3 November'04

THE FLU AND WINTER RIDING

I'm not too particularly sure whether or not this was a good week, I spent most of my time, my vacation time at home with the flu. It's been over two weeks since the "Beast" has rolled out of the garage. Most of the week before it rained and the one day I was able to ride to work was pretty much a blur.

This got me to thinking; after all I had a whole week to do that, thinking about being ready to ride. Being stuffed up with the flu, aching, and very tired is not the way you want to feel any time, but especially not on a motorcycle. Although I was sober and drug free, my senses and reaction times were impaired by my feelings.

Sunday morning I was determined to get out of the house. I was feeling better after a week at home and needed something to lift my spirits. Two weeks before I rode home and parked the Beast with an empty tank, and now I was becoming a tad paranoid about the fuel going bad, and moisture developing in the empty tank. If nothing else I had to fill the Beast's tank.

I felt better immediately after pulling out of the driveway and rolling down the street. The warm air, with a rush of adrenaline that surged in me, from the immediate response of the awesome horsepower from the Beast, it was like a tonic.

I had almost talked myself into taking a short ride over the bridge, but it was pretty obvious to me as I pulled out into traffic, I wouldn't be able to ride much further than the gas station and back. After filling the tank I headed home and logged in 1½ miles for the day. I was really tired and feeling the flu effects by the time I got back to the house.

This time of the year we have to think about weather conditions, dressing for the lower temperatures, and of course how we are feeling. Riding impaired, whether from drugs, alcohol or suffering from cold and flu symptoms can get you into trouble. I was experiencing problems, trying to focus my concentration on my riding in-between sniffles and the pounding in my head. In fact I was oblivious to the traffic; all I wanted was to get home.

Riding when you're not 100% physically or mentally, is dangerous not only to you but to the rest of the riders you may be with. You certainly wouldn't want an impaired rider in your group, or one who is less then 100%. There isn't any difference between a rider who is on drugs / alcohol; or a rider who is on legal medication which impairs his ability to ride. You wouldn't ride with a rider who was obviously dangerous, and letting a friend who isn't up to their normal riding go unchallenged could be serious trouble for you and the rest of your group.

With all we have to do when we ride, anything which erodes our focus or concentration can get us into serious trouble. Its bad enough we are all human and thoughts are always trying to invade our minds especially when we are alone or separated from the world. Riding separates us, we are insulated once our helmets are on and have no one to talk to but ourselves, that's when those stray thoughts will creep in to distract us. Most of us can cope with all of that, but if we are impaired it can be harder to break free from those stray thoughts and refocus on those needed for survival on the street.

As you preflight your motorcycle for a weekend ride, preflight the rider too, if you're not up to it make the decision to stay home, be safe.

Riding in the cold has some other problems associated with it. The most obvious is keeping warm. On a motorcycle this can be a real problem, after all you're out and exposed to elements and the wind.

Rolling along at 50 mph and if the air temperature is 40 degrees, your body is being exposed to air which is actually 25 degrees, the faster you go the lower the air temperature will get. So you have to dress for that, not the listed high of 40 degrees. Don't be misled by your riding partners, some of us have a higher tolerance for cold than others. Dress in order to keep you comfortable.

Take a look at the wind chill chart and see how the wind and air temperature change. WIND CHILL CHART

Another problem we face is in the winter is hypothermia, which basically is the cooling of the body to dangerous levels. Hypothermia can kill you and it sneaks up on you. You've all heard of "Mind numbing cold," watch for the "-Umbles" - stumbles, mumbles, fumbles, and grumbles which show changes in motor coordination and levels of consciousness. The symptoms of mild hypothermia are body core temperature 98.6 - 96 degrees F, shivering - not under voluntary control, can't do complex motor functions but can still walk & talk, and vasoconstriction to periphery (cold hands and feet, arms and legs).

Some things to avoid while out in the cold; alcohol because its a vasodilator which increases peripheral heat loss; caffeine it is a diuretic which causes water loss increasing dehydration; tobacco/nicotine its a vasoconstrictor, and increases risk of frostbite.

For more information on hypothermia and keeping warm check out these links.
Outdoor Action Guide to Hypothermia And Cold Weather Injuries

Heated_Clothing

So keep warm and keep riding….

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