Fifteen years ago I was touring with a group of riders hoping to stretch the season and we were looking for one last hurrah before putting our bikes away for winter. After a few days of riding in the Deal’s Gap area, we woke up at the Deals Gap Motorcycle Resort with a thick layer of frost on the bikes. My heart sank several inches knowing I would suffer for the first time while riding. I didn’t have a stitch of heated apparel. And at that time, I didn’t have a clue how valuable it could be.

This spring I was lucky enough to spend over two months in both Western and Eastern Europe touring my motorcycle. Not only did I ride through very diverse seasons, spring into summer, but I also rode in very diverse geographic locations and weather conditions. Two months to myself gave me a lot of helmet time
