Colloquially, the term “dog days” applies to the hot, humid days of summer—that stretch from late July into August here in the upper Midwest. It is that period when the weather is sweltering, and your profuse sweating soaks your clothes because the humidity is so high, it can’t evaporate. Dog days are when doing any kind of yard work is out of the question. Even sitting around on the porch might be foregone in favor of lounging in an air-conditioned house or at least in front of a fan.
It is one of my favorite times of the year.
That said, there was one time in 2012 when nature overdid it a little and cranked up the heat big-time. At about 9 a.m., I left for a ride, intending to reach the Mississippi River, about 70 miles from my house. The thermometer had already climbed to about 100°F.
I figured that would be about it, so I put on a light T-shirt under a full-mesh armored riding jacket, packed two bottles of ice-cold water in the saddlebag, and set out. About halfway to the big river, I noted that the thermometer on my bike indicated 108°F. I had already begun feeling a little woozy and really thirsty. My skin was hot and dry. Not good.
Dehydration was happening at a very high rate because the mesh riding jacket was working as designed, allowing rapid evaporation of my body’s perspiration and providing a cooling effect. However, my body’s sweat production was not keeping up with demand.
I pulled over in the shade and immediately felt the oppressive nature of the heat. It occurred to me that having a breakdown along one of the stretches without shade could be bad news and potentially dangerous. I rested for a while, downed my bottles of water and after I felt back to normal, decided it might be best to head back home.
I would have never thought I would call off a ride on a sunny day, but there’s a first time for everything. It was one of those dog days of summer on steroids.
Well into the new year here in the upper Midwest, we have reached what I think of as the dog days of winter. The weather factors are the polar opposite (pun intended) of those in mid-summer.
The dog days of winter really bite when the thermometer twists to readings below zero. When that happens, even a slight wind makes the skin on your face sting after only a few minutes of exposure.
When I was a teenager and really into snowmobile and motorcycle sports, I recall riding on the sled in temps as low as —20°F. The long winters in far northern Wisconsin can make a person shack-happy and make you do goofy things. I wouldn’t do that now.
Beyond the temperatures, snowstorms with poor visibility, ice, slush, and so on team up to make even getting around for routine things a mess. So, just as heat and humidity can tamp down one’s interest in getting out there in the dog days of summer, the cold and snow can have the same effect in the dog days of winter.
There are, however, times in both situations where options are available. For the dog days of summer, just taking it easy, staying hydrated, and choosing the right gear will usually work—that, and avoiding getting out there too much in high-temperature extremes.
Surprisingly, the same strategies apply in the dog days of winter, except staying warm instead of cool is the idea.
Refusing to stay anchored to the couch is another way to beat the dog days of winter. If there is enough snow for snowmobile trails to be open and groomed, I can fire up my vintage Sno-Runner, built by Chrysler in the late 1970s and early ’80s, if it’s not crazy-cold below zero.
Even though the Sno-Runner is powered by a West Bend Power Bee two-stroke motor that produces only about seven horsepower, it is a gas to ride, thanks to its sometimes flighty handling characteristics. Here’s a look at it in action:
If the air is cold enough, the snow conditions may lend themselves to a bit of back road snow cycling on an actual motorcycle. Over the years, I’ve found that hard-packed, but not icy, snow has traction characteristics similar to hard-packed dirt, though only if the air temperature is not up around freezing. At that point, snow will start to melt, making it slick and soft—traction can be pretty tricky.
After gathering some experience riding a motorcycle on snow, I have developed my Top 10 Snow Tips for Motorcycle Riding:
- To absolutely avoid taking a spill, forget about riding on snow, stay in the house, check out Ultimate Motorcycling, Motos & Friends podcast, or watch TV.
- Assuming you’ll ignore tip #1, wear plenty of warm clothing with impact protectors. Full leathers are great for butt-sliding down icy streets in the event you wise up and decide not to try riding.
- If you don’t usually wear a helmet when you ride, start.
- If it looks slippery, it probably is. This is half the fun.
- Universal tread or full knobby tires may have a traction advantage over street tires, but not much.
- Be prepared for lurid skids, fishtailing, front-end washouts, and flat-track style lateral slides, even when trying to ride a straight line. With luck, you won’t have the bike under complete control for more than 30 feet at a time.
- Study and understand the engineering principles of friction and control. Accept that they don’t apply.
- Have a back-up bike to ride.
- Make sure your health insurance is paid up.
- If you don’t have a back-up bike to ride or health insurance, refer to tip one.
