Cold weather riding advice

The Olympia pants I have are a two piece set and are fairly warm on their own. The leg is definately long enough. Matter of fact, I am getting mine taylored to shorten them a bit. But I also wear Alpinestar winter boots which also are quite warm and dry. Between proper fitting pants and these boots, you don't really need much more unlewss you are riding in very cold weather. If that is the case, I would be investing in some Gerbings Heated Gear.

Gerbings sell not only the jacket liners, but vest liners, pant liners, glove liners, and boot insoles. They all plug into one another. I have the jacket and pant liners, along with the insoles. I suggest if you are getting more than just the one piece of heated gear, you spring for the dual controles right up front. YOu will want that because the pants will warm up far too much compared to the jacket.

Failing these liners, I wore winter bicycling or jogging pants under my Olympias. They made wuite a difference. Your summer boots will not be enough for the winter though so you will need a winter boot.

I have no connection what so ever with Gerbings other than being a customer of theirs, but they are a great corporate citizen. Their after sale service is next to none. The only problem I have ever had with any of their products I bought, was rectified so quickly, I was surprised. I have had other heated gear and can't really complain too loud about them. I just found Gerbings to be better.

As for your other three questions, I cannot help you there.

 

No. They are made to work with gloved hands and getting hands in & out is pretty easy.

If your going to add heated accessories to your bike consider the status of your voltage regulator/ rectifier thing.

 

That has not been a problem with mine. Then again, I did replace the stator with only 98,000+ miles on it. Seriously though. I ran with the jacket liner for months on end several years. Often I ran it with all three, jacket, pant and boot insoles. I might add, all was on the original battery which I also changed for the first time same time as the stator.

Now if you have heated grips, GPS. MP3, Cell charger, three piece heated gear, 3 TB computer with 8GB of ram all running off the bike, then maybe. I dunno.

 

Can I have that bike

Anyone have any charging system issues when running heated gear?

 

Oxford grips are the best: Oxford Sport Heaterz Heated Grips 7 8" Bars Keep Warm This Winter | eBay

Don't worry about that. The combination of heated grips and gloves will keep both sides of your hands toasty warm.

 

A couple years ago I bought what I'll call a snowsuit. It wasn't something quite as heavy as what you'd wear for snowmobilling, but still heavy enough to keep me warm. I bought it BIG. I'm an XL, and I think I bought this as a 2 or 3XL - can't recall right now. It allows me to put my regular gear on and still be able to get into the suit.

Its definitely a little more cumbersome, but I still have enough movement where I feel safe. I probably look ridiculous riding down the road, but I've found that one piece suits (for me) keep me warmer.

There are one piece textile suits out there - CE approved. I know Tourmaster makes one reasonably priced for less than $400.

I don't really like to ride below 40* anyway. Plus, we just got our first snow last night. Oh joy.

 

P,

Be careful about the "TM" word around Randy, you know what it does to him..

 

I believe it makes him all wet.

 

OMG!!! this is one thread where I don't think we need pix..

 

Has anyone tried Cat Crap (the anti-fogging product)?

 

Yes. It doesn't work. Buy an Oxford visor insert from eBay. Oxford Products

 

It came up here on VFRW a few years back. I don't think it is available any more. If I recall, when I looked into it, there was business problems surfacing with the supplier and or manufacturer of that stuff. But in a nut shell, Cat Crap is a petroleum based product which is exactly what soap is. I used dishwashing liquid for a few years until I bought the Pin Lock system which works great. I had tried another similar product to PinLock which was the shits. But Pin Lock is the answer for cold and wet weather riding.

 

You may want to think about lighter oil. Amsoil and others make a 0W-40. This is what they use on all the new 4 stroke snowmobiles. This will flow better on cold startup and give you just as much lubrication and heat protection.

Balaclava under the helmet is a must! I ride at -25F on snowmobiles in Northern Wisconsin every winter. Good wicking base layer. (UnderArmor etc.) Good thermal mid layer and a good wind breaking outer layer. I would never attempt to ride a motorcycle in snowmobile boots and our sleds all have heated grips so I can't help you there.

I live about 150 miles north of you and my biggest concern in your area would be ice. In Chicago we can get cold and stay cold. In Noblesville you get a lot of days that float between 20F and 40F. The sun melts snow during the day and starts to freeze in the late afternoon. Be very careful and good luck.

 

Some of my random thoughts on cold weather riding: I don't ride if it is below 32 degs and it has rained recently; water can puddle or remain under overpasses and other areas and cause icy conditions. the road needs to be dry for me to go out. I always let my bike idle for a minute or two before riding; i start it in the garage, and push it outside then close the door. letting the bikes' oil pressure stabilize and letting the metal/gaskets/oil warm up at a slower pace is probably a good idea, just based on what i know about engines in general (i am an aircraft mechanic by trade, with motorcycles and cars as a hobby). Newer oil blends are able to achieve acceptable flow rates in temps above 0 degs, so no need to go to a lighter oil in the winter time. I agree with several of the posters here when they say that keeping yourself warm is the most important consideration; your brain is designed to operate at 98.6 degrees and when your body temp falls, cooler blood will reach your brain and affect your decision-making ability. Slower reflexes, and lapses in judgement and attention span can have serious consequences on a motorcycle. If you feel like you are getting cold, or are underdressed, stop for a few minutes...have a hot drink, open your jacket and get some warm air inside, etc. It just makes good sense. Another thing i like to do: put my jacket or liner, pants, and gloves in the dryer for a few minutes before i put them on. Put on warm gear, not cold gear, and keep them closed up to keep the heat in longer. I also store my helmet near a heater vent inside my house, with the warm air blowing into my helmet on days i know i will ride. having the helmet heat-soaked before i put in on keeps my head much warmer. if you have saddlebags or a tailbag, pack some extra cold-weather gear "just in case" you leave the house underprepared. It's better to have it and not need it, than need it and not have it.

Wind is the real enemy, so windproof yourself as best you can. That pleasant breeze in the summer becomes a dangerous, biting cold in the winter.

That's all i had on my mind, hope this helped someone out.

-Alan

 

Be careful of the Cat Crap knock offs. The anti-fog capability is minimal but the anti-theft capability is really good.

Soap ain't a petroleum product..
The real anti-fog Cat Crap is stocked at Amazon and REI
Since any residual build up from Cat Crap can be removed with a damp cloth, it may not be a petroleum product. Some waxes are,namely paraffin. Across the pond Kerosene is called paraffin thus both are petroleum products. Other "waxes" are vegetable products, namely Carnauba. Other stuff that is called wax ain't and are polymers.

If ya look at a soap molecule and compare it to a detergent molecule they are similar but different.

No MSDS on Cat Crap so far..