Billy Budd
New Member
Whether or not to ride when it is not ideal conditions is a question all motorcyclist ask themselves at one time or another. I know what does some Yahoo from the Arizona desert know about cold weather? Here in the American southwest we enjoy over 300 days a year of sunny weather and a twelve month riding season. I think that makes us more likely to leave unprepared. I left this morning on an overcast, drizzly, 40 degree morning for a nice ride. We have not seen any rain or clouds here for over three months so we welcome this type of weather. If you wear the right gear motorcycling in any weather can be a pleasure. I wore my Tourmaster Transition II jacket, Freeze Out long johns (top and bottom), a snow ski turtleneck, Icon Patrol waterproof boots, Bilt Gloves, and a HJC Modular Helmet. The jacket and long johns are great, the cheap Bilt gloves are adequate and wearing Levi's are ok in the dry weather but offer no protection for the wetter stuff. This is warm temperatures for many of you, but you can still get cold in a hurry if you are not ready for it. The few tips I can offer are, wear layers that can be added or removed as necessary. Keep your hands, feet, head and neck warm as they will cool your core if you do not. Good boots are a must as well as a jacket. If I rode more in cold weather I would invest in better gloves, these were 20 bucks and they do the job. I should have worn a Balacava as my ears got a little cold. Your ears are a radiator too. Do not forget to hydrate! You may not feel thirsty, but you can lose moisture through breathing very quickly in the cold.