Up and Coming Weekly is a weekly publication in Fayetteville, NC and Fort Bragg, NC area offering local news, views, arts, entertainment and community event and business information.
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Keeping It Warm by JIM JONES I woke early a few weeks ago NOVEMBER 13 • 1ST ANNUAL FREEDOM RIDE at Cape Fear Harley Davidson. Registration 8:30 a.m. Last bike out at 10:30 a.m. $25 per rider $15 for each additional rider. Benefits USO of NC Ft. Bragg Center. Call 495-1437 to preregister or for more info. NOVEMBER 13 • 5TH ANNUAL RIBBON WALK & RIDE at Festival Park. Registration 8:45 a.m. Ride at 9:45 a.m. Benefits patients at Cape Fear Valley Cancer Center. 615-7618 for more info. NOVEMBER 20 • STEEL ANGELS TOY RIDE starts at Legends Pub. 4624 Bragg Blvd., Fayetteville, NC 867-2364. NOVEMBER 25 • THANKSGIVING FEAST at Legends Pub. 4624 Bragg Blvd., Fayetteville, NC 867-2364. DECEMBER 4 • WINGMEN MC ANNUAL TOY RUN at Cape Fear Harley Davidson. Register at noon, ride at 2 p.m. Bring a toy. Benefits Fayetteville Urban Ministry. (724) 513-8116. DECEMBER 11 • WREATHS ACROSS AMERICA Help place a wreath on every veteran’s grave in Sandhills Veteran’s Cemetery. Wreaths will be placed on Dec. 11 at noon. Call 322-0909 or 834-7775 for more info. PATRIOT GUARD RIDERS The Patriot Guard Riders is a diverse group of patriots from every state that come together to honor fallen soldiers at funeral services across the country. Visit www. patriotguard.org for more info. Steel Angels Toy Ride Begins at Legends • Nov. 20 Annual Thanksgiving Feast • Nov. 25 For more information call LEGENDS at 4624 BRAGG BLVD. to get to Raleigh for 9 o’clock appointment. As I woke I rolled over and looked at the temperature 37 degrees. Cold! I use to dread riding in the cold but not anymore. Last winter I met Rod, Don and Rick for an early morning ride. I was shaking as I left the house to the meet. I was layered up trying to stay warm. After meeting the boys we mounted our bikes and I noticed Don plugging something into his bike. I asked him what he was doing and he said he was plugging in his heated vest. I then noticed the other guys doing the same. At that point I figured I was missing something. Dressing for the weather can make a big difference on cold days I’ve ridden many years in cold weather and know that in these temperatures my skills are affected. I become cold, stiff and develop tunnel vision. I have to exaggerate my movements to look left and right and noticed I didn’t check my rear view mirrors as much as I normally would. I also noticed my body’s reactions are slower. Everything in the cold takes longer to do. Getting ready to ride takes lon- ger, I usually figure three times longer. What would normally take five minutes in comfortable weather now takes 15 in the cold. Packing, putting on jackets, gloves and helmet all take longer. Physiologically the body responds to the cold by shivering and diverting blood away from the extremities and surface of the skin. In colder tempera- tures the body will sacrifice the extremities to protect the vital areas such as the heart and brain. This means your hands and feet will get colder quicker and reaction times slow. On a motorcycle, the hands and feet are key coordination links for braking, shifting and steering. On a motorcycle the rider’s head is extremely affected. Cold air flows around the neck between the jacket and the helmet. The body loses body heat through the eyes and the top of the head. A neck warmer or a balaclava is extremely helpful. Glasses and/or a face shield will help keep the body tem- perature warmer because heat escapes though the sockets. There is a variety of warm weather gear on the market. After that first cold trip I went to M&M Leather and picked up a set of heated vest and gloves. Later I added pants and boot inserts. M&M has a very good selection of Gerbing’s clothing and accessories. You can find heated gear online, however, I recommend that you try on the gear. Clothes sizes are different depending on which country they are made. You don’t want the clothes to be too tight or too loose. If too tight, it could heat up under your outer layers and become very hot or burn. Too loose and you won’t feel the warmth. There are a variety of thicknesses to choose from. I spent a little extra for the microfiber vest and pants. It is thinner and I don’t feel bulky which would further hinder my movement. The jacket, vest and pants were easy to decide on when I found my size. However, accessories on the other hand were a different story. I had to ask for some assistance. There are different wiring options for different bikes. Gerbing makes a battery pack if you don’t want to connect to the bike’s electrical system. Another thing to consider is a temperature controller. Gerbing has a single and dual controller. Listening to the sales person I went with the dual controller because I like different temperatures for the gloves and vest. Today, my cold weather rides are completely different and a welcomed experience. I cannot put a price on how much it has change my cold weather riding experience but I can tell you that I am more comfortable and alert. Although these systems are little expensive you may want to ask yourself if it’s worth it to extend your riding season a little longer during the cold months in North Carolina. If there is a topic that you would like to discuss you can contact me at motorcycle4fun@aol.com. RIDE SAFE! JAMES JONES, Contributing Writer COMMENTS? 484-6200 ext. 222 or editor@upandcomingweekly.com WWW.UPANDCOMINGWEEKLY.COM NOVEMBER 10-16, 2010 UCW 23