Getting ready for the riding season...

Yes it's the middle of winter, snow 5 feet deep and no end in sight to the bitter cold. I was reminded this week on how you can ride in anything as I watched a guy on his "adventure motorcycle" equipped with studded tires rode to work in 2 feet of snow and ice. It's 18 degrees out snow and ice on the ground and this guy is on his bike at 55mph on the highway.

But it underlines a point. Being ready for conditions. How are the tires on your bike? are they getting thin? are they several years old? do you have a tire plug kit and repair kit? how about your toolkit? When was the last time you looked at it and made sure it was all there and ready for a breakdown? IF you were to break down on a 400 mile ride to the next camping spot, do you call AAA and have them tow you home? or do you break out your toolkit and try to fix the bike so you can ride to the nearest dealer and have it properly fixed? Your kit also should have a list of phone numbers of known big dealers in your state or at least the manufacturers hot-line so you can call and ask where the nearest service center for your brand is. On a long ride I draw those points on my tank map and the other side has all their phone numbers. RED dots are dealers, Blue Dots are Motels, and Green dots are desired fuel stations (I like Speedway).

A tire kit should have everything you need to patch most leaks and refill the tire. A CO2 inflation kit will get your tire back up to full pressure while taking very little space on the bike. What good is fixing the flat if you cant pump up the tire?

It's time to think about the toolkit in your bike. Nothing gives you more satisfaction than spending 2 hours on the side of the road fixing your bike and continuing on the journey. That self reliance is a major rush with the wind in your face knowing that you fixed it yourself. At minimum make sure you have what you need for safety. IF you broke down at night along a highway, a couple of road flares will make the difference between safe and getting ran over by a Sleepy Semi truck driver.