 |
|
The legendary Victory Rider known as “Roadkill” – aka Tim Werder – has racked up more miles on Victory Motorcycles than any Victory owner we know. Roadkill is a lifelong rider who has commuted to and from work on his motorcycles for ages. In his riding “career,” Roadkill has owned three motorcycles on which he logged at least 100,000 miles, including his Victory V92C, on which he has about 195,000 miles – and counting! All told, he has covered about 573,000 miles on motorcycles.
[He earned his nickname after having impromptu meetings with wildlife while riding. Fortunately for us, he survived these meetings in better shape than the critters who crossed his path.]
Obviously an avid and involved motorcyclist, Roadkill has served as the President of ABATE of New York, Inc., since November 1995. Since he lives in New York and commutes on his Victory virtually year-round, he is extremely experienced at cold-weather riding.
Thus, he is the ideal source for some advice on how to dress for, how to prep your bike and how to ride in cold weather. We thank him for sharing his insights with us here.
For more photos and Roadkill stories, visit his website, Roadkill Online.
By Roadkill
With all the hoopla surrounding global warming, I figured I'd just wait it out. By now, I was sure it'd be 50 degrees through the winter here in upstate New York! Truthfully, however, anticipating a heavy snow winter, I figured I'd detail my relevant winterization program for the Victorys in the garage.
Some of these tips may be obvious to the hard-core among you, and some may not even be necessary for those living in more temperate climes. But I've had a 200-mile daily commute for the past 12 years, and the info I present here has sufficed for my winter riding when I've been able to reach the roads, and I've never yet used electric gear.
My record was pulling out of the garage into minus-5 degree temperatures (behind a fly-screen!) for the 2-hour commute into the city several years ago, and my bikes are routinely parked outdoors in sub-freezing temperatures throughout the workday.
The Bikes
1. Drop the Viscosity of Your Oil
If you're in an area prone to prolonged sub-freezing temps, switch to 10W40 in the wintertime to enhance cold-temperature oil flow at critical times, favoring pure synthetics.
2. Install a Windshield
If you don't normally use a windshield, do so for the winter. It's very important that you create a wind-free zone for yourself. Increase the shield's effectiveness with windshield lowers, if necessary. Each of my bikes sports a windshield sufficient to crouch behind if necessary.
3. Fasten Soft Lowers to the Crashbars
If you've got highway bars/crashbars, expand the critical wind-free zone by installing commercially-available soft lowers, or fashion some of your own if you're the creative sort. I've got soft lowers on each bike. (For short-term use, cardboard panels & zip-ties work well in a pinch on roadtrips, but only in DRY conditions.)
[Here are links to Pure Victory Gear Soft Lowers for 2004-2007 models and for 2008 Victory models.
4. Attach Hippo Hands
Also available commercially, and once widely marketed to motorcyclists, these attachable shells permit warm/dry operation of your controls. They're now referred to as "handlebar mitts" to the ATV crowd, but they are perfectly adaptable for an experienced motorcyclist's use. These are water-resistant with Velcro wraps for multitudes of adjustability, are fleece-lined, and they enable a wind- and weather-free zone at your grips. I've had sets for each bike for over 25 years, and personally could not envision riding in the winter without them.
5. Clean the Sheepskin
I'm always ridden upon an ancient sheepskin seat cover, which provides comfort in cold and warmth, and which gets a bath before and after the winter to keep it soft and fuzzy. I've been using the same sheepskin for over 25 years now, and simply switch it in 30 seconds from bike to bike.
The Innerwear
6. Long Underwear
As undergarments go, you can't beat silks for comfort and lack of bulk. There are also myriad other long-underwear options available. It is important that you DO use undergarments, layering your clothing appropriately, so pick and choose your favorite and USE them based upon your needs. Silks work well for me in my multiple environments, needing to be worn all day; unfortunately, they are considered "gentle" material, not meant for rugged use, so wear them when necessary and remove when appropriate. Following this simple ideology will double a silk garment’s useful lifespan. (I normally get one season from a set of silks, regardless of their wear location.)
7. Sock Liners
Same as above, with the same caveat. I replace my silk sock liners annually because I wear them out. I've always had problems retaining heat in my digits, so these are important for those with similar concerns. I've also now confidently added Terry Weber's insoles to my boots.
8. Turtleneck Inner
I always wear a light- to mid-weight turtleneck shirt over the long underwear, also forming the first neck liner. I prefer black for laundering reasons and alternate a few through many riding seasons worn nearly year-round.
9. Thicker Turtleneck Outer
If you can find dickies (not the brand name), get them. "Dickies" are turtleneck sweaters with no shirt body; rather, they have the turtleneck with only a chest and back. As a secondary layer, it adds no bulk to your arm/sleeve dimensions (important for much of our riding gear), and gives you an additional neck/chest layer. For over 20 years, I've been using these same ones in black, blue, green, red and other colors, and have absolutely no clue where I got them so long ago.
[Webmaster note: Enter “Schampa Neck Dickie” in a search engine and you’ll find premium-quality dickies.]
10. Balaclava
A thin over-head liner will greatly aid in head warmth. You need to think straight in the cold, so keep your head warm.
11. Bandana
Wear it bandit-style over your nose, to protect down to your neck, and tuck it in for wind protection.
12. Glove Liners
Same as sock liners, I replace my silk glove liners annually because I wear them out.
The Outerwear
13. Mittens
Gloves just plain suck in winter. The solution for warm fingers is mittens, and when the temps become extreme, liners within. The most-referenced disadvantage to mittens is "feel," but I've never had problems with any of my controls on any of my bikes while wearing mittens. I have individually fingered mittens with Velcro wrist fasteners and a generous quantity of suede leather in strategic places, which allows for wiping of fog/mist/snow/ice.
14. Helmet
I prefer a 3/4 helmet with a flip-shield year-round, including in the winter. The temperature within the face-to-shield space usually stays comfortable (much more so if you've got a windshield), and the airflow aids in preventing fogging. This also permits me to simply lift the faceshield, if desired, at slower speeds and/or while riding through villages.
15. Leather Gear
I comfortably wear leather chaps and a leather duster year-round, from the hottest to the coldest temps.
The Psyche
16. Can-Do Attitude
This is a high-scale requirement, and key to your upcoming success. Are you truly prepped for a cold weather environment? Doubt isn't allowed. Park it until Spring if you're not sure you can handle it.
17. Halls Lozenges
To aid in additional months of salivation.
Well, that generally covers the rider and the ride, but there's a few more things to know and do.
Be certain that your bike is in good running condition, because you don't want to be stranded in bone-chilling temperatures. That means an always-charged battery, good tire tread, properly lubed cables, etc.
When possible, be intimately familiar with the roads you're going to travel in the wintertime, and don't vary your route on unfamiliar roads. Through the course of the normal riding season, remember those areas where water flows across the road, causing a potential freeze-over spot in colder temps. The same holds true for simple bridges and culverts where you wouldn't normally anticipate a concern in warmer weather. These will obviously freeze before the rest of the roadway, so be prepared for it. And after the highway crews have attacked the roadways, allowing you the opportunity to hit the roads, watch for sand accumulations in turns, lest they bite you in the ass.
Lastly, those of you who are clean-freaks (anyone who has seen my bikes knows that ain't me...) should have a small garden sprayer in your garage so that when you arrive home from the wintry roads, you can simply rinse off the sand and salt with gentle pressure and some clean hot water, and then park it.
By the way, I'm just starting a new job, and that 200-mile commute becomes ~250 in 2008. Look for my miles to climb...
Ride on.
– Roadkill
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|