First Long Ride on the Ducati
 

Yesterday was looking like the last nice day up here for awhile, so a buddy talked me into playing hooky and going out for a ride. He mapped a route on one of the internet mapping sites that totaled about 375 miles.

Monday night was decision time for me. Road King or 900 Super Sport? The choice was obvious... at least to everyone but me. The sheer distance involved, coupled with the fact it was going to freeze overnight and be foggy in the morning, indicated the weather protection, comfort, and ability to store layers (as I peeled them off during the day) of the Road King only made sense. My wife and kids assumed I would take the big bagger, as did my riding buddy. Good common sense would have pointed me towards the Harley, but then again, I've rarely been accused of that.

So, "oh dark thirty" dawned, and found me suiting up in the Dianese's, rather than the Motor Clothes. Trying to layer enough to survive the morning, but yet not roast in the afternoon. What I was wearing was what I was wearing - all day, come hell or high water.

So, I froze my ever living ass off in the morning. It did freeze overnight, and the fog had settled in as predicted. "Really cold" on a motorcycle is achieved in a wet fog, at about 35 degrees, with no heated gear or wind protection. By the time I got to the Denny's 35 miles north to meet my buddy, my hands no longer functioned. I was using them like hooks, with shoulder muscles providing the oomph, to pull the levers. It was nice to warm up a bit while having breakfast.

Leaving Denny's into the fog was a bit chilly once again, but at least the sun was coming up. Within an hour, hour and a half, it was actually getting "warm" - a relative term. At least I could use my hands again...

So, we spent the rest of the day bombing the backroads of northwestern Washington. My buddy on his brand new, whisper quiet Yamaha FJR. Heated grips, heated vest, big tall windshield, iPod plugged in and rocking out. In the lap of luxury. Then me behind him, valve gear and clutch a-rattling, barely muffled Termi exhaust cans booming. Good thing I was in a full face helmet; I can only imagine how the look of agony and determination on my blue face/purple lips might have frightened other motorists as I thundered past them...

Anyway, I had a blast. I learned the limits of my newfound motoring relationship. Yesterday was admittedly a bit of a stretch, milage and weather-wise, for that bike. I wound up getting home long after dark, long after another cold, wet fog had rolled in. I was well and truly spent.

Luckily, my loving wife had left the garage door open for me, so I could roll right in. She found me about an hour later, leaning up against the wall, still perched on the bike, unable to move. She was kind enough to put a space heater under me and let it run for about an hour before she sent the boys down to pry me off... Just kidding, of course, but I was one cold, wet, sore guy by then. But I had a ball...

Fun ride, but why suffer. I've ridden sport bikes with armored textile coats and overpants and gauntlet gloves. Warm and having fun. I didn't care that it didn't fit the "sport rider" look.

I'm looking forward to some long miles this weekend. But I have heated grips and some wind protection on the GS :p

What Kurt said - there are plenty of options to remain comfortable into the 30's without going electric.

Oh, I know. And I utilize all of them when on the Harley. I ride the year 'round on that thing, even in sub freezing temperatures, in absolute comfort. With nary one piece of heated gear.

Problem is, I don't fold up small enough to "assume the position" on the Ducati while wearing all of that. By the time I have that many layers of clothing on, my legs simply do not bend far enough to put my feet on the pegs. That, and I bought the riding gear I wear on that thing small enough to be snug over far less layering than I can fit under my Harley gear. I didn't want it loose enough to be flapping in the wind on warm summer days.

When I first started riding the Duc, I did so in my "Harley gear". All of which was bought large, just so I can layer under it. It all works great as long as I'm on the Harley, even when it's quite loose, like with just a tee shirt under the jacket. Sitting bolt upright on the Harley, the wind pushes it up against my chest. Laying over on the Duc, it droops enough that all the wind goes right down my neck. I love the sound of those FCR's chirping away under my chin, but at first it sounded like something was off, like there was a third one. Turns out it was my belly button whistling...

