The Motorcycle Commuter Gear

I have been commuting to work now for several months now as part of my New Year’s Resolution. The goal was simple: ride more and pay less for fuel costs. So far, all is well.

I think what has been key is the addition of some ‘proper’ riding gear. Knowing the golden rule of riding motorcycles -

There are two types of riders: those who have crashed and those who will.

- The likelihood of being involved in an incident is higher as you put on more miles per year. To this, I dropped some cash to protect myself.

I know, I know…I have an excellent command of the obvious. Admittedly, I would rather shell out hundreds on some sort of performance widget that I can feel versus something to wear…that was until late. I bought a Fieldsheer Highland oversuit that has a removeable liner inside, some Sidi weatherproof boots, winter riding gloves, and have grip heaters on both bikes. This stuff has allowed for comfort down to 34F in the morning commute.

Its funny to me how my opinion of the importance of comfort enhances the ride and the focus on it. I am not fidgeting with my hands any more trying to keep them warm by the engine. I am not freezing my buns off because I used to only have a jacket – a non-lined one at that. And for the really cold days, I wear one of those fleece pull-over neck-scarf-thingies (note: I am not a skier, but I robbed my wife’s stash).

In total I spent about $300 for gear, and while its probably not the top-of-the-line, it has high quality armor, solid stitching, and competitive materials. All of this dress-up in the morning adds about five minutes to the normal routine of commuting by cage. That said, I was humbled in an online discussion about commuting via motorcycle. The quote went something like this:

“You need to change your perspective if you think you have to commute on your bike. It should be considered something you look forward to”

This came from an elderly gentleman. Sometimes words of wisdom make a lot of sense.