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I’ll be devoting this latest episode of “Winter Riding” to only one piece of gear: the facesheild!

Making sure your vision is unobscured is the most significant safety precaution you can take. It is integral to competent riding and anything which restricts this source of invaluable information needs immediate correction. One of the problems with riding when the temperature starts dropping is condensation. Most riders use the term “fogging” and it’s effects can range from annoying to dangerous. It can be particularly bad in humid climates, even at moderate temperatures. Even though it’s virtually impossible to eliminate all the warm moist air you exhale from finding its way to your facesheild, there several techniques that will help mitigate it’s effects.

My

I have a soft spot for Italian motorcycles (and shotguns) ever since I bought my first Aprilia.  On the one hand you have the Aprilia brand which is struggling to say the least.  Struggling to keep dealers open and sell bikes and struggling to support us owners with much needed OE parts.

On the flipside, Ducati NA seems to be in growth mode.  Not just a couple of years ago, the company was being kicked around by different owners and having its own financial troubles.  Maybe that tide has turned. 

What is even better is their new product line.  The future 1098 and Super ‘tard and the current Monster 1000 have been drawing a lot of interest in the brand.  I am a

Step 1 - Get a track bike that is expendable (not enough investment to total out and be financially impacted).

Step 2 - Register for a track day.

This is where I am.  I registered for a track day on February 17th at Firebird West.  My original intention was for Feb 18th at Firebird Main, but the organizer recommended the prior day due to it being a shorter handling course and my bike being an SV650.

Stealing a pic from a previous article by gothicbeaST, this is the course layout:

I am registered through aztracktime.com and they seem to have a pretty good system.  They try to keep the rider amount per shift at 1 rider per 0.1 miles.  I think the above track

A recent editorial piece in the Pensacola News Journal caught my eye. Not so much for the editorial, although it was interesting enough, but for the comment that was posted in response.

The author admits that he knows little about motorcycles, describing the subject bike as “one of those bikes where you have to lean over.” The author further explains that he is not anti-biker and, as the aritcle points out, he is more aware of them than I suspect are most drivers.

The article describes the author’s encounter with a motorcyclist who was weaving in and out of the heavy traffic “like a Norwegian skier.” The author’s point is that safety has to be a bi-partisan affair; drivers and riders

Once again, my daughter said something that makes me proud to be a motorcycle guy.  I aksed her about an hour ago if she wanted to watch a football game (Bears vs. Saints) with me.  She said “No I want to watch motorcycles on TV”. 

Alright, its not as spontaneous as it may seem.  This morning we watched the Supercross on CBS and she was in the groove.  Nonetheless, it was pretty cool.

I witnessed something very interesting today.  We have a new road that just opened a couple months ago that is an excellent bypass between two parts of my city.  This is possible because its under massive expansion right now and the construction / infrastructure is not all continuous. 

Anyway, this new road is about two miles long with a 35mph speed limit with very limited side access.  Nonetheless, it saves a lot of time to get around and I use it often.  Oh yeah, from end to end its a double yellow, no passing zone with no sodewalks and square curbing on both sides.

I saw two bicyclists heading towards me in the opposing lane with a truck behind them.  I saw

You have a stack of motorcycle magazines (and ONLY motorcycle magazines)

next to your favorite throne!

A couple of articles back, retrorider wrote an article about an academic opining on the relationship between motorcycles, required insurance, and teen deaths.  One of the things gleaned from it though was the current requirements for motorcycle insurance in Florida.  Check it:
You do not have to have MC insurance in Florida.
HOWEVER, if you do not wear a helmet, you must have at
least 10K in health insurance. If you wear a helmet
no need for insurance. If you do not have insurance
and are involved in an accident and it is YOUR fault,
you will receive a ticket for No Insurance and your
license will get suspended. I get alot of people
pulled over for speeding and they do not have a helmet
or 10K in

That almost created a cage / motorcycle accident.  A while back I wrote a lengthy article on Group Riding, and one section was about managing assing and getting passed:
One of the few track rules that apply to the street is ‘the line’. Although there are no blue flags to tell you that you are about to be passed, your line is to be respected by any experienced rider. Again, its best to wave people by but that’s not always an immediate option. If you’re in an area of technical, tight twisties its best to keep your normal line and try to be predictable. The guy who is now on your rear tire will figure out a way to get

Now that I’ve covered most of the major cold weather gear, it’s time mention some of the minor but nonetheless significant items that will make a dent in your cold weather riding.

A simple cotton bandana is a wonderful device at any temperature. It’s great at fending off flying debris and slowing dehydration in the summer, but at temperatures below about 70 degrees the insulation of your carotid arteries (they run up your neck on either side of your windpipe) which supplies warm blood to your brain, makes a noticable difference! This simple piece of fabric can make a chilly ride much more comfortable and can make a miserably cold ride bearable. I like to fold it in half and tie it