Wildguzzi.com
General Category => General Discussion => Topic started by: ohiorider on November 08, 2015, 06:33:24 PM
-
I don't necessarily dislike it, but it does take away from the free-spirited nature of riding. This morning I was headed to the Guzzi breakfast. Initially, the car was the choice. But the bright sunlight said 'bike bike bike.' So I did. Apparel was:
- sweatshirt
- chest bib
- heated vest
- inner liner 3M stuff of some sort
- outer jacket
and
- insulated pants under my jeans
But, after breakfast, the temps had approached 45F, so it was time to continue the ride.
Returned home later in the afternoon, somewhat chilled even with the electric clothing and grips, but warmed over the fact that it was November 8th, and I was able to get on two wheels and enjoy it! Odometer read an additional 100 miles when I pulled into the driveway.
So, maybe all this excessive clothing isn't all bad, as long as it extends the riding season. (I know, you folks from CA and other locations ask 'what is this riding season thing anyway?'
-
Doesn't begin to be a pain until it begins to make me resemble Ralphie's little brother Randy in a Christmas Story :laugh:
Was pretty bundled up yesterday and today , although sleeping on the ground last night toughened me up a bit :grin:
Dusty
-
Honestly and not trying to be contrary, but I have more trouble in the Summer months deciding what to wear. Anything 50 or below and it's pretty much the same simple routine for me - insulated and armored overpants, insuled/windproof bike jacket with Gerbing's liner (usually already inside the jacket) and connected Gerbing's gloves - all dialed up or down to where I need it via the controller and/or my on/off button on the line.
-
I love this time of year - it's the best.
I positively like getting the heavy, insulated gear on - it helps make each ride feel like an event. Add to that empty roads, crisp air, the slight chill that helps remind you that you really are a great big bag of mostly water, and the superior feeling from knowing that lesser mortals have tucked their bikes away long ago (I know I'm a pompous git! Don't remind me).
It's a great time of year. Accept a little discomfort and get out and enjoy it.
Nick
-
I certainly love the fall weather here in the Ozarks. I left this morning on a ride with the temp at 40 degrees and finished 5 hours later at 60. The bikes run better in the colder air and like Nick I find it comforting to put on the old faded Stich and coupled with the windblock stich fleece liner I'm as snug as a bug in a rug. I love passing the farms and smelling the wood stoves and seeing the young calves and horses feeling frisky in the cool weather. It's the one time of year I like wearing a helmet too. :thumb:
-
I love this time of year - it's the best.
I positively like getting the heavy, insulated gear on - it helps make each ride feel like an event. Add to that empty roads, crisp air, the slight chill that helps remind you that you really are a great big bag of mostly water, and the superior feeling from knowing that lesser mortals have tucked their bikes away long ago (I know I'm a pompous git! Don't remind me).
It's a great time of year. Accept a little discomfort and get out and enjoy it.
Nick
Empty roads .... love 'em! And I did like the finish of my ride .... going thru a small town where the cruisers are usually parked all day long in front of Starbucks (known locally as the 'latte gang') ..... and they were just not there. I'm a pompous git myself! And trust me, I was out enjoying it ...... totally bright day, heated vest and grips doing their job. All I had to remember on the old R100GS was .... keep the revs up, this bike only has a 280W alternator.
I plugged her into a battery charger when we got home, and it took at least an hour, maybe longer, for the 26 ah battery to recover. But she's now ready for another ride.
Just have to give the 1200 Sport some attention ..... after all, it's been 4-5 days since we made a nice 200 mile ride thru some of NE Ohio's finest roads. She gets jealous of the German bike when I leave her home!
-
Love my Aerostich leathers when temps get below 60F....good all the way down to 40F. I won't ride much colder than that. Reminds me I need some better winter gloves...
-
I love this time of year - it's the best.
I positively like getting the heavy, insulated gear on - it helps make each ride feel like an event. Add to that empty roads, crisp air, the slight chill that helps remind you that you really are a great big bag of mostly water, and the superior feeling from knowing that lesser mortals have tucked their bikes away long ago (I know I'm a pompous git! Don't remind me).
