Hamie
Well-known member
Looks like you are having some of everything....great report and awesome pictures....
Ride safe...
Ride safe...
A Tribute to Yolanda.=====================================
Thoughts about what we leave behind.
In reading many ride reports, I've discovered that many reports aren't just about what we see ahead, but what we leave behind. Some leave behind nothing, abandoning everything, choosing a life on the road and living their dreams. For others, it's about coming home. Thats me.
So, on Mother's Day, a tribute to Yolanda.
This is a typical phone conversation during my two-week ride. She's at home, alone with our 2-month old son. (Imagine us speaking in Spanish, she's from Mexico City)
======================================
Me: Hi Yoli! Whatcha doing!
Yoli: Hi Amor, we miss you! How is your trip? Are you ok?
Me: I'm doing great, a llittle tired but having the time of my life... (insert ride report details).... and how is the baby?
Yoli: He's doing great, misses his Daddy, he was a good boy today, we went grocery shopping and all the ladies in the store stopped to tell me how beautiful he is and what a sweet boy he is. It was so sweet hearing their comments.
Me: Wow, sounds wonderful. I sure do miss you guys. And how are you?
Yoli: Well, today I got a little bored, so I turned into a tornado and did a gigantic spring cleaning. I changed a few things in the house and I think you'll be pleasantly surprised when you get home. Afterwards, one of my girlfriends came over with her baby and we watched movies. Have you decided when you are turning back for home?
Me: Thanks for taking care of the house, can't wait to see what you did. As for the trip, I haven't yet decided when I'm coming home. I'm probably gonna get to Salt Lake City, ride with Mike then head home. I'm thinking San Fran is out of the question, it's gonna make my trip about 4-5 days longer and I want to get home.
Yoli: Well don't worry about us, we're ok, we just miss you. Go to California if you like and live your dreams. We'll be waiting for you when you get home.
Thank you, Yolanda, for helping me make my dreams come true. :clapping:
If you are ever going through NM again give me a hollar, ill give you some alternate routes that are a lot of fun to ride.
Great ride report and pictures. I'm jealous. Kudos to your wife for letting you have your adventure.
Great trip report and pics! I am gearing up for a trip from Chicago to Nova Scotia. Leaving June 13th. 8 or 9 days.
Just received my new TourMaster Transition jacket, which I see you have. And I'm trying to finalize my decision re: a heated vest, which is how I stumbled across your trip report.
Trying to decide between the synergy and others. And also trying to decide whether I want or don't want a heated collar.
Pretty certain I'm going to opt not to get the sleeves, though curious if you have an opinion on that too.
Thanks,
Hey Steve, thanks for the compliment. It sounds like your trip will be incredible! Please keep us posted, and take a lot of pictures.
I'm a big fan of my Synergy jacket, and one of the biggest reasons is the included temperature controller. It is fully electronic and doesn't waste electricity with a big resistor. The technology is the same as the Heatroller (which I have for the grips on my KLR). So that was one less thing to buy and wire up.
How cold are the temps you will be facing? The coldest I rode was 30F/-1C and my jacket liner was great at those temps, and only a few times did I raise the temp from low to medium. I really appreciated the heated sleeves, made me much, much more comfy. And the heated collar was a blessing, you may not realize how cold your neck gets until you warm it up. And in my case, on my 30 degree day, I started to have neck cramps, right at the base where it meets the shoulder. The heat from my collar made my neck feel so much better. Keep in mind if you get too warm, you can always open your collar to vent some air in, or fold the collar down to get it off your neck.
The Synergy is also insulated, so it will keep you warm even without turning on the heat.
I'll be doing a gear report on the Synergy electric jacket liner soon.
I've been to Nova Scotia, and I know it can be very cold and wet. I would advise being prepared for colder weather than expecting... then again, I'm from Texas, and being cold isn't much fun for me.
Let us know what you decide on...
Henry
Great trip report and pics! I am gearing up for a trip from Chicago to Nova Scotia. Leaving June 13th. 8 or 9 days.
Just received my new TourMaster Transition jacket, which I see you have. And I'm trying to finalize my decision re: a heated vest, which is how I stumbled across your trip report.
Trying to decide between the synergy and others. And also trying to decide whether I want or don't want a heated collar.
Pretty certain I'm going to opt not to get the sleeves, though curious if you have an opinion on that too.
Thanks,
Thanks for the input. So in your case, you clearly recommend the full jacket vs just collared vest. Got it.
I just tried on my new Transition jacket with, and then without, the liner. I'm trying to get a sense of how cramped it would be if I leave it's liner in AND then put on the vest or the jacket. Since you bought the full sleeved heated jacket / liner, I'm guessing you have removed the liner that came with the Transition jacket and either use the Transition jacket without any liner. OR, us it with the heated full sleeved liner. Correct?
Re: temperatures --- I did a trip like this last summer to British Columbia. On cool mornings it was mid 30's and would then warm up through the course of the day. For Nova Scotia, in mid June the forecasts show mid 50's to mid 60's, but being on the ocean it could be a cold 50's to 60's, which is what prompted me to finally look at heated vests.
For me, it's coming down to whether I prefer to leave the Transition liner in and add a sleeveless heated vest (you sold me on the collar!). Or, ditch the Transition liner and go with the full sleeved heated liner. I know my arms would be too cold if I yanked the Transition liner and just had a sleeveless heated vest. But I'd worry that a full sleeved heated liner AND the Transition liner would be too bulky or tight.
Really appreciate your input since you've done it.
Thanks!
Hey Steve, thanks for the compliment. It sounds like your trip will be incredible! Please keep us posted, and take a lot of pictures.
