Kawasaki Concours Forum
Riding => Rides and Stories => Topic started by: PH14 on October 28, 2013, 06:27:49 PM
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I had to take my car to a friend in Ohio for some frame work. He lives about 2 1/2 hours from me. My wife drove the car and I took the C14. It was 30F when I left Pittsburgh and got all the way up to about 35F by the time I arrived. It was a great ride and was a beautiful morning. The ride back with my wife was warmer, but was still just in the upper 40's and maybe 50 for a short while. We took the longer way home, on Rt. 30 which was more fun than the Turnpike ride in the morning.
We had a great time. I hadn't been able to ride for a while since I have been traveling too much. I needed the ride today and enjoyed every minute of it.
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Nice! :thumbs:
Sounds like temps are finally gonna start dropping here in the the PNW, tomorrow supposed to be mid 30's and dry for the morning commute, about time I get to start plugging in the Gerbings! :thumbs: :)
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Excellent! Last Saturday stared out at 6:30 and 23 degrees. Lots of layers, heated grips and gloves and I was good to go. Turned out to be an awesome day and 200 miles of riding. Rode about 1 hour, leisurely hour and a half breakfast and by that time low 40's. By the time I got home it was in the 50's. LOVE those kind of mornings!
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LOVE those kind of mornings!
+1
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I have no heated clothing at the moment but I was warm. I used my AVG Telluride pants with the rain liner and quilted liner, along with a Joe Rocket Atomic jacket and its quilted liner, with Under Armour as a base layer and two thin shirts. I have a fleece neck cover I used as well. I had thin silk socks under wool socks.
I do want to get some heated gloves and maybe a vest or full liner at some point though, I just keep putting off ordering any.
It was nice seeing all the frost on the fields around me.
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I couldn't live without my heated gear. Best investment I ever made.
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I couldn't live without my heated gear. Best investment I ever made.
As I get older I'm finding my circulation isn't what it used to be. I just got some battery powered gloves and I likey. Now I'm really thinking about getting the whole 12V enchilada down to the socks.
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I couldn't live without my heated gear. Best investment I ever made.
+1... :goodpost: Year round summer warmth with my Gerbings! :thumbs:
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I will be getting some at some point. Thankfully I have learned to keep warm without them. I have quality gear to layer with that I got for other activities. I usually ride all Winter in Pittsburgh. The gloves would be a nice addition as well as a jacket liner and possibly insoles. I always seem to have other things I need to spend my money on unfortunately. MotorcycleGear.com has some deals going on Tourmaster Synergy gloves at the moment and I have almost ordered. I just keep putting it off. I usually do this all Winter, then when it is almost over I figure I will just wait for next year.
I almost bought the Gerbing battery powered gloves because I think they would be nicer around town than having to plug in. Motorcyclegear.com has some by Mobile Warming that have a battery life of ten hours. I don't believe they can be plugged in like the Gerbings though.
I'll order some heated gear as soon as my wife stops needing my money. ;D
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I'll order some heated gear as soon as my wife stops needing my money. ;D
Just do what I do PH, tell her sorry honey there's no money for you to spend right now, I already spent it, sorry... ;D
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I couldn't live without my heated gear. Best investment I ever made.
Right on. I even used mine on the KLR. Florida boy had a tough time once I got to Albuquerque/Flagstaff and such where temps were low 30's!
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Just do what I do PH, tell her sorry honey there's no money for you to spend right now, I already spent it, sorry... ;D
I have to say she is very supportive of my habits. I said the other day I wanted to buy another gun, she said go buy it. I had no intention of spending money like that, and I didn't but she would have been okay with it.
We have had a lot of big expenses in the past couple of years. I moved her here from Thailand so we had the visa process and green card to pay for, along with my airfare and hers, then the wedding, then I had to buy her Winter clothing. It is all tapering off but between general living expenses and all that I have been watching what I buy.
Currently the car is getting a lot of work done since I'm keeping it instead of replacing it. It had a rusty k-frame so I took it to a buddy who rebuilt it. While he had everything apart I had him replace the lower controls arms and bushings, my transmission cooler, belts, timing belt and transmission fluid. Thankfully his price for all that is around what I would have paid for just the timing belt replacement. A little more, but not much. I just wanted everything done before Winter.
Of course since this is currently our only car, I can justify the heated gear since I will be riding the bike more so she can have the car. I'll just say, "Hey, all this gear is cheaper than a second car. ;D "Oh, and I bought Ural with a sidecar for the Winter too dear."