It's a great time of year. Accept a little discomfort and get out and enjoy it.
Nick
:1: :thumb:
With the "polizia" fairing and repro DB lowers I just added, I'm warm and comfortable in less gear at lower temps than ever before. I ride with the faceshield open even. Big bubble of still air from top of my helmet to the tips of my toes. Until the roads are salted, I'll keep riding.
(https://scontent-lga3-1.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xfp1/v/t1.0-9/12196188_1515425148779118_8116619504858156672_n.jpg?oh=795d5582d6b7f6cdf9d77106a0ed4663&oe=56C4530F)
-
What I was going to say, it you are uncomfortable riding now, you need more frontal protection for the weather like the above ride has. Your bike of choice is not made for cold weather unless you're more hardy like 'travelingbyGuzzi'. He has a bike like yours and doesn't complain about it's abilities and believe me he rides in weather with what your complanig about with no complaints. I ride the appropriate bike for the conditions. :azn: Now if you rode a maxi-scooter you could ride comfortably in both summer & winter w/o all the special gear on you wore this time. :wink:
-
I ride year round, road conditions permitting. I don't mind a little sand or salt, but generally don't ride when it's below freezing, because I don't care to deal with ice. As for gear, I find that 50 F and above, uninsulated jacket and three season gear is good. Mid-forties and below, I add the jacket liner and long johns of some sort. I have Gerbings gloves, but never really use them; heated grips are sufficient with the right gloves. I've never felt like I needed any other heated gear, although for extended touring, I expect I would.
-
Cold weather gear, today, is far better than what I had available in the early 80's.
I'm stoked. :grin:
And yes, mornings down here can be below freezing.
-
Me.
-
Gerbing electric gear. Non of the bulk of multiple layers and its warmer.
-
:1: :thumb:
With the "polizia" fairing and repro DB lowers I just added, I'm warm and comfortable in less gear at lower temps than ever before. I ride with the faceshield open even. Big bubble of still air from top of my helmet to the tips of my toes. Until the roads are salted, I'll keep riding.
(https://scontent-lga3-1.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xfp1/v/t1.0-9/12196188_1515425148779118_8116619504858156672_n.jpg?oh=795d5582d6b7f6cdf9d77106a0ed4663&oe=56C4530F)
(https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7534/15444070174_1124999349_c.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/pwJTZY)IMG_6119 (https://flic.kr/p/pwJTZY) by jay_snyder67 (https://www.flickr.com/photos/97354518@N02/), on Flickr
I too ride until the roads are salted. When this pic was taken, it was 29 degrees. Heated gloves, jacket liner + fleece jacket under the one piece Aerostich, and wool socks. The B11 had a tall windshield on the for the winter, and Barkbuster hand guards. The only thing I couldn't keep warm was my toes. I bought heated socks after this ride.
I will miss the 540 Watt alternator on the B11. The F800GT, which is now my winter bike only has a 400 Watt alternator. That will be marginal with heated jacket, gloves, and socks all up on high. The good thing is, that, even when the temps are in the 20's, I don't need to have the socks turned on all the time, and with good layering, don't need the jacket on high.
Funny, I did a double take on your pic, Charlie, I thought maybe that was PA125 until I dug mine up, and saw the differences.
-
Something else to consider besides warm clothes.
The Sun is lower in the sky than it is during Summer.
Sunglasses only help so much. I add a strip of duct tape to my helmet shield, it helps
-
I have ridden year round almost since I began riding and I'm fairly ridiculous about it as I've ridden the 17 mile commute to work and back when the temps were in the single digits with even colder windchill. You really have to watch your tires and such in that condition but aside from basic concerns like this, it is wonderful mostly. The Gerbings gear changes the whole experience and for me I have more memorable late Fall and Winter rides than at any time of the year. I leave for one on Wednesday to Deal's Gap/Dragon area. A lot of stuff there already closed for the season but I'll enjoy having a larger portion of the road to myself.
