First Longer Ride on the MT10

I bought my MT10 in November and haven't had the opportunity to take it on a longer trip until today. I've done several 60-120 mile rides around our area here in Hopkinsville, KY and have dialed in some fun routes. They don't compare to Eastern KY or TN/NC but for this area, they are a good fit for this bike. BUT I've been dying to take it to NC and ride the Cherohala and the Dragon to compare it to my other bikes. 

Here are a couple things I learned today, some bad - some good.

It's been a long time since I've had a bike without a fairing and a large windshield. My other bikes are an FJR and a Goldwing. The Goldwing has heated seats and grips. I know I need that for riding in the 30's and I know I'm good with that for my current gear. I can handle the low 40's pretty well on the FJR but I've got to make sure I have my winter gloves. I was fine this morning when I left on the MT10 at 46. I was surprised how good it felt. But the real surprise was even after it warmed up to 52 in two hours, I got chilled and could not get warm. I do have a sinus infection, so that might have made it worse, but once you get cold, it's hard to press through it if you don't have any other layers to add. I actually bought a sweatshirt today at a truck stop to add a third shirt layer under my Rev-IT jacket that already has two liners. That still didn't cut it. The absent fairing makes a real difference in the colder temps. This won't normally be a huge deal except for this trip, because I can either take one of the other bikes if it's cold or spring for some heated gear. One other trick if I'm really cold is to put the rain gear on over my jacket which helps more than it seems like it should because of airflow. There was no chance of rain this trip, so I didn't pack it. I had to cut the trip short because tomorrow will be pretty much the same temp and I was feeling like I was going to get sicker from being so cold.

Even though I didn't make it anywhere great, I still rode 327 miles today. I was not sure how that would feel and I'm thrilled that I could have done more. The cold was the only deterrent to me cutting the weekend short.  My butt was sore, but really it felt comparable to the FJR which has a Russell Day Long and like about 400 on the Goldwing. The MT10 has the stock seat with a beadrider on it. I have posted here in accessories on that and I know it has questionable looks, but for ride comfort and cost, I am thrilled. I won't be considering the gel seat or other options any more. I am VERY pleased with the ergonomics of the MT10. It fits me very well and I don't have any unexpected pains.

The performance and handling of the bike is still awesome, but I was already convinced of that.