Just for cold weather riders

Potage St. Germaine wrote:

> Well, if it's a nice rest stop and it has hot water, you can thaw your
> hands out by running the lavatory faucet over them. That's what I did
> at the rest stops.

I always used the magic spot on the exhaust pipe that's just right
for warming hands without frying gloves. For warming your right
hand at stop lights, you grab the pipe with your right hand while
blipping the throttle with your left.
 >> Stay informed about: Just for cold weather riders 

TwoGuns wrote:
<<Snip>>

> So back to my question. For those of you who ride in cold weather what
> kind of survival gear do you wear and take with you? I have several
> items I carry and the cable ties I mentioned in another topic are one
> thing. I am just curious about some of the items others of you carry?
>


two pairs of socks

good boots

polypropylene long underwear (too cheap to buy silk)

pants

t-shirt

long sleeve flannel shirt

warm-up (sweat) suit top and bottom

aerostitch roadcrafter one piece suit

insulated gloves covered with aerostitch triple digit rain covers
(heated grips being thought about)

silk balaclava

arai helmet

throttle lock so I can ride with my right hand on the valve cover.


These are my current things to keep me warm. I can be comfy at 12
degrees, except for the fingers.
For the scoffers, all I can say is I don't ride to enjoy the weather.
If I did, I wouldn't live where it rains a lot.

Later,

Charlie
 >> Stay informed about: Just for cold weather riders 

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TwoGuns <R-D-Lorance.RemoveThis@neb.rr.com> wrote:
> So back to my question. For those of you who ride in cold weather what
> kind of survival gear do you wear and take with you? I have several

Heated handgrips and wind deflectors on handlebars are the first things
that come to mind. I've found it useful to size protective gear snug
and wear warmth clothing on top, the opposite of common practice. Easier
to change layers if it gets warm, and a better fit of the protection.

Coldest long ride I ever tried was about 2 hours in the low 40's,
at ~70 mph. Put an insulated FirstGear Kilimanjaro jacket and matching
pants over a set of custom leathers, on a vfr800 with heated grips
and wind deflectors over the clipons. Insulated Redwing style 2426
boots, no electrics, which would have been a huge help. Held gloves.

Still, it was only uncomfortable, not threatening. No ice worries.

Dealing with ice would call for a dualsport, with correspondingly
worse wind protection. That's a tough problem, traction aside.

bob prohaska
 >> Stay informed about: Just for cold weather riders 

Bob Scott wrote:

> We ride all year round[1] and we're in Central Scotland. It's not
> unknown to find myself riding in subzero (centigrade) temperatures or
> falling snow but if it's too grim I can resort to the train for
> essential journeys.

It's hard to imagine anyone wanting to ride a motorcycle during the
winter in Scotland when it's cold and there are only four or five hours
of daylight.

As we crossed into Scotland at Carter Bar, I was impressed by the
bare-kneed and kilted piper standing there, strangling a cat for all it
was worth, and that was in June.

I hope his tips were worth the frozen knee caps.

Scotland was lovely then, the hills were all green and gold and the sun
didn't set until around 11:00 PM but there was always a bitter wind up
the Firth of Forth. We stayed in a motor lodge by the firth bridges.

Then we went up over the Highlands to Aberdeen. By the time we got to
Fort William, I had been chilled and pelted with freezing rain often
enough to have the beginnings of the worst cold I ever had in my life.

I was on a TWA Getaway bus and I watched BMW riders head up The Great
Glen in the rain, and I did not envy them at all.

> Take with me? Nothing much - I suppose I should really given my penchant
> for heading up nadgery wee back roads in the Highlands, in winter but I
> don't carry anything specifically for winter survival.

I suppose Scots are accustomed to the cold and their blood thickens. I
actually expected *warm* weather in Edinburgh during June, so I didn't
take a heavy coat with me.
I wound up buying a fleece sweater in Fort William. But it was too
late.

I talked to a friend who said that he was wearing only a T-shirt when
he visited Edinburgh Castle, and he stayed to watch the military
Tattoo, even though he was shivering.

Californians just don't expect the weather to be that cold in June.
 >> Stay informed about: Just for cold weather riders 

Bob Scott wrote:

> It doesn't feel cold to me but then again my neighbour spent a year at
> UCSB and complained bitterly on his return about how cold Scotland was -
> that was the height of our summer.

