How To Ride In The Cold...

[Alien VFR]

I installed and tested the grip warmers tonight and I can't believe I've ridden sixteen years without them.

One of the best "Bang for the Buck" mods out there.

I headed out and it was 45 degrees which I can handle without warmers, so it wasn't bad. Felt good to try out the new warmers and see how they work.

The ride home was 33 degrees, and the warmers were definately helpful. Along with all my riding gear (layers), I was very comfortable and could've ridden a long distance in relative comfort if I had to. The half hour ride home was great.

I was actually surprised how hot the grips get. Riding through town the High setting was too hot, so I switched to low. But on the highway, the hot setting was perfectly adequate to do the job.

Here's what I wear whenever the temps get below 50 degrees. It took a while to figure out what works best. The key is layers and making sure there's no exposed skin. The Under Armor is awesome. It's like a second set of skin. But you have to use the tight fitting synthetic stuff that's not very breathable, it works the best. Here's what makes me comfortable down to at least 30 degrees:

Under Armor

Cotton T Shirt

Turtle Neck Sweater

Icon Leather Jacket w/ Liner (Sleeves of liner cut off so my arms aren't too bulky w/ the sweater, etc.)

Icon Timax Gloves

Balaclava (like a ski mask, w/ no mouth hole and one oval eyeport made of synthetic material)

Icon Helmet

Sweat Pants Under Jeans

Boots w/ Thick Cotton Socks

Symtec Grip Heaters

Every year I will ride regularly until the first real snowstorm brings out the salt and sand trucks. Then the road surface is pretty much shot until spring. I'll still ride on the occasional nice mid-winter day though.

Goodnight...

[Cherohala]

Gerbing heated jacket liner and gloves get me through the cold. As far as socks go, I've been using the socks by BMW that wick the moisture away from your skin. REI also sells some nice socks.

[TimC]

Nice post, Alien TLR. Your cold weather gear list sounds similar to mine. I don't have any heated gear, or grip warmers for that matter. But for most rides between 30F and 50F, I'm wearing:

long-johns under my jeans, plus for longer rides rain pants over jeans

heavy socks with some wool content and maybe a pair of thin dress socks under those

long-johns shirt under turtleneck or mock turtleneck

pair of winter windproof/waterproof gloves

windproof balaclava plus maybe a scarf for a bit more warmth

my usual leather jacket with or without liner, depending on how cold it is

Gotta say the windproof balaclava is awesome. I couldn't ride in cold temps without it. It's amazing how quickly your chin gets cold, and just a scarf won't help that.

And if I get a little too warm wearing all this stuff during a longer ride, no problem - I just open the zippered jacket vents for awhile and maybe stow the rain pants, plus I'll always carry my regular leather gloves so I can also stow the winter ones.

[Guest kb2wji]

Rode to work yesterday with 26f showing on the dash thermo. Chilly but not unbearable. My Sidi Doha boots dont really cut it, but my legs are warm thanks to Joe Rocket Alter Ego pants. I love those things!! Worn over khakis even without the liner zipped in they were warm enough. My MotoGP jacket has a few zip in layers which make it perfectly warm over a t shirt. Ditto on the balaclava! (any suggestions?? I use a silky one from wal mart cuz its the only thing thin enough to fit under my helmet. When I use the "real deal" designed for motorcycles it just doesnt fit under my helmet....any ideas?) Any suggestions on gloves? Mine dont cut it under 35 degrees. <_<

[soichiro]

Turtle fur balaclavas are the best by far. The top is thin to fit under a helmet. Search for turtlefur or shellaclava.

http://www.turtlefur.com/

http://www.parkeryamaha.com/ProductImages/snow/1136501.jpg

Edited November 3, 2007 by soichiro

[Baileyrock]

Gerbing heated jacket liner and gloves get me through the cold. As far as socks go, I've been using the socks by BMW that wick the moisture away from your skin. REI also sells some nice socks.

