Headed from Chicago to El Paso, TX on a motorcycle

[mrsilv04]

Last night, I'm headed home from work. It's winter in Illinois. There's snow on the ground, the temperature was 11, and the Wind Chill was -5. I drive by the Best Western, and there's a motorcycle parked in front of it.. with snow on the tires. I had to get pictures, and actually got to talk to the guy. He had started in the north suburbs of Chicago, and was headed to El Paso, TX. He was hoping to get south of the snow (which I'm guessing that the line is probably somewhere between St. Louis and the Arkansas border) by the end of the day today. He was running Gerbing's heated gear from head to toe, and told me that he was doing fine. He said he was planning on getting back on the road at 10am this morning, when the temperature would be back up to around 0. The low here last night was -10. Wow.

 

[eyeofthetiger]

Some people are just crazy, but it's the good kind of crazy.

 

[EdwardC]

Nice! Good for him. Heated gear has to be the way to go for these temps!

 

[SZR48207]

It's a blast to ride in cold weather if you have the right gear. Good luck to him!

 

[Starman2112]

That’s beyond stupid.

 

[02SE]

A true Motorcyclist. With the proper gear and skills to match, riding in Winter can be fun. Good for him.

 

[gman2304]

Originally Posted By: Starman2112

That’s beyond stupid.

Exactly...0 degrees or below, on snow and ice. Not so much about the cold though I would never do it in those temps, it's about traction or the lack thereof !

 

[Linctex]

I wonder how hard it was to start again......

 

[02SE]

Originally Posted By: Linctex

I wonder how hard it was to start again......

It's a current model RT. If it has the speced oil and a good battery, it should start fine.

 

[stockrex]

I rode a bicycle in winter in NE, if that is all you gots, it is not crazy brother, it is your only option.

 

[Mr Nice]

He is brave to attemp that long ride in such bad weather. Hope he stays safe on his trip.

 

[blupupher]

Originally Posted By: gman2304

Exactly...0 degrees or below, on snow and ice. Not so much about the cold though I would never do it in those temps, it's about traction or the lack thereof !

Agree, cold is not as big issue with heated gear and windscreen, but the snow and ice, no thanks. I rode to work today, ~25°F, no heated gear, just 2 jackets, 2 pair of pants, neoprene face mask, full helmet, boots, and some cheap gloves. My hands were freezing, I need real winter gloves, but otherwise, not bad (but only a 15 minute ride, not a muti day ride like the guy in the OP).

 

[LoneRanger]

Freakin' beemer pilots... some serious hard core riders in that crowd. Respect. Conditions beyond my abilities and desire.

 

[JC1]

I think the guy is nuts since you can also have snow and ice fly off the roofa of semi trucks and cars that don't clean snow off properly.

 

[JustinH]

El Paso is not warm this time of year either. Downright chilly. We have even had ice and snow in Austin.

 

[Rolla07]

To each their own, but a car rental might of been a good choice..

 

[MoreCowbellAz]

I can respect his determination that's for sure, he's a brave man. So much can go wrong in the elements like that. With that kind of distance I can't help but wonder what would one do if out on the open interstate and you run into a full blown snow storm. Warmth is only a small part of your problems then. Zero traction or visibility, and add other cars cars and trucks sliding around...........Yikes. I'll be thinkin of this this fellow shortly on my ride home, 77 and sunny here in Phoenix at the moment. Salute.

 

[ctrcbob]

BMW Riders are RIDERS! Not unusual for BMW Riders. (GoldWing and Harley Riders would never do that.) When I was younger, I used to do that (R90 - R100RT - GL1100I - GL1200A - GL1500SE - GL1800) but at my age, I no longer have tolerance for cold or heat.

 

[maverickfhs]

Originally Posted By: 02SE

A true Motorcyclist. With the proper gear and skills to match, riding in Winter can be fun. Good for him.

+1 Million

 

[maverickfhs]

Originally Posted By: Mr Nice

He is brave to attemp that long ride in such bad weather. Hope he stays safe on his trip.

Amen