If you mean UCSB at Goleta, the Pacific ocean controls the temperature,
keeping the land warm in the winter and cool in the summer.

The weather at the beaches around Santa Barbara might be a very
comfortable 70 degrees in June and if you suit up and ride over the
pass to Santa Ynez and Lake Cachuma it might be 100 degrees inland and
you'll be sweating in your gear.

>
> Guess you'd think I was insane if I told you about the time we crossed
> Glencoe in the driving snow... at midsummer.

I thought Glencoe was dreary enough in the mist. Wonderful place for a
massacre.

I was kidding a tour guide in Edinburgh. I asked her if there was a
McDonalds there. When she said there was, I asked if the Campbells ate
there. She said, "Get on with you, now!"

> Nah, Californians just have an unrealistic idea of what constitutes cold
> weather.

You might see snow flakes in the Los Angeles Basin once every ten
years. When it gets down to 45 degrees F, they open the armories for
homeless people who otherwise live on the street to sleep in.

It's been hitting 30 degrees here in the central valley at the base of
the Sierra Nevada. My tropical plants are dying of the frost again.
It's hard to tell what will survive the extreme from freezing to 100
degrees every day during the summer.
 >> Stay informed about: Just for cold weather riders 

The weather at the beaches around Santa Barbara might be a very
> comfortable 70 degrees in June and if you suit up and ride over the
> pass to Santa Ynez and Lake Cachuma it might be 100 degrees inland and
> you'll be sweating in your gear.
>
One of the coldest trips on a motorcycle I can remember was in July of
1970. I had ridden the Harley from Nebraska to visit my Dad in Santa
Cruz, CA. All I had carried for warmth was my leather Jacket and
leather gloves. I rode from Santa Cruz North to San Francisco on the
Coast Highway. I left Santa Cruz at about 7:00 AM and it was clear and
sunny. By the time I got halfway to Frisco it was foggy and about 50
degrees and I was freezing my butt off. Worse than December in
Nebraska. LOL.
Dennis
 >> Stay informed about: Just for cold weather riders 

TwoGuns wrote:

> One of the coldest trips on a motorcycle I can remember was in July of
> 1970. I had ridden the Harley from Nebraska to visit my Dad in Santa
> Cruz, CA. All I had carried for warmth was my leather Jacket and
> leather gloves. I rode from Santa Cruz North to San Francisco on the
> Coast Highway. I left Santa Cruz at about 7:00 AM and it was clear and
> sunny. By the time I got halfway to Frisco it was foggy and about 50
> degrees and I was freezing my butt off. Worse than December in
> Nebraska. LOL.
> Dennis

The evaporation of moisture as you ride conducts the heat out of your
body rapidly.

I rode up Highway 1 in August one year, on my way to Seattle. You'd
think it would be too hot, but the marine layer comes up as fast as the
sun rises.

The local Indians called it "The Sigh of Dawn". They had expert weather
shamans, with nothing to do except sit on the beach, eat abalone and
pismo clams, and watch the weather.

Heated air rushes up the canyons and sucks the fog right with it. It
doesn't burn off until the afternoon wind comes up. Then it cools off
and the wind rushes back down the canyons, chilling passing riders.

It was typically foggy along the coast, and when I would get cold, I
would ride over the mountains to an interior valley and get too warm,
then ride back over the mountains to the coast and get cold again.

One Southern California rider moved to Santa Cruz for a change of
scenery. Maybe he wanted to get away from the drugs, or the cops, or a
bad relationship. Who knows?

He was back in Los Angeles within six months. He said that he was tired
of being cold all the time.
 >> Stay informed about: Just for cold weather riders 

TwoGuns <R-D-Lorance.TakeThisOut@neb.rr.com> writes
>Maybe I should define cold weather riders first LOL. If you live in
>SoCal or Phoenix, Arizona you are probably not a cold weather rider OK?
>I got a few rocks thrown my way the other day when I posted a message
>talking about using cable ties as traction devices on snowy and icy
>roads. Well get the rocks ready again guys but at least wait to throw
>them until you think about it.
>
>I am just curious how many of you do ride in cold weather?

