4th of July Ride

The other owner of HDPS and I have not had a chance to ride a motorcycle in over a year.  We've just been too busy.  Late last year - we even sold our personal motorcycles.  

Now that business has stabilized (a little) - we both realized how much we missed riding. And - as fate would have it - we each had the opportunity to grab the motorcycle that we each had wanted for a long time.  

On July 4th, John and I took a ride in the Hill Country with an old friend, Alan.  Alan rode his Triumph Daytona 955, John rode his Triumph Sprint ST, and I was on my Kawasaki Concours 14.  We left early (7:00am) and headed toward Wimberley and Blanco.  With little traffic and cooler temperatures - our inaugural ride on the sports tourers was fantastic.  

Blanco's Sunset Cafe never disappoints for breakfast.  The toast and biscuits are more like loaves of bread.  The pancakes are huge.  The omelets are tasty, and the service was impeccable!  Again - because we were early - we got right in and ate right away which meant more time for riding!

We had initially gotten behind a group from SAAME (South Austin Area Motorcycle Enthusiasts) but they turned off on 170 to Wimberley - we took 150.  We thought we'd run into them in Blanco - but we ate pretty fast - so maybe we'll see them next time.  I knew it was SAAME because I saw my friends, Tony and his wife Andi in the beautiful pink jacket she got at our shop!!

After breakfast, Alan led us through the twisties to Luckenbach, then back to Johnson City and back home on Fitzhugh Rd.  There's nothing like pacing yourself through the curves to familiarize yourself with a new bike.  

We knew the intense heat was on its way - so we headed home and ended our ride right at noon before the temperature hit the upper 90s.  Perfect timing in my book.

There are so many riding groups in Austin - everyone should be able to find someone to ride with.  We're working on a few rides of our own with customers of High Definition Powersports - we know a lot of people that have yet to discover the beauty of the Hill Country.  So - join our mailing list by signing our guestbook at our web site (www.highdefinitionpowersports.com) and follow us on Twitter (@hidefpwrsports) and learn of more rides to come.

More on Riding in Extreme Heat

I came across an interesting article today -
http://motorcycleinfo.calsci.com/ExtremeHeat.html

The gist of this article is that when the outside temperature reaches 95 degrees - the wind - rather than having a cooling effect - actually makes you hotter. According to sources cited in the article, a 33.6 mph breeze actually makes the outside temperature feel almost 6 degrees higher.

So - according to this article - a mesh jacket in high temperatures would actually make you feel warmer than a standard textile jacket with vents. This goes against everything you would think.

I will say that it has always been my experience that riding with a mesh jacket made me feel cooler than riding with no jacket at all. I attributed this to the idea that the constant wind was actually drying my skin out and not letting me cool off. Well, the article mentioned above seems to corroborate that theory. Thus, it would seem that if you wore a textile jacket that let wind in only through vents, then the "breeze" flowing through the jacket would be greatly reduced, the body would sweat normally, and the evaporative cooling effect would be greater.

The real question is - do I have the guts to try this theory out? The answer is - yes - I'm going to try it with the Cortech Accelerator jacket. This jacket is constructed for adventure touring - with a built in hydration pack. The sleeves zip off, and the venting is plentiful. I've always loved this jacket.

I'd be interested in other people's comments on this one. I just spoke with a man in the store who said he wore a full leather jacket during the summer.

It's Hot

Yeah - that's an understatement. There are ways to deal with the heat, though. Here are a few items of apparel that might help keep you a little bit more comfortable while riding.

Tourmaster Tracker Pant - This lightweight pant is largely mesh yet still has the protection of CE Armor. The thing I love about this pant is that the bottom of the legs unzip (just above the knee) to make the pants into shorts. So - when you're out riding and come across that stream with nice clear cool water - you're set.

TCX AirTech Touring Boot - Waterproof but breathable boots that pull the sweat away from the foot.

Cooldanna or Frogg Toggs Chilly Pads - Either of these products provide long-lasting cooling relief. Just activate the cooling with ice water then place the rag or bandana around the neck. They say the fabric will be as much as 25 degrees cooler.

Of course, as most bikers will tell you - it's not uncomfortable at 75 mph - it's when you have to stop that it gets really hot!!