It will be cold and yucky soon, again...

It's Sept.23, and I'm trying to stay ahead of the game for once...heh.

It's already started raining regular, after a perfect/but dry summer and easy winter.
And I know, cold it will get, again. And really it has prevented many rides, if not , at least jaunts, inconveniently.

Dark and cold/freezing and wet, sucks...and can be all out dangerous. And I just wanna go for a ride.

But being prepared can make the difference between ...I'm glad I went, and...why the heck did i try this.

I tend to wear cheap shit and have no fashion sense...but I always like bang for the buck. And have seen winter gear work and fail....stay dry and stay warm. Good thermal gitches go a long way. Not to mention my addiction to wool.

For my wrr, I'm getting ready with new tires...can't wait.
And definitely doing heated grips, this year...though I havent done enough homework yet, to have made up my mind, which way to go with that.
At the same time, a couple of 12V power outlets may come in handy.
That will pretty much blow my budget this round...

I do plan on getting my tool/survival pak in better order as well...but that budget has to wait a bit.

Anybody else getting ready or thinking about braving the cold yet?

Any advice for us wingnuts trying to make it out there?

Sometimes a little advice/story can go a long way...

It was cold on my way to work this morning. Time to break out my home made heated vest again...

http://www.svrider.com/forum/showthread.php?t=90863&highlight=la+jbswear

On my SV I had heated hand grips and hand guards. This along with snowboarding mittens kept my hands warm. My heated vest and insulated jacket kept my torso warm, and my riding pants did a good job with my legs. The coldest I rode my SV was 10 deg F.



A good balaclava is a must to keep my chin from freezing, also.

I picked up a tourmaster one-piece suit on clearance last year and loved it. Also highly recommend a nice balaclava to protect the throat and chin.

This year I'm going to install the heated grips I got last christmas and pick up a set of Klim winter gloves.

http://www.motorcycle-superstore.com/14/67/912/24030/ITEM/Tour-Master-Centurion-One-Piece-Suit.aspx?SITEID=Google_Tour_Master_Centurion_One-Piece_Suit&WT.mc_ID=10001&WT.srch=1&esvt=GOUSE341062888&esvadt=999999-0-4066557-1&esvid=400068&gclid=CJGSu9DQzrICFQs5nAodgXoApg

http://www.klim.com/en-us/shop/moto/men/gloves/3161-000

Hate to tell you this, but as usual, it was a hot summer in Texas. Now that that's over, I can start riding more. All I need is a few mods to the bike and I'm rarin to go.

Prairieparson wrote:

Hate to tell you this, but as usual, it was a hot summer in Texas. Now that that's over, I can start riding more. All I need is a few mods to the bike and I'm rarin to go.

You sound like some of the Harley owners at work... If it's not raining or too cold, it's too hot to ride.

I'm more of a fan of the old saying "There is no such thing as bad weather... only bad gear"

This will be the first winter I've ever had where I couldn't ride. Why did I move to Alaska again?

Its been below freezing most mornings, and the high's have only touched the low 50's. In about two weeks, subtract 20 degrees... in two more weeks, 20 more degrees...

I've bought myself a new center stand, plan to add some stabil to the gas, and change the oil before I put her to bed for the long, cold, dark winter. Might bring the wheels inside and strip the suspension off to get sent out to Go Race finally. Plan to add a set of dirt wheels from Warp 9 over the winter and have thought about an engine rebuild too. Or I might just go scratch that Moto Guzzi itch once breakup hits in mid April...

Arkmage: Sorry, but I'm old and get dehydrated and overheated easily, and have passed out under these conditions so I have to watch it. I grew up in Wisconsin, and I've never really been able to adjust to hot weather in TExas in summer. However, I can still take cold weather pretty good.

Prairieparson wrote:

Arkmage: Sorry, but I'm old and get dehydrated and overheated easily, and have passed out under these conditions so I have to watch it. I grew up in Wisconsin, and I've never really been able to adjust to hot weather in TExas in summer. However, I can still take cold weather pretty good.

Fair enough. Didn't mean any offense. Most of the guys I work with spend all day out in the heat without an issue, but they act like another 15 mins of commuting will put them in the ground.

Same guys refuse to ride in the rain and consider anything less than 60* "way too cold to ride".

Arkmage wrote:

Prairieparson wrote:

Arkmage: Sorry, but I'm old and get dehydrated and overheated easily, and have passed out under these conditions so I have to watch it. I grew up in Wisconsin, and I've never really been able to adjust to hot weather in TExas in summer. However, I can still take cold weather pretty good.

Fair enough. Didn't mean any offense. Most of the guys I work with spend all day out in the heat without an issue, but they act like another 15 mins of commuting will put them in the ground.

Same guys refuse to ride in the rain and consider anything less than 60* "way too cold to ride".

On Sept 15 I rode into Death Valley just before 1 PM, it was only 108.5 F.
Early that morning just after sunrise at higher elevations it was about 40 where I was riding (NOT Death Valley!.)
No fairing, no heated gear.

That's the biggest range I've ridden in one day. No rain though.