Year Round Riding?

[houndguy]

I'm not sure where to put this. I guess this is as good a place as any and the mods will move it.

There was another topic on Riding because you have to; a relative statement

Read more: scootdawg.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=general&action=display&thread=57801&page=1#ixzz2LDKZpwup

This topic, and the fact that this past week I've been out on my scoot in miserable rain. Fog. Below Freezing temps (I ride home at 1 AM from work and my gauge showed 28F) got me thinking.

I ride nearly every day to and from work at least (70 miles round trip) and not including little side trips and such. My bike is my main means of transportation.

So it bothers the hell out of me when I see "real bikers" not out on the roads when the temps drop. It was 55 F today here in Florida. I saw 12 bikers. 12!

So...how many of you are "rounders", I want to know. 2smallerwheels.blogspot.com/2013/02/earning-my-rounder-stripes.html

[teddy554]

I ride every day all day for everything, I am like the usps rain or snow dont stop me.

[skuttadawg]

I ride regardless of the weather and try to only do what I need to in the rain as I also ride for enjoyment . The trick is to have the extra gear like a rain suit or at least a poncho ( some throw aways are only 1 to 3 dollars ) a FF or full face helmet is a must as it not only provides protection in case of a wreck but helps you retain in your body heat . I use Scoyys Antifog spray from www.cyclegear.com since it works and only 4 dollars . My optician told me to not use ammonia based glass cleaner like Windex on my eyglasses and face shield as the ammonia can act as solvent for some coatings . I use optician cleaner from WallyWorld in the eyeglass section . You should have MC or motorcycle gloves that are water proof and with some sleeve . I wear Bilt Hurricanes with Freeze Out glove liners which is like a thin glove to wear within the other gloves . I wear Timberland boots that are waterproof and have steel toes which keep me warm with thick gray wool socks and protect much better than tennis shoes . I have an Adler leather bomber jacket which I consider my skin . I love the look and feel as it is waterproof , keeps me warm regardless of how cold it gets and I do not burn up should it be around 70 degrees . wwwleatherup.com has many leather MC outfits

[wutzthedeal]

Just got back from a ride tonight; bank sign said 20 degrees F. Five pairs of pants, four pairs of socks, four shirts, four jackets, three pairs of gloves, and two balaclavas. Didn't feel a thing and frankly I would have rode for hours if I knew a place to go where I could just sip my coffee and enjoy the view (at night--at day around here, there are plenty of those views but I'm a night owl). As you read in that other thread (that I started), many of us, and I think everybody in this thread so far, must ride. It just feels right, and it feels wrong not to. I literally cannot get enough of it, especially since I got my AirHawk II seat cushion. Others like scootnwinn, millsc and Hank (i think) "inuyasha" I think is his screen name also ride a lot when we don't have to (but like I said in the other thread, we DO have to!) Just be proud of your hobby and enjoy it. Forget about those fair-weather riders. I mean, I think it is up to us to spread the word here and again about how fun scooters are but no obligation. You OWN your hobbies!

[inuyasha]

Hi
According to that article my classification would be Sub Zero - KHOF Rounder (Kook Hall of Fame)
As i ride all year round except in case of severe icy or slippery road conditions
Take care and ride safely
Yours Hank

[youngboipsl]

So they aren't a real biker if they choose to pass a few cold rides? Lol this forum has so much silly opinions geez.

I rode in 28mph winds and 42 degrees the other day, don't think I'm more of a biker than anyone else.

[trailheadmike]

I ride for my commute to work all year as long as its not raining or snowing. I try to avoid precipitation. My record low is about 14 degrees.

[sharks06lly]

i ride when i want to and i admit i hate riding in the cold. my beautiful truck has heated seats and could cook eggs with the heater so im good on wearing all that damn clothes to go to work ill wait lol

[houndguy]

Feb 18, 2013 6:00:42 GMT -5 youngboipsl said:

So they aren't a real biker if they choose to pass a few cold rides? Lol this forum has so much silly opinions geez.

I rode in 28mph winds and 42 degrees the other day, don't think I'm more of a biker than anyone else.

No, not that at all. I catch a lot of flack because I ride a scooter. Normally it doesn't bother me..but sometimes it does. It does when I see "fair weather" riders out on the weekend. When I see bikes that are beautifully maintained yet have under 5K on them. I did 12+K last year.

A biker rides. It just pisses me off that some bikes are "not real bikes."

This motorcycling is in my blood now. No matter what I'm on.

[50cc]

I just came home with frozen finger tips. I ride 365 days an year, every year. No snow, rain or ice scare me.. well, perhaps just ice.

[wilds]

I wish I could ride all year.
We have over 70 cm of snow and I hate it!

I just love summer and I bet I was born in Africa in my previous life...

[shalomdawg]

howdy, i just moved from the desert where it was cold but dry and i rode down to -5 F. now moved to cold and wet near salem or. so am having to learn what gear to wear in the rain. bought some waterproof motorcycle boots friday which are tall enough to get my waterproof leggings around so i should be GO now. i still have to get some habit to stop the fogging inside my visor, bot till then i'll just open it while stopped. in town i';m riding with the chin bar up and the sunglare visor down which works as long as i remember to not go down chin first-----

lotsa miles and smiles to ya

[youngboipsl]

Feb 18, 2013 9:48:26 GMT -5 houndguy said:

Feb 18, 2013 6:00:42 GMT -5 youngboipsl said:

So they aren't a real biker if they choose to pass a few cold rides? Lol this forum has so much silly opinions geez.

