Winter Riding

Winter Riding:

Staying Warm
by: Chris Loynd

Riding in the cold is a lot like riding in the rain. You will have a lot more fun with the right equipment. There is no excuse for getting wet while riding a motorcycle. And there is no reason to be cold when riding your motorcycle in winter. You simply need some new equipment.

There are plenty of Polar Bear riders who ride without electric clothes wearing half-helmets and bandana masks. Others have a full set of electrics from fingers to toes topped off with full face helmets over windproof fleece balaclavas. Some wear leather chaps and jackets, others Aerostitch Roadcrafters.

Explore the options in this article. Then you can decide.

Your Warmth Account

You start your ride with a body warmed from being indoors. However riding motorcycles is a sedentary activity. You can�t count on exercise to burn calories and generate warmth. Think of your initial warmth like a bank account, gas tank or battery charge. Even if you start at full toasty warm, wind and cold draw down your heat reserve as you ride.

When the warmth account gets too low, bad things can happen.

Not to dramatize nor minimize the concerns, but frostbite and hypothermia are worthy of consideration. There is no excuse for either to happen on a winter motorcycle ride. But if you allow them to happen, irreversible damage can occur. Frozen fingers and toes can be so badly damaged that amputation is the only answer. Severe hypothermia is followed by the irrevocable condition called death. Before such severe damage, you can create permanent nerve damage, joint pain and early arthritis.

Hypothermia is a lot like heat stroke. One of the early symptoms is that you can�t decide if something is wrong or not. Both fog the mind first. Then body systems start to shut down. Other symptoms include uncontrollable shivering, chattering teeth and purple lips. If it ever gets to the point that you stop shivering, you need a hospital.

Hey, it�s a motorcycle. You can also fall off and die. Like everything else about riding, you simply need to manage the risks to enjoy the rewards.

It�s all about the Wind

Wind � more specifically wind chill � is what makes riding motorcycles different from any other winter sport. On a relatively mild 40 degree day, at 60 miles per hour, exposed skin will feel like 25 degrees. At that temperature frostbite begins in half an hour.

Oh, you might have a cold ski run. But at most you hit speeds of what, 30 or 40 miles per hour? A long ski run lasts like 10 or 15 minutes? Even snowmobiles generally do not run at sustained high speed for 170 miles without stopping.

Connecticut Polar Bears typically ride from one to three hours at highway speeds to reach their Sunday destinations. Because the Polar Bear Club is based mostly in New Jersey, we typically ride straight there without stops, have lunch, gas up and ride straight home. If there�s time, we are as amenable to a coffee stop as anyone. But we don�t get off the bikes every 100 miles or dally around.

Now if you�re riding around town on a winter day you won�t need the same level of insulation and wind protection we need. Without a specific destination or time requirement, you can always stop and warm up with a cup of coffee or hot chocolate. A good half-hour stop should completely re-charge your internal heat bank, slowly drained by sedentary riding in the cold.

Polar Bear rules: �When you can feel your toes, it�s time to go�s!�

The real frostbike question is: why the heck is any naked skin in the wind in the first place? With proper clothing, wind chill is no longer a significant concern. Further reduce the chill by setting up your winter bike to keep much of your body out of the wind.

Most winter riders ride behind windshields. My bike has a pair of Lexan hand guards that attach at the mirror stem to create a mini windshield in front of my handlebar grips.

They're made by National Cycle. I got mine from JC Whitney. National Cycle also makes chrome and acrylic lower deflectors.

When it gets really cold, I add a pair of Hippo Hands�. Nobody I know knows from whence the �hippo� comes. But these windproof, insulated nylon covers are very popular with Polar Bear riders. They go over your handlebars and around your entire grip and levers, creating a sort of sock or handlebar muff to protect your hands from the wind.

Various types of fairings can be added to protect your legs and feet from the winds. You can get shields that fit on the forks. Big touring bikes often have solid fiberglass lowers. Honda Goldwings even have a vented fairing that directs engine heat to your toes. On my Softail I have soft lowers, basically nylon shields that wrap around the crash bars. They make a good combination with my windshield. Without them the windshield tends to dump a cold downdraft on my toes. With the soft lowers, only my knees are in the wind.

3 Layers of Success

Whatever you end up wearing, you will be warmest if you dress in layers. I recommend three distinct layers: wicking, insulating and shell. Each clothing layer has a specific purpose. Together they protect your warmth account, minimizing heat loss in the face of below zero temperatures experienced at high speeds.

First and foremost, forget your cotton clothing, even your underpants. Ditch the tee shirt too. It�s great in summer, horrible in winter. In fact, winter hikers and extreme mountain climbers have a simple credo, �cotton kills.� It holds water. As soon as it gets wet it offers zero insulation. Ever try to dry out a pair of blue jeans after riding in the rain? Enough said.

Wickers is a New Hampshire company, manufactures completely in the USA and actually makes garments sold under more expensive brand names found in sporting stores.

By the way investing in a few pairs of non-cotton underwear pays dividends in summer too, especially if you are a distance rider. Although it has a funny name, �monkey butt� is a serious, year-round, motorcycling concern.

