Why Fat Bikers Are Better

Losing weight is a good thing if you look at it from the standpoint of health, but from the standpoint of riding a motorcycle I'm not so sure.

I went from a high of 240 pounds down to 150 pounds, which is my normal weight if you consider Body Mass Index as being a good metric. I finally reached that 150 pounds just last November.

Since then, I can't seem to keep warm.

Most of the fat is now gone. Whereas before I could ride with just a t-shirt and jeans, I can't seem to do that anymore. Albeit we're riding in the winter time, Southern California still gets into the 60s and 70s during the afternoon. And in years past I've ridden with just a t-shirt and jeans in those temperatures.

Now days, I can't even sit inside a restaurant without a sweatshirt over a t-shirt.

I used to poke fun at people for bundling up with four layers of clothing when saddling up for a ride. But recently I've found myself riding with a t-shirt, with a sweatshirt over that, a leather jacket over that, and my vest over that. That's four layers.

Losing weight has also made my butt sore after a hundred miles of riding. My tailbone keeps digging into the seat, and that just makes me shift around all the time.

However, I can say with some satisfaction that after buying this Honda ST1300, I'm sitting in a little bit more leaned-forward position which seem to help. Also, having my feet below me instead of in front of me, shifts more of my body weight to my feet.

And of course, losing weight means buying smaller clothes. So far, I've purchased three leather jackets in three years, with the most recent purchase coming last weekend. Suffice it to say, I'm limiting my purchases to jackets $200.00 or less.

The last jacket I had was sized "Medium", which felt perfect when I bought it. But I've lost another 25 pounds since then.

For awhile, I figured I could just wear it anyways, even though it was a little loose. But a loose jacket is part of what makes you cold while riding. If the wind can fill up your jacket like a balloon, then the jacket can't keep you warm. It's gotta fit snug to keep you warm.

But I'd still rather be at my slender college weight than my portly biker weight, so I don't plan on going back. Yet, there is indeed an advantage to being chunky if you ride a motorcycle.