Hey all--just wondering who has been out recently for a ride in the cold states lately. I was out today for about 2 hours here in Muskegon MI and was pretty damned cold after about an hour. I wore head to toe leather, a neck gaiter that covered my ears and up to just below my eyeballs, half helmet, jeans, long johns, long sleeve shirt, and a quilted flannel. I wore my harness boots and regular socks. I was also out two weekends ago and rode a non stop 160 miles to test out my new seat from Mustang and literally couldn't get warm for about 6 hours after I got home lol. I see a few people on the road when I'm out and often wonder if they are as cold as I am sometimes or if they are dressed in head to toe heated gear. Also, I don't ride with a windshield usually. Feel free to weigh in

 

Heated gear makes a world of difference. With a FF helmet and your snug as a bug. Heated seats and to a lesser extent grips helps too.

Rax

 

I've been riding recently when its about 38 to 40. Dressed pretty similar to what you describe with two big exceptions. First off, I'm not sure I could do it at all without a full face helmet, and second I really rely on thick woolen socks. Even so, my hands and my feet are the first things to get really really cold.


I'm going to invest in some heated gloves before the fall.

 

Heated seat, heated grips full face and good winter boots. Upper and lower fairings. I'm good to around 30.

 

I wear my snowmobile jacket. It's thin but very warm. It does have a small Yamaha logo on one arm but other than that it's all black with a reflecting stripe

 

Texas is known as a warm/hot state but it gets cold here a few months of the year. My coldest ride was to Dallas, 70 miles when it was 30°.

I wear extra layers, like 2 at 60°, 3 at 50° and so on to keep warm and I usually stop a 4 layers, since 4 is enough. The only heated gear I have are glove inserts.

 

get a full face helmet, wool socks, and fleece lined jeans. add on a good pair of chaps, tall boots, and some gauntlet style gloves that cover your sleeve openings, and you can go far.

my biggest issues are keeping my extremeties warm, feet and hands. thick gloves make it hard to work the controls, and good boots are only as good as the insulation you put inside them. (once again, WOOL SOCKS are a godsend)

 

Great suggestions/input guys--I think I'm definitely going to invest in a heated vest and a full face helmet this fall....maybe heated gloves too. I'm also switching to heavy woolen socks...

 

Right now I'm sitting in North Muskegon and its 36 degrees, hang in there it has to warm up soon then you can put all that cold weather gear away.

 

I cheat; Gerbing heated jacket liner and an old pair of heated gloves. I wear a half helmet and hide behind the windshield, fairing & lowers of the Limited.