Cold Weather Riding

So we are more then half way through February and hopefully that means that riding season will soon be here.  I rode my bike last year all the way until the end of November and in temperatures as low as -10 degrees celcius (it was COLD). So as the season gets closer what can you do to prepare both yourself and your bike for the first few months of the season?

Lets first talk about gear for your bike.

No matter what kind of bike you have there are a couple of things that those of us that venture out early/late in the season should have to combat the cold.

First thing would be a wind screen.

No matter what kind of bike you ride, having a windscreen will take that cold air off of your chest and face.  A few things to make sure of is that the windscreen is high enough.  You don’t want the wind being defected straight into your face.  This can cause it to be even colder and you can end up getting some nasty wind buffeting.

Next would be hand deflectors.

I don’t see a lot of people with these on theirs bikes (but i think i may get a set for the end of this upcoming season), but I can see these being a great addition, especially for those that don’t have heated gloves.  Again very useful for getting that wind off of your hands.  I find that its my hands that get the coldest the quickest.

Add some power to your bike.

Now i don’t mean make your bike faster, but add power adapters to your bike.  This may help later in allowing you to connect powered heated gear to your bike, and during the warmer months it sure is nice having a place to plug your phone in!

Heated Grips.

This is something that I’ve been wanting and thinking about adding to my bike.  If you ever have the need or want to replace your grips, why not look into heated ones.  These would be a great add-on for you bike and can be used whenever.  Who knows when your hands may get cold!

How about you?

Well first thing would be to wear some sort of thermal underwear.  Just standing in the cold is one thing, but riding in it is another.  With that cold wind beating up against your body at high speeds you can get real cold real quick.  So this nice little piece of clothing can become very beneficial.

Full face helmet is also high on the list.  I for one ride with a half helmet through the summer, especially the warmer days, but when the cold is here I wear a full face.  The reason is that it again keeps that cold air off of your skin.  Also because your head is enclosed you naturally keep that area warm as less heat has the opportunity to escape.  Just be aware that because of the cold and warm mixing there is a tendency for the visor to want to fog up.  Be prepared!

Time to bring out the big gloves.

During the summer I ride with summer gloves (and yes i always wear gloves – never barehanded) but during the winter I bring out much thicker and warmer gloves.  I ride with gauntlet style gloves which also help cover the seam between my gloves and my jacket.  Just try and keep your hands warm.  Even better would be heated gloves

Next would be your jacket.  If you think its important to wear protective gear in the summer, its even more so in the winter.  So I have a nice leather jacket that I wear through out the season, but during the colder months its just not enough.  So I ended up buying myself a nice winter jacket.  Now its not a riding jacket, but its warm and designed like a riding jacket.  So I wear both.  I made sure that when I bought this jacket that it could be worn over top of my leather, so if i go down I still have the leather to protect me.  Great idea? I don’t know, but it works.  Just don’t go out riding without your protection!

What about pants.  Well I ride with leather chaps, but any kind of extra motorcycle pants will come in handy and help fight off the cold.  Last year I even rode a couple of fall/winter days with my rain pants on.  And it definitely helped.  Rain gear stops the wind from getting through to your jeans and skin.

If you can afford it and if your bike has the power for it, you can get a lot of different types of heated gear, from full suits, jackets, gloves and just about whatever else you can think of.  Some are self powered and others need to be plugged into your bike.  Just make sure that if you purchase the kind that plugs into your bike, make sure your bike has enough juice to be able to power them without running your battery down.

Well thats really all I can think of right now, and I’m sure that there is more stuff you can buy to stay warm.  Just remember when riding in the cold that things that weren’t slippery before are now.  Your tires and the road just don’t get the same kind of grip that they did when you were riding in the summer.  And just because you are prepared to ride doesn’t mean everyone else is.  Everyone has less traction and needs more time to start and especially stop, be on the lookout and pay attention to yourself and everyone around you.

Ride Safe!!