Ridin' weather!

[dgci]

I keep reading all the posts from people that are studying hard on how to winterize thier bikes, and can't help but smirk a little.

Down here in Louisiana, ridin' weather is here! Leather jacket mornings, tee-shirt afternoons!

Rode the 900LT to work yesterday. Had a 6am-2pm shift, which meant mounting up at 5:15am for a night-ride to work. 48 degrees outside. Leather jacket, boots, gloves. Got leather chaps on order but not here yet and need something to cut the wind off my khaki Dockers (business casual dress code at work). Solution: wear the pants from my rain suit over my Dockers. Result: comfy ride to work at speeds up to 45mph.

Get off work at 2pm, temperature outside 78 degrees. Rain pants and jacket in the saddlebags, ride home absolutely fabulous in Dockers and long-sleeve shirt, gloves. No skin below the chin, as they preach in MSF and as required on the Air Force base where I work as a civilian. OK, not quite as much protection, but I never ride outside my limits or faster than my guardian angel can fly. Got home wishing I lived just a little further away from work, and got a "biker wave" from a Bossier City motor cop along the way.

Heh. You guys keep winterizing. I'm gonna keep ridin'!

[jukief]

Go ahead, rub it in.

I live in Colorado, but I never winterize my bike. We always have enough warm days that I can ride through the winter. Maybe not every week, but at least once a month. Have to bundle up quite a bit, but it's still doable.

I hate winter.

[dgci]

I like the leather-wear season. Around here, it's mostly miserable if you have to put jeans on to ride. Passed on riding to work just a couple of days ago because I work as a civilan on an air force base, and the rule, like MSF is "no skin below the chin". It was just too hot to consider wearing long sleeves.

[jukief]

I know I would have a hard time riding during the summer if I lived in a hot, humid part of the country. We actually have pretty darned good riding weather here. Nice dry summers, and I ride throughout the winter, so I really can't complain too much.

[snickerdoodle]

Yah, and out here you can't ride all summer, IMO...it's like everyone else's winters...no one is really riding at 115 degrees, even if it IS a dry heat

[N3FOLN3FOL]

Originally Posted by dgci

I keep reading all the posts from people that are studying hard on how to winterize thier bikes, and can't help but smirk a little.

Down here in Louisiana, ridin' weather is here! Leather jacket mornings, tee-shirt afternoons!

Rode the 900LT to work yesterday. Had a 6am-2pm shift, which meant mounting up at 5:15am for a night-ride to work. 48 degrees outside. Leather jacket, boots, gloves. Got leather chaps on order but not here yet and need something to cut the wind off my khaki Dockers (business casual dress code at work). Solution: wear the pants from my rain suit over my Dockers. Result: comfy ride to work at speeds up to 45mph.

Get off work at 2pm, temperature outside 78 degrees. Rain pants and jacket in the saddlebags, ride home absolutely fabulous in Dockers and long-sleeve shirt, gloves. No skin below the chin, as they preach in MSF and as required on the Air Force base where I work as a civilian. OK, not quite as much protection, but I never ride outside my limits or faster than my guardian angel can fly. Got home wishing I lived just a little further away from work, and got a "biker wave" from a Bossier City motor cop along the way.

Heh. You guys keep winterizing. I'm gonna keep ridin'!

Way to go! I also rode in this morning to work. Thanks to my chaps...the 49 degree temperature feels a lot colder when riding. I think I can pretty much tell what my tolerance is, when it comes to riding in the cold. As long as it does not go below freezing, I think I can handle it. Just like winter attire....bundle up.

[VulcanRev]

I was stationed at Ft. Polk/Leesville for a while, one of the best times I ever had! LA is a sportsman's paradise. Wife and I were out fishing every night of the week for hours! Watching huge thunderstorms and the rain so deep in the streets that the cockroaches were washed up and floating away....what a spectacle!
Alas! Now I am "stuck" in the NW, whole different show, just like CO...Lots of extra gear to be a year-round rider. In retrospect though, I wouldn't want to be anywhere else now, so I gotta wear raingear for the next 6 months....where else in the country can I be an hour from rain forrest, snow, desert, and the ocean??
Just ride!

[colbycurtis]

Originally Posted by dgci

I keep reading all the posts from people that are studying hard on how to winterize thier bikes, and can't help but smirk a little.

Down here in Louisiana, ridin' weather is here! Leather jacket mornings, tee-shirt afternoons!