I'm a big fan of my Synergy jacket, and one of the biggest reasons is the included temperature controller. It is fully electronic and doesn't waste electricity with a big resistor. The technology is the same as the Heatroller (which I have for the grips on my KLR). So that was one less thing to buy and wire up.
How cold are the temps you will be facing? The coldest I rode was 30F/-1C and my jacket liner was great at those temps, and only a few times did I raise the temp from low to medium. I really appreciated the heated sleeves, made me much, much more comfy. And the heated collar was a blessing, you may not realize how cold your neck gets until you warm it up. And in my case, on my 30 degree day, I started to have neck cramps, right at the base where it meets the shoulder. The heat from my collar made my neck feel so much better. Keep in mind if you get too warm, you can always open your collar to vent some air in, or fold the collar down to get it off your neck.
The Synergy is also insulated, so it will keep you warm even without turning on the heat.
I'll be doing a gear report on the Synergy electric jacket liner soon.
I've been to Nova Scotia, and I know it can be very cold and wet. I would advise being prepared for colder weather than expecting... then again, I'm from Texas, and being cold isn't much fun for me.
Let us know what you decide on...
Henry
Great trip report and pics! I am gearing up for a trip from Chicago to Nova Scotia. Leaving June 13th. 8 or 9 days.
Just received my new TourMaster Transition jacket, which I see you have. And I'm trying to finalize my decision re: a heated vest, which is how I stumbled across your trip report.
Trying to decide between the synergy and others. And also trying to decide whether I want or don't want a heated collar.
Pretty certain I'm going to opt not to get the sleeves, though curious if you have an opinion on that too.
Thanks,
Steve, even though I took the Transition jacket liner with me, I never used it. It was a back-up in case the electric jacket failed, or I got stranded with a broken-down bike in the cold. You can't take any chances with cold.
So for me, this is how I used the jacket and electric liner:
Warm to cool - Transition jacket, all vents open, with either a short or long sleeve t-shirt underneath, or maybe a t-shirt and a polo shirt.
Getting cooler - close two vents on the Transition jacket
Still cooler - close all vents on jacket and cinch up the collar
Cooler getting cold - put on the electric liner, not turned on yet...
Really cool to cold - turn on the liner
Cold - zip up everything tight, turn the liner on low (medium a couple of times)
Torso-wise, I was never cold with the Synergy jacket, whether just underneath the riding jacket and off, or turned on and generating heat.
Keep in mind you want the electric liner to be a bit snug. The Synergy has stretchable panels on the side so even if it is snug you will still be able to move and be comfortable.
The Transition jacket, with all vents closed, is actually fairly warm. It is thick and heavy, plus, being a 3/4 jacket, has great coverage of your lower torso. It effectively blocks all the wind trying to get to you.
I read recently that Nova Scotia has the worst weather in all of Canada. Makes sense when you consider the effects of the North Atlantic. I've seen some doozies in Halifax and areas nearby.
Best of luck and please let me know if there is anything else I can do for you.
Thanks for the input. So in your case, you clearly recommend the full jacket vs just collared vest. Got it.
I just tried on my new Transition jacket with, and then without, the liner. I'm trying to get a sense of how cramped it would be if I leave it's liner in AND then put on the vest or the jacket. Since you bought the full sleeved heated jacket / liner, I'm guessing you have removed the liner that came with the Transition jacket and either use the Transition jacket without any liner. OR, us it with the heated full sleeved liner. Correct?
Re: temperatures --- I did a trip like this last summer to British Columbia. On cool mornings it was mid 30's and would then warm up through the course of the day. For Nova Scotia, in mid June the forecasts show mid 50's to mid 60's, but being on the ocean it could be a cold 50's to 60's, which is what prompted me to finally look at heated vests.
For me, it's coming down to whether I prefer to leave the Transition liner in and add a sleeveless heated vest (you sold me on the collar!). Or, ditch the Transition liner and go with the full sleeved heated liner. I know my arms would be too cold if I yanked the Transition liner and just had a sleeveless heated vest. But I'd worry that a full sleeved heated liner AND the Transition liner would be too bulky or tight.
Really appreciate your input since you've done it.
Thanks!
Hey Steve, thanks for the compliment. It sounds like your trip will be incredible! Please keep us posted, and take a lot of pictures.
I'm a big fan of my Synergy jacket, and one of the biggest reasons is the included temperature controller. It is fully electronic and doesn't waste electricity with a big resistor. The technology is the same as the Heatroller (which I have for the grips on my KLR). So that was one less thing to buy and wire up.
How cold are the temps you will be facing? The coldest I rode was 30F/-1C and my jacket liner was great at those temps, and only a few times did I raise the temp from low to medium. I really appreciated the heated sleeves, made me much, much more comfy. And the heated collar was a blessing, you may not realize how cold your neck gets until you warm it up. And in my case, on my 30 degree day, I started to have neck cramps, right at the base where it meets the shoulder. The heat from my collar made my neck feel so much better. Keep in mind if you get too warm, you can always open your collar to vent some air in, or fold the collar down to get it off your neck.
The Synergy is also insulated, so it will keep you warm even without turning on the heat.
I'll be doing a gear report on the Synergy electric jacket liner soon.
I've been to Nova Scotia, and I know it can be very cold and wet. I would advise being prepared for colder weather than expecting... then again, I'm from Texas, and being cold isn't much fun for me.
Let us know what you decide on...
Henry
Great trip report and pics! I am gearing up for a trip from Chicago to Nova Scotia. Leaving June 13th. 8 or 9 days.
Just received my new TourMaster Transition jacket, which I see you have. And I'm trying to finalize my decision re: a heated vest, which is how I stumbled across your trip report.
Trying to decide between the synergy and others. And also trying to decide whether I want or don't want a heated collar.
Pretty certain I'm going to opt not to get the sleeves, though curious if you have an opinion on that too.
Thanks,
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