Riding your bike while cold wet weather requires planning, foresight and the right gear. Clothing that seems fine when you are driving your car or walking down the road in the rain probably wont cut it at 70 miles an hour on your motorcycle. It takes the right gear to keep you warm under these ultimate conditions. Buy gear designed for motorcycling. There is a difference. Women riders have had a tough time seeing gear made for them at an affordable price until fairly recently. Happily myself and other vendors are contribution affordable ability gear tailored for women.
Dress In Layers
Cover All Skin
Block The Wind
Stay Dry
Keep Your Head Warm
The Layers
Insulating Layer: The insulating layer creates dead air space in the middle of the layers of clothing, trapping warm body air and keeping it nearby the body. Look for outerwear that is warm, water-resistant and well insulated with a artificial fiber such as Thinsulate Insulation.
Outer Shell: This layer protects against wind and rain. This is probably the most foremost layer.
Outerwear Machine-washable jackets support their waterproofing great than those that wish dry-cleaning. Jackets with sealed seams also forestall water from getting in. If you wear a non-leather jacket get one designed for motorcycling. That popular ,favorite 0 jacket you bought at the branch store probably won't work as well as a 0 jacket you buy from me because it's not designed for motorcycling. Leather is a great wind stopper. A well made leather jacket designed for motorcycling will last for years, keep you comfortable and safe you in a skid.
Look for outerwear containing Thinsulate and similar Insulation, it provides about 1 ½ times the warmth of down and nearly twice the warmth of other high-loft insulators when equal thicknesses are compared. Look for features such as cuffs that close tightly to keep out cold air and snow, zippers with large nylon teeth, and storm flaps over the zippers and double breasted chest openings to block wind and water. Cuffs, pockets and chest closures with complicated closure systems such as zippers and snaps or zippers ,velcro and snaps tend to stop more wind.
Zip out liners are very handy. You can remove your liner when it is warm in the afternoon, store it in your saddlebag and put it back in when the climatic characteristic dips.
Add leather or string ties to zippers etc so you can open and close them with your gloves on.
Your neck Nehru or Euro style collars on jackets tend to cover the neck better. A turtle neck sweater will help some. In assuredly cold weather a balaclava or a leather riding mask will make a big difference. Remember to cover your neck! By the time you have traveled a half a mile in cold weather you will know if you forgot to cover that adam's apple!
Legs safe your legs from the wind. There are a collection of choices for protecting your legs. Chaps, Leather pants and Textile pants. I sell a collection of these items in varied price ranges. All of my items are designed for motorcycling. Once again wear layers; thermal underwear and lined pants or chaps to block the wind. When it gets cold a pair of Levis and long johns won't do it!
Footwear Wet feet become cold and numb quickly, keep your feet dry by wearing acceptable boots. When your feet become wet (through sweating or immersion) you need to put on dry, fresh socks. Insulated boots help. Wear socks made of artificial fibers like polyester and polypropylene. Make sure your boots are loose enough to conveniently wear thick socks. Avoid steel toe boots. A pair of cold feet will ruin an otherwise great ride!
Headgear You loose most of your heat straight through your head and neck! Wear a full face helmet with face shield for optimum comfort. Leather masks cover the neck and lower face. Balaclavas cover the neck, face and insulate your head.
Gloves Waterproof gloves lined with artificial insulation such as Thinsulate insulation are effective insulators, keep your hands covered at all times. The savvy rider has some pairs of gloves designed for varied riding conditions: Fingerless gloves for warm summer riding. This cuts down on vibration, reduces calluses and offers some protection in a skid. Zip Cuff Gauntlet gloves The next choice is ordinarily flexible gloves with thin lining that offer wind protection and a gauntlet cuff to keep wind from blowing up the jacket sleeves. I carry a pair all the time in my saddlebag along with a pair of cotton liners to add when it gets cold. They are handy even on cool summer nights.For assuredly cold weather I wear a pair of thick gauntlet motorcycling / ski gloves with thick insulate lining. Gauntlet cuff gloves are very important. They fit over the jacket sleeve and keep ice cold air from blowing up to your arm pits at 70 miles an hour!
Mittens keep hands warmer than gloves but offer less dexterity. They are a definite no-no for riders or passengers. You can't feel the controls and the passenger can't hold on!
Rain Gear
Keep a set of nylon rain gear in your saddlebag for each man on the bike. They don't weigh much but they are a real life saver when the rain or sleet starts advent down.
Just my understanding on heated clothes. They work great when they work! I used to wear a heated vest and heated socks. I stayed warm and toasty even in assuredly cold weather. One day in January one of my heated socks quit working, I didn't perceive it. I froze a concentrate of toes and darn near lost them. That was enough for me!