-
Sandy and I took a day long ride on Saturday; started out before 8:00, and it was pretty cold. I'm generally OK with cold weather gear; don't feel too encumbered, but Sandy is really cold-blooded; she bundles up with so many layers that she looks like the Michelin man. On this ride we took the BMW; had the side-cases and top-case on. As bundled up as she was, Sandy couldn't throw a leg over the seat until I removed the side-cases. :grin:
BTW, on this ride we stopped off in Germantown, Ohio for the monthly SW Ohio Guzzi breakfast with TW and the boys.
Jon
-
The old days were awfull. Now, I use a heated jacket and glove liners. Mostly under leather unless I opt for the insulated JR Survivor. I do not care for the G tex membrane type found in garments. Feet and hands are the exception. On the body, poor evaporation leads to damp shirts and pants-not good in the cold.
-
Man, I remember in my 20's when I would commute about 1.5 hours each way to Chilton on my 93 Sporty, or my 96 RK, or my 96 R1100...and there were the beaters too which I used when there was snow and ice on the ground (XS650, VT500 Ascott etc.)
...first it was leather and chaps, then snow mobile suit and Widder gloves, eventually Aerostich Darien suit, widder vest, widder gloves or the R1100's heated grips.
Truthfully the R1100 was the best of the bunch. It had enough windshield and fairing to really cut the wind. That's probably why I bought it in the first place.
But man, it gets tiring, getting suited up and unsuited at least twice a day, and then coming home after dark.
The company Christmas party that I left the bar at 2:00 am to find a fresh couple of inches of snow on the seat of my Sportster was a turning point for me. I think I didn't get home to 4:00 or 5:00 am (sliding all over the place).
I KNEW I NEEDED TO OWN A CAR AGAIN...
...been mostly working at home for about a decade now.
If the sun is shining about mid-day there's a decent chance I'll sneak out for a ride.
But the colder it is, the less likely.... especially since in that same decade or so I started driving nicer and nicer cars.
-
I have the Gerbing gloves, jacket, pants and socks. My neck and wrist pain goes away when they are running full blast, so I actually don't mind the cold weather gear.
Correction: I forgot that the Gerbing jacket was replaced after it was stolen at a stop off the BRP; I was paying for gas in the local station and left the jacket on the bike and someone thought it would be better in their posession. I now have a Powerlet jacket which is actually nicer than the Gerbing.
-
Gerbing gear isn't cheap (and I am :wink:). For the few weeks of riding that I'd need it, the $$ just don't make sense to me. I already have long-johns and all of my jackets came with liners. I'm good down into the 30s except for my hands. I would like some heated gloves or liners, but that's it.
-
What I was going to say, it you are uncomfortable riding now, you need more frontal protection for the weather like the above ride has. Your bike of choice is not made for cold weather unless you're more hardy like 'travelingbyGuzzi'. He has a bike like yours and doesn't complain about it's abilities and believe me he rides in weather with what your complanig about with no complaints. I ride the appropriate bike for the conditions. :azn: Now if you rode a maxi-scooter you could ride comfortably in both summer & winter w/o all the special gear on you wore this time. :wink:
Well, Wayne, you are making me blush. Actually, my favorite cold weather bike is my Eldo. Rode it to work this morning in some pretty heavy rain. Even tho the drum brakes are for shit, the Wixom fairing offers a lot of protection.
As far as the original topic, gear has improved so much in my 30 years of riding that I shall not complain. it does take more timer to gear up and gear down, wet clothes gloves and boots are scattered all over the garage...... HIPPIES LIKE SUMMERTIME!
Bill Lovelady IS
Eskimo Spy
-
I'm one of the oddballs that enjoy the cooler weather. It's nice getting geared up and actually being comfortable. Also less tourist traffic here in the Ozarks in the cooler months. I just got my 1st 1 pc. Aerostitch last fall and I'm really enjoying it now.
