In The Cold

Commuting during January in Virginia is difficult. I lived in Herndon and commuted about 25 miles to Alexandria - near Washington DC. One afternoon, in Jan. 2000, I found myself looking at snow that was supposed to come later that night. It was only 19 degrees Fahrenheit and my battery was too weak to turn over the engine. I attempted to bump start my motorcycle by pushing it down an incline in the snow covered parking lot, but the rear tire skidded along every time the clutch was released. I finally got a jump start and headed home.

I took the George Washington Parkway and was worried about having enough current to keep the bike running at idle. A sea of brake lights appeared a few miles later. The road was too slippery to split lanes - illegal in Virginia - so I sat in traffic with the cages and kept my rpms at 2,000 to ensure the bike didn't cut off. My normal 40 minute commute took over 1 1/2 hours. Heated grips and an electric vest would have been nice; a better solution was moving to San Diego, CA. My wife and I moved there less than five months later.

- Curtis