too cold for the fz1

heated gear

I dont mind riding in the cold but i have only driven long distance on my st wich the winshield and fairing do a great job at deflecting the wind.I dont have the bucks for hid lights or for that matter heated gear . Will this bike run a vest and gloves without changing anything? I have great winter riding gear so maybe im gettin old .I dont think ill be doing any riding the fz when its below 40 till i get some heated gear!
 
Cobalt said:
I have managed to stay warm with gear and heated grips. The gear is all FirstGear with the Rainier jacket and cold weather pants. I have a neck gaiter and a balaclava. The boots are air-tight FirstGear and the gloves are the Rev-it H2O cold weather gloves. Adding the heated grips was what did it for me. My feet are always warm with those boots and if I can keep my hands warm, the rest of me stays comfortable.

It's not easy to stay warm on these bikes with so little wind protection and I've even gone to a worse situation by