(If you are not familiar with that term, monkey butt is when you get a serious rash from sitting on your kiester too long. The skin becomes red and inflamed and looks like a baboon�s rear end.)

You get monkey butt in the summer and get chilled in the winter for the same reason, wet or even moist fabric against your skin.

1. Wicking Layer

Silk and performance fabrics both have wicking ability. Your body is about 60 percent water. Your skin is your largest organ. It breathes. And like your breath, it loses a lot of water in the process.

You may not realize it, but you are perspiring even now as you sit there comfortably reading this. You�re not really sweating in the traditional manner with beads of perspiration forming on your skin. (I don�t pretend my writing is that good!) But your skin is breathing, releasing moisture. Managing this moisture is critical when you are sealed up in a windproof suit sitting on a motorcycle.

When you are properly layered for winter motorcycling, you will get hot and sweaty with even a little exertion because you must insulate to a level that keeps you warm while sitting still.

Your first layer should be a fabric that draws moisture away from your skin and pushes it into your other layers of clothing. Cover most all your skin with a wicking layer.

Silk long johns are probably the best choice. Nothing insulates better while keeping your skin dry. Silks come in various weights. Prices for a set of tops and bottoms range from $40 to $100.

However you can get the same effect for far less with an old, long-sleeved, disco silk shirt at a consignment shop and by wearing pantyhose, yeah, even for guys. Hey if our soldiers in Iraq can wear pantyhose to protect their skin, anyone can.

2. Insulating Layer

Next you want to add your warmth layer. Fluffy and warm, it traps heat close to your body. Sitting on a moving motorcycle does not expend a whole lot of calories. So you can�t count on exercise to generate warmth. You have to insulate for a low activity level. (Think motionless hunter in a deer stand at 30 below.)

Moisture management is still an issue with this layer. So I go with performance fabric underwear. These keep you warm while still pushing water away from your body.

Some riders use micro fiber long johns as both their wicking and insulating layer. In fact this long underwear is designed to serve just that purpose. All I can tell you is that after four winters of Polar Bear motorcycle riding, I still swear by my silk underwear first layer.

You can also go with fleece. There are some great performance fleece fabrics, including wind-stopper, one of my favorites. Wind stopper fleece offers the advantages of all three layers: wicking, insulating and shell.

Ski shops and outdoor stores like Cabellas, Eastern Mountain Sports, Eddie Bauer, REI, Sportsman�s Guide and LL Bean have all sorts of insulation choices. You can also find much of what you need at many motorcycle dealers. BMW has an excellent line of performance winter clothing, including the unique AirVantage insulation vest. Harley-Davidson offers performance undergarments. A set of the heavyweight performance fabric long underwear costs about $100. Walmart has a good selection of low cost long underwear. Don�t buy the waffle-pattern cotton stuff in the clothing department. Go to the sporting goods section and seek out the polyester blends. Some Army/Navy stores carry a good selection of winter clothing and are a good source for wool garments hard to find elsewhere.

Your low cost option here is in many ways a superior one. It�s called wool. Like silk, it is one of nature�s miracle fabrics which still outperforms man-made inventions. Wool will keep you warm, even when it�s wet. You can find cheap wool pants at the Goodwill store. An old pair of heavy dress pants will do. While you�re there look for a good sweater. Try to get 100 percent wool.

How thick an insulating layer you choose depends upon outside temperature and the length of your ride. Remember you are not generating any heat through exertion. Sitting on the bike all you do is lose heat. More insulation slows heat loss. But warmth drains away over time. The colder it is outside, the faster the heat loss. The longer your ride, the more likely it is you will get cold before you get to your destination.

An effective option is to layer up with several insulating options. For my pants I wear heavyweight Bergelene long johns and if it�s going to be colder, polyester-blend long johns over them. The polyesters I got at Walmart. They�re fleecy on the inside and smooth on the outside to seal in heat and block out wind.

2a. Electrics

Electric clothing, especially with a thermostat, can be your insulating layer. You can get socks, pants, jacket or vest and gloves. They all plug into your bike. You can even get a dual-control thermostat so you can send more warmth to your gloves and socks and less to your pants and jacket, for example. Gerbing and Widder are the two primary suppliers. Harley-Davidson offers a line, made by Gerbing. BMW offers electric vests too.

Electrics are expensive. Vest electric liners run $130 or more, jackets and pants $200, socks $60 and electric gloves $140 and up.

More than any winter motorcycling option, electric clothes solve the heat loss equation caused by sedentary sitting on your bike. Electrics add radiant heat back into your body. Properly protected from the wind by the third and final shell layer, electrics will keep you warm on the coldest day indefinitely.

If you invest in any electrics at all, a vest or jacket liner is probably your best option. Keeping your body core warm helps warm your extremities. If you get too cold, blood pools in your core to protect your vital organs. That�s how your toes and fingers get frostbite.

But if your body core is warm, then warm blood is allowed to circulate throughout your body, keeping your extremities warmer.

