I typically work from home but had the need to go to the local office the other day and used this as an excuse to get a ride in on the Sportster. The ride is about 30 miles with the majority on secondary roads that make for pretty good riding (low traffic, some curves, and nice scenery). The last 10 miles are unfortunately on the multi-lane freeway which can make for interesting riding. When I left for the office it was midday so I did not encounter any major traffic. I did expect traffic on the way home so chose to wear my full face Arai helmet and Harley-Davidson Switchback jacket.
When I left the office I hit some major rush hour traffic, stop and go for miles and miles. It was a hot afternoon I didn’t like the idea of roasting the Sportsters engine by sitting at idle so did some lane splitting to get to my exit. Personally, I am not a fan of lane splitting (which is not illegal in California) but will use it as a ‘necessary evil’ at times. I always stay within 10 mph of the surrounding traffic so I can respond to any bonehead moves from the drivers around me.
This day was particularly bad. The heat and high fuel prices seemed to be getting to the drivers in their cars and trucks. At least a half dozen drivers threatened to move into my path as I wove between car doors, mirrors, and truck beds. I’ve never experienced so many people moving the vehicles into my path intentionally. To be fair, many drivers saw me coming and moved to give me more room – much appreciated, thank you!
Over the previous weekend I had removed the Sportster’s windscreen and saddlebags. The Harley-Davidson clip-on windscreen is literally a snap to remove, just pop the four clamps and off it comes. This is one of the nicer accessories for the Sportster that I’ve come across from Harley. Having the windscreen off was another reason for wearing the Arai, it helps avoid taking a bee to the face at speed. The Arai combined with my Panoptx riding glasses made the trip easy, doing a decent job of filtering the setting sun.
One thing I hadn’t considered was the significant temperature difference between my home on the coast and the office inland. It was a good 15 degrees and the Switchback jacket was warm with all panels attached. If I’d had the saddlebags on the Sporster I could’ve removed the panels and had a more comfortable ride but that was not the case. I did find that the Switchback’s vent system works well around the torso (no vents on the arms) and kept me pretty cool.
The curving roads on the way home made the trip worthwhile. Nothing like the view of a lake, the smell of citrus groves and the sound of Screamin Eagle pipes to put a smile on my face.
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2 comments:
where do u like to ride?
I like to ride the back roads Towards, Ramona, Julian or Palomar, and out into the desert. A great ride is to go from the Coast to the Salton Sea and then back again. There are so many great roads in San Diego County.
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