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It’s the best thing ever.<\/strong><\/p><\/div>\n \u201cI am a man,\u201d I replied. \u201cI do not wear such vests.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhat kind of vests do you wear?\u201d he asked.<\/p>\n \u201cOnce, many years ago, I wore a leather vest with some embroidery on the back. Now and again, I wear a leather vest with no embroidery on the back to remind me of what I once was and can never be again.\u201d \u201cI still think you need to try this vest out.\u201d<\/p>\n I sighed. It was my long-suffering sigh. The one I reserve for good mates who just can\u2019t see my point of view.<\/p>\n \u201cOK. But I\u2019m not going to like it.\u201d<\/p>\n I was right.<\/p>\n I didn\u2019t like it.<\/p>\n I loved it.<\/p>\n I’m wearing it here…<\/strong><\/p><\/div>\n …and here…<\/strong><\/p><\/div>\n <\/p>\n …and even here.<\/strong><\/p><\/div>\n It is light. It is comfortable. It folds up into a tiny thing.<\/p>\n But all of that aside, what it does best of all is to keep your core warm. Like, seriously warm.<\/p>\n It is better than all the jumpers, sloppy joes, hoodies, and cardigans ever made.<\/p>\n I rode the European alps in it. I have traversed the Snowys in winter, and done Lithgow when it was minus 15. I have ridden in it when lesser men were blue with hypothermia and wearing all the clothing they owned.<\/p>\n So in the very harshest and coldest conditions, it now goes like this for me: A high-end winter jacket (Held has some beauties there too), thermals, a long-sleeved T-shirt, and this softshell vest. That\u2019s it. I shit you not. I might add a short-sleeve T-shirt if I\u2019m riding through a collapsed glacier and there are dead polar bears on the side of the road, but this vest is that something extra which ensures I am not cold.<\/p>\n It has become an essential part of my motorcycle wardrobe. I go nowhere without it. And I cannot conceive of being without it. It is warmth without bulk. And that is priceless.<\/p>\n I\u2019ve had it for three years now. It still looks new.<\/p>\n It costs $100. It is the best $100 you\u2019ll ever spend.<\/p>\n Winter is coming. I know it doesn\u2019t feel like it, but it is coming.<\/p>\n Show it your middle finger and ride warm. No-one will ever even know you\u2019ve got it on. It will be our soft little secret.<\/p>\n
\nRay pondered this revelation for a while.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"http:\/\/bikeme.tv\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/DSC_0608.jpg\")
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