We have a rule against riding in the rain; slick roads are difficult to navigate on four tires let alone two. We also don’t ride when it’s in the twenties (or lower). Bu today’s weather was forecasted as sunny and a high of thirty-five, so we headed out after 1:00 to enjoy our ride. The R Nine T throughout the ride told me it was too cold.
I mentioned in “Riding in the Snow” how Bill’s Triumph Rocket displayed a cold weather warning message. During today’s ride, instead of displaying the mileage, my display said “COLD” and flashed the temperature ranging from 34 to 37. I noticed this change two minutes into our ride and thought it would eventually go away. It didn’t. Maybe it was too cold to ride.
Despite the icy air, there wasn’t too much wind and lots of sunshine. And there were lots of birds about. As we rode down the twisty road, I noticed a raptor high above being harassed by crows. A few minutes later, I saw it was a red-tailed hawk and more crows were harassing it. But the osprey I saw was being left alone.
Two days earlier the groundhog saw his shadow, predicting six more weeks of winter. And while the air temperature during our ride seemed to support that prediction, the flock of robins that scattered off the road in front of us suggests spring is very near. I also think the Canadian geese sunning themselves down by the river are another indication of the vernal return.
Because of the cold, I was wearing my Rev’It gloves, and I thought I would not be able to preload because of the bulkiness of the gloves. Surprisingly, though, I was able to, not as easily as with my other, lighter gloves, but I did preload most of the ride. I actually realized halfway through the ride that riding with my hand in the preload position on the front brake felt better than having all fingers on the throttle. It was an interesting discovery.
We rode the usual route with only two really cold wind paths. I had on my Factor 4 pants with a pair of exercise leggings on underneath, and Bill had given me an old balaclava to wear. I was mostly warm as I practiced my S-turns, U-turns, and trail braking. I did great checking mirrors on stops and shifting in and out of neutral and first. But I felt something was a little off. Maybe it was that COLD display with the fluctuating temperatures, all in the mid-thirties, and the snowflake emblem on the right, but I sensed that my riding skills weren’t at top form. My turns were wider than last week, but I didn’t try much to tighten them up. After the ride, even Bill said the cold was affecting him. Perhaps I should pay closer attention to my motorcycle when it warns me of the cold.
Flutterby Biker 