Winterizing Rant

 

If you read this post from last spring (here), you'll notice that my advice was to wait until roads were mostly clear of sand and other debris before taking our bikes out for the season. My advice for the fall is...ride for as long as you can!

I have a hard time understanding why many bikers start winterizing their motorcycles in October when there could be weeks of quality riding time left. Fall is my favorite season to ride and unlike the spring, the roads are generally clear of dirt. I know the temperature might be a little cool, but for the love of all things sacred, enjoy the last moments of riding we have!

I know that some people will claim that it's too late to winterize your bike when it has already snowed. Bullshit! Here's how it works...it snows, you go out to your garage, put Stabil or Seafoam in your gas tank, take out your battery and bring it somewhere warm (you can also just hook your battery up to a tender if you have one). That's it! If you don't have a garage to keep it, then do all of the above and load your bike in a truck or trailer so you can haul it to where ever you store it.

Also, nothing drives me more crazy then people asking, "Did you put your bike away for the winter yet?" No I didn't! If there's no snow in the ground, I'm always ready to ride. Ok...rant over. I feel better now!

"I rant, therefore I am." - Dennis Miller

The Inconvenient Adventure

 

"An inconvenience is an adventure wrongly considered." - Gilbert K. Chesterton

I know I usually finish the blog posts with a quote, but this one leads into my theme so well that I had to put it at the beginning. For the last couple of weeks we've had typical fall weather; cold, rainy, windy and even a little snow. I've mentioned before that most of my riding comes by the way of commuting to and from work and I do so every day that I can.

Every morning that the weather isn't perfect, someone in my family will say something like, "You're not riding into work today, are you?" I always reply, "Of course I am!" Then when I get to work, there's always someone who asks, "You didn't take the bike today, did you?!!" Again I reply with, "If course I did." Who else can claim that they had an adventure on their way to work?

Braving the elements may be miserable while you're in that moment, but it's great when you look back at your experience and realize how fun it actually was! Humans aren't meant to be comfortable all the time! Actually, I believe that we as a society are so comfortable that we need to purposefully put ourselves in uncomfortable situations. It sure makes the stress of work less of an issue when you have to fight against the wind, rain, and cold on your commute. Gear up, saddle up, and go! Adventure is just a throttle twist away!



The Vikingcycle Bloodaxe Jacket

 

When I unboxed the Vikingcycle Bloodaxe jacket (cool name, right?), my first impression was that it looked awesome. I wore it that night while going out with some friends. Now I know you might be thinking that it's pretty lame to wear a motorcycle jacket for anything other than riding a motorcycle. I'd say you're wrong and you should like how your jacket looks so much that you will want to wear it outside of just motorcycling. It's not just trying to be cool or trendy; it's a way to get your money's worth out of your jacket.

 

 

Now, if you don't own a motorcycle and buy a riding jacket to just look cool, I can't really help you there. I know chicks dig leather jackets, but that's a little ridiculous. Please, for your own sake, at least tell everyone that you're buying a bike if you do this!

 

 

 

All joking aside, this really is an excellent jacket, especially for about $100. I'd recommend this jacket for anyone. Just use the sizing chart on motorcyclehouse.com and you should have a perfect fit. Please also see the video review and other products from motorcyclehouse.com below.

 

Armor Jackets for Men

High Visibility Jackets

Leather Jackets for Men



Frosty Mornings

 

Well, it had to happen. Summer's definitely over and so are all of the beautiful and warm mornings that we've had for the last few months. For one day last week, the low was 30 degrees. While, the early morning frost can look quite nice, let's face it, that is fucking cold! It's especially cold while traveling 70 mph on a motorcycle.

In years past, I'd either try to fight the cold with layers (long underwear and a hoodie under my riding jacket) or I'd avoid riding when it was below freezing. Of course the layers worked, but they were never enough when it was truly cold. Later, I received a pair of chaps as a gift, which was an improvement, but wasn't enough to make riding possible on the really cold mornings.

Last year I purchased a heated vest. This one has a battery pack, so you don't need a lead from your motorcycle battery to use it. It has made a huge difference. I guess the idea is that a warm core keeps the rest of your body warm. In my case, I've noticed that my hands and legs don't get nearly as cold when I wear the vest. Do 30 degree morning rides still feel cold? Of course they do! However, the vest really makes cold mornings bearable.

Here is my vest. http://www.mobilewarminggear.com/mens-classic-heated-vest/

"It's too cold outside for angels to fly." - Ed Sheeran