It is cold out there!

Going somewhere on the bike now takes an extra ten minutes - five minutes on both ends of the trip to deal with the heated vest and the robber mask. At this time of year wearing a bra has more to do with comfort than with style; the foam cups provide insulation. And, unlike padded bras in the past, the molded foam cups are a big deal because they provide shaping without seam lines. Like bad welds lines on the frame of a motorcycle, panty lines and bra cup lines are disappointing reminders that human-made beauty is a construction, perfection is just an illusion.

Human female breasts naturally point out about 45 degrees from the centerline of the body, and for good reason. When a baby's head is cradled in the mother's arm, the baby's mouth is in line with the nipple. Bras and corsets "correct" that natural line; bra cups are designed to make the breast point forward, literally turning the breast away from being a source of nurture to an aesthetic object.

If you're a guy who wears a silk noose around his neck during the day, you might feel some empathy for the woman who wears a lymph fluid system constricting, body part twisting elastic band that requires a reverse namaste to get in and out of.

The fact that ties and bras are the first thing we want to get out of at the end of the day says it all. "But what about sports bras?" you ask. "Aren't they supposed to be more comfortable?"

Just as with motorcycles there's no such thing as generic bra. You wouldn't put a GP racing machine on a dirt trail, and you wouldn't wear a balcony bra for a marathon run. Sports bras are only more comfortable in that they are designed to provide support and stabilization, that is, reduce bounce and radial motion during activity. Not only is that motion distracting in many ways, the motion can also be painful.

However, even as much as sports bras are a godsend to athletic women, that elastic encasing, no matter how well engineered, is constricting. As soon as the athletic activity is over, I want "out" of my sports bra.

It's the same feeling that you have after riding six to eight hours on poorly paved surfaces in sleet; you want "off" the bike. Isn't it heaven to get all that gear off and wrap your hands around a warm mug of hot chocolate?

On December 12th BMW announced lower seat height options on six models. Reading this announcement I had several reactions, including "thank god, it is about time!" and "What the heck took you so damn long?". Is it just me or does the announcement sound vaguely condescending to you?

Here are three book recommendations for you to begin the new year:

• Long Way Round: Chasing Shadows Across the World by Ewan McGregor and Charley Boorman. I was not expecting such a from-the-heart telling of their four-month experience. Normal people would go from London to New York across the Atlantic. These guys took the long way 'round, riding from the UK to Russia, then from Alaska to New York, 20,000 miles in all. The descriptions of the bad roads will make you shudder, the odd circumstances will make you nervous, and the emotional struggles they so honestly recount will make you sigh. I've queued up the DVD on Netflix, I'm told that the description of the Ulanbataar "roads" are unmatched for inspiring a person to learn to ride in the dirt.

• Jupiter's Travels by Ted Simon who in 1973 started a four-year ride on a Triumph Tiger around the world. The first half of the journey took him the length of Africa, from Tunis to Capetown, then around South America from the tip of Brazil to the Argentine Pampas and from Chile north through Panama to California. Then he rode around Australia, and from Singapore overland to Europe through India, Afghanistan, Iran, and Turkey. This book was the inspiration for the McGregor/Boorman book. Like a warning on cigarette packages, the back cover of the latest and self-published edition of Jupiter's Travels reads "Reader Beware: Because of this book men and women have been known to leave their jobs and take to the road. In fifteen years it has changed many lives. It could change yours." It has most assuredly added to my resolve to persue my long distance riding dreams.

  The link takes you to Ted Simon's own site where you can purchase the book and support him directly, or you can buy the book on Amazon.

• This last recommendation has nothing to do with motorcycles but has everything to do with adventure. I heard a review of this graphic novel on NPR, bought a used copy and was delighted. For a view of life in the Middle East that you will never get from network news, check out Cairo, written by G. Willow Wilson and drawn by M.K. Perker.

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From the .sig file on an email I received:
"Blessed are the cracked: For it is they who let in the light"

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Bonne et Heureuse Année 2008
Shin Nen ni Akemashite O'medeto Gozaimasu
Zhana Zhiliniz Kutti Bolsin
Seh Heh Bok Mani Bat Uh Seyo
Ath Bhliain Faoi Mhaise
Frohes Neues Jahr
Szczesliwego Nowego Roku
Blwyddyn Newydd Dda
Es Guets Nöis
Bloavezh Mat
Beschte Wìnsch Fer's Neije Johr
Hauoli Makahiki Hou
Bona Annada
Feliz Ano Novo
E Glëckliches Nëies
Happy New Year!

Ride safe, keep warm!

Wishing you all the best for 2008 - let's get in the dirt!