With the leg position pretty well limiting what I can wear on my legs, that seems to be the determining factor in my ability to stay warm. I actually managed to wear an REI "expedition weight" poly long underwear top, a long sleeve turtleneck tee shirt, and a heavy Woolrich wool vest under the jacket. And some heavy winter gloves. This is enough for the coldest day on the Harley, but I'm able to protect my legs better from the cold when I ride it. I find it's a package deal; yesterday I was able to bundle up sufficiently on top, only to lose too much heat through my legs.

So, the cold and the leg position combined for kind of a double whamy. I did great mid-day when the sun was up. But boy, in the early morning and late evening, the cold really attentuated the leg cramping and discomfort.

Oh well, it is what it is, and I did buy the Duc for a very specific purpose. I now own two motorcycles at the two furthest ends of the comfort/performance spectrum. One has all-day comfort with arguably little "performance"; the other is all performance without any pretenses of all-day comfort. What I came away very impressed with was the FZR, and the concept of a "sport touring" bike in general. It's almost as comfortable as the Harley, and almost as fast as the Duc. The FZR is towards the "heavy" and "comfortable" end of that particular niche, emphasizing the "touring" over the "sport". It does seem like that particular genre of motorcycle would be the ideal "one bike" for a guy like me. But, alas, I couldn't live with one bike... When the Duc is the "right bike" for the day, nothing beats it. Same with the Harley. No compromises in either. And a wonderful excuse to "need" two...

So are you riding with Mike this weekend? He'll put me to shame, I'm sure, rolling up mondo miles on that Paul Smart and never complaining one little bit...

FZR or FJR? I'd think the FJR to be a pretty good sport tourer. The FZR (particularly the most-popular 600 cc variant, back when they were still made) was known to be as comfortable as an upholstered cinder block.

Impressed you ride in even sub-zero temps. That's where I draw the line--more from black ice than from personal warmth (or lack thereof) issues.

Oops... I'm sorry, it's a new FJR, Yamaha's big sport-touring bike. Big 1300 (or so) cc four, water cooled, fuel injected, 145-ish hp... Darn fast for such a big bike.

Yeah, the black ice is a particular concern around here. We will typically hit the dew point in the evening, then sub freezing temps later at night. We get such heavy dew that there can be enough to well and truly ice over a road, without any precipitation at all. So I only go on very well-travelled roads, and wait a bit until later in the day when they have had some traffic and sun on them.

When it stays sub-freezing throughout the day, we don't have that dew point issue. Then, if it's been dry long enough, our roads will be perfectly safe under those conditions.

I am a lot like you Jeff. I bundle when on the Harley as well. It is typically cold for my morning commute, but very nice for my ride home.

I do miss the heated grips from my GS at time though.

Bill

I know Mike Marshall rides his Duc in all sorts of conditions. Maybe he'll chime in with gear that he uses. I think he was in full leather suit when we did Angeles Crest but it was summer.

I love my Rev'it gear. It has cinches on the arms and body so that you can tighten up the fit with the liners out and limit flapping. Then when you add the wind/water layer and/or the insulation layer (you can mix and match those) you can "let out" the jacket. This guy is a *great* source for rev'it:

www.beachmoto.com

Heated grips would make a huge difference, have had them on all my ducs-they're only about 30 bucks from California Sport Touring.

That was an artful depiction of the kind of riding I did as a younger man. You must be a very young man. Old guys don't do that. Do they?

I'll have to check out the Rev'it gear. My "Harley ensemble" is overdue for replacement anyway. Not because it's worn out, uncomfortable, or anything at all like that. More because that look is worn out, and uncomfortable... at least for me. The stuff we wore because nothing else was available has now become way too... something (I'm trying to be nice to my Harley brethren). I'm trying to distance myself from all of that as much as possible, while still riding a Harley. But I digress...

Greg, I'm wondering if my half ass little alternator on the 900 SS has the beans to run a set of heated grips. I think they are only what, 230-240 amps or so? I know my H-D buddies upgrade the massive alternators even on those things when they start running accessories like that. Of course, for most of them "accessories" are either more chrome or more lights than a Chinese whorehouse. But, dang it, I digress once again...