A few normal observations:
Avoid real tight clothing. You loose that insulating warm air layer when you wear a jacket, pants or boots that are too tight.
Dress for relax and protection. Wearing your beany and a denim jacket when the chill factor dips below 30 only impresses dummies. Surprisingly this occurs at about 45 degrees F at 70 mph!
Bring gear for the worst weather you may run into. You probably will. Those nice 70 degree October days sometimes turn into a rainy 35 degree ride home.
Wind Chill
The cooling consequent of wind at 70 mph is astounding. Plan thought about before you leave. At about 10 degrees fahrenheit you are entering very perilous territory. Wind chill is not something to fool with:
Wind Chill @ 70 Mph
Degrees F-> 50 40 30 20 10 0 -10
Wind Chill 38 24 9 -6 -20 -35 -49
Hypothermia
1. Hypothermia is a decrease in the core body climatic characteristic to a level at which normal muscular and cerebral functions are impaired." Hypothermia can creep up on you and seriously reduce your thinking abilities and
coordination.
2. Conditions foremost to Hypothermia
Cold temperatures Improper clothing and equipment, Wetness, Fatigue, exhaustion, Dehydration, Poor food intake, Alcohol intake - causes vasodilation foremost to increased heat loss
3. climatic characteristic ranges at which hypothermia can occur on your motorcycle:
32 Degrees Below frosty all the time perilous Without permissible Gear
40 degrees - Entering Danger Zone: permissible Gear Needed If Riding More
Than A Few Minutes
60 degrees - Caution! Cover Exposed Skin Especially If It Is Raining.
4. What To Look For; Signs And Symptoms
a. Watch for stumbles, mumbles and fumbles which show changes in motor coordination and levels of consciousness. Having troubles with controls, have to consciously think about where the brakes are etc. Stop And Get Warm. Don'T Drink Alcohol, That Reduces Blood Flow And Makes It Worse. A Warm Drink With Sugar Helps.
b. Mild Hypothermia - core climatic characteristic 98.6 - 96 degrees F
At This Point You Can Make perilous Mistakes; Forget To Put On The Brakes, Over Or Understeer A Curve. ( One Time I Stopped For A Red Light And Forgot To Take My Feet Off The Pegs!) Shivering - not under voluntary operate Can't do complex motor functions, can still walk & talk Vasoconstriction to periphery
c. Moderate Hypothermia - core climatic characteristic 95 - 93 degrees F
Dazed consciousness Loss of fine motor coordination - particularly in hands - can't zip up your jacket, due to restricted blood flow to the hands.Slurred speech Violent shivering Irrational behavior - Paradoxical Undressing - man starts to take off clothing, unaware s/he is cold Many Symptoms Like Being Stoned. A man in this health needs help. Immediately get them indoors. They may not be able to make good decisions for themselves. If you or man riding with you reaches this point reassess your plans; Make frequent stops to warm up, get a room for the night or park the bike and get great gear. You are taking a serious risk!
d. Severe Hypothermia - core climatic characteristic 92 - 86 degrees and below
(immediately life threatening) You won't have any problem noticing this stage. The man falls down, curls into a fetal position appears to die! Shivering occurs in waves, violent then pause, pauses get longer until shivering ultimately ceases - because the heat output from burning glycogen in the muscles is not enough to counteract the continually dropping core temperature, the body stops shivering to conserve glucose. man falls to the ground, can't walk, curls up into a fetal position to conserve heat. Muscle rigidity develops - because peripheral blood flow is reduced and due to lactic acid and Co2 buildup in the muscles. Skin is pale Pupils dilate Pulse rate decreases at 90 degrees the body tries to move into hibernation, shutting down all peripheral blood flow and reducing breathing rate and heart rate. At 86 degrees the body is in a state of "metabolic icebox." The man looks dead but is still alive.
Make sure your passenger is dressed right before you leave. They may not know how to dress. It's up to you to help them make the right choice. And guess who is going to listen to them nag to wear your nice warm jacket on the way home if they don't?
Keep these guidelines in mind the next time you speculation out on that bike in cold weather.
You don't have to park that bike when fall rolls around. Just dress right and enjoy!
Breathable Layer: This is the layer that comes in contact with the skin. It should allow body moisture to leave and evaporate more quickly, which keeps the skin dry and comfortable. Use thermal underwear made of artificial fibers like polyester and polypropylene to wick moisture away from the skin. Avoid natural fibers such as cotton, they tend to hold moisture close to the skin and dry very slowly.