-
Every time I put on the insulated suit, gloves, and balaclava, I'm thinking "Another ride I wouldn't be able to enjoy without this gear." Once riding, I forget I'm wearing it.
-
I'm good to go in sub 0, actually -15 with my Firstgear Thermosuit, Gerbing heated jacket liner and gloves, Under Armour cold gear shirt and pants and REV'IT! Balaclava Maximus WSP. Definitely extends the riding season. I'll stay with the leathers and the rest of the gear into the 20's.
-
I splurged on a Powerlet jacket liner and glove liners, and learned that if one part of you is cold, then all of you is cold. So my core would be nice and toasty, but if my toes were cold, then I was uncomfortable. Maybe I'm like the princess and the pea, but hey.
So I don't like the heated gear I have. Getting burned on the webbing between my fingers was also a hassle, out on the interstate.
-
I'm one of the oddballs that enjoy the cooler weather. It's nice getting geared up and actually being comfortable. Also less tourist traffic here in the Ozarks in the cooler months. I just got my 1st 1 pc. Aerostitch last fall and I'm really enjoying it now.
I'm with you, I ride through the Ozarks frequently, and I love the cooler weather ! 40's and 50's are Ok for me with the proper gear. I also invested in an Aerostich suit this past summer, it's really nice and well made. What I don't like is riding when it's hot, especially in Texas, like riding into a blowing furnace --
-
40's and 50's doesn't count.
I THOUGHT we were talking COLD weather? As in freezing or below.
I can deal with 40's and 50's...hell I still wear an open face down to 50, and SOMETIMES (if I've got a windshield) in the 40's too.
But once you get below that I find I've got so much on that I sweat if I walk in a heated building (or just plain walk around) and then I get cold once I'm on the bike and moving (cause I was sweating and now we've got wind blast too).
Kinda like skiing/boarding. If I wear too much I become a puddle of sweat, which is fine while I'm working, but as soon as I stop on the lift I start to get cold.
I'm just warm weather kinda guy I guess.
-
4 degrees celsius here today but sunny . If it wasn't for heated grips and a good windscreen I wouldn't be out in it . Looking like the Goodyear blimp doesn't help but a ride is a ride . :wink:
-
40's and 50's doesn't count.
I THOUGHT we were talking COLD weather? As in freezing or below.
:1:
But once you get below that I find I've got so much on that I sweat if I walk in a heated building (or just plain walk around) and then I get cold once I'm on the bike and moving (cause I was sweating and now we've got wind blast too).
This is one of the many reasons that I prefer to use heated gear to layering up when temps are below the mid 40's. When I get off the bike, the heat is turned off, making it more tolerable to walk around, or even go into a heated building for a short period of time.
I also get a lot better control feel with my heated gloves than gloves insulated enough for freezing temps. Plus, I can move around a lot better with just my heated liner vs. many layers.
I will layer a thin fleece layer on top of the heated jacket for temps below freezing so that I don't have to max the jacket liner just to be comfortable. This works great for my 25 min. commute down to the mid teens. I don't even bother with anything on my legs but jeans under the Aerostich one piece. If my legs get cold, I crank the heat on the jacket, which warms the core more, promoting more circulation to the extremities. If I'm going for more than an hour ride, then I'll use appropriate insulating layers on my legs, one or more pairs of Under Armour base layers of which I have various thicknesses to choose from. And there again, if I don't have enough warming the core also helps the legs, feet and arms. That is something that I can't do with just layering.
Another HUGE benefit of the heated gear is not having to stop to add or remove layers as temperatures change. I've seen temperature changes as much as 25 degrees during a ride.
So, back to the original question? Do I dislike the winter gear? No, it extends my riding season, I am grateful for that. I do, however prefer the temps to be above 55 degrees so I don't need it. I esp. like it above 70, so, if I want, so, other than helmet, boots and gloves, I only need a jacket. As another post mentioned, I'd ride when I need the cold weather gear than when it is really hot and humid.
