Hot or Cold

[azkaisr]

Mods, not sure if this is right place so move as you see fit.

 

Today I rode in about 114-116 degree heat and had no issue with it. I am a desert rat (humidity is 9% right now and it is still 105 at 11pm) but am thinking about going out in the morning for a short spin.

 

Makes me wonder what you all like to ride in better. Heat or Cold. I detest cold, think it has a lot to do with riding in Death Valley and freezing.

[Francois_Dumas]

I'm a true northerner. I can dress for cold, but I can't take anything more off once I'm naked. So Heat = Hopeless

 

Hell, I already sweat when just thinking about Summer !

[Boffin]

Electric clothing makes cold easy to deal with. Being a Brit I have to dress for rain and cold and I do not ride in the heat often enough to buy vented gear. So for me cold, dry conditions are no issue. Heat brings discomfort and dehydration.

 

Andy

[Carnadero]

Today I rode in about 114-116 degree heat and had no issue with it.

If the high temp for the day is going to exceed 90F, then my bike will in all likelihood sit, unless I'm on vacation someplace. I rode my Honda to Hot August Nights in Reno about four or five years ago and on the way back home, the temps exceeded 95F for most of the way. I couldn't tell which was worse - the sssssssslow traffic in the heat between Kyburz and Placerville, or what felt like triple-digit temps after passing El Dorado on 49 heading south.

 

Nowadays, I'll do what I have to do to avoid passing through the potentially hottest leg of a ride during the hottest part of the day.

[Linz]

I may be a Brit living in Australia but I'm an Aerostich RoadCrafter wearer with a Kanetsu electric vest. I also have US made gloves to keep my mits warm.

 

I quite frequently ride through the night in mid winter (6.5 hours) to visit my elderly parents and I am totally comfortable with my gear. I also rode the 2003 Australian BMW Safari on the Eyre Peninsular in plus 110 degree heat. That wasn't fun but then only air conditioning would have helped.

 

Cheers,

 

Linz :-)

[Highway41]

Bring your bike next time you come to Florida or you can ride mine. Would love your impression of our 95/95 riding conditions. Leaving in a few minutes to check it out myself.

Bill

PS - We do have dirt but not many curves.

[RichEdwards]

Just returning from Florida to Canadian Rockies and back, I enjoyed the cold (as low as 41 in the Rockies) and hated the hot (97 and very dry in N. Dakota.) The dry heat dried out my eyes and was very uncomfortable (not to mention the high winds across the plains). I prefer the moist heat of Florida.

[BillZ]

This last winter I rode with the Patriot Guard Riders in January to honor a fallen soldier. The temperature was 21 and I was cruising down the highway at 75mph without heated gear. No problems.

 

I worry about the heat because two summers ago I was riding with my wife through and August afternoon with the temp about 97'. We couldn't tell we had dehydrated until we stopped for a break and then we were in trouble. Fortunately, we were next to a theater so we stopped in for a movie-cool, dark, drinks, a soft chair saved the day and allowed us time to recover. It was dangerous, and we thought we were doing ok. Just goes to show, you always gotta be on guard.

 

Ride safe!

[Bob Palin]

Every year I hate the heat more, this week it's forecast to be 103 in Torrey - the record for Capitol Reef which is about 1000 feet lower is 104! At 7am the humidity is 25%, yesterday it went down to 10%. I think I'm heading for Montana for the week, I didn't move to the mountains to be hot!

[Silver Surfer/AKAButters]

I'm convinced I can adapt to anything. In my younger days I was a Navy Diver. There were many times in the middle of the winter I remember chopping through ice to get to the tasks at hand. This was pre dry suits mind you. When I wasn't doing that, I'd be topside in -20, wind roaring, tending one of my buddies. Today, I look at the forecast nd it 106+ for the next seven days. When I first moved here I though I would die. Now, I stay hydrated, and it's business as usual, I still commute everyday and do all of my running around on the weekends on my bike. Not bad at all. Yes, and that is with my gear. The little sweat that develops while sitting at a light really cools you down when you get rolling again. Many here think that shorts and sandals are the way to go. The thought of laying my bare skin down on 140 degree asphalt is not appealing to me.

[Lets_Play_Two]

Just returning from Florida to Canadian Rockies and back, I enjoyed the cold (as low as 41 in the Rockies) and hated the hot (97 and very dry in N. Dakota.) The dry heat dried out my eyes and was very uncomfortable (not to mention the high winds across the plains). I prefer the moist heat of Florida.

 

Adaptability is a big part. We get used to what we have. I agree with Rich. Last spring we went to Arizona and were thinking about that for relocating. It wasn't even real hot yet but that dry heat really caused trouble for me. I like moist heat and forget cold. I don't mind visiting cold and snow but I am long ago over the steady diet of that weather!!!

 

Whe I lived in the cold I could rationalize it by saying I could always put on more clothes! Just fooling myself...I like my cold winter nights at about 60'

[Sidmariner]

I agree with Francois. I am most comfortable riding on cool/cold days under overcast grey skies. I can layer-up or layer-down my clothing for comfort, the road is easy on the eyes and the seat is just right.

 

The only downside is that my topbox is filled with gloves: mesh gloves for hot, light for warm, leather for cool, snowmobile guantlets for wet/cold and the ultimate box-filler...electric heated for really cold temperatures.

[leikam]

I didn't move to the mountains to be hot!

 

Of course not, Bob. You moved there to give us a base of operations. Nobody said it would be pleasant.

[Bob Palin]

I didn't move to the mountains to be hot!

 

Of course not, Bob. You moved there to give us a base of operations. Nobody said it would be pleasant.