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Now, on a serious note, I have considered the textile heated glove but wonder if anyone has any experience with them. Are they as warm as the leather ones? I was wondering if the blocked the wind as well.
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27 degrees when I left the house. Another gorgeous day in the PNW. :thumbs:
Recycled picture, but it was just as nice this morning.
(http://i286.photobucket.com/albums/ll112/tomdvaughan/clover.jpg) (http://s286.photobucket.com/user/tomdvaughan/media/clover.jpg.html)
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I run 210 miles last Friday night (or Saturday morning) from New Haven Ct. to Wells Me. The temps went from the mid 20s to the mid 40s. It was about four hours.
It wasn't as bad as two weeks ago on my way to Boston. A chance of a snow shower and it was a soaking wet snow for about 80 miles and I didn't even pack the rain gear.
I am back in New Haven this week, but didn't like the forecart for the Friday night commute home. Freezing mix. I really hate having to stay out of town without a bike. At least the Passat has been getting almost 50 mpg.
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27 degrees when I left the house. Another gorgeous day in the PNW. :thumbs:
Recycled picture, but it was just as nice this morning.
(http://i286.photobucket.com/albums/ll112/tomdvaughan/clover.jpg) (http://s286.photobucket.com/user/tomdvaughan/media/clover.jpg.html)
I love days like that.
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I run 210 miles last Friday night (or Saturday morning) from New Haven Ct. to Wells Me. The temps went from the mid 20s to the mid 40s. It was about four hours.
It wasn't as bad as two weeks ago on my way to Boston. A chance of a snow shower and it was a soaking wet snow for about 80 miles and I didn't even pack the rain gear.
I am back in New Haven this week, but didn't like the forecart for the Friday night commute home. Freezing mix. I really hate having to stay out of town without a bike. At least the Passat has been getting almost 50 mpg.
Nice. I assume the Passat is a TDi.
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For what it is worth, I would not buy any type of battery- only heated gear. I would suggest if you want to try heated gear, do so with gear that actually runs on 12 volts so you can tap into the bike if you choose to later. The problem is that batteries just do not provide much energy and stretching it out over longer periods of time just makes the amount delivered smaller. If at all possible, look at the wattage rating on each piece of heated clothing; there is just no way around physics and anyone claiming that there is is.... well, fibbing. So while Gerbing gloves draw 27 watts, I believe you will find the batter powered ones to be much less and will not compete no matter what 'magic' any manufacturer claims.
My favorite physics 'fib' is the one where light manufacturers or retailers list a particular lamp at, for example: 65 watts, equivalent wattage 85 watts. Implying they can make 65 watts of energy perform as 85 watts would and that is just not possible.
Brian
<snip>
I almost bought the Gerbing battery powered gloves because I think they would be nicer around town than having to plug in. Motorcyclegear.com has some by Mobile Warming that have a battery life of ten hours. I don't believe they can be plugged in like the Gerbings though.
<snip>
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For what it is worth, I would not buy any type of battery- only heated gear. I would suggest if you want to try heated gear, do so with gear that actually runs on 12 volts so you can tap into the bike if you choose to later. The problem is that batteries just do not provide much energy and stretching it out over longer periods of time just makes the amount delivered smaller. If at all possible, look at the wattage rating on each piece of heated clothing; there is just no way around physics and anyone claiming that there is is.... well, fibbing. So while Gerbing gloves draw 27 watts, I believe you will find the batter powered ones to be much less and will not compete no matter what 'magic' any manufacturer claims.
My favorite physics 'fib' is the one where light manufacturers or retailers list a particular lamp at, for example: 65 watts, equivalent wattage 85 watts. Implying they can make 65 watts of energy perform as 85 watts would and that is just not possible.
Brian
Thanks Brian, that is what I have decided. The only thing I have yet to do is actually purchase anything. ;D Yeah, having grown up in an electronics shop, I don't believe magic claims. lol
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Nice. I assume the Passat is a TDi.
Yes TDI. I love it.
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Yes TDI. I love it.
Great engine. I always thought it funny that everyone got so excited over the original hybrids, when Volkswagen had been getting high fuel mileage for years with their diesels, with good sized cars. I do appreciate the newer hybrids, but the TDI is very hard to beat on the highway. I tried to get a Jetta a number of years ago, but they were going for more than retail here for a while. I ended up buying something else and don't need a different car yet.
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Great engine. I always thought it funny that everyone got so excited over the original hybrids, when Volkswagen had been getting high fuel mileage for years with their diesels, with good sized cars. I do appreciate the newer hybrids, but the TDI is very hard to beat on the highway. I tried to get a Jetta a number of years ago, but they were going for more than retail here for a while. I ended up buying something else and don't need a different car yet.