Riding in colder temps does have other benefits: less bugs on your face shield (or sunglasses), less lumbering herds of formation riders, and often, less traffic in general.
-
:1:
This is one of the many reasons that I prefer to use heated gear to layering up when temps are below the mid 40's. When I get off the bike, the heat is turned off, making it more tolerable to walk around, or even go into a heated building for a short period of time.
I also get a lot better control feel with my heated gloves than gloves insulated enough for freezing temps. Plus, I can move around a lot better with just my heated liner vs. many layers.
I will layer a thin fleece layer on top of the heated jacket for temps below freezing so that I don't have to max the jacket liner just to be comfortable.
And that's why I use it on occasion, especially if I know I'm going to be all day in cold weather.
That said -
1. I still can't leave the house for an all day cold ride without enough layers in case something goes wrong with the electrics.
2. I F@#%!@#% HATE the wiring for the electrics. I've tried rubber bands, wire ties, Velcro, something is always uncomfortable/in the way. And I just hate not being able to walk up to the bike and just get on and ride away...the stopping, contorting, plugging in, trying to see and not fog up my helmet (even with the Pinlock, cause it's that cold and I've got a bala clava blocking most of my breath from escaping directly)...
No, I give in and use the stuff sometimes, but sometimes I wonder if it's worth the trouble.
and with all our air-cooled bikes, I'd never go 25 minutes in sub freezing weather, that wouldn't be enough to fully warm them.
Honestly, I understand a fully-faired water-cooled bike for such things.
OR, I'll just take the Jeep - screw it!
-
OR, I'll just take the Jeep - screw it!
I ain't ridin' in no cage, man.
-
I ain't ridin' in no cage, man.
OK, whatever floats your boat.
But when it's cold, and wet, and icy, I'm gonna have it in 4wd, with the heated leather turned up, the warm air blasting, and the sat radio cranking!
:thumb:
-
Staying cool while ATTGAT is more of a problem than keeping warm -- as long as it's dry. I'm comfortable on a cold sunny day down to freezing, if I can keep the wind off my chest and hands with fairing/hand guards. Won't go out if there's even a hint of snow or ice -- I did enough of that in the bad old days before I could afford a car. The new-to-me F650 has heated grips, which are nice to have.
A cold-weather issue not mentioned here yet is tires that never warm up and can be iffy in hard braking even on dry pavement.
-
I used to wear a bunch of heavy, winter gear for riding but finally came to the conclusion that I wasn't enjoying the experience nearly as much as I did without the excess clothing. So, I came to the following solution that works for me;
For weather above 55 degrees, I have a V7 Classic. I love this bike.
For weather below 55 but no lower than 38 degrees, I have a BMW R1200RT. It has an exceptional fairing and super warm 2-stage heated hand grips: with the electric windshield raised, it's a very comfortable ride. I won't ride in the rain unless I get caught by surprise in an unexpected storm. It weighs 150 pounds more than the V7 but I can ride in cold weather without all of the extra clothing and stay comfortable. The Beemer is much more stable when it's windy & if I get on an interstate hwy. at higher speed.
Works for me.
*If it's below 38 or raining/snowing, the bikes stay parked and one of the cars gets some exercise.
-
I moved from the Chicago area, to the low deserts of Aridzona, problem solved !!!!
-
My First Gear Thermo keeps me warm down to 20 degrees comfortably but is too warm once the temp goes above 70.
-
1. I still can't leave the house for an all day cold ride without enough layers in case something goes wrong with the electrics.
:1: Absolutely! I carry the extra layers, and heavy gloves, so that I can layer in case something goes wrong with the electrics -- which HAS happened to me.
2. I F@#%!@#% HATE the wiring for the electrics. I've tried rubber bands, wire ties, Velcro, something is always uncomfortable/in the way. And I just hate not being able to walk up to the bike and just get on and ride away...the stopping, contorting, plugging in, trying to see and not fog up my helmet (even with the Pinlock, cause it's that cold and I've got a bala clava blocking most of my breath from escaping directly)...
