When I dream of the road… it’s on a chopper hell-bent-for-leather traveling in the high double digits on a lonely ribbon of New Mexico asphalt meeting a crimson sunset.
So what’s the dream for Daytona? Simple, staying warm.
My annual trip to mecca is to the petrol gods every March. When I’ve left for the beach it has been brisk, snowy, rainy but hardly ever warm. So it gives me a chance to test jackets, boots, gloves and lids for their effectiveness during trips.
My dream is to stay warm
Mark Farrar works out the route to the coast
This year it is heated gloves from Venture Heat. And boy was I lucky; it was 30 degrees and snowing when I left Columbia, SC. And running 60mph on a Softail, I found the gloves kept the hands warm. And warm hands means you can brake, clutch and modulate the throttle with ease.
Damn, I didn’t like hearing that. He also indicated that battery units may be ideal for commuters but if you are traveling a full day, then the motorcycle powered gloves are the only way to go.
The installation is a snap, just attach to the battery terminals. Then plug them in and select 1 of 3 heat settings. They are fabricated with a good size gauntlet which will fit over the jacket sleeve to keep out that cold air and moisture.
Keeping Hands Hot with Venture Heat
I evaluated three gauntlet glove choices at Venture Heat and the one that caught my attention was the leather job. And even though leather doesn’t have all the qualities of man-made materials, I like the looks, the feel and the abrasion characteristics of leather.
Cold and Wet Weather for the ride to Bike Week
On the inside, that’s another story. The interior of the glove is made of 100% polyester which is also great for warmth and comfort.
The gloves utilize a layer of Thinsulate, a 3M brand of thermal insulation made of synthetic fiber. It’s sandwiched in between the polyester interior and the leather exterior.
Thinsulate is considered “the warmest thin apparel insulation” available. The gaps between fibers not only reduce heat flow, but also allow moisture to escape. These gloves aren’t bulky, as a matter of fact, they are thin.
Between the polyester interior and the 3M insulation there’s a Dintex membrane which makes these gloves totally waterproof and breathable.
Willie’s Tropical Tattoo Chopper Time Bike Show
The Venture Heat gloves are ideal for riding into cold and cool environments.
Industry Party at Bling’s Cycle
In order to stay warm we doubled our Tequila intake. Our first night we camped inside the house of Rich Worley of American Biker. The second night we stayed in a hotel in Savannah GA. On the third night we rolled into a state park next to the ocean in St. Augustine Florida. By then our Tequila was running low and we replenished our supplies in order to sleep through the night. On Wednesday night we slept at Willie’s Tropical Tattoo and got up and out before the Chopper Time show kicked off.