I had a 1978 Diesel Rabbit 4 speed. Got 57 MPG highway or city. It didn't matter how I drove it. It only had 48 hp so acceleration was always floor it to red line, shift, floor it to red line, etc. I had an aftermarket 10 gal aux tank that fit into the spare tire well giving the car a 20 gal total fuel capacity. I once went San Jose CA to Albuquerque NM without getting fuel. Much of that at wide open throttle which got the car to about 80 mph on level ground. So me too, never been all that impressed with modern hybrids.
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Great engine. I always thought it funny that everyone got so excited over the original hybrids, when Volkswagen had been getting high fuel mileage for years with their diesels, with good sized cars. I do appreciate the newer hybrids, but the TDI is very hard to beat on the highway. I tried to get a Jetta a number of years ago, but they were going for more than retail here for a while. I ended up buying something else and don't need a different car yet.
We're coming up on two years of ownership on our '12 Jetta TDI. Both my wife and I love that lil car.
On topic.
I'm glad that I didn't ride today. 26 degrees right now with snow flurries in the forecast. Two inches of snow on the ground now and it's still coming down... :o
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Temp when I got to work today.
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I went to a friend's house on Sunday and he asked me if I rode my bike over there or not. He thought he was making a joke but normally I would have ridden the bike but he was too close to gear up / gear off for that little distance.
The absolute worst thing about winter riding is all the perspiring that goes on during the 'getting ready' phase and the actual riding. Then the cold wind hits all the exposed, damp skin and is like an ice- pick wake up call. Then the discomfort sets in before the heated gear settles into some stable point. Nothing worse than riding at 20 F for five minutes; too long to go in shirt- sleeves and too short to shed off the overheating from gearing up.
Brian
Temp when I got to work today.
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Well they do make battery powered clothing that is used at 12 volts, which gives you the option of going over to wiring up to the bike. But if you purchase any of that 7.2 volt clothing, then you are stuck with the batteries or the nasty aspect of having to find / make an odd voltage power supply (DC/DC to boot).
Brian
Thanks Brian, that is what I have decided. The only thing I have yet to do is actually purchase anything. ;D Yeah, having grown up in an electronics shop, I don't believe magic claims. lol
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I went to a friend's house on Sunday and he asked me if I rode my bike over there or not. He thought he was making a joke but normally I would have ridden the bike but he was too close to gear up / gear off for that little distance.
The absolute worst thing about winter riding is all the perspiring that goes on during the 'getting ready' phase and the actual riding. Then the cold wind hits all the exposed, damp skin and is like an ice- pick wake up call. Then the discomfort sets in before the heated gear settles into some stable point. Nothing worse than riding at 20 F for five minutes; too long to go in shirt- sleeves and too short to shed off the overheating from gearing up.
Brian
So true, when I'm getting ready to head out, I get dressed in the garage. Cooler then the house, warmer then outside. Helps to stave off the sweating part. Added heated gloves yesterday. First piece of heated gear and worked great this morning!! :chugbeer:
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So true, when I'm getting ready to head out, I get dressed in the garage. Cooler then the house, warmer then outside. Helps to stave off the sweating part. Added heated gloves yesterday. First piece of heated gear and worked great this morning!! :chugbeer:
I got good at getting ready. Around town I have no real issues and can throw on a shirt under another one and my jacket with its liner, along with my usual riding pants with normally just he rain liner. I find the quilted liner to be a bit too hot unless I'm riding far and the temps are under 30. If it is just around town I leave out the quilted liner.
I am much happier with the C14 in the cold than my old RC51. That was brutal since you got a lot more wind.
I rode yesterday to get parts for the car, and only threw the jacket with its liner on. I was fine but then again it was 32F so not too cold.
I doubt I would take the time to use heated gear for rides around town, longer rides, yes.
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Rode home from work today in rain/snow mix,first day with the heated gloves. Wow.....so nice!! Although yesterday was colder, today was nastier. Tomorrow taking the cage. :'(
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Rode home from work today in rain/snow mix,first day with the heated gloves. Wow.....so nice!! Although yesterday was colder, today was nastier. Tomorrow taking the cage. :'(
Lookin at the radar for your area. Looks to be cage weather for a while.
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Lookin at the radar for your area. Looks to be cage weather for a while.
yeah, cage tomorrow, then heading outta town for thanksgiving with the family. hopfully it'll be riding weather friendly by monday. plan on laying the bike up for a month for maintenance. trying to squeeze december in before that though. :_shudder_Emoticon