Now that I finally got my BMW R80/7’s charging system worked out (fingers crossed) and my Oxford heated gears refreshed (controller wasn’t working until I WD40’ed the [wet] snot out of the pins), I feel fairly prepared for this winter season. I’m planning a winter camping trip within the next couple weeks at a lean-to in the White Mountain National Forest about an hour and half away (Province Pond, NH), similar to the Christmas Eve camping trip I did a couple years ago at another lean-to shelter just a few more miles north (Mountain Pond, NH). Hoping to come home with a Christmas tree, having already purchased a $7 tree-cutting permit from the U.S. Forest. My Silky Big Boy saw will make the trip (love that thing).
Now—the meat of this post. I just had the
stupid brilliant idea of riding my BMW rig nearly 500 miles from Portland, Maine to York, Pennsylvania to make a surprise visit to family over the Christmas holiday. I might plan for two days down and two days up if it’s cold enough. Not only is long exposure to weather a factor here, but I still don’t have complete trust in the inner workings of this 47-year old machine sold to me “in good condition” just 2.5 years ago. A glutton for punishment, or anecdotal resources for good storytelling? Anyway.
I want to read what works for those who have done long, cold rides. Cold as in sub-40°F. Better yet, sub-freezing. And I’d really like to see what people have used aside from alternator-draining electric gear, because my heated grips and USB port will be about all the BMW’s charging system—similar in watts to our Guzzi small blocks—can properly handle.
My current cold weather riding gear (keeping in mind that I ride year-round in New England)Base Layers: wool socks over a thinner liner sock; leggings or long underwear bottoms; my Klim cold-weather top (really good!);
Mid-Layers: synthetic active pants & my thin, convertible travel pants; Amazon synthetic packable puffy (favorite warm mid-layer discovery, nears any micro-fleece I’ve tried); another mid-layer top as needed (perhaps my synthetic-down Carhartt vest or an aforementioned long-sleeved micro-fleece);
Outer Layers: wind/water-resistant Caterpillar winter coat (surprisingly chic to the gentrified city folk); cheap snow bibs; waterproof Danner winter boots; Aerostich deerskin gauntlets;
Extra Weather Protection: Frog-Toggs rain jacket and pants; Aerostich Triple Digit rain gloves (lobster-style);
Head/Neck Protection: Klim Arctic balaclava (very good!); keffiyeh/shemagh (preferred over a scarf these days)
Extra Hand Protection: Oxford heated grips, Hippo Hands (Alcan model);
A few pics from my scouting trip of Province Pond 2 weekends ago:
And some photos from the Mountain Pond Christmas trip 2 years ago:
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