On snowy days, or when I absolutely needed four wheels, I was lucky because my father would loan me his car. However, most of the time, rain or shine, hot or cold, I rode the motorcycle.
Few motorcycles back then, other than police bikes and full dress Harleys, came equipped with windshields. My bike, a used 1959 Triumph, did not. I took it for granted that bundling up to ride into the teeth of high winds and bitter temperatures was a natural part motorcycling.
On days when the temperature hovered close to freezing, I'd wear a pair of dungarees over cotton long underwear, and a heavy army jacket over a flannel shirt and hooded sweatshirt.
I usually wore wrist-high leather work gloves. Sometimes I'd pull a pair of heavy gauntlet-style work gloves over a pair of woolen liners to both keep my hands warm and prevent the wind from blowing up my sleeves.
I'd layer wool socks over cotton socks inside a pair of engineer boots or lace-up work boots.
I'd flip up the sweatshirt hood, wrap a scarf around my neck and pull on my helmet to keep my head, chest and neck warm.
The cold would seep into my bones
This bulky mass of clothing worked fine for short trips around town. However, on jaunts lasting more than an hour, the cold would slowly work its way into my bones, causing me to shiver and shake.My hands would get so cold, I couldn't squeeze the clutch or front brake levers. I'd operate them by locking my stiff, numb fingers around the levers and pulling back with my whole arm.
Often, when I'd reach my destination, my fingers were too stiff and unfeeling to grip and undo the buckle on my helmet or the zipper on my coat. Someone would do it for me, or I'd wait until my hands warmed up.
After a long, cold ride, I'd usually spend an hour or more warming up in the bathtub.
Back then, I did not discuss cold weather travel with other riders. But, I'm sure my experiences were pretty much the same for most bikers who rode throughout the year. And I bet, like me, they didn't give it a second thought. Riding a motorcycle included getting really cold every now and then.