Rode the 900LT to work yesterday. Had a 6am-2pm shift, which meant mounting up at 5:15am for a night-ride to work. 48 degrees outside. Leather jacket, boots, gloves. Got leather chaps on order but not here yet and need something to cut the wind off my khaki Dockers (business casual dress code at work). Solution: wear the pants from my rain suit over my Dockers. Result: comfy ride to work at speeds up to 45mph.

Get off work at 2pm, temperature outside 78 degrees. Rain pants and jacket in the saddlebags, ride home absolutely fabulous in Dockers and long-sleeve shirt, gloves. No skin below the chin, as they preach in MSF and as required on the Air Force base where I work as a civilian. OK, not quite as much protection, but I never ride outside my limits or faster than my guardian angel can fly. Got home wishing I lived just a little further away from work, and got a "biker wave" from a Bossier City motor cop along the way.

Heh. You guys keep winterizing. I'm gonna keep ridin'!

Just wanted to give a shout out to fellow civil servant. I'm a Avionics instructor at Sheppard AFB and retired AF. I'm planning on riding to work tommorow for first time. Got all the mandatory gear just need to go in and get base decals tomorrow morning.

[dgci]

Originally Posted by colbycurtis

Just wanted to give a shout out to fellow civil servant. I'm a Avionics instructor at Sheppard AFB and retired AF. I'm planning on riding to work tommorow for first time. Got all the mandatory gear just need to go in and get base decals tomorrow morning.

Heh. I got just about two years left until I can retire from the FAA and the LAST thing I wanted to do was stick a base sticker permanently on my bike. I went to Michael's (craft shop) and got some flexible vinyl sheet magnet, like a refrigerator magnet business card. Put my base sticker on that. When I need it, I slap it on the tank, rest of the time, it stays in the saddlebags with my registration and insurance.

[OldDog]

I rode to work today, too. Of course, I am wasting taxpayers' dollars by posting this instead of doing real wor. . . . gotta go!!!

[dsc522758]

Well....not a chaps kinda guy myself. They just look silly. Levi's and t-shirts are more me. Don't want to be mistaken for a HD type. You know how they are! Kinda crisp this morning in Ft. Worth at 53. Just throw on a denim long sleeve hanging out. Don't want to look to pretty riding to work! Once the low is below 50 I will take the car!

[dgci]

Originally Posted by dsc522758

Well....not a chaps kinda guy myself. They just look silly. Levi's and t-shirts are more me. Don't want to be mistaken for a HD type. You know how they are! Kinda crisp this morning in Ft. Worth at 53. Just throw on a denim long sleeve hanging out. Don't want to look to pretty riding to work! Once the low is below 50 I will take the car!

Well, I'm a new rider, but drawing the line at 50 degrees to me just seems like...

wimping out.

Ft. Worth is home, I know the weather there well, and to me, that's year round riding weather, if you discount winter, which usually falls on a Tuesday and lasts three days.

[vulcan500rider]

[QUOTE=dgci]OK, not quite as much protection, but I never ride outside my limits .[/QUOTE]


Yeah but you're riding outside the limits of cotton!

[dgci]

[quote=vulcan500rider]

Originally Posted by dgci

OK, not quite as much protection, but I never ride outside my limits .[/QUOTE]


Yeah but you're riding outside the limits of cotton!

True. Once the chaps come in I'll probably wear them all the time. I try to wear at a minimum my leather vest with long sleeve shirt but sometimes, ya just gotta feel the breeze. Boots, gloves, long pants and helmet ALWAYS.

Saw a guy on a sport bike on the Interstate this morning...70mph+ with full face helmet, tee-shirt, Bermuda shorts and sandals. That's just NUTS!

[kjudki]

I'm just across the Red River from you in Shreveport and I love my joe rocket jacket (tough netting with pads in the right places) with zip out rain and thermal liners. On hot days the air can pass through the netting when I'm moving and it is only hot at stop lights and slow traffic.

Did you take your MSF at LSUS from KG?

[dgci]

Originally Posted by kjudki

I'm just across the Red River from you in Shreveport and I love my joe rocket jacket (tough netting with pads in the right places) with zip out rain and thermal liners. On hot days the air can pass through the netting when I'm moving and it is only hot at stop lights and slow traffic.

Did you take your MSF at LSUS from KG?

Yeah, sure did. KG is one of the most dynamic instructors I've ever met. He's retiring soon, and that's gonna be a big loss for the MSF program around here.