Scooter in the Sticks

Exploring life on a Vespa, Royal Enfield Himalayan, Honda Trail 125, and a Kawasaki W650

Warm Hands and the BMW K75 Motorcycle

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Dash of the BMW K75C motorcycle
The simple dashboard of the BMW K75 has a power outlet.

Cold Weather Assessments for the BMW K75

I’ve always tried to maintain a fiscal sensibility regarding my Vespa and now the motorcycle. It’s so easy to get lost in the quicksand of add-ons and extras that promise comfort, efficiency or safety but on close examination offer more to my ego than anything else.

So I’ve approached the BMW K75 with the issues I faced with the Vespa when riding in the cold — traction, hand warmth, feet, and, well, that’s it.

Traction issues is an easy call. I won’t ride the BMW K75 if there’s snow on the road, in the forecast, or there’s a good chance I’ll find lingering ice.

That leaves the hands, my Achilles Heel of riding, and feet. For this post, I’ll focus on the hands.

Since I already have a pair of Gerbing Electric Gloves and the motorcycle has a handy outlet on the dash, I felt testing that combination was a good place to start.

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Cold Weather Riding is a State of Mind

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Vespa GTS scooter parked between two cars on a snowy driveway
Warming up the Vespa scooter, warming up my mind.

The Ten Thousand Pound Vespa


Just last week…

Snow, a slap in the face and reminder that summer, autumn, and warm weather are finished. Nature proclaims its power and I’m faced with the sad reality that I’ve forgotten how to enjoy winter. Age and infirmity have stimulated a host of excuses and rationalizations for turning off one of the most joyful parts of my life and retiring to the sheltered warmth of home and hearth. My mastery of rationalization, denial, and delusion is exceptional, especially when faced with uncomfortable actions and decisions.

So it’s no surprise that it takes great mental effort to push the Vespa outside on a cold morning.

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Cold Weather Riding Limits of the BMW K75

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Autumn leaves
Most of the leaves are on the ground now. What’s left is the coming of winter.

Cold Weather is Coming

The lyrical autumn scenery has faded into the stark reality that winter is coming. The leaves have fallen and soon they’ll be raked, burned or forgotten as snow falls along with the temperature.

I have this motorcycle now and am wondering what I’ll do with it this winter. Will I keep it in service or put it to sleep until spring. Those questions have been on my mind. All depends on the cold weather riding limits of the BMW K75.

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A Ride to the IngleBean Coffee House

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Vespa GTS scooter in winter
Vespa GTS scooter along a rural, central Pennsylvania road in winter.

Riding in Winter

It’s no secret I’ve not been riding much this winter. The snow tires are still sitting in the garage, the GripStuds I purchased are still on my desk, and the cold weather gear is hanging in a frigid garage which makes the prospect of pulling on frozen riding clothes even more unlikely.

Still, I find myself on the road propelled by the weakest rationale to do so; the sun is out, it’s above freezing, or I need something to eat. Amazing how often a ride is predicated on eating.

So off I went through the still snow covered landscapes of central Pennsylvania to lunch at the IngleBean Coffee House in Millheim, Pennsylvania.

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Too Cold to Ride

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Boalsburg street during a snow flurry
Blue sky one minute, snow the next. It’s been that kind of winter.

Winter Has Become a Bore

While there hasn’t really been much heavy snow this year I’ve probably ridden fewer miles this winter than any since I started riding a Vespa scooter. There’s no reason I couldn’t ride in the sort of weather we had a couple weeks ago reflected in the picture above, but I’m just not interested.

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