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Cold Weather Motorcycling

#81
Gaolee said:
Another bonus of the pigtail for a Tender is it's the same pigtail you can use for heated gear. That was essential for long distance commuting (180 miles) during the winter 15 years ago or so. I haven't used it much since, but when you need it, it makes a huge difference.
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True, but ya probably shouldn't. I think my Tender lead has a 3A fuse in it, and the heated gear lead has a 15A fuse in it. Circuit protection exists to protect the wire, not the device, and although the odds are slim of anything going wrong with your bike on the Tender (with a 15A fuse so you can use it for your heated gear), eh, it's not a risk I like. Two leads is a little fiddly and doesn't look as nice, but most of the new heated gear takes a different connector anyway.

As for shoes... uh yeah. I've always been an ATGATT guy, except for ONE day when I was getting ready for a trip and decided to ride my XT225 the 1.2 miles to the gas station in jeans, t-shirt, helmet, gloves, and running shoes. IT'LL BE FINE! Hahahaha. The gods were laughing at me. I got to the pump, tried to put my left foot down, and the lace was caught over the shift lever. Did the herkyjerky weight transfer maneuver, and found that my right lace was caught on the brake lever. Fell over that way. Clunk. Dirt bike. Only damage was to ego.
 
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#82
blastoff99 said:
True, but ya probably shouldn't. I think my Tender lead has a 3A fuse in it, and the heated gear lead has a 15A fuse in it. Circuit protection exists to protect the wire, not the device, and although the odds are slim of anything going wrong with your bike on the Tender (with a 15A fuse so you can use it for your heated gear), eh, it's not a risk I like. Two leads is a little fiddly and doesn't look as nice, but most of the new heated gear takes a different connector anyway.

As for shoes... uh yeah. I've always been an ATGATT guy, except for ONE day when I was getting ready for a trip and decided to ride my XT225 the 1.2 miles to the gas station in jeans, t-shirt, helmet, gloves, and running shoes. IT'LL BE FINE! Hahahaha. The gods were laughing at me. I got to the pump, tried to put my left foot down, and the lace was caught over the shift lever. Did the herkyjerky weight transfer maneuver, and found that my right lace was caught on the brake lever. Fell over that way. Clunk. Dirt bike. Only damage was to ego.
Click to expand...

Too often, what can go wrong, will go wrong.
 
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#83
blastoff99 said:
True, but ya probably shouldn't. I think my Tender lead has a 3A fuse in it, and the heated gear lead has a 15A fuse in it. Circuit protection exists to protect the wire, not the device, and although the odds are slim of anything going wrong with your bike on the Tender (with a 15A fuse so you can use it for your heated gear), eh, it's not a risk I like. Two leads is a little fiddly and doesn't look as nice, but most of the new heated gear takes a different connector anyway.

As for shoes... uh yeah. I've always been an ATGATT guy, except for ONE day when I was getting ready for a trip and decided to ride my XT225 the 1.2 miles to the gas station in jeans, t-shirt, helmet, gloves, and running shoes. IT'LL BE FINE! Hahahaha. The gods were laughing at me. I got to the pump, tried to put my left foot down, and the lace was caught over the shift lever. Did the herkyjerky weight transfer maneuver, and found that my right lace was caught on the brake lever. Fell over that way. Clunk. Dirt bike. Only damage was to ego.
Click to expand...
Good point about the fuse. It has been so long that I don't remember which pigtail I used to use - a 3 amp that came with the tender or the one that came with the gear.

Falling over like an idiot is one of those things you just have to do eventually. I have several dummy stories, but my favorite one is rolling up to a car full of young women/girls. I don't know if they were college age, high school age, or a little older. I little older, I hope, since I was in my late 30s and absolutely knew better than to be distracted by carloads of young female humans. But, I got distracted and forgot to put my feet down when I came to a stop next to them at the stop light. I didn't fall over, but almost did. They weren't impressed. They probably weren't anyway. I felt really foolish, and for good reason.
 
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#84
Gaolee said:
Good point about the fuse. It has been so long that I don't remember which pigtail I used to use - a 3 amp that came with the tender or the one that came with the gear.

Falling over like an idiot is one of those things you just have to do eventually. I have several dummy stories, but my favorite one is rolling up to a car full of young women/girls. I don't know if they were college age, high school age, or a little older. I little older, I hope, since I was in my late 30s and absolutely knew better than to be distracted by carloads of young female humans. But, I got distracted and forgot to put my feet down when I came to a stop next to them at the stop light. I didn't fall over, but almost did. They weren't impressed. They probably weren't anyway. I felt really foolish, and for good reason.
Click to expand...

There is nothing more quintessentially male than doing something dumb in front of females with whom said male, at best, has only a tiny chance of doing anything.:)
 
#85
I haven't even sat on my bike for weeks. I stopped riding in the winter a few years ago after foolishly running out of fuel. I had an old Honda CG125 that I was happy enough to take out whatever the weather and I didn't worry about it getting sprayed with salt and all the muck on the winter roads. It still got a good wash down now and then and regularly sprayed with a hose when I got to work to stop the salt corroding it. However, what I didn't realise was that the reserve fuel feed was gummed up and I ran out of fuel on a busy dual carriageway running through the countryside at lunchtime. As I rolled to a stop, it started to snow and I realised that the bike wouldn't start up even when I flicked the fuel tap over...

This awful turn of circumstances was made slightly worse by having to push the bike off the hard shoulder, up a slip road and about 3/4 of a mile uphill to a petrol station. Once filled, I rode it home no bother but I was so sweaty by then I needed a shower. So I washed quickly, then jumped in my old XJ8 and drove to work, cursing the damn bike. I had miscalculated the miles I'd done since the last fill up, so it was really my fault and not knowing about the gummed up fuel tap, I was doomed to fail.


I don't ride my bike these in winter these days because I like nice dry summer tarmac and I don't want to see it get rotted and eaten by salt. Funnily enough, I can't find a good picture of my bike without using imgur (which I don't have on this PC). It's a 1997 T595 Daytona with a high level Triumph Off Road exhaust. Still factory standard! Looks mostly like the one below.

fc209918be0c8a1c72d4cd5e35d80081--actuel-buy-and-sell.jpg
 
#88
I've become friends with the saleswoman who sold me my Dyna Super Glide. Recently she traded her own Dyna in on a Softail, and she gave me her detachable windshield! It's a $400-ish item, and it totally blew me away when she gave it to me. It makes a huge difference in the cold, for sure.

Here it is right after she gave it to me at the dealership.
IMG_20181117_145452215_HDR.jpg
 
#89
1- Nice Triumph. Almost bought one a few years ago.
Still don't remember why I didn't.

2- Nice Super Glide. Will not ever own a bike without a
windshield ever again. Last time I rode without one
lasted only a few miles. Then it was back home to put
it right back on.
 

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