2011 Winter Tour - year two

[BonusVFR]

When I saw the title, my first thought was " winter tour 1957" Buddy Holly and the Big Bopper. Nice report! I give you credit. Not everybody can handle the cold even with good gear. Does the vfr have enough capacity to run your full heated gear? I only have a a vest and have been concerned to try any more drain on the system.

Thanks!

You are right about the cold. It does wear on you and it is not for everybody. Most anybody can hack it for a few hours but after a couple of days ...things break down. Frankly I need heated gear.

I made the decison initially on heated gear after a Sierra trip years ago on my VFR. I could barely keep the bike on the road in only 50 degrees.........but this was after many days of cold weather that eventually kicked my ass.

My Stich fleece vest has been very reliable and more than adequate for spring and summer. I have used it in the high mounains in California, CO, BC and for an Alaskan tour.

However on last years trip to Big Bend it was not up to the task at hand so hence the upgrade. But the Wing has more juice than a cruise ship so electrical beans is not an issue.

I will have to see in the real world whether the VFR has the power to run the gear. Remember you can also adust the level of heat and power consumption. Unfortunately all I have on the bike is an idiot light.

I may put in a real gage to monitor. I will post up with my results.

[BonusVFR]

Winter Touring year two - Epilog

So all be told this tour was 3,000 miles and my moving average was nearly 63 miles an hour to include the portions when I was creeping around in the rain from the start in San Diego and throughout the Texas Hill Country. No doubt the twisty portions diversions in NM and AZ on the way back beat down the average a bit but I was moving and logged one of my fastest averages ever especially for a substantial tour. Unfortunately I now have official written documentation as well beyond my Zumo recordings as to my rate or speed of advance (SOA).

I probably stopped less on this tour than any other so my 55 mph overall average was very high. I do confess I forgot to push the battery power button on my Zumo when I was wistfully explaining to the New Mexico State Police why I was going 3X over the posted speed limit in his fare state or is that fair. While the prime reason for not putting the Zumo on internal power was a matter of priorities, I was not unhappy that he could not easily recall my “highest speed” either.

More later.

Some notes:

Route planning.

I have been reading a lot recently on this board and others about alternatives to Mapsource. I really still prefer the power of the Garmin application especially the capability to download one file to a GPS which has multiple routes and options. Many times during this trip when things did or did not work out I was able to load up a more appropriate route to the task. I also like adding my actual tracks to the same file to keep a record of what I actually did.

As regards route planning, the time I invest in investigating options is well served as just about every tour I have ever done has morphed from the perfect plan.

Anyway I encourage anybody who has a Garmin GPS to give a Mapsource a college try even though it is a PITA initially. Jump in the pool you will eventually like the water.

Riding Gear

Rain was not really a problem as regards my gear. My two piece Aerostich is very versatile and I like the fact that I do not have to stop to put on rain gear.

Very Versatile Two Piece Aerostich

My old Alpinestars Goretex boots gave up the ghost about two years ago and I replaced them with Combat Touring Boots which are just leather but you can replace the soles. However with proper conditioning they have met the test of time in foul weather including constant rain for several weeks in Alaska.

For really cold weather a heated liner is far superior to a vest. While I had done a trial run with the liner I wish I had tried it a few more times on day trips before heading out. Of course this is one of the axioms of touring……….check it out first and not with a quickie down the road a piece jaunt. In my case if you have a specialty gear and related hookup it would be best to have a backup plan to power up.

My Wing heated grips are the best in the business but now I need more …….well ……..heat. I think that grips are great to about 40 degrees but for sustained temps below that I think you need more juice. I have elected to go with heated glove liners which integrate with my Warm N Safe liner. I will be able to independently manage them with my remote dual controller. I do have some concerns as my experience with wool glove liners (before I had heated grips on my VFR) in my winter gloves is that my hands actually got tired as I unconsciously gripped the bars harder to get the same feel. This leads to some hand fatigue and believe or not less warmth. Oh well I will get it a shot.

I also have heated pants and sock options but I think I would need a trailer with a generator on the VFR to power them.

