Weather, snow, ice or freezing rain permitting the wife and I like to go out for a motorcycle ride each New Year’s Day. It has been a 50/50 proposition most years for these rides, but this year the forecast looked cold but ridable. Good Weather for Polar Bears and nut cases like us.
At about 11AM we set out with our friend and neighbor Mark for a 90-mile ride. The sky was dark and overcast and looked heavy with moisture but, the weather folks reported that there was only a very low chance of precipitation. The temperature was 39F degrees, a very wet, damp feeling 39 degrees.
Leaving Front Royal, VA we headed east towards the town of Warrenton, which is not named after me sadly. I was quickly reminded of one of the failings of my Sena Outrush (Harley version) motorcycle helmet, the visor is not pinlock ready and I had, yet again, not ordered the replacement. Because of that I had to The Sena communication package worked well the entire ride as all three of us were paired and could talk as we rode.
About 30 minutes into the ride, it started snowing! Soon snow was swirling in tiny tornados across the pavement. It was not sticking to the pavement so onward we rode our iron horses into the cold and snow!
At the halfway point the temperatures had not improved but the snow had slowed to just random flakes here and there. However, the cold was starting to penetrate, making us feel a little like the polar bears of this namesake ride. This ride, during a warmer time, is a great one for those that wish to visit Civil War historical site. There are many road markers directing you to those sites along the way.
Arriving back home it was a bit of a struggle to get off the motorcycle. Instead of just swinging my leg over the back rest and off the bike, I had to slide it across the seat and off. I had tightened in the cold and was quite stiff. Plus, it did not help that I had multiple layers of clothing and leather chaps in hopes to stay warm.
If you have been reading this blog for a long you might recall that I had called these rides “Frosty Balls” rides. I can no longer do that as the new motorcycle has a Heated seat! LOL Between the heated seats and the heated hand grips all I need is a heated body!
If you would like some tips for cold Weather Riding check this post out “9 Cold Weather Riding Tips”
For those of you that ride Harley Davidson models with the “Boom Box” system you can download our ride here “2024 Front Royal Polar Bear Ride“
Ride On, Ride Safe!