And yes, Supe, I am a very young man. If I were older and wiser, I would never have attempted such a foolish stunt. If I were older and wiser, I would certainly know better. Wouldn't I????

Jeff,

I'm envious that you've found yourself with what I would consider a near-perfect stable (is there such a thing as perfection?). I currently own one bike and long for another. My one bike is a V-rod. Naked, relatively high performance, quite comfortable. Seems to fall in between your duo. Do I want a sport bike like your Duc (or a K1200S) for those rambunctious days (I live very close to the N. GA mountains), or do I want a long-distance comfort bagger (it would definitely be a RK)? It seems the V-rod falls right in between without providing the extremes of comfort, or the extremes of mountain carving character. But I love the bike anyway.

What to do (not enough $ to buy both unfortunately)? But it would be nice.

Anyway, it sounds like a great way to send-off the 08 riding season. Hopefully mother nature will smile on the NW a few times over the winter so the Duc doesn't get arthritis freezing in the corner all winter. Enjoyed the read.

Jeff, Sounds like a great ride. I'm all over that. It's funny because I also have an FJR. I love that bike. If I had to sell something, As much as I love my Duc, I would keep my FJR. Like everything I own, it's no longer stock. It has aftermarket suspension, brakes it's hard wired for my GPS, Comms and heat. It really is a fantastic sport-tourer. I have just under 50K on it and enjoy riding it everytime I get on it.

One of the first things I did on the Duc was hardwire it for my heated jacket liner. I dont leave on a multi day trip without it. I usually wear leathers when I'm on the Duc so space underneath them is tight and wearing something over them creates an issue with storage later. with the heated jacket liner, I turn up the heat as needed and turn it completely of it it warms up. If it gets really warm, I can roll it up and stuff it in a tank bag. Layering works, but I really don't like to feel of two or three additional items under my gear. It's to constricting.

That's kind of where I'm at with this, Mike. I wear full leathers (two piece) on the Duc, and it all fits rather snug. Not much room to layer underneath; nowhere to carry anything worn over the top that I might remove later.

In light of that, the heated grips and vest are starting to sound like the best option. The flexibility the Road King offers through its riding position and storage capacity has meant I never really had to consider heated gear when riding it. I could bundle up until I looked like Admiral Perry on his way to the pole, and still sit on it comfortably, then have a place to put everything as I peeled off layers. I can't do either on the Duc. I don't want to quit riding it through the winter, either, so maybe it's time...

Gerbing is up here, out on our Olympic Peninsula. It's been a sort of a HOG chapter tradition to ride out that way at least once each winter, so everyone could stock up on heated gear. I never went, always kind of scoffing at the idea. A little stubborn and thick headed, a little old school, "I don't need no steenking heated gear..." Maybe I do now... It will make a nice ride, anyway.

I have a battery tender jack already hard-wired to the bike. I've never had one on the Harleys, as I continue to ride through the winter, and have just never needed one. So here is the question of the day - can I just run my vest through that, maybe with the proper plug adapter? Or does it need to be fused, or is the vest fused? It would be great if it was just plug and play on the existing jack.

More because that look is worn out, and uncomfortable... at least for me. The stuff we wore because nothing else was available has now become way too... something (I'm trying to be nice to my Harley brethren). I'm trying to distance myself from all of that as much as possible, while still riding a Harley. But I digress...

Wow Jeff, I never took you as someone who cared what other people thought.

Guess I was wrong. Too bad.

Wear what you want to ride. Who gives a **** what anyone else thinks, but I guess you have to fit in with the Italian crowd now too.

Yeah, you can wire the vest thru that, but you'll probably want a heat troller or similar. The vest isn't fused, but it'd be easy enough to add an inline fuse holder.I'd really do the grips first, as they use less power and are often all you need on a cooler day.

I'd also check your primary wiring.

I'm without a Duc at the moment, threw mine down the road at about 60mph a couple weeks ago, all cosmetic damage but likely a total, either way I'm fixing her.

I quite admittedly started riding motorcycles in my younger days in a large part because it was different, and made a statement about individuality. It was a good way to show folks I didn't care what they think. My attitude has not changed. Going to more "modern" riding gear is just another manifestation of that. It just doesn't fit with the new Harley crowd, so it's a great way to subtly demonstrate to them that I really don't care what they think, either.

