Scooter in the Sticks

Exploring life on a Vespa Scooter and Royal Enfield Himalayan motorcycle.

Basking in the Warmth of Electric Gloves

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My Gerbing G3 Electric Gloves — all nice and warm again after replacing the lead wire from the battery.  Simple repair. Disconnect the two leads from the battery, clip the cable ties holding the cable that runs back to the engine compartment and up under the seat where I connect the gloves.  Pull the bad cable, thread the new one into place, connect the leads to the battery and I was ready to venture into the cold night for a test ride.

I love test rides.

The temperature was 31F when I left the house.  Adequate for evaluating the performance of the gloves and making sure I didn’t introduce any new electrical problems.  Gerbing says these gloves will heat to 135F when the outside ambient temperature is 32F.  I know this because my Aleta got a pair of G3 gloves today for riding her Yamaha Vino and I read the specs.

That sounds impressive until you factor in the wind hitting them while riding.  At 45mph 31F feels like 13 degrees.  It follows that the glove’s heating temperature would decline as well.

Regardless, riding through town and looping around the valley my hands were plenty warm.

I do love riding at night.  Found myself thinking ahead to a moonlit night over a snow covered landscape.  It’s so bright that you hardly need a headlight.  But I’m getting ahead of things.  Snow isn’t suppose to arrive until tomorrow.

So one more thing to cross off my to do list.  I can ride without too much concern about keeping warm now, at least not until the temperature hits single digits.  Then my feel become an issue.

It’s always something.

Holy Shit It’s Cold

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19F this morning for my ride into State College, Pennsylvania to meet my friends Paul and Gordon at Saint’s Cafe to talk about photography, life and whatever else emerges.  Sunshine helps mitigate the cold — probably more a state of mind than any actual change in temperature.

I wasn’t excited to ride this morning when I crawled out of bed but kept moving in that direction until I finally plugged in my Gerbing electric gloves, flicked the power switch, and headed down the road. Electric gloves are nice!

Electric gloves are nice until they quit working.  About four miles into my ride I noticed the warm, toasty feeling depart and a cold, numb feeling creep into my fingertips.  Looking at the power switch I saw the light was out — no more juice.  I already knew the problem — corrosion on the connector.  I’d been tinkering with it for awhile rather than just swap it out with a new one and led me to this conclusion: “Holy shit it’s cold”.

When the temperature drops below 30F I need those electric gloves if I don’t want to engage in periodic huddles around the headlight or muffler.  Paul gave me a new lead and connector and tomorrow I’ll install and be back in business.

Hot tea and a bagel did much to soothe aching cold hands but my riding spirit was already in good shape.  There’s just something about riding in the cold that yields unexpected dividends for me…

The Vespa is Ready for Winter Riding

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Braving the cold in an unheated garage, tools strewn across the concrete floor, the scooter is now ready for winter.  Tires, oil, antifreeze, all changed and checked.  Surveying the mess I am reminded of how disorganized I can be.  I’ll never have one of those workshops that appear in The Garage Journal.

A quick ride to make sure the wheels don’t fall off and the oil stays in the engine.  The Heidenau K66 SnowTex tire’s aggressive tread pattern and extra sticky grip provide a little more security on cold, wet and snowy roads. They feel weird at first, like riding on big balloons.  That feeling quickly disappears.

The weather forecast calls for 19F in the morning with snow showers.  I’ll look in the mirror tomorrow morning and ask that guy if he wants to ride.

Cold Weather Riding: Getting Your Head Into the Game

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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…

Ride More and Aerostich

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Aerostich is responsible for this ride.  Seriously, had I not looked through their catalog last night and read “The World’s Coolest Ride” by Mr. Subjective, I would not have chosen the cold this morning. It’s nice to have a reminder to ride when the weather conspires against instinct.

At 29F my hands get cold fast when the gloves come off to make a picture.  But it’s worth it to stand in the flow of sunlight.

The Aerostich story says we humans are natural risk managers and improve with success.  I know there’s more risk when the temperature drops below the freezing point.  Idiots about dumping coffee and other liquids from their vehicles onto the road.  And natural springs contribute to the possibilities.  Managing these and other obstacles bring focus to life.

Besides, it’s great to see the sunrise in the open.

Like all rides of late food is involved.  This morning I met my friend Howard for breakfast at the Naked Egg Cafe in Pine Grove Mills, Pennsylvania.  Warm inside and cold out.  Nice to beat the rush.  Breakfast was, as usual, stellar.

Not sure what Howard ordered, some kind of Southwest breakfast, but it sure was pretty.  I opted for my usual bacon, eggs, and this morning the absolute best tater tots I’ve had the opportunity to eat.

Aerostich offers hints on how to ride more and sells a T-shirt by the same name.  I’ve been looking at those hints and have the desire for a Roadcrafter suit in my head again.  Would make things much easier to deal with when it’s cold.  Dressing for cold rides takes time right now.

Warmer tomorrow — 32F at sunrise.  Balmy.

Ride More.  That’s my motto at the moment.