I have yet to test my new coat liner on my VFR to see if it can handle the load but I will. Truth be told I am fond of the Wing for winter touring especially in freezing weather. No doubt the whole riding gig in the Southwest during Winter means potentially lower altitude slab work where of course the bike shines so to speak.

Other Highs and “I fought the law and the law won”

[HispanicSlammer]

Hey you did the Gila Monster, I hope it was settled they had just chip sealed it when we did it last summer, I mean within days and they had not swept off the loose chips yet so it was dangerous for us. I hope it was good, chip seal when done right can be very good traction when its settled and stable.

[BonusVFR]

Hey you did the Gila Monster, I hope it was settled they had just chip sealed it when we did it last summer, I mean within days and they had not swept off the loose chips yet so it was dangerous for us. I hope it was good, chip seal when done right can be very good traction when its settled and stable.

Heck yes..........it was just about perfect ..........actually it was. Not a grain of sand and super pavement. NO Cars either.......but it was February!

Your posts/videos and others got me all jazzzzzzzed up about it so I was very disappointed last year in March when there was too much ice on it. I had to avoid the high elevation on the way back from Big Bend in 2010..

I am trying to figure out how I can incorporate it for another ride. For sure the Gila M ranks right up there!

[SEBSPEED]

Thanks for taking us along for the ride!

[BonusVFR]

As I have alluded even with a San Diego start and end you are gambling with Winter Touring as winter Pacific storms line up and basically can rain on your parade easily. No matter how far south you go altitude can further complicate bad weather with really dangerous conditions.

For the last two years I have scheduled this Texas trip based on a Motocampers event but I am not sure if coordinating the ride based strictly on weather.com would be any better as things change. Plus it is nice to give your bro some advance notice when you are showing up. Of course, for a weekend ride you can time things but for a tour of much over a week guessing right on a weather prediction is not likely.

I experienced the same luck of the draw as regards weather conditions during my Alaska trip which was planned six months out. Go with the flow I guess.

Well on balance I was lucky with the environment as I was able to hit some high elevations in New Mexico and Arizona on the way back and not be terribly concerned about the road conditions. Last year it was fantastic in Big Bend Texas but the lower elevation slab was really the only option going back. Obviously missing out the full measure of the Hill Country was a huge disappointment but looks like I will be in Austin in October so I will have another shot.

To reinforce the risks of high altitude flying, I mentioned that my Wing buddy road thru a snow storm just east of San Diego at 4,000 feet a few days before my arrival back home. I was fortunate to not experience inclement weather (not counting freezing cold) in my two day blast home but a few days later at just 2,500 ft about 15 miles east from my house

The high points:

Best Scenic Spot – White Sands and only a brief detour.

Best Road (scenery and twisty) - New Mexico RT 152

Runner Ups

Arizona RT 60 – running between Globe and Show Low.

Three sisters in Texas – of course my ranking was dampened (sic sic) by the meteorological conditions.

New Mexico RT 180 - would have scored higher but for my brush with the law.

Speaking of the New Mexico authorities and their tax patrol just out of Luna here are the facts. A review of my track log “sort of” confirms the officer’s claim that I was going 3X over the 50mph posted limit. I was nabbed less than the 10 miles from the AZ border and about 12 miles north of intersection of 12 & 60.

The officer said “there is 50 mph limit thru here” ….not sure I ever saw it but I must say the sweepers were perfect. Most likely, I would have been going even faster on the VFR but maybe not as it was getting real cold by then.

In recent years, I have slowed the pace somewhat especially on the straights and do religiously slow for towns not so much because of fear of the law but because it is prudent.

Not sure there really is a Town of Luna but I decided not to stop for the evening meal in the downtown area as I had given so much on the road. I guess there is a paved main street in Luna

A borrowed "Luna dining establishment" photo from the World Wide Web

This whole incident brings to mind the question of electronic protection. Do I need to go thru another “Tales of Escort” thread? As I was the sole vehicle, I am not so sure a RD would have helped in this scenario. In sum, I should have been in a “speed zone” instead of in the Zone!

I am also considering downloading the POI Factory Speed traps to my Zumo to complement my other POI databases but this would not have solved this problem.

Did I mention I have to do something about my tent? I am thinking it needs to be a 3 or 4 man type. There is a 20% sale at REI this weekend. Maybe?