My two Harleys are not as loud as theirs; I went back to stock mufflers when everyone else I saw started running drag pipes and other extremely loud exhausts. I lost track of how many of them have asked me "when are you going to put pipes on it?" I love telling them I took the damn things off...

Showing up on a Harley in anything but the leather "uniform" is now a major fashion faux paux among the yuppie RUBs. It's as bad as showing up on a quiet bike. That's exactly why I'm going to start doing it. It will make them uncomfortable, probaly talk behind my back, point and laugh, and all of that. The more astute might actually start feeling like the cookie-cutter FNG poseurs they really are.

As far as I'm concerned, H-D has "jumped the shark". I love the bikes, and will (hopefully) always have a couple. I just really hate the "lifestyle" or "image" as sold by the Motor Company, and bought into hook, line, sinker, skulls, and flames by their faithful. I sat down the day my flyer came in the mail that was showing off H-D's new "dark customs", pen in hand, to tally up every place I read the word "attitude" in that flyer. I hit something like 30-40 and quit, maybe halway through. That's what they are selling today. They have compromised most of their bike designs in an effort to instil more "attitude".

I'm just not into that. A change in riding apparel is one of my ways of exclaiming "I ain't with them". There is some great stuff out there today, that is not made out of leather. As a touring rider, its versatility is far more attractive than leather and layering, then covering up with rain gear to boot. I want waterproof, vented, armor, light weight, and maybe even some reflective striping. That'll throw the H-D boys and girls into a snit...

Sorry to hear about the bike, Greg. It sounds like you are o.k., though. And thanks for the info.

Sorry to hear about the bike, Greg. Sounds like you're OK, though?

Jeff, when I wear leathers and its chilly (or rainy), I'll wear a 2-piece motorcycle rainsuit, or at least a bicycle rain jacket on top. Personally, I find that if you cut out the windchill, instantly it feels a lot warmer.

I like the motorcycle or bicycle specific gear because it's: lightweight and easy to pack into a tank bag as my bikes usually have no storage, reflective to make me more visible, cut to avoid flapping in the wind when at speed, usually pretty cheap, and breathable ('cause I hate that feeling of cold clammy perspiration on the insides of stuff when taking the gear off).

I haven't worn that set-up (leathers and rain suit) in much sub-zero riding, but I lived in PDX for a year and commuted year-round on motorcycle, and it worked for me. Admittedly, I usually wore slacks and cordura overpants for commuting, and not leather bottoms.

I understand what you are saying Jeff, but pretty much no matter what kind of bike you ride, there seems to be a general "image" that goes along with it. The BMW guys all wore the textile's (Aerostich suites etc.), the sport bike guys, the bright leather, the crusier guys (and i lump all crusiers in here, not just HD's) black leather.

I still ride in my textile BMW jacket during the summer and warmer months and then put the gortex liner in it for the fall. It doesn't look like the normal cruiser type jacket, my textile lined riding pants look a lot like leather though.

I looked forever for the "right" leather riding Jacket. I wanted a Vanson bad, until I actually tried them on. I had a very specific style I wanted, no collar, armour, a liner. In the end, the Motor Companies new jacket a couple of years ago fit the bill (the functional riding gear line). There are no skulls, flames, nothing, I think it has a tiny tag on the front that says HD or something, but I like the fit and the protection.

With regards to the pipes, that is a whole nother subject.

Jeff,

I use a Gerbing jacket liner. I bought their seperate heat troller/controller. I was going to use my battery tender plug but when I called Gerbing they didn't recommend it. So I just added an additional plug on the battery. That ened up working out better because I was able to use the battery tender lead to hard wire my GPS.

I feel about heated gear the same way I felt after finally getting a cool shirt for the race car. Why did I wait so long?

Greg, Sorry to hear about your Duc. I did a similiar thing myself, I feel your pain.

I'm an all black leather kind of guy myself. Never really cared for the bright multi colored stuff.