Dunno if what we get counts as cold

We ride all year round[1] and we're in Central Scotland. It's not
unknown to find myself riding in subzero (centigrade) temperatures or
falling snow but if it's too grim I can resort to the train for
essential journeys.

One of my best days riding last year was delivering a Cagiva Grand
Canyon that a friend from southern England had bought on ebay from
someone just north of here - rode it 400 miles south on a beautifully
sunny, crisp November day. It was -3 centigrade when I set out so the
first 30 or so miles I was having to pay attention to the black ice, I
got a scary, lurid slide on a back road in the Borders but it was okay
otherwise.

>So back to my question. For those of you who ride in cold weather what
>kind of survival gear do you wear and take with you?

Wear? My normal boots (Altberg) & socks, thermal long johns, either
Draggin jeans or leather salopettes, t-shirt, shirt & jacket (currently
a Triumph Expedition complete with thermal liner). Full face lid, scarf
or neck tube & a pair of decent waterproof winter gloves - think the
pair I use just now are by Held. Handguards are a boon & when/if I go
back to commuting by bike, whichever bike I'm using will get handguards
& heated grips.

Take with me? Nothing much - I suppose I should really given my penchant
for heading up nadgery wee back roads in the Highlands, in winter but I
don't carry anything specifically for winter survival.
>
>BTW for those of you who cuss the heck out of the guy that invented the
>blow dry hand dryers you find in a lot of Rest Area bathrooms. You will
>sing his praises if you ever get caught in a cold snap and spend the
>night underneath one of them!
>
Never yet spent the night under one but I've used one to melt the frozen
snow sufficiently for me to get my gloves off. That was a particularly
horrible 3am ride home from Glasgow through an unexpected March blizzard
- needless to say I didn't get a second date with her...

Bob

[1] I gave the car away when my wife refused to pay to get it fixed -
getting it had been her idea & I was damned if I was spending my money
or time on it. Keeping her bike running takes up enough of my time.
--
Bob Scott SFC1000 Pegaso 650 RD350LC
"I was at the lowest point in my life - my house left me, the bank
reposessed my wife, my dog made me redundant, my boss was leaking oil and my
bike died - then I found the word of Sochiro..."
 >> Stay informed about: Just for cold weather riders 

Potage St. Germaine <flying_booger RemoveThis @yahoo.com> writes
>
>Bob Scott wrote:
>
>> We ride all year round[1] and we're in Central Scotland. It's not
>> unknown to find myself riding in subzero (centigrade) temperatures or
>> falling snow but if it's too grim I can resort to the train for
>> essential journeys.
>
>It's hard to imagine anyone wanting to ride a motorcycle during the
>winter in Scotland when it's cold and there are only four or five hours
>of daylight.
>
It's not that bad - it's about 8 hours daylight just now. I'm supposed
to be going for a long ride with some friends on Christmas Eve - we'll
see how that goes.

It doesn't feel cold to me but then again my neighbour spent a year at
UCSB and complained bitterly on his return about how cold Scotland was -
that was the height of our summer.

>As we crossed into Scotland at Carter Bar, I was impressed by the
>bare-kneed and kilted piper standing there, strangling a cat for all it
>was worth, and that was in June.
>
>I hope his tips were worth the frozen knee caps.
>
A piper of my acquaintance reckons he can make around 1000GBp (~$2k)
over a good weekends busking - more if he's in Edinburgh. I'm still
surprised he hasn't quit the day job - life as a chartered accountant
must be more interesting than I thought.

>Scotland was lovely then, the hills were all green and gold and the sun
>didn't set until around 11:00 PM but there was always a bitter wind up
>the Firth of Forth.

It's not always a bitter wind up the Forth - it sometimes blows down
instead.

>We stayed in a motor lodge by the firth bridges.
>
Know the place - it's about 20 miles from here so I past it quite often.
[]
>I was on a TWA Getaway bus and I watched BMW riders head up The Great
>Glen in the rain, and I did not envy them at all.
>
There are some excellent roads around there & the surfaces are
astoundingly grippy, even it torrential rain. Rip the hell out of your
tyres but the grip is worth it.

