The Cormanus Chronicles: FNQ

[rboe]

Was hoping for a popcorn gramlien. This will have to do.

[the Ferret]

But wait, there's more".

I think Sea's response nailed it.

[Stichill_imp]

Nice finale, Cormanus! When you talk about cold, what's cold to you living your ordinary non-riding life and what's cold to you when you have to get on a motorcycle and ride a few hours?

[Ben70_imp]

Very entertaining, Cormanus! Love the place names... Banana, Legume, and of course Woodenbong.
Thanks for another entertaining read!

Ben

[Tezza_imp]

I just got back from Cooktown last month.Went to visit my daughter in Ayr and decided to keep heading north.Pity I didn't know you were heading up that way as we could have made it a threesome. I took the Dmax and travelled the coast road from the Daintree to Cooktown. That road is not too bad now and after our experience off road on the rally with InhouseBob it would have been a breeze.

[flynrider]

Way to go (and come back), Cormanus! I love these Aussie travelogues. I always look forward to see where we're going next!

[Cormanus]

Stichill, cold is such a subjective thing. When I lived in Tasmania, Australia's southern most state, I had a much greater tolerance for it that I seem to now. These days, if it's less than about 10ºC I think it's cold, although in truth it's easy enough to dress for it and it's fine. On the bike? Less than about 15ºC is cold, but with the right gear, mostly manageable. The bit of me that suffers most is my hands. If I had to endure riding in the cold all the time rather than only occasionally, I'd probably go for heated grips and hand guards to keep the wind off.

On this last trip, Guyra on the morning the final day was cold—sub 10ºC if I recall—but with thermal underwear, a fleece and the thermal lining in my jacket I was fine. The cold didn't last long enough for it to affect my hands.

Tezza, dang it. I should have thought to let you know. I'm interested that you think the Cape Tribulation-Cooktown road might be passable by CB? Are you serious? I'd be happy to have a crack at it sometime. I'd like to go back up that way again and have a little more time to poke around. But only in winter.

[rboe]

I have discovered electric glove liners and jacket liners. Longer rides around 60F or less and I plug in. Around freezing I have this odd sensation of burning parts of my body as I crank up the heat while other bits are getting frost bitten. Icy Hot.

Electric heat has two major advantages; you can, to some degree, adjust how much heat you need and 2; you get so bulked up you feel like the Michelin Man. Makes it easier to move around.

Low 80's seems to be the ideal temp without having to worry about hypothermia or getting dehydrated.

[Cormanus]

Interesting, Rboe. I simply could not justify heated gear here. It's way too warm for most of the year for it to be in the least bit useful. That said, I wouldn't have minded it yesterday when it was about 12ºC (low 50s F) when I set out, but it warmed up quickly enough. I find riding pretty comfortable from 16 or 17ºC, although that does involve having the right layers.

As I've typed this, I'm wondering about investigating electric glove liners for those few days when I have to ride in sub 15ºC temperatures. My hands seem to be a point of critical vulnerability and the liners sound more effective than heated grips.

[rboe]

One would think that electrics would not be needed in Phoenix either, but winters can be dang cold in the morning (below freezing, so the 15 mile ride to sunday morning coffee has me well frozen about 1/3 of the way). Then there have been the uber cold mornings out of Death Valley (well, Furnace Creek was OK, but Death Valley Junction was COLD!), leaving Datil New Mexico after the Guzzi rally is usually below 40. At least.

And once things start to warm up they do so with gusto so one does want to leave early and suffer the cold to minimize the baking in the oven part that comes way too soon.z

I had heated grips on the Griso and they do not work nearly as well as heated gloves. They don't heat the bits that are being cooled by the air blast so........ a waste.