I went for a ride tonight on a whim. It was 35F degrees outside. I can't feel my legs.
I'd ridden in gradually colder weather to get used to this I guess. That's the way the seasons work, eh? To think 60 degrees used to feel cold to me on a bike. Well, now I know what cold is.
For some reason I didn't even bundle up much tonight. I put on my sweater, thick leather riding jacket, full face helmet, and thinsulate gloves, and hit the road on the Katana 600 that's in my garage until my friend gets back from Spain. I decided on that bike because it has fairings and a windshield, unlike the other two on which I'd likely die riding in this horrific cold snap (by Florida standards).
So I jumped on board, rolled it out of the garage, and closed the door. It was really on the cold side, but started right up. It didn't want to idle, but boy did it want to fly. Five minutes out of the garage, I was flying south down the main road toward the office.
I passed a few cars on the way there. Then I came up on two that were pacing each other. I knocked it down to third, pulled two lanes left, and nailed it. I didn't let off until 100mph - my first time breaking the ton - effortlessly. It felt like all the other times I'd gone very fast in very little time, just much colder. So much for my South Pole living simulator. I don't think I'm going to move there after all.
Ten minutes into it, I was freezing my *** off. Soon afterward I couldn't feel my legs. I'd worn jeans and running shoes (the vented kind) and had made a big mistake in doing so. The side fairings on a katana do nothing at speed. I was in a full tuck the whole time, just peeking over the windshield. I was flying down the road on my own, like a jet on a mission, yet I was going nowhere.
I now need a scarf for the first time in my life, but I'm glad I know how that feels. That was a thrilling ride.
I'd ridden in gradually colder weather to get used to this I guess. That's the way the seasons work, eh? To think 60 degrees used to feel cold to me on a bike. Well, now I know what cold is.
For some reason I didn't even bundle up much tonight. I put on my sweater, thick leather riding jacket, full face helmet, and thinsulate gloves, and hit the road on the Katana 600 that's in my garage until my friend gets back from Spain. I decided on that bike because it has fairings and a windshield, unlike the other two on which I'd likely die riding in this horrific cold snap (by Florida standards).
So I jumped on board, rolled it out of the garage, and closed the door. It was really on the cold side, but started right up. It didn't want to idle, but boy did it want to fly. Five minutes out of the garage, I was flying south down the main road toward the office.
I passed a few cars on the way there. Then I came up on two that were pacing each other. I knocked it down to third, pulled two lanes left, and nailed it. I didn't let off until 100mph - my first time breaking the ton - effortlessly. It felt like all the other times I'd gone very fast in very little time, just much colder. So much for my South Pole living simulator. I don't think I'm going to move there after all.
Ten minutes into it, I was freezing my *** off. Soon afterward I couldn't feel my legs. I'd worn jeans and running shoes (the vented kind) and had made a big mistake in doing so. The side fairings on a katana do nothing at speed. I was in a full tuck the whole time, just peeking over the windshield. I was flying down the road on my own, like a jet on a mission, yet I was going nowhere.
I now need a scarf for the first time in my life, but I'm glad I know how that feels. That was a thrilling ride.
