Motorcycles BS Thread 2.0

When I lived in Alaska the only thing that would stop me from riding was ice. At my last house, my driveway always took far longer for the ice to melt than the roads in the spring time. It was painful watching everyone else out on their bikes when I couldn't get mine out of the garage.

Then again, there was another guy who did races on the frozen lake who literally had spikes on the tires of his bike so maybe I'm just making excuses.

82 degrees here today btw. I want to go back to Alaska.

 

Sounds like you're very well prepared lol.

I'd love to grab a heated jacket liner one day. That said, my biggest issues with cold are my neck and my ankles lol. Might be time to add a scarf into the gear collection.

Lol $400 boots dang. Granted I just bought some $400 race boots a couple months ago. I usually just wear my normal riding boots/shoes, which were in the range of $150-$200. Couple them with some hiking socks, and my feet stay so warm they sweat lol. Unless I'm not paying attention and accidentally grab one of the boots that are perforated for ventilation. then they sweat all day at the office, and freeze once air starts moving through them lol.

Yeah ice isn't something I would attempt without studded tires on a bike. then again, it's not something I'll likely ever have to worry about down here lol. can't imagine the FOMO watching everyone ride bikes while you can't

 

yaaaa dirt boots aint cheap from what ive found plus i want alpinestars these ones to be exact

 

Temps. Ill ride down to the mid 30s or so then swap to the truck. All the fun roads around here locally are 4x4 or chains this time of year anyways

 

I have a "neck triangle" I bought at a motorcycle swap meet back in the 1990's that I've used for years. Triangular shaped piece of suede leather on the outside and micro fleece on the inside with some Velcro as a closure and it's worked pretty well when the temps get cold. Only issue has been the thickness of it. For best results I need to have my helmet strap secure it against my neck and it doesn't always stay in place the best. I actually just got something new and tried it this morning. One of my Secret Santa gifts form the ADVRider forum was a Buff neck gaiter.

https://www.buff.com/us/neckwear.html?page=2

I'd never heard of these before and was completely unfamiliar with them. Figured I'd give it a shot this morning as today is colder than yesterday was. 33 degrees coming down the interstate at 70-75 mph is a pretty good test for cold weather gear and I gotta say I'm impressed.The Buff is thin, like REALLY thin, and I wasn't sure just how much help it would be. It's thin enough to use it more like a balaclava and even have some of it on top of my head and still have my helmet fit without issue. Chin strap went right over it like it wasn't even there. This thing will definitely have a home in a jacket pocket so I can have it with me at all times.

 

Sunny vs. cloudy, road salt/gravel, and wind are my biggest considerations. Kinda makes me sound like a picky rider but I manage to find 10-15 decent riding days between December and February... just enough to keep me sane! Definitely prefer riding in the heat...

 

Buff is my go-to! I have like 9 of them between my skiing and riding kits. They make lightweight ones that are awesome in summer, and then they even have merino ones that do well as a winter garment.

I pull it down over my neck, then put my mid-layer on to prevent gaps. then pull it up to the crown of my head in back and chin in front so my helmet keeps it in place.

Basically looks like this:

 

I'd never heard of them before this. I was very fortunate to have a cool Secret Santa again and this time one from Canada so I guess cold weather riding is a normal thing for him. I love that it's so lightweight and thin that I'll easily be able to keep it in a jacket pocket all the time and I can see where it will be useful even in warmer weather sometimes. SPF factor of like 50 I think. I wasn't sure just how well it would work at freezing temps but it did pretty well this morning for me.

 

For the summer, I prefer "Mission" brand ones. They have some nifty cooling fabric that you get wet and put around your neck. Really fights off the heat on those 100* commutes home on lovely Utah asphalt.

 

Dang they didn't have colors when I got mine. That was mid pandemic though.

 

Yeesh. more than my race boots lol. Understandable though considering the abuse they'll be put through lol

Checks out based on location lol. I drove through there last year around February and was actually surprised at how little snow/ice I saw.

Hm I'll definitely have to check that out. Seems like it might be a good alternative...I wear full balaclava every time I ride, but it always come loose from my jacket during the ride and then my neck is exposed. Not a huge deal but would be nice to be able to properly seal it off.

makes sense lol. dark clouds are always iffy, never know if the day is just moody or actually about to rain on your parade lol. I went out once thinking it would be fine, forecasts said it would be dry, wearing moto jeans and a summer textile jacket. About 10 minutes into my ride it started pissing rain. Showed up to work absolutely soaked and had to work in wet clothes all day lol. That was the day I decided to buy rain pants and keep them in my backpack at all times.

 

Yeah, it's usually pretty decent in town and most of the snow is up in the mountains, which is pretty neat. This winter has been more snow and ice than the last few years though.

 

haha ya they have some neat colors the one shown is what id like to get when i got the cash

yaaa they are rather pricey haha

 

Riding in the cold is really no big deal around here. Just takes the proper gear. I've been perfectly warm at freezing temperatures in a t-shirt with the right jacket. The main issue is all the sand and salt they put on the roads once they even get a hint the snow is coming. And it just stays there until spring. Bike goes away after the first sanding. The roads just become too slippery. For me anyway.

Cheers

 

Another late night, made it home from the concert just before 12:00 and what is usually a 25-30 minute ride home took almost an hour, the fog was so thick my wife missed one of her turns and had to turn around, the road I ride almost every morning at 55-60 I didn’t get over 35MPH on, and part of it I just rode by watching the reflectors in the center and white line on the edge.

The camera always makes the fog less dense but the power pole on the left was about 35’ away, the sign straight ahead was about 70’, I would say 50-60’ of visibility was average.

 

I need to hook mine up. I have another set I'm yellow. I think I'm gonna swap them out.

 

I think the yellows would look good! Shoot, run both pairs and have the yellows as fog lights and the white lights as driving lights!

 

I do have the SRC Moto brackets to mount a set on the side of the bike. Also have 2 switches on the SRC dash.

 

I can't unsee those switches being upside down

 

Rotate the screen I didn't even know there was an up/down