For many winter riding means heading to the garage to straddle a trickle charged motorcycle making vhroom vhroom noises. But many of us are lucky enough to be able to ride all year with only a change in riding gear and an aerosol of winter riding strategies, some of which are found below.
Ice or Black Ice (an ominous name for difficult to see ice)
Now this is some scary stuff!! There is no way to carefully ride on ice, except to make NO quick moves, don’t hit your brakes, and pull in the clutch and let your machine coast until you are clear of the icy patch. If the entire road is icy…hmmm, I would turn around asap and get out of it or pull in somewhere and await the thaw.
Hypothermia
Hypothermia occurs when your core body temperature drops significantly, and it can be deadly.
Temperatures don’t need to be below freezing to induce hypothermia. Wind chill gets worse as wind speeds increase, and the longer you’re out, the worse it gets.
One early sign of potential hypothermia occurs when you start feeling cold and you can’t decide if you should pull over or not. The answer is always yes, but your judgment may be clouded. Long before this point occurs, you should have pulled into that nice warm cafe and had some hot chocolate or soup.
Uncontrolled shivering and chattering teeth are signs of real danger. You may start to feel dizzy, or even drunk, as your muscles begin to stiffen. Continued exposure may cause the shivering to slow down or even stop, but by then you’re in serious trouble.
If you are cold…STOP and warm up or await later time for warmer temperatures or overnight somewhere. No one wants full blown hypothermia or frostbite.
Dressing for COLD
One word…LAYER
You need lots of layers on to insulate the body keeping the core warm. Synthetics work better for your inner layer than cotton, which holds moisture against your skin. On top of that, wear fleece, wool, or other layers that provide insulation. The idea is to let your body create a warm pocket of air between you and the environment.
Hands can be particularly vulnerable to the cold. Gauntlet-style gloves will help you seal the gap between gloves and jacket. Gloves with a breathable, waterproof liner will keep rain out while allowing moisture from perspiration to escape.
It may be obvious, but a full-face helmet will keep you warmer than no helmet, or an open-face helmet. Sealing the area around your neck with a bandanna, or better yet a fleece or wind- and waterproof neck warmer, can make a dramatic difference. A balaclava (right) under the helmet provides a lot of additional comfort for minimal bulk.
Electric Gear may be the way to go!
I am a huge fan of electric gear whether Gerbing or Widder or whatever brand you can find, make sure you get a rheostat adjustment to monitor the amount of heat you are receiving. I like having a dual rheostat to separately adjust my jacket liner and my gloves.
Make sure your charging system can handle the load. Find out the output of your charging system, add up the draw from all your electrical gear, and make sure you’re not draining your battery. Also, leave a margin of error, because your bike’s output may be measured at cruising rpms and it may produce considerably less electrical power at idle.
As cold as it may be…STAY HYDRATED!
I suppose this is obviously to a well seasoned rider, but many of us don’t think about hydration when chilled by winter air. Drink lots of liquids and remember in the cold dry air you may be perspiring and not even notice. Keep hydrated!
Info gathered from:
AMA