As the season is mostly over up here in the Pacific Northwest, it is time to winterize your bikes if you plan on putting them away for the winter and a good time to inspect your bikes as you spend less time on them. It is also a great time to recollect all the memories you’ve created with your ever faithful machine and baby it a bit by doing a more in depth inspection. As always, check tires (condition and pressure, if they are iffy then get some that will work for your fall/winter riding) and do a quick once over on the bike before you go out in the cold. Then make sure that you are adequately dressed in warm gear to endure the biting cold when you ride, for those of you that have heated grips (I am no longer one of those blessed few) it will be heaven, for the rest of us there are heated gloves out there to help fight off the bitter cold. I am not a huge fan of plug in gear, but I’ve heard it’s heaven and makes riding very comfortable…I opt for the heated vests that now have little battery packs that you recharge and plug into the vest to keep you toasty on the ride. I find keeping the core part of your body warm tends to keep the rest of your body from being uncomfortable. As always, you fuel your bike so don’t neglect fueling yourself before heading out, don’t want to get dingy from lack of energy and making poor decisions, focus and being alert requires a lot more energy than you think. And please if you start to feel tired or loopy stop, get a warm drink or some food and take a break, no need to push it and then regret the consequences…we are at the disadvantage of being on two wheels and unprotected by a steel cage so we have way more to lose. Our families, friends and loved ones need us so let’s just be extra vigilant as we go out there and enjoy this sport we all share and love. Have a wonderful holiday season everyone and I look forward to starting up again in early spring to get everyone excited about all the new track days and events for next year!
In the meantime, I will post every so often some health blogs to keep us primed and ready to go next season.
Vixens Ride, even when it’s freaking cold! 😉