:beer:

Love the Gerbing jacket liner and have their socks too for the really cold days. Heated grips, long john bottoms, a long sleeve turtle neck my leather pants and jacket, balaclavas and I'm good into the 20's(start out) and run my 3-400 mile loops.

Feet have been the biggest problem w/o heated socks until I finally bought some water proof boots that have so insulation in them too.

On the really cold days I throw my rain coat over everything else as a wind break that works fantastic!

Ride on! :thumbsup:

[SEBSPEED]

I've riding to work every day to keep from burning gas in my truck, and it's been getting chilly this week with temps in the 20's every morning.

I stay pretty warm, the only piece of gear I'm missing is a balaclava; my nose, cheeks and forehead get pretty cold.

Otherwise I wear:

-long sleeve tee with a regular tee over it

-jeans

-thick cotton socks

-Icon mainframe helmet

-Schampa fleece neckie(the bandanna kind)

-Tour Master Advanced 3/4 jacket w/ liner in(REAL warm, even in the 20's I get to work with almost sweaty pits...)

-Joe Rocket Alter Ego pants - I haven't been using the rain liner, because it's a pain to get them on over jeans with the liner in, but I find just having

the extra layer and especially the knee pads helps a lot!

-Alpinestars Storm gloves

-Oxtar TCS Evo boots, they're not perf'd, so they do a good job at blocking the wind. I keep a pair of steel toe boots at work to change into.

I'm also using grip heaters, they do make a world of difference. Another thing I'm thinking about is Slammer's heated seat mod, being that the kits are cheap, and somehow all the cold air spills over the screen and tank directly into my crotch... :joystick:

[Lee 2002]

I installed a digital temp contoller when I installed my grips. It gives you so much more control than a HI/LOW switch. I mounted it on the left "wing" of the panel. It works by cycling full power on and off to the grips. Full high leaves the power on constantly. The slowest setting cycles the power on for about 1/10 of a second and off for a full second. It gives a very wide heat range. Another great thing is that it actually cycles power and does not simply dump heat (and power) wherever you hide the resistor.

Available, of course, at Aerostitch/RiderWearhouse.

[Guest cyberized]

I'm in NC...was 29 the other morning. But warms up quick. I wear alot less than the other it seems.

Jacket w/ liner..golf shirt (work).

Joe Rocket gloves..non insulated but they do great

Jeans or Khaki's with thermal pants

Shoes or Sneakers with Columbia winter socks

Balaclava...is a must and key to being warm...if your face is cold everything else seems cold and make the worse

I think I have more insulation than everyone else..I weigh 280lbs and it helps

[Guest milesbandit]

Gerbing heated jacket liner and gloves get me through the cold. As far as socks go, I've been using the socks by BMW that wick the moisture away from your skin. REI also sells some nice socks.

For long rides in cold weather, I also use the foot warmer inserts. At a stop, you can feel the warmth. At speed, your toes don't get so cold.

[Guest Sunshadow]

I will ride as long as the temperature is above 3 or so degrees celsius (about 37ish F) during the day, and I try to avoid leaves and shade.

I basically wear the following:

Rain gear or a jacket over my perforated leathers / mesh

Heated gloves (I use ones made by Widder. Gerbing makes some good stuff too)

Respro Foggy breath mask (to prevent fogging of the helmet)

Neck Gator

Long johns

Nylon pants over the perforated leathers

Nothing special for the footwear. They tend to stay fairly warm. Must be the inner boot that helps (I wear a pair of daytona evo sports)

That about keeps me sufficiently warm on highway rides in the temperatures mentioned above.

[Guest Cerebus]

I bought a FirstGear one-piece insulated suit OCT 2007. I rode to work last week (24F) wearing that, shorts, T-shirt, insulated gloves, and my Icon Mainframe helmet w/iPod shuffle attached inside the helmet. The only thing cold was the underside of my chin. I highly recommend getting this suit for winter riding. It's waterproof and compresses well.

