can point you in the right direction for an answer.

Rolling the Vespa out of the garage into bright sun and 30 degree Fahrenheit air was a great way to start my commute to work. I left early to allow more time to negotiate any remaining snow, ice, or gravel, especially on less traveled secondary roads.

After a mile of picking my way between patches of slush and gravel I was ready to say hello to a pair of Belgian draft horses out enjoying the rapidly warming morning. Hello spring.

I made a quick stop at one of the local parks that does winter duty as a sled and toboggan run. School and work has drawn everyone away.

By the time I stopped to photograph this vista the Vespa’s ambient temperature indicator read 46 degrees. Had it not been for a long list of work assignments I would have kept riding all day.

I was headed to a facility that tests mushroom varieties to pick up a small collection for a photograph. The main road was clear but everything else was still a challenge for the sporty Pirelli tires.

Somewhere along the line of scooter ownership I learned that Vespa means wasp in Italian. Wasps are pollinators — like honeybees. So in a real stretch I’m connecting the Vespa with an article I wrote on Colony Collapse Disorder in honeybees. If you’ve are interested in what’s happening with bees you may want to take a look at this freshly published article. You can download a PDF version here —> Article on Colony Collapse Disorder in Honeybees