For Christmas this year, my Mom & Dad sent both Kenny and myself a pair of Gerbing Microwire T5 heated gloves. It was not until this weekend that I got a change to plug them in and give them a try.

Gerbing’s products are made to all connect together in one big circuit. Each garment has a plug or a jack to connect to one another. You can use an individual thermostat to variably control the heat flowing through each garment directly or you can use a single thermostat to control all.

Hero of the Stupid

If you are a dummy like me you might make the incorrect assumption that with an interconnected system all of the wires and jacks in the jacket liner would be powered once you are plugged in to the battery. This is not the case.

One Thermostat, Multiple Garments

If you only want to use a single thermostat controller for both your jacket liner and your gloves, you will need a splitter. Power from the motorcycle battery must be flowing into both male jacks on the jacket liner in order to power an accessory from the liner.

Plug the 2 female splitter ends into the jacket liner and the 1 male splitter end into the thermostat controller. Now, plug the gloves in to the liner’s forearm jacks. Your body and your hands will be toasty; controlled by a single thermostat.

So how are they?

In a word… Scrumtrilescent.

By the time that I arrived home from my ride yesterday, it was about 25 degrees out. At no time during the ride were my hands ever cold, even at highway speeds. I do still have the handlebar muffs on my bike as well.

The T5 gloves are not as bulky and vague feeling as my Alpinestars winter gloves though not as natural feeling as my regular non-winter leather gloves. I did not feel impaired by the T5s in any way.

All in all I think they are fantastic. Though the $170 price tag may not be an easy one to swallow, I would go so far as to say that they are worth it if you are inclined to ride in the cold weather. Much like the heated liner, I found myself wondering why I didn’t just buy them for myself prior to getting them as a gift. I guess mom really does know best!

In 1902 Joseph Merkel Started manufacturing single cylinder motorcycles in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Merkel was an innovator in the newly blossoming motorcycle arena. With his sights set on competition machines by 1905 Merkel began to produce racing bikes.

Innovations by Joseph Merkel

• A patented spring fork that was the precursor to telescopic forks
• Monoshock suspension
• Throttle controlled engine oiler
• Cam-actuated intake valve
• Merkel Motor Wheel
• Reduced highway fees for motorcycles in New York

In 1908 Merkel merged his motorcycle company with Light Motor Company. The newly formed Merkel-Light Motor Company was then relocated to Pennsylvania. It was during this time that the “Flying Merkel” came into the world.

Merkel motorcycle production ceased during the time of World War I.

YouTube Video: Flying Merkel Running

Links & Photos

• The Flying Merkel – Vintage Racing Photos
• Joseph Merkel – Motorcycle Hall of Fame Inductee

*sources:

• http://www.theflyingmerkel.com/themerkel.htm
• http://www.motorcyclemuseum.org/halloffame/hofbiopage.asp?id=229
• http://www.50sville.com/merkel.htm
• http://www.motorcycle.com/events/historic-vintage-bike-auction-preview-80205.html

Some of the motorcycles parked outside of the Motorcycle Show at the Javitz Center in New York City were just as interesting to look at as the ones that were parked inside. I spied this blacked-out modified BMW R60/7 parked at the curb. So Mad Max-y!

In June of 2008 our time riding with Novos came to a close in the town of Lee Vining just outside of Yosemite National Park. While Kenny, Greg and I checked in to a hotel, Novos peeled off heading towards his home in SoCal. He was going back to real life and we continued on in our California riding fantasy world.

In the morning under a clear blue sky, three headed north on route 395 with a view of Mono Lake sparkling to the east. We were heading towards the Sonora Pass.

About 20 miles out of town we saw signs for Bodie Historic Park. I had previously seen photos of the park from Novos. It looked really interesting. So, I pulled off and asked the guys if they wanted to check it out. I don’t know why I even asked. It should have been one of those given moments. Who knows when I’d ever pass that way again? It’s best to just go take a peek rather than wonder what it might have been like for the rest of your life. On we went in to Bodie.

Bodie is frozen in time. By the time that the State of California took over the town in 1962, it had been abandoned and ravaged by fire. The remaining 200 or so structures in the town are all that is left as a result of a major blaze that occurred in the 1930s.

It was fascinating to stroll through the dirt roadways, peering in to the old buildings. The only inhabitants that remain in this old mining town are the swallows that make mud nests in the eaves.

Photo Gallery – Click to Enlarge

For More Information:

• Google Maps Link – Lee Vining to Bodie
• Bodie State Historic Park
• Google Maps Link – Sonora Pass
• Wikipedia – Sonora Pass

It’s no secret that I totally heart Triumph motorcycles. SuckerPunch Sally’s Fender Thruxton is no exception. The aged cream colored paint, Union Jack and wrapped exhaust give it a deliciously retro rockin’ look. I wish I could have heard it start up. What do you think – sweet or not so much?

For More Information: SuckerPunch Sallys