[wgnorman]

Underarmor cold gear shirt

Long sleeve T-shirt

Gerbing Jacket Liner and Gloves

Aerostich Roadcrafter

Slow cook for 6 hours and 300 miles of mountain 2 lane....mmmm! :rolleyes:

[Veefer800Canuck]

Turtle Fur??? :rolleyes:

[house]

I installed and tested the grip warmers tonight and I can't believe I've ridden sixteen years without them.

One of the best "Bang for the Buck" mods out there.

I headed out and it was 45 degrees which I can handle without warmers, so it wasn't bad. Felt good to try out the new warmers and see how they work.

The ride home was 33 degrees, and the warmers were definately helpful. Along with all my riding gear (layers), I was very comfortable and could've ridden a long distance in relative comfort if I had to. The half hour ride home was great.

I was actually surprised how hot the grips get. Riding through town the High setting was too hot, so I switched to low. But on the highway, the hot setting was perfectly adequate to do the job.

Here's what I wear whenever the temps get below 50 degrees. It took a while to figure out what works best. The key is layers and making sure there's no exposed skin. The Under Armor is awesome. It's like a second set of skin. But you have to use the tight fitting synthetic stuff that's not very breathable, it works the best. Here's what makes me comfortable down to at least 30 degrees:

Under Armor

Cotton T Shirt

Turtle Neck Sweater

Icon Leather Jacket w/ Liner (Sleeves of liner cut off so my arms aren't too bulky w/ the sweater, etc.)

Icon Timax Gloves

Balaclava (like a ski mask, w/ no mouth hole and one oval eyeport made of synthetic material)

Icon Helmet

Sweat Pants Under Jeans

Boots w/ Thick Cotton Socks

Symtec Grip Heaters

Every year I will ride regularly until the first real snowstorm brings out the salt and sand trucks. Then the road surface is pretty much shot until spring. I'll still ride on the occasional nice mid-winter day though.

Goodnight...

I ride all winter... unless we get snow (like THAT happens in GA!) I do the grip heater thing and have Gerbing heated pants for anything below 25 degrees... over that, I wear a set of Dainese winter pants and the liner for my Dainese Zen Jacket. I have a full Balaclava for the 30 degree or lower days and a half Balaclava for the 30 to 45 days. I wear thick socks, jeans, long sleeve shirts as well, but that's about it. I am good for up to 2 hours with no break in that gear... we'll see how old I have to get before I can't handle it anymore I just got a Gerbing heated jacket liner for this season... can't wait to try it! So far the coldest I have seen is 13/14 degrees.

[HispanicSlammer]

Well I have a set of Dual star heated grips, work well.

I wired a kimpex heater to my seat and put it on a hot grips pulsed width controler for a heated seat

wired up another hot grips controller for my widder vest - the vest is heated but it loses heat to the outside, looking for a better vest with better insulation.

I have an old set of widder heated gloves but never wired them for the vfr, they are well insuated and work good in low temps.

I get too stiff riding in cold and dont enjoy it, so I dont ride much in the cold anymore. I just prepare for it, like my ride home from Texas last year it was 30 degrees all day long-the heated stuff came in handy. I unplugged a headlight to keep from taxing the stator too much.

[house]

Well I have a set of Dual star heated grips, work well.

I wired a kimpex heater to my seat and put it on a hot grips pulsed width controler for a heated seat

wired up another hot grips controller for my widder vest - the vest is heated but it loses heat to the outside, looking for a better vest with better insulation.

I have an old set of widder heated gloves but never wired them for the vfr, they are well insuated and work good in low temps.

I get too stiff riding in cold and dont enjoy it, so I dont ride much in the cold anymore. I just prepare for it, like my ride home from Texas last year it was 30 degrees all day long-the heated stuff came in handy. I unplugged a headlight to keep from taxing the stator too much.

Hey HS, give this a look... Heated jacket liner. I have one and it's really nice (although, I rarely use it.... not until it dips below 25 degrees - which is not often in GA ) Still, a nice liner with neck warmers built in as well :thumbsup:

[Baileyrock]

Well I have a set of Dual star heated grips, work well.

