Hi Max,

I have a Gerbings heated jacket liner & gloves and I have to say that both were money well spent. I used to layer myself up like the michelin man in order to stay warm but there's only so much you can do for your hands. The gloves have made a world of difference. I don't even need liners.

We hooked the connector up to the bike where it stays, always accessible, and I keep the rheostat in the pocket of the jacket liner so that I always know where it is. But with the liner in place & a leather jacket zipped up over it I;m usually comfortable in a turtleneck or flannel underneath. And I am a huuuuge cold sissy.

I tend to stop riding as soon as the salt starts getting spread but even those early spring morning rides can be nippy. Not with the heated gear.

Nina

I'm very cold natured, but thankfully we have riding weather all year round here. When it is cold I wear a lined leather jacket with a turtleneck pullover under it, long underwear, jeans and leather chaps.

When I lived in Ohio, I had the Widder vest and gloves which kept me very comfortable, down to at least 28* (not including wind chill). The key is keeping your torso warm. I wore a sleeveless turtleneck under the vest, and a sweatshirt over top and a leather jacket over all. I do recommend a thermostat, using the off/on switch got a little troublesome at times. The only time I didn't ride is when there was ice on the road, though I did get caught on that a time or two and I don't recommend it!

My advice about riding a motorcycle at below freezing weather is don't. Too many hazards - too uncomfortable - not enjoyable. If this doesn't put you off, consider this. My experience with a 350cc Honda says the engine suffers. My little 350 was almost new and ran all summer and the engine stayed tight - no out of ordinary sounds on startup - sounded like new all summer. One day, I went out and the temperature dropped to 20 F. I nearly froze getting it home. After that ride, the engine loosened up. The pistons were not tight to the bores for the first minute or two after a cold start. It ran ok for the next 2000 miles, but I'm sure the engine would have been tighter if I had not ridden it at such cold temperatures. My guess is that the cylinders were over cooled, and the cylinders did not expand much causing the pistons wear in a bit more. This may not be an issue for liquid cooled engines with a thermostat, but with plain air-cooled engines, it may be a factor.

A matter of necessity this coming winter, but I'll be offering the snow gods a sacrificial bike that already doesn't have much to live for.

I've gotten so many conflicting opinions on studs; some say they're a deathtrap, some say they're an absolute necessity... Right now the necessity side is winning because they include a lot of Alaskans, and I've got to figure THEY know how to ride in the winter.

My Ducati starts right up at 20F during the winter on days I ride to work. That said it is an aircooled bike and the oil temperature gauge does not read above 104F until I have ridden seven miles. If you have a temperature gauge for the oil you can block off the airflow to the oilcooler with tinfoil so that the engine and oil reach at least 180F If the oil is always allowed to stay down around 100F which it will on short rides or the cooler is not blocked the oil will get contaminated with water from condensation that cannot boil off. Check the road conditions before you leave, if the road is clear and dry you will have no problems other than the usual road hazards. If there is any frost and the temperature is below 20F it is fairly easy to ride on. But once the temperature rises or the sun comes up it gets slick in a hurry.

I can't even imagine...

I live in Arizona. In the winter it can get down to freezing. But then we just don't ride those handful of nights out of the year. ;-)

When it's cold enough long johns and leather seem to do the trick!

Guess we're lucky!

When we lived in NH we gave up the long johns for spandex running pants. Not so much bulk and loads of warmth. We made our annual Christmas day ride even if it was only a 1/2 mile! Now we live in FL, the cold is different here but I still use the spandex pants with jeans and chaps.
Marion

I was on a long drive, stopped in below freezing at a rest area... couldn't start the bike! EEEEK! had to wait till the day warmed up.
I like electric clothes.

Want to really ride year round in any weather? Like in the snow?

Only one option: Get a sidehack with a driven wheel...

Here is a link that might be useful: Ural Patrol

I usually ride until December or January, whenever the ice covered roads come to stay. Keeping warm with the full faring on my 71 BMW/5 is no problem even in Iowa.

The Hans Gericke 1st Gear jacket has a warm liner with a pull out neck warmer. It is like wearing a half a cow when you are wearing the liner. Thinsulated full length wintergloves are nice also. One of these days I will install my handlebar warmers. If I haven't yet it dosen't look like I will.

The problem is with ice is doing 180s in traffic. On the ride home from work once it was interesting. I was able to feather out the clutch, so I was lucky. Snow seems OK, but intersections tend to build up an ice layer. I would need studs to ride any longer in the year. They are not allowed in Iowa.

The gasoline gets pretty cold. I should wear my chaps more often, I know. Velcro instead of snaps would be nice.