With electrics you need no or less insulating layer. In fact you don�t want to wear heavy insulation under your electrics; you�ll only block the warmth from your body. So another advantage of electrics is warmth without bulk. You don�t have to suit up like a Michelin man.

Investing in electrics is not required to ride in winter. One of our Connecticut Polar Bear riders goes without and is riding his third season. He instead wears the proper layers and uses those hand warmer dry chemical packs tucked into his gloves.

We have another rider who has the full set, fingers to toes.

You can also mix and match. Personally I ride with an electric jacket and electric gloves. I layer up my legs and wear heavy socks in insulated boots with chemical packs under my toes. In severe cold, I add an extra layer to the legs and upgrade to snowmobile boots for my feet.

Different vendors offer different electric clothing options. Widder offers electrified chaps and sleeves that you wear on their own or combined with a vest. Gerbing offers heated liners and outerwear (read on).

3. Shell Layer

As we�ve already said, the wind chill chart explicitly describes the value of a good shell layer. The better your shell layer, the less insulation bulk you need. Most every motorcyclist already owns an excellent shell layer, it�s your raingear. For the most part, a good rain suit that will keep out water will also block most of the wind.

An upgrade is to go with nylon riding gear. Jackets and pants from companies like First Gear will seal out the wind. Harley has an FXRG line of performance riding jackets and pants. Many of these options have zip-out insulation liners so you can wear them in all seasons.

Still another upgrade is Gerbing�s line of heated outerwear. One of our Connecticut Polar Bears has the jacket and pants. You can eliminate the insulating layer because you get a ballistic nylon outer shell and electric inner insulation in one garment.

According to Gerbing�s web site, when it is 32 degrees on the outside of their jacket you can crank it up to 135 degrees on the inside.

On the cheap, go for windproof nylon shell jackets and warm-up pants.

Leathers are not the best option for winter riding. Leather leaks. That doesn�t mean you can�t ride with a heavyweight leather jacket and chaps. It just means your insulating layer better be windproof or very good.

Me, I still like riding in my leather jacket. But underneath I have an electric jacket liner cranking away. In extreme cold I have a windproof nylon jacket liner I wear under the leather jacket and over the electric liner to seal in the warmth. Anything below 50 degrees and I ditch the leather chaps in favor of nylon riding pants with quilted insulation on the inside.

Finally, if your shell is not waterproof, make sure to also pack your rain suit, including boot and glove covers. Your entire multi-layer clothing cold defense will fail like cheap paper towels the minute it gets wet.

Extremities are most Vulnerable to Extremes

Whenever you get cold, chances are your primary complaint is in your extremities. Fingers and toes are the hardest to keep warm. And they hurt when they�re cold. If you get cold, your body�s defense is to protect your vital organs � at the expense of your extremities.

Multiple layers work for hands and feet too. I wear silk socks under my heavy insulated socks and silk glove liners inside my electric gloves.

For my feet I have two pairs of insulated boots. One is a pair of Herman Survivor boots with 800 grams of Thinsulate insulation. They cost less than $50. The other is a pair of Altimate snowmobile boots. They were pricy, $150, but my toes are never cold.

You can lose as much as 50 percent of body heat through your head. Most Polar Bear riders go with full face helmets. There are all sorts of options. My favorite is the �system� helmet where I can raise and lower the chin bar with a single button. It makes conversation a lot easier.

Underneath the helmet is an insulating layer. Balaclavas are very popular. They cover nearly your whole head, but not your face. I keep mine pulled up over my chin, and if it�s really cold outside, over my nose. I have a range, from silk up to windproof fleece, depending upon the outside temperature. The windproof fleece is only good in the coldest weather. Anything above freezing and that sucker makes me sweat!

Finally there�s the connection between your windproof helmet and your windproof shell jacket. And nothing is less fun on a Polar Bear run than a cold draft down your neck.

There are any number of neck wraps. Some balaclavas go over your head and then just extend down your neck ending in a dickie around your shoulders. There are turtle necks of a similar construction but without the head covering. And there are wind triangles. Schampa supplies of a wide variety of head, neck and body warmers.

Believing in the layering principle, I go with three-step neck protection. First my electric jacket liner has a high collar with heating elements in it. That collar is my favorite part of my entire collection of winter gear. There�s nothing like the feeling of snuggling down into that warm collar on a cold day. (Can I use the word �snuggle� in a biker story?)

Next I wrap a silk scarf around the outside of the electric collar to seal in the heat. Over that I wear one of several fleece neck wraps, depending upon temperature. On relatively warm days the silk scarf is enough. Colder days get a Harley fleece tube over the scarf and electrics. Coldest days get a nylon windproof fleece lined neck bandana that I found at a ski shop.

Admittedly the silk scarf is mostly for show. But it wraps around twice and does a good job of insulating.

Once you have suited up with your three layers, make sure everything overlaps. Also make sure your shell layer has flaps or taping to seal zippers. Trust me, you will find the leaks fast. Some Polar Bear riders have been known to use duct tape to seal pants to boots and sleeves to gloves. In extreme cold, duct tape will also seal helmet vents.