The First Signs Of Spring

It's been another long harsh winter.  I think I'm getting old. 

I've been riding through the winter now for 21 years.  I've ridden in -12, snow, ice, wind and hail.  You'd think as you get older it would get easier, but it's not.  Last year and this year have been harsh winters, and there have been times when I've chickened out and taken the car.  There have, on several occasions, been time where I've just thought "It's time to give up this motorcycling malarky".

There's no fun now in arriving at my destination with hands so cold I can barely squeeze the clutch lever.  It's hard to find joy in getting so wet that it feels like I've been swimming with my bike gear on, in sub-zero waters with a 50 mph wind chill factor.  It really hurts an awful lot when I get inside and the blood returns to my hands.  I'm scared of the snow and ice now that I know how easy it is to fall off and how easy my bones break. 

I reckon now that I've done over 400,000 miles on motorbikes all year round I've earnt my bike wings.  I've come through a near-death crash and been left with scars, metal pins and plates and one leg shorter than the other.  I've completed a further 125,000 miles since that crash to prove it didn't beat me.  Do I not deserve the comfort of a nice warm car with the heater on?  No-one can accuse me of being a fair weather biker now can they?

This is how I feel when the weather's at its coldest and meanest.  Today is the first of March, 2011.  The sun is out, the roads are dry and although it was a little chilly at 0630 this morning it was a pleasure to ride the bike.  I was still well wrapped up with many layers and the cold air chilled my chin, but riding the 125 through the quiet morning streets just made me smile.  It felt even better riding back at 1030 when the sun had warmed the sky.

It raised a question.  Well, indeed it raised two.  The first question is should I do what everyone else seems to do and just ride when its nice and warm and comfortable?  For years I've mocked the fair weather bikers.  Big soft girlies all looking so flash and cool on their shiny never-seen-rain bikes, wearing bike gear that wouldn't protect them from a short shower let alone a cold winter storm.  I've watched them leave Rivington fast as soon as a grey cloud appears on the horizon, running like sheep away from the scary sheep dog.

The other question is whether riding in fine weather alone may spoil the appreciation of a nice warm day?  How can you understand how much more grip is available when it's dry?  How can you appreciate the contrast between the worst and the best the weather can offer?  If I were to only ride when its nice then I'd soon forget how hard it is to ride when it's bloody awful.

I've not answered these questions in myself yet.  I have definitely reached the stage where I no longer ride when there's a strong risk of ice if I have to travel any back roads, and I don't ride in snow.  I've come off too often on icy patches on back roads, and I've not learnt a way to avoid that.  The same with snow.  To me motorcycling is about staying on the damn thing, not falling off. 

I reckon like a woman forgets the pain of birth, now the weather's a little milder I'll probably forget the pain of cold weather riding.  Until next year.  Maybe next year I'll use the car a little more often.  Mind you with the rising cost of petrol that may not be an option...not when the car does 45mpg and the 125 does 110mpg...no contest...

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