I don't have much weight on me and find riding in the cold chills me too much and I take an age to warm up again, and my hands hurt when it's really cold.

 

I have been out a few times when it was in the 30's,but I don't really ride this time of year. When i ride i like to enjoy it and i do not enjoy the cold weath so i just think about a nice spring day. i had my bike out a few weeks ago for a short ride and it was fun for about a half hour till my hands felt like they were going to fall off.

I love my bike and I love to ride, but my bike will never be my main mode of transportation.

 

I must say nothing beats my little car with it's toasty heater during the winter, bike is spring, summer and autumn for me.

 

I'm still riding by just layering up. I think the coldest I've ridden in so far is 25 degrees. If not sucking it up is your bag, I've seen some guys that have electric vests. It would be like the seat warmers in your SUV. A plug is spliced into the bike harness and you plug into it to heat your jacket. I've also heard of heated grips. It is probably a similar setup as the jacket.

 

For me... I mainly just suck it up. My average daily commute is 10-15 miles, mostly highway (About a 20-25 minute drive). Last year I wore my mesh riding jacket with it's "windproof" liner in, and that did alright, but I wussed out this year and started wearing a much thicker coat. Other than that, it's my A* riding boots, pair of long underwear under some regular dress-pants or jeans (knees can get stiff on really cold days), some A* leather gloves (warmer than my old gloves, but your hands will still freeze if it's too cold), and a "Bikers" windstopper baclava. I would say a baclava that covers your mouth, goes over your head and blocks the wind from your neck/chin/most of your face is probably the one piece of gear that made the biggest difference to me. Made cold riding at least tollerable.

Today, the temp during my morning ride was 15 degrees F. Wind chill was 2 degrees as 12mph. The above gear is all I had on. Tuck in tight to the wind-screen (not alot of protection on the CBR) and get it done. My hands burned and my knees were stiff. Nothing that stopped me from getting off the bike easy enough, but noticible. I wish I had some riding pants, something with some armor in the knees and I think that'd help finish off the winter gear. I have a full one-piece race suit... but at my job there's nowhere to keep it and getting it on and back off would not be easy. A 2 piece suit would do me wonders...

 

its 16 degrees out today, I'm getting ready to leave for school. My secret is underarmour cold gear underneath all my leather. underarmour shirt, pants, gloves and balaclava, all under my clothes. Works for me!

 

Good post. I wore long thick socks and boots, jeans and padded over pants for a long ride in december. When i got back to my house that night i parked my bike like normal then went to run up the stairs like i always do and almost ate the stairs teeth first when my legs didn't work. lol. THe cold makes you stiff and slow if your not dressed for it and stay exposed. Ride safe everyone, take frequent breaks if you do a lot of cold riding.

 

this is my first winter w/ my bike. coldest i've rode in is single digits here lately on my way to work (10min ride).

riding to work i wear.....

work pants (dickies), longsleeve shirt, t-shirt over that, sweater/hoodie over that. next i throw on some half coveralls, my steeltoe work boots, and finaly my textile jacket. i wear a balaclava under my helmet, along w/ some AMAZING A* drystar gloves (best $35 i have ever spent!!!!!!!). the balaclava is one thing you want to make sure you get for SURE! it makes a world of difference having it on.

casual riding......

A* trackday pants, A* smx-r boots, A* mx-1 jacket, A* drystar gloves. under the pants i wear a thin pair of fleece pants. under the jacket, i wear a t-shirt, hoodie, and balaclava. you would also be EXTREMELY suprised what a difference some leather pants can make!!!!


i hear alot about people saying they wont ride below 40's b/c of tires never getting warm and they feel the tires sliding out. i have been riding in single digits and under 30deg for two months now every day and havent had this happen to me once. i keep it as upright as possible in the turns, stay out of 1st gear (tourqey), stay off the paint, and smoooooooth on the throttle. from my experience......its A-OK aslong as its not icey out and you keep the hard leans for warmer weather.


what cracks me up is when EVER I go out, people AAAALWAYS say the same thing "a bit cold for that isnt it?" or "i KNOW you're cold!". my reply is always the same.........."YES, im a bit chilly........but im not cold. you'd be suprised how comfortable i am"

 

Pacemaker is 100% right you have to watch for hypothermia because it will dull your concentration, slow your reflexes, and make it harder to control your muscles.

I wear balaclava under my helmet, and the usual long johns and layers. My only problem is my hands. I wear silk glove liners under my riding gloves, but my fingers still get really cold on long rides when it's much below 35.

I'm thinking for really cold days maybe I should get some of these lobster overmitts to wear on top, so Ihave two fingers to cover the brake and clutch.

 

Plus one million to the balaclava!!!