I've sort of got the cable management down, but, yes, it is a PITA.
No, I give in and use the stuff sometimes, but sometimes I wonder if it's worth the trouble.
Losing every third weekend to my wife's work schedule, and being one of those people who don't have the luxury of mid-day rides during the week without taking one of my precious vacation days (I'm looking at all of you retired people, and my big-bro here), some weeks, the only riding that I get is the commute to work, so, I take what I can get. This time of year, weekend rides can usually be done without heated gear by just departing after the temps are tolerable, but, the temps during the morning commute are already hitting near freezing.
and with all our air-cooled bikes, I'd never go 25 minutes in sub freezing weather, that wouldn't be enough to fully warm them.
Honestly, I understand a fully-faired water-cooled bike for such things.
Hence my fully faired water-cooled F800GT.
-
Losing every third weekend to my wife's work schedule, and being one of those people who don't have the luxury of mid-day rides during the week without taking one of my precious vacation days (I'm looking at all of you retired people, and my big-bro here), some weeks, the only riding that I get is the commute to work, so, I take what I can get. This time of year, weekend rides can usually be done without heated gear by just departing after the temps are tolerable, but, the temps during the morning commute are already hitting near freezing.
Fortunately I have a company vehicle so other than the once or twice a year I sneak a motorcycle to work I get to wear out someone elses vehicle. That's fine because the 110 mile round trip is all highway (130 miles if I back roaded it).
Some weeks my only riding to the grocery store or a quick ride before the girls get out of bed. Wife still has trouble figuring out that the store is 5 miles away but it takes me 1 or so to get there and back :thumb:
-
Some weeks my only riding to the grocery store or a quick ride before the girls get out of bed. Wife still has trouble figuring out that the store is 5 miles away but it takes me 1 or so to get there and back :thumb:
Sometimes my wife will send me to the grocery store for something, and say, "could you take the car, I don't want to wait 2 hours for it." :thewife:
-
Sometimes my wife will send me to the grocery store for something, and say, "could you take the car, I don't want to wait 2 hours for it." :thewife:
Well, for all intents and purposes my wife doesn't cook, so she doesn't bitch when I take 2 hours to hit the grocery store. :boozing:
-
But...the Goose runs so much better in cooler weather. This morning it's -8C, not planning a ride tho. :sad:
-
To me, a Guzzi engine makes glorious noise in the dense, cooler air.
-
Well, for all intents and purposes my wife doesn't cook, so she doesn't bitch when I take 2 hours to hit the grocery store. :boozing:
Mine doesn't cook at all or clean but does manage to do laundry every now and again. Her complaint in me taking so long to go to the store is her dinner is delayed :thewife:
-
Most of my riding is my commute, 30min each way, every day that there is no ice on the road.
First, like Charlie, full fairing is only way to go. Only hazard is fogging shield, but, just pop it open a notch until it clears.
Mornings (0530) are cold and dark from Oct to March. Below freezing is routine. This morning it was 25F. I do draw the limit at 20F, only because of the chance of ice/frost on the roads. Watch humidity and temps.
Electric gloves. Jacket and hoody underneath. Base layer under my kevlar jeans. Insulated boots.
And, yes, on my Sunday rides I usually do the same. I like being 'snug' in cold weather gear. Bike runs well in the cold and everything feels crisp. Just have to watch for the sand left after a storm and runoff that has gone across the road and frozen. Shade in a turn usually means spots of ice.
Keep riding.
-
I like the cooler weather as it allows me to were all my gear without overheating
I bought a new Barbour International jacket and trousers: waxed cotton with a removable quilted liner and armor
if its below 45 I also put on some Cyclegear freeze out underwear
now I'm warm and dry but I don't like wearing heavy gloves. I'll put on insulated gloves and use my old Belstaff waxed cotton over mitts= warm and maneuverable
but I still don't like the rain