Safety First

Riding season is almost here, well not really but I am already thinking about it, and one of the things I am thinking about is safety. Typically on nice days when I ride the motorcycle I don’t wear a jacket, not because I don’t have one but because it is not very comfortable. When I bought the bike the dealership threw in a Joe Rocket ballistics jacket, and while I am sure it would be effective should I ever go down (I don’t want to test this theory) I find it uncomfortable to wear, so I don’t. I typically wear it when the weather gets cold at the end of the season and I take the expressway to drop the bike off at my buddy Chuck’s house for the off season and that’s it. I have even rode the bike in to work on some rather chilly mornings without it because I don’t like the way to fits when I am riding.

Hopefully, today, I have fixed that problem. A friend at work was selling this leather jacket that he purchased from Hudson Leather and only wore twice because he didn’t like the way it fit him. The price he was selling it for was substantially less than the store price, and seeing as it fit nicely I decided to take my chance. I need to break it in some (as he literally only wore it twice) and get used to the weight of it, but it is a real nice coat. While I am still not positive that I will wear it all the time, especially on those really hot days as I am rather warm to begin with, I am sure it will come in handy on those chilly morning rides into work.

The next things I need to work on are: a new pair of riding boots (the soles of mine are pretty much worn flat, though I have had these boots for almost 9 years); a luggage rack for the back and the saddle roll to go on it. That way I won’t need to wear a backpack to carry my lunch to work.