Quote:
Originally Posted by nostatic
I'm looking forward to some long miles this weekend. But I have heated grips and some wind protection on the GS 
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...