It's gonna be a darn cold ride!!

[ultra...good]

I live in northern Wisconsin, and seeing how it is snowing here today, this global warming is really starting to cut into my riding season. I can handle the cold weather, no problem. Even rode about 60 miles yesterday, 40F and misting, no problem. But snow is just a little more then I am willing to try and handle. We really need to do something about this global warming issue!!

 

[ultra...good]

Some times you need to define cold. In Wisconsin we have a little different scale we use.
And then some times it just a madder of getting out to the road.

What reallt gets me is how many people ask 'isn't it a bit cold for a motorcycle today?' Being in northern Wisconsin, it is always too cold, for me anyways. But for some reason, it is never too cold for a snowmobile. Seems a little redundant. I did have to ride over about a hundred yards or so to get my Ultra out of storage on March 11th. I was going to Texas even if I had to put the bike in the back of a U-Haul for a while. You can either stay inside and wait til the weather is nice, or get out and get used to it. I choose the latter.

 

[ultra...good]

Ultra...good
Funny how 19 degree ride feels colder at night than the middle of the day

Its the incoming solar radiation of the sun. This time of year, it is still cooler then it feels. It feels warmer because you are getting more heat from the sun, but the air temperature is not heating as rapidly as your body, the air absorbs very little solar radiation, and mostly heats from conduction from the ground and other objects. In turn, ice forms over the puddles, before the air temperature is below freezing, mostly because cooler air is lower.
I take the ultra many places now, but am careful to make sure that I am home before dark. Ice is just something that I do not want to deal with, especially in the dark. I have over 4000 miles on my ultra this year alone. Not sure how many on my xl, it doesn't have a speedometer, but I have gone through 4 tanks of gas.

 

[bikerdad]

The chaps are well worth it. As you know, here in Michigan the early AM can be a bit nippy this time of year. It is worth it though because it is a very nice ride home later in the day.

 

[TheRedhead]

I don't care for cold weather riding any more, but when I do I dress in layers and always wear my chaps