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



MotoScrub

I hate washing my motorcycle. I know hate is a strong word, but I still say I HATE washing it! Part of it may be that I like when my bike looks like it's ridden, but it really boils down to me not wanting to spend the amount of time it really takes to get the job done properly.

I have friends that love and take pride in keeping a clean bike and I don't hold anything against them for it. I actually admire them and sometimes I wish that I felt the same. I said that I like my bike to look like it's ridden, but that doesn't mean that I don't like how it looks after a washing.

Over the past week I've ridden with two friends, both of whom own one of my old bikes. Both guys keep them very clean and honestly, I'm a bit jealous. Actually, both of my old bikes looked in better condition than my new one (I haven't washed it since May). I decided that it was time for a wash, no matter how much I didn't want to do it.

Over the weekend, I spent hours scrubbing all of the grime that'd built up over the past months. Finally, it was clean and I have to admit that I had a pretty big feeling of satisfaction. Then, it rained on my way to work this Monday and my bike looked almost as dirty as it was before I washed it. Did I mention that I hate washing motorcycles?

"Cleaning is just putting stuff in less obvious places." - Unknown

The Autumn Fall

 

Well, Summer's over. But, nothing is better than a great ride in the fall. Fall is probably the shortest season where I live as it usually snows by early November. Since early winters are so common, I always try to enjoy every last second of riding that I can once autumn starts.

One of my most memorable fall rides occurred right after I healed from my crash (see here for that story). It was mid October and warm weather is very rare at this time of year. A group of us rode leisurely from early morning until sunset, a round trip of about 300 miles. It was sunny and around 70 degrees for the entire day, there was barely any traffic, no wind, and the roads were dirt and gravel free. It just about the perfect ride! It was one of those rides that just reinvigorated my love for motorcycling.

Then, the following week it fucking snowed! Enjoy the Fall while it lasts.

"Nothing is over until we decide it is! Was it over when the Germans bombed Pearl Harbor? Hell no!" - John Belushi



Tweakers and Deer

Dean Delray is a comedian, rocker, and biker (he also has one hell of a mustache #MustachesAndMotorycles). If you haven't heard of him, you should definitely check out his Instagram (here). Recently he was in a motorcycle accident (this is kind of documented on his Instagram page). Apparently, a tweaker stole a car and ran into him while she was making her getaway. Then, she left the car (and the scene) and jumped in another car that sped away (I may not have the story exactly correct, but this is what I pieced together from Instagram and this Joe Rogan Experience podcast). I also heard that Dean is giving up motorcycling. I wanted to comment on this because I had a similar experience.

About ten years ago, I was riding right after sunset in early summer. A deer leaped out directly in front of me and I put the bike down to avoid hitting it. I and my girlfriend ended up rolling down the road and received some pretty decent injuries. A broken wrist kept me from riding for a couple months and I'd be lying if I didn't say it was terrifying getting back on a bike. However, my love for riding outweighed my fear and I continued to ride.

Now, looking at Dean's situation, I can understand his point of view. Since my accident, I can avoid riding or take it very easy when deer are on the move (dawn and dusk). It's tough to find a time in Los Angeles (this is where I believe Dean Delray lives) when there's not some crazy driver that'll take you out without thinking twice. Maybe Dean should move to the country! Wait, I think a meth lab was busted out here a couple months back. Fucking tweakers are everywhere! Stay safe, people!

“Here's something I would like to remind you two of: our best friend Doug is probably face down in a ditch right now with a meth head butt-fucking his corpse!” – Stu Price in the movie The Hangover