Thanksgiving weekend. In one corner, we have the cold weather: Thursday too cold to attempt, Friday 40, Saturday 45, Sunday 49. On the other, I have my usual riding gear, plus new additions: glove liners, heavy weight thermal underwear, and a balaklava.
Like I said, my chaps, jacket, and boots keep all those parts warm enough. It is the rest of me. I'll take each part.
Head: Part of my issue is I normally leave my visor slightly cracked from full close or else it fogs up. I need to check if a better helmet would solve this problem. But with the cold wind, that hits your face and your cold. I closed it all the way and focused on breathing through my nose. That helped, less cold air in my face. Next up is the Balaklava. It looks like a ninja mask, and is soft. It makes the helmet go on much smoother, since it sliding over that fabric. I only covered my mouth, but not my nose so I could get my glasses on. The first day I noticed wearing it, but the second two days I didn't notice I was wearing it. It helps. My neck wasn't cold anymore. On the 40 degree day, the area with my eyes kind of got cold. I think because I left the helmet cracked opened at first. But the other two days, really helped.
Legs: Those Harley-Davidson chaps keep the covered part warm, but only the covered part. But now I was wearing heavy weight thermal underwear underneath. On one hand, the box they came in sounds all macho and says these have been worn to Everest. On the other hand, my wife called them leggins. Thus, pick whichever mental image you want, but they did help on the two later days. Not so much on the 40 degree day. Too damn cold that day. The other days a big help.
Hands: I was wondering if the glove liner might make the gloves not fit or if I would have reduced mobility in my hands. My normal riding gloves still fit with them on. Mobility was still good enough. You can feel a bit thicker glove on, but can still work the controls well enough. The 40 degree day, not much of a help, the 45 degree some help, the 49 degree day moderate help. It is the gloves that are the weakest link. My hands get coldest the first. This may be making everything else seem colder. It is my hands and gloves that are the weak link right now.
My overall experience the 3 days went like this:
The 40 degree day I was freezing. I did a short trip around the area. After 5 or 10 minutes, I was ready to go back home. Too cold.
The 45 degree day I took a short trip around the area. I was out for about 30 to 45 minutes. My hands started getting cold part way on my return back home.
The 49 degree day I drove an hour or two. I enjoyed myself. I stayed near home. I found a pretty good loop through a variety of roads. One curvy, one fast, one hill, and even railroad tracks. I did this rather than take off on a long trip in one direction. I could head back home if I started getting too cold. It was cold, but manageable. As I completed each loop through, I asked myself if I was getting too cold and if I should continue or not. One of my last passes on a road at 55 MPH, I felt a strong gust of cold wind. I was like am I getting too cold now? Oh wait, the wind is picking up. I decided that was a good sign to end my trip out. A lot of good riding in that day.
More gear upgrades? It is the gloves that I mainly need to handle. I have a few choices here.
First, they make heated heated hand grips for the bike. I don't know how well they work. Also, my bike already came with custom hand grips, and I hate to let that go to waste. But if it means a longer riding season maybe.
Second, they make electric heated gloves and everything else. It is mainly the gloves I'm concerned about. I've researched a few options here. Reviews come across mixed. Some people say works great, others say doesn't. And I see reports about the core of the hand being ok, but not the fingers. And, part of me is a bit concerned on the trust factor. I don't want to be far from home and have a wire short out on my gloves. Thus, I might wait on this. Plus, a complete electric outfit might work out better in the spring or next winter once I'm up to driving even more.
Third, they make winter riding motorcycle gloves. These aren't necessarily electric heated. But they make many that are well insulated, offer crash protection, and some are even water proof. This is likely what I'm going to try.
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