Brrr.......Cold Riding in Carolina

 Winter does have a bite to it, as does late fall. Took a ride on December 11 around the Concord, NC area. Amazingly I was not the only motorcyclist out on that day-there were a few people out riding (counting two other motorcycles; one Harley and one Honda VTX) along with a few hardy scooter types. I wanted to go by Charlotte Motor Speedway, like this spot. The tree is near the main entrance (the pole in the center with lines running down) which is neat when lit up. Drivers handprints and shoe impressions are in that walkway-aka "The Walk of Fame:"  

 The track has a great Christmas display, I hope to share some photos of that in a later visit this Christmas on my "Richmond and Me" blog. As for my ride, here I am dressed for the conditions. It was sunny, but it was barely above 30. Bare skin can quickly freeze, light layers, help keep you warm, I have my face covered, and cold weather gloves and boots. I also wore lined insulated jeans. Late fall/early winter riding is possible, but you have to fully dress for conditions. Though not a factor on this ride, also important to keep an eye on changing conditions. Rain when temperatures can quickly turn to ice and snow.

It was a bright sunny day though on my December 11 ride. I like Sunday mornings, traffic tends to be really light, and it is a good time to cruise down some quiet streets. It also is very important in late fall/winter to be especially careful-motorcycles can be a rare thing on the roads, and "out of sight" is often "out of mind". Always a good idea to be careful around other vehicles-even more so in the "off season". Riding this time of year is fun, as long as you consider such things as wind chill. For the ride I took I took it slower than usual and did not cover a great distance. This time of year a short ride is often better than no ride at all.
While on my way to Carolina this weekend, made a stop at Davis Harley-Davidson and enjoyed my visit there. That will be the subject of my next post very soon! Thanks for visiting, and ride safe!