am I crazy?

if ur crazy, book me a bunk with ya. if the roads are dry, it's ride time. i've ridden in 25 degree weather, cagers looked at me like i was a couple of sandwhiches short of a picnic basket. tell em...leather is yer friend. u would be just a tad loco in my book if: u were on the scoot continuing to haul azz in a thunderstorm dropping golf ball sized hail.

When I left for work today, it was 32 degrees. I wore my leather jacket & jeans with a light Pearl Izumi running jacket underneath, leather Alpinestars gloves and my Sidis. It was a little chilly, but not too bad.

I used to get the "you're crazy!" comments until people figured out that I just like to ride. I don't have anything electric, so my cutoff is about 20 degrees (yes, I'm still talking Fahrenheit). that takes my lined gloves, insulated textile jacket, thick socks, and overpants with a quilted liner.

I'm not the insane one, though. A coworker has an old BMW 800cc enduro, and was all proud one day that he bought a stud machine.

A stud machine? you ask.

Yes, he spent time drilling and putting METAL STUDS into his motorcycle tires so he could ride when it was icy. That guy came in every day short of a foot of snow on the ground! He makes me look sane.

I think the people you work with may be crazy but you are far from it. It sounds like your co-workers are all fair weather riders. You on the other hand have motorcycles in your blood. As long as you're warm, comfortable and enjoy riding, don't stop because of the temperature. My cut off for riding happens to be 35. In shady spots at that temperature it can be a few degrees cooler and any moisture on the road could turn to ice. Ice is what stops me from riding below 35, not the cold. I tip my hat to all of you who ride below freezing. I wish I didn't have this phobia about ice, but I do. Keep riding as long and in as cold a temperature that you can. You are crazy, crazy about motorcycles.

Did you wear a jacket? No, your not crazy, because if you are then I'm even more so. I rode my bike a couple of weeks ago, when the roads were dry, and the high temperature for the day was 34 degrees. For everyone that said I was crazy, I just said to them, now, if I had a snow suit on and was riding around on an ATV or a snowmobile, would you consider me crazy, to which everyone replied "no"...so I said what is the difference?

Hurray for you. You are not crazy. You obviously love to ride and if anyone thinks you're nuts - it's just sour grapes. I ride year round. Now mind you, here in Vancouver, it doesn't get much below freezing too often, but it's close enough and wet enough (west/WETcoast) with even the occasional snow, that I've ridden in (not willingly mind you, but once you're at work you gotta get home) I don't have heated anything either but for an old broad like me I have menopause so I have my own "private summers/power surges" to keep me warm. LOL

If you are then I need a room too! lol.

A lot of folks are "seasonal" riders or recreational only. They don't commute to work on a bike daily, etc. To me a motorcycle is transportation and not a hobby or toy. As long as you have the right gear you'll be fine.

BTW....I got the same reaction you did riding this past winter into work when it dipped down into the teens.

Not as crazy as me. I would ride all year long in upstate NY when I lived there. A cop pulled me over in a blizzard one night. He made me leave the bike, and he hauled me off to a motel 1/2 mile away. He said I could go get the bike in the morning when the blizzard had cleared.

ps If you wear leather with textile over it, then that means you wear leather underwear. Nice.

Yes...,

you are just as crazy as the rest of us.

I took my MSF, ERC last week on Saturday. The temperature was at 48 degrees when we started and at 38 when we finished, and 32 by the time I got back to my shop an hour later.

Stay Warm and

Ride Safe

Nope.

There have been only 5 days that I did not ride to work this winter. 2 were to carry something nasty I didn't want on the bike.

The other three were due to weather. There's just something about when the weatherman uses the words sleet, snow, blizzard and Nor'easter in the same sentence.

Not crazy, but I guess you just love to ride. I personally wouldn't road ride below 45. Off road is another story -- you stay warmer.