Ah yes, my duty, sorry sir - slipped my mind.

[mrduck]

 

I detest cold, think it has a lot to do with riding in Death Valley and freezing.

 

 

 

Hey aren't you the same dude I saw running around in DV wearing shorts and sandels,calling others sissys for not being there?

 

 

[red1]

Cold I can dress for, but don't like it when the roads are icy. Heat is fine as long as the bike is in motion, but stopped in traffic with gear on- major discomfort!

[Bud]

When it is 95/95 it is just too darn uncomfortable for a wuss like me to ride.

 

When it is 110 and zero percent humidity, it is too hot for me to ride (dry heat my a*%).

 

I rode across Kansas last year on the way to the UN. Filled up the camel back with ice, then topped with water. Drank constantly. Only thing that made it even bearable. Didn't feel sweaty all day, even though I was constantly drinking, because of the low humidity. Then again, didn't pee much either. Just evaporated away as I rode.

 

I admire all of our FL friends who ride year round. They are much tougher than I am and a tip of the helmet to them.

[Huzband]

I voted cold is better.

 

I lived in Denver for a couple years, & totally enjoyed the lack of humidity.

 

Right now, at 9 pm, the sun has just set, & it's 88 degrees in my garage. Humidity isn't far behind, about 80 percent.

 

Tom, you were down here earlier this week, so you experienced the difference.

 

When it's cold, you can always put more on. But, when it's hot & humid, you can never take enough off.

 

BTW, I'm leading a club ride tomorrow. High is forecast to be 93, with humidity chasing close behind.

 

Got Camelbak?

[BMWRich58]

When it's cold, you can always put more on.

 

HEAT man...HEAT!!!

 

And when to hott,I'll get my fix by riding at night...

But when cold...the icy grip never lets up...

Kinda hard to function or walk when dressed up like the Michelin Tire Man..

30 knot winds blowing in yer face with temps about 26°F,sun hasn't appeared in weeks,not including the wind chill,it burns to take a gasp of air.

Week after week the bike sits motionless,attached to the battery tender life line...the frigging seat creaks n cracks while trying to lift your mummy bound leg over,the tires have flat spots from the coldazz concrete floor,corrosion begins eating away at your new bike from the salt residue on the streets.......oh yea this is fun....

 

How 'bout we say life is more enjoyable when climate temps hover in the 60-70°F range.

 

Humidity...thats the culprit..!

[harleyjohn45]

i voted moderate, why ride in 100 degree heat unless you have too. the same thing for freezing and cold. i won't leave unless its above freezing, i like moderate temperatures, thats why ruidoso nm is perfect in the summer and central florida is perfect in the winter.

john

[Rinkydink]

OK, I sweat like a pig and always have. Give me the cold climate anyday. Ride Arkansas this time of year and you will get a new appreciation for ATGATT. (9% humidity is Heaven)

[TowJam]

I'll take heat or cold any day over rain.

 

In fact, in my perfect world, I'd only ride indoors. I would also have a harem of umbrella girls to shield me from the rays from the overhead fluorescent lights while I sipped my cappuccino and checked email on my tank-mounted laptop.

 

But that's just me.

[NoLongeraK1200RSRider]

When I was in Alaska (1961/62) it got down to 80 below.. not sure I would have ridden in that.. later, when in training in the Army, went to the desert.. 117 to 120 above.. not too sure I would want to ride in that either.. most anything between those two extremes.. depends on if I NEED to or just want to.

[Agent86]

I'll take anything but ice. OK, so cold is a relative thing in Tucson, I have ridden between 27 and 110 degrees (not the same day) and yes it's a dry heat. . . but so is a microwave.

[eddd]

For me it isn't the heat or cold that makes it uncomfortable, it is the humidity. Living in deep south Texas near the coast means high humidity for almost any local ride and many miles of humid riding at the start of most trips. I am always delighted when I get away from the coast.

[BrianT]

For me I definitely will take the cold before the hot. I can always layer up to keep warm. In the Death Valley Ride with you this year I was perfectly comfortable riding in the 15F temps. It just requires good gear. I've tried the cooling vests and Hooncooler for the heat. These make the heat survivable for me but definitely not fun. I've just always hated the heat in general, riding or not.

[roydog007]

Cold is easier for me, my riding excludes temps above 100 if at all possible.

Spring and fall Torrey are my best times to ride

[KDeline]

When it's cold, you can always put more on.

 

HEAT man...HEAT!!!

 

And when to hott,I'll get my fix by riding at night...

But when cold...the icy grip never lets up...

Kinda hard to function or walk when dressed up like the Michelin Tire Man..

30 knot winds blowing in yer face with temps about 26°F,sun hasn't appeared in weeks,not including the wind chill,it burns to take a gasp of air.

Week after week the bike sits motionless,attached to the battery tender life line...the frigging seat creaks n cracks while trying to lift your mummy bound leg over,the tires have flat spots from the coldazz concrete floor,corrosion begins eating away at your new bike from the salt residue on the streets.......oh yea this is fun....

 

How 'bout we say life is more enjoyable when climate temps hover in the 60-70°F range.

 

Humidity...thats the culprit..!

 

 

 

I so agree. I'm already dreading winter.

[Bob Palin]

I so agree. I'm already dreading winter.

The nights are drawing in

[BamaRider]

I HATE cold, anything under 55.

 

I've never seen it too hot for me to ride, but try not to if it goes under 50.

[KDeline]

I so agree. I'm already dreading winter.

The nights are drawing in

 

Well they are getting longer already! By next week it will be in the 30's.......

[glockster]

Definitely cold.