Flurries, that is. But still, we rode in the snow. Obviously, it was a cold, wintry day in both feel and looks. Gray skies and a north wind joined us for our ride on a 38-degree day with wind chills in the twenties. It was good day to try out my new Rev’It Trousers Factor 4 winter riding pants.
These pants are not as comfortable around the waist as my Ignition 3 pants. The Ignition 3 have Velcro tighteners on the side, but the Factor 4 don’t. The weight of the knee pads and the fabric pull the pants low, not embarrassingly so, but low enough to add a challenge on the ride to getting my right foot down. I am wondering if I can find suspenders strong enough to help keep the pants up.
As for keeping me warm, the pants did fine. The only parts of me that got cold were my cheeks under the helmet and my right hand a little. I’m actually not quite sure if my right hand was really cold or if it was discomfort from a cut on the tip of my index finger.
But other than those minor issues, the ride was great. I had fun watching the flurries melt on my gas tank as I waited for Bill to gear up. I really enjoyed the curvy road; the R Nine T loves to lean. I even worked some trail braking in wearing the large Rev’It winter gloves. My stops were a little goofy at first with the new pants pulling up my right leg, but my leg eventually adjusted. I did great watching the rearview mirrors at stops. We did a street U-turn meaning we turned around while on the neighborhood street rather than in the cul-de-sac. My first go round brought me very close to the grassy berm, but on my second U-turn, I went to full-lock and aced the turn.
In our practice we visited a new parking lot, a tiny little squarish tarmac probably leftover from the old Burger King that used to be on the lot before it was transformed into a post office and Dominos. On our way over, a large hawk swooped down and flew across Bill’s path of travel. We didn’t do more than three turns in the lot before heading over to the hospital lot. While there, Bill called me over to his bike. The Triumph had a message about the cold weather and that conditions may not be great for riding. Unfortunately, getting a phone out to take a picture was a complicated process in all our weather gear. It was cute, but it was also timely, and we decided to head home out of the flurries. Next week should be flurry free and a comfortable 50-degree ride; I can’t wait.
A bike on the road is worth two in the shed.
Anonymous (https://wildtriumph.com/motorcycle-quotes-sayings/)
Flutterby Biker 