I wired a kimpex heater to my seat and put it on a hot grips pulsed width controler for a heated seat

wired up another hot grips controller for my widder vest - the vest is heated but it loses heat to the outside, looking for a better vest with better insulation.

I have an old set of widder heated gloves but never wired them for the vfr, they are well insuated and work good in low temps.

I get too stiff riding in cold and dont enjoy it, so I dont ride much in the cold anymore. I just prepare for it, like my ride home from Texas last year it was 30 degrees all day long-the heated stuff came in handy. I unplugged a headlight to keep from taxing the stator too much.

Hey HS, give this a look... Heated jacket liner. I have one and it's really nice (although, I rarely use it.... not until it dips below 25 degrees - which is not often in GA ) Still, a nice liner with neck warmers built in as well :thumbsup:

:unsure:

Heated sleeves chest and neck!!! :thumbsup:

These things are awesome and come with a Lifetime warranty to boot! :thumbsup:

In the worst conditions I just add a rain jacket to block unwanted wind and I'm toasty! :thumbsup:

[dutchinterceptor]

Another vote for the Gerbings here.

Last year I had to ride 400 miles in 35 degrees to get home with only heated grips and not nearly enough clothes. As soon as I parked the bike I walked inside the house and ordered the Gerbings. No more freezing rides....gloves are next.

[ZoomerAB]

I spend way too many miles riding in the cold..........

Hot Grips

Widder heated gloves

AeroStitch Darrian with the Kanetsu electric jacket (no longer working, wire broken somewhere).

AeroStitch Airvantage heated vest (this is the best piece of heating clothing I have ever had) http://www.aerostich.com/catalog/US/Kanets...-p-1-c-284.html

Neck tube or very light silk bellaclava

Etc

The feet are the only body parts left to freeze. So far I have just been wearing heavy socks with my Alpenstars, but really colds days (-12C) makes me long for my R Series BMW where I would tuck my feet forward under the cylinders. I may try out some heated socks....but at some point the suiting up time with all this gear really doesn't make much sense unless you are going to be on the bike for a few hours.

[house]

Another vote for the Gerbings here.

Last year I had to ride 400 miles in 35 degrees to get home with only heated grips and not nearly enough clothes. As soon as I parked the bike I walked inside the house and ordered the Gerbings. No more freezing rides....gloves are next.

I tried the gloves and hated them... my hands slid around too much in them. I just wear thick leather and use the heated grips. I think over the last year I have become winterized

[dutchinterceptor]

Another vote for the Gerbings here.

Last year I had to ride 400 miles in 35 degrees to get home with only heated grips and not nearly enough clothes. As soon as I parked the bike I walked inside the house and ordered the Gerbings. No more freezing rides....gloves are next.

I tried the gloves and hated them... my hands slid around too much in them. I just wear thick leather and use the heated grips. I think over the last year I have become winterized

I tried on a pair of the Gerbing G3's and will agree with you on the sliding bit but last weekend at the cycle show I tried on a pair of Powerlet gloves. They felt much better like a standard pair of gloves in my opinion.

[house]

Another vote for the Gerbings here.

Last year I had to ride 400 miles in 35 degrees to get home with only heated grips and not nearly enough clothes. As soon as I parked the bike I walked inside the house and ordered the Gerbings. No more freezing rides....gloves are next.

I tried the gloves and hated them... my hands slid around too much in them. I just wear thick leather and use the heated grips. I think over the last year I have become winterized

I tried on a pair of the Gerbing G3's and will agree with you on the sliding bit but last weekend at the cycle show I tried on a pair of Powerlet gloves. They felt much better like a standard pair of gloves in my opinion.

Ohhhh.... I will have to check them out!!! Thanks!

[Guest rad]

My experience, if you not only want to be warm but stay warm, stay away from cotton. Layer with synthetics and if ya add heated gear, ride'n below freezing is no problem...Other than traction.

[ggathagan]

I decided long ago that the best solution to deal with cold weather riding: Move to where there's no cold weather !! :thumbsup: