Canyon Dancer reporting in
We came over two passes yesterday, Rabbit Ears and Cameron, both about 9,000 feet and just wore our Gold Wing Jackets with liners in them and Levi's. We were a little cold but only for the 1/hour going over each pass, then it warmed up as we got down to 8,000 feet and got almost too warm as we got down to the 7,000 foot level. It was 46 degrees at the top of each pass and it was a cloudy day. I doubt that you would need anything more than we had on. But it depends on your tolerance for temperature swings, some people are fine with temps in the 40's for short periods of time. If you are going to be at 7,000 feet for most of the ride or lower, regular motorcycle jackets should be fine. I do have thick motorcyle gloves along with heated grips that feel just fine at the higher elevations, then switch to light gloves with the heated grips on medium until I hit the 60 degree temps at 6,000 feet elevation. The mountains are spectacular this time of year, you'll see scenes that make you believe you are in Switzerland or the Alps. Even for us, who live here, we are awestruck with the beauty of our state! Enjoy! P.S. If you enjoy wine, be sure to visit the tasting room of Two Rivers Winery in Grand Junction, they produce 92 point score Cabernet, some of the best Colorado Wine you can buy (about $20 per bottle in the store).
P.S.S.
On second thought, If you are going to go over Trail Ridge Road / Rocky Mountain Nat'l Park at 14,000 feet, I would guess the temp at the top will be around 32 degrees and the wind usually blows pretty hard up there, you might want to carry extra warm stuff for there. If you do a normal "ride over", you will be at that altitude for about an hour with the stops along the way, so I'd dress accordingly for that. It never bothers me in normal riding jackets but you are used to warmer weather so your requirements are different from mine.