Guess you'd think I was insane if I told you about the time we crossed
Glencoe in the driving snow... at midsummer. We got to the cafe at
Tyndrum and took one table for our sodden kit & one table for us. We got
home at about 4pm to find my Father sitting in the sun, sipping a beer &
telling us what a lovely day we'd got for a nice ride on the bike. I
could cheerfully have throttled him.
[]
>
>I suppose Scots are accustomed to the cold and their blood thickens. I
>actually expected *warm* weather in Edinburgh during June, so I didn't
>take a heavy coat with me.

To the locals it probably was warm weather.
[]
>
>Californians just don't expect the weather to be that cold in June.
>
Nah, Californians just have an unrealistic idea of what constitutes cold
weather.
--
Bob Scott
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Potage St. Germaine <flying_booger DeleteThis @yahoo.com> wrote:

> I suppose Scots are accustomed to the cold and their blood thickens. I
> actually expected *warm* weather in Edinburgh during June, so I didn't
> take a heavy coat with me.
> I wound up buying a fleece sweater in Fort William. But it was too
> late.

Heh.

Although it doesn't get down to Minnesota-like temperatures there, it as
sure as hell feels like it.



--
BMW K1100LT 750SS CB400F CD250 Z650
GAGARPHOF#30 GHPOTHUF#1 BOTAFOT#60 ANORAK#06 YTC#3
BOF#30 WUSS#5 The bells, the bells.....
 >> Stay informed about: Just for cold weather riders 

The Milwaukee weather hits both ends of the extremes. Break 100 in the
summer. Still hit 60 degrees for a few day after Thanksgiving this year.
In the 65 degree to about 45 degree area I ride an Aerostich Roadcrafter
one piece with varying amounts of clothing underneath it. Mine is sized too
big to go over just a T-shirt. I bought it with the plan to go over my
leathers, ect.
In the colder temps, I don the Yamaha snowmobile suit I won as a door prize
about five years ago. Since my BMW has heads to help my feet stay mostly
unfrozen, my hands take the worst of it. I run Harley-Davidson gloves that
take one C-cell battery in each gauntlet. Don't know what they are called.
They work, but not well.
I break out the cage when the snow flies. Got 10 inches on Friday.
--
John


"TwoGuns" <R-D-Lorance.TakeThisOut@neb.rr.com> wrote in message
news:1165005346.795407.125340@j72g2000cwa.googlegroups.com...
> Maybe I should define cold weather riders first LOL. If you live in
> SoCal or Phoenix, Arizona you are probably not a cold weather rider OK?
> I got a few rocks thrown my way the other day when I posted a message
> talking about using cable ties as traction devices on snowy and icy
> roads. Well get the rocks ready again guys but at least wait to throw
> them until you think about it.
>
> I am just curious how many of you do ride in cold weather? I live in
> Nebraska but I have a garage where I keep my cycle so starting it up in
> the morning is never an issue. It was 16 above F during the night here
> last night but of course the garage is a nice toasty 40 or so. A bunch
> of us that used to work at the same place get together on Friday
> mornings at 9:00 AM for a coffee and bullshitting session. I decided to
> take the car today since I had to make a grocery run but I did ride the
> bike after I got back to get the Chili fixin's I forgot with the car.
> By that time it was in the Thirties. . . not bad but it does make your
> skin tingle if you forget to cover up. Ironically South of us a couple
> hundred miles of so they had a heckuva snow & ice storm sweep across
> all the way from the Texas Panhandle & New Mexico to Kansas CIty. This
> is the week end of the Big 12 football championship game in Kansas City
> and a lot of the folks who left last night got stranded. I heard on the
> news that Tulsa, Oklahoma got hit really hard. If I remember correctly
> the snow removal theory in that part of the country is "If God put it
> there. . . he will melt it".
>
> So back to my question. For those of you who ride in cold weather what
> kind of survival gear do you wear and take with you? I have several
> items I carry and the cable ties I mentioned in another topic are one
> thing. I am just curious about some of the items others of you carry?
>
> BTW for those of you who cuss the heck out of the guy that invented the
> blow dry hand dryers you find in a lot of Rest Area bathrooms. You will
> sing his praises if you ever get caught in a cold snap and spend the
> night underneath one of them!
>
> Dennis
>
 >> Stay informed about: Just for cold weather riders