How's your endurance?

Judgebill said:

C'mon folks, weather is just part of the riding experience. If it really bothers you, ride in a cage. Okay, I agree, heat is worse than cold. Far easier to get and keep warm than to get cool. I wear a wet vest when I expect heat over 85. Works for about as long as I can go without stopping to pee. Realy don't like heat but even when crossing a desert I enjoy the views and overall experience. And look at the stories we get to tell about riding through hell and enjoying it!

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Tried a cooling vest this past summer on the way to Redding, Ca. Soaked it in the ice chest water and it worked well for about an hour and a half. By the time it stopped cooling, I was only 30 minutes from my destination so just kept on going. 114* in Redding and I got everything off just in time at the hotel....then jumped in the pool!

Here in So AZ, I ride mostly year round. In the heat I found that using a cooling towel, soaked, wrapped around back of my neck and tucked into my shirt does wonders. If it's a long ride, I will re-wet it occasionally, but it works great for the 40 mile commute down the freeway.
For cold, I got a set of muffs that go over the grips and cover my hands. Its a little inconvenient but not impossible. With that, layers (long johns, sweater, coat), and a good scarf (my wife made me a nice, large one), I feel pretty good down to mid 20's.
For rain, I finally got a set of Frogg Toggs (pants and jacket) and boot covers. They work great. The other things is a hand held wiper blade I inherited from my dad that I can tuck it under the windshield vent and pull it out to wipe the WS occasionally.
Now, my back is starting to be more of the limiting factor....

triggerman said:

Here in So AZ, I ride mostly year round. In the heat I found that using a cooling towel, soaked, wrapped around back of my neck and tucked into my shirt does wonders. If it's a long ride, I will re-wet it occasionally, but it works great for the 40 mile commute down the freeway.
For cold, I got a set of muffs that go over the grips and cover my hands. Its a little inconvenient but not impossible. With that, layers (long johns, sweater, coat), and a good scarf (my wife made me a nice, large one), I feel pretty good down to mid 20's.
For rain, I finally got a set of Frogg Toggs (pants and jacket) and boot covers. They work great. The other things is a hand held wiper blade I inherited from my dad that I can tuck it under the windshield vent and pull it out to wipe the WS occasionally.
Now, my back is starting to be more of the limiting factor....

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I find I get a knot in my shoulder/neck...trapezius muscle...closer to my neck...and only on the right side that has me wanting to take a break.

Buckeye Son said:

That's still pretty damn good! Did your wife ride pillion before she had her own bike? If so, how do two like the difference of that and her riding her own?

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My wife has always ridden her own bike. We met while we were both on trips and ended up at the same campground one night. The rest is history

cwgeggie said:

My wife has always ridden her own bike. We met while we were both on trips and ended up at the same campground one night. The rest is history

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That's a cool story.

From Houston here. Mornings are already at 75°, 85 by noon and peaking at mid 90's by 4:00. I wear a half helmet and white, or very light, colored long sleeve T to keep the burning sun off my skin. Wish there was a light mesh jacket with protection pads but haven't found one, or at least one priced low enough to take a chance on it.

The cool vest (wet) under the T helps a lot. Still riding at 70yo but no longer great distances alone. Still willing to do 3 - 4 day rides 350 miles away with a group to get to nice areas.

HDWingman said:

From Houston here. Mornings are already at 75°, 85 by noon and peaking at mid 90's by 4:00. I wear a half helmet and white, or very light, colored long sleeve T to keep the burning sun off my skin. Wish there was a light mesh jacket with protection pads but haven't found one, or at least one priced low enough to take a chance on it.

The cool vest (wet) under the T helps a lot. Still riding at 70yo but no longer great distances alone. Still willing to do 3 - 4 day rides 350 miles away with a group to get to nice areas.

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I got a mesh jacket with armor from Cycle Gear for about $100.00. It has a zip out liner as well. BMW and Honda dealers are now selling other brands of gear like NORU that are inexpensive and pretty high quality.

I don't think my endurance has diminished over the years. I ride more to and from work (24 miles one way) than anywhere else. I've ridden non-stop from home to Naperville (168 miles) unless I had to stop for a potty break. The longest one day ride I've done on a Wing was 7 hours stopping only for gas or a potty break.

I ride rain or shine with the exception of heavy rain with winds. The cold never used to bother me until I was on blood thinners after my heart attack 4 years ago. Now when it hits 35° I'm pretty much done and once it gets above 95° the Hoosier heat and humidity can make riding miserable.

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dwade said:

I don't think my endurance has diminished over the years. I ride more to and from work (24 miles one way) than anywhere else. I've ridden non-stop from home to Naperville (168 miles) unless I had to stop for a potty break. The longest one day ride I've done on a Wing was 7 hours stopping only for gas or a potty break.

I ride rain or shine with the exception of heavy rain with winds. The cold never used to bother me until I was on blood thinners after my heart attack 4 years ago. Now when it hits 35° I'm pretty much done and once it gets above 95° the Hoosier heat and humidity can make riding miserable.

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I find that butt soreness or other aches take more of a toll than the weather at this point.

Buckeye Son said:

I find that butt soreness or other aches take more of a toll than the weather at this point.

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Having 3 different places to put my feet and change leg positions makes driving longer distances a little easier. I've got a fairly new aftermarket stock seat on the Wing and it sits fairly well with no butt soreness.

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dwade said:

Having 3 different places to put my feet and change leg positions makes driving longer distances a little easier. I've got a fairly new aftermarket stock seat on the Wing and it sits fairly well with no butt soreness.

Sent from my SM-G991U using Tapatalk

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I do have highway pegs...have been contemplating a Russell Day Long seat for a while.

HDWingman said:

From Houston here. Mornings are already at 75°, 85 by noon and peaking at mid 90's by 4:00. I wear a half helmet and white, or very light, colored long sleeve T to keep the burning sun off my skin. Wish there was a light mesh jacket with protection pads but haven't found one, or at least one priced low enough to take a chance on it.

The cool vest (wet) under the T helps a lot. Still riding at 70yo but no longer great distances alone. Still willing to do 3 - 4 day rides 350 miles away with a group to get to nice areas.

Click to expand...

I found this MESH jacket years ago and it has been comfortable on the hot days. In 2017 I rode from here in PA to the Wing Ding in Grapevine TX traveling 600+ miles for several days in comfort. I also have a hydration bladder pack that I fill with ice and water/gatoraide that fits like a backpack.