I rode in 28mph winds and 42 degrees the other day, don't think I'm more of a biker than anyone else.

No, not that at all. I catch a lot of flack because I ride a scooter. Normally it doesn't bother me..but sometimes it does. It does when I see "fair weather" riders out on the weekend. When I see bikes that are beautifully maintained yet have under 5K on them. I did 12+K last year.

A biker rides. It just pisses me off that some bikes are "not real bikes."

This motorcycling is in my blood now. No matter what I'm on.

I see :-) my bf thinks I'm odd I ride everyday no matter the temperature ...just not when it rains cause that sh!t is unsafe

[fossel]

I ride year round here in san diego.why not! but the harley guys disappear when it's 40 degrees.I used to ride to work,but found I enjoy riding more after work and on weekends.It took some of the fun out of riding and was a race home.I dont ride in heavy rain,just crazy.I ride 1500 miles a month though.

[Scooter Elements]

I ride every single day of the year regardless if its raining or storming. Even if we have a hurricane coming through. But my temps never go below 80 degrees for most of the year. I have a car that has sat in the garage for the last year. Turn it on every week but yea thats it.

[spandi]

Out in the SoCal desert you can ride all year. In the summer months, after the sun sets behind the mountains. It's the heat, not the cold that'll kill ya.

[tankcommander]

My cutoff is 30 degrees only because I am more concerned about hitting a shady corner at speed and all H breaks loose because of frost. Figure this coming Monday will be commuting again.

[skuttadawg]

I have some Bilt Hurricane or Tornado model of gloves which are waterproof and work good . When its very cold and if I go fast my hands still get cold . I bought some Freeze Out glove liners which are like nylon and spandex gloves to wear within gloves . They do block wind but so thin no insulation value unlike the Freeze Out longjohn shirt and pants which do are great job of blocking wind and rain plus they have thermal layer to keep in your heat . I had a friend give me some Thinsulate gloves which are thick and warm but not waterproof . I put them on and crammed my hands into my gloves and wow it was warm but too tight to have dexterity . So I would suggest to some get gloves a size larger than needed in order to be able to wear a pair of gloves within em .

I have saw some heated handgrips on Amazon from 20 and up and I think they would be great as long as they did not pull so much power that it dims the headlight(s) . I have loved the idea of a heated seat on a scooter . I even thought about using a 12V hair dryer for an RV but it pulled way too many amps to be used as a heater with a fan unless I installed a smaller transformer .

What was weird to me was how my legs would get so cold . At times my legs seemed to be colder than my hands . I looked all over in town to find something to wear on my legs and in no way could I see myself with assless chaps and beeing looked at like a Village Person . ( No offense intended to any who wear them ) . Not to mention the cheapest ones were 100 dollars . I found these leg coverings from Greg that work pretty good found here eshop.mainelyscooters.com/accessories/172-37 . The leg covers are insulated quite well and wrap over your pants and use several Velcro straps to hold them on . Very easy and fast to put on and take off

I like to warm up my gloves , socks , hands , face and inside of my coat with a hair dryer to warm up prior to going out when its cold . I first used a hairdryer to defreeze my ears when I was 14 and I was so cold my ears and face was numb . Another good tip is to put your clothes you are going to wear into a clothes dryer for ten minutes so that they are toasty warm so its not as much of a change from going out of a warm house and into the cold outside .

I used to think how unsporty a trunk looked and thought it was not really needed as there is storage under the seat . Well after buying my Echarm which came with a rear trunk I really enjoyed having the extra storage space for stuff like a drink and snack and other items I did not want to put under the seat as it gets hot in there in the summer time . I always have a windbreaker on hand in there and a rain poncho too . The factory one I could barely put in my FF helmet and gloves unless I crammed everything in the helmet and had to have it in there just right in order to close the lid . Well the hinge broke so I removed it . I bought a Coocase trunk like this one but its bigger eshop.mainelyscooters.com/accessories/172-110 . I guess Greg needs to post a pic of the Coocase on his page hint hint LOL . It is much better quality than the thin fiberglass trunks as its metal reinforced , can use the push button to open it and lock with a key where my old one I always needed to use the key . It also is hardlined to be able to install the optional trunk alarm . I can easily fit my FF helmet and gear with room for more stuff .

I noticed how with my helmet the wind seemed to collect on my neck . I wrapped up with a scarf and met a member on here one day and he told me a horror story where a scooter buddy of his was riding along with him and his scarf got entangled in the rear wheel which broke his neck killing him instantly . So I took it off as even with tucking it under my coat it will unravel at highway speeds . Luckily I have a CycleGear in town and they have many options of winter attire . I bought a Freeze Out balaclava but it is so windproof I could not breathe . I bought a FO collar and a half face mask with material that covered my neck and upper chest . The collar helped some but had lots of blowby in the gaps . The half face mask worked good but I had to turn down the part that covered up my nose as I would fog up my face shield . Amazon has pages of balaclavas which is a ninja looking hood which covers the neck and fills in any gaps in the helmet where wind could blowby . Those with a slit for the eyes or skimask design restrict your ability to see as good . I prefer the balaclava I have that has an open face or larger hole instead of covering up my mouth and nose .

I know there is heated gloves but they are not in my budget as it only seldom gets below freezing here and I would guess replacement batteries would be a mint . Some use a 12V power adapter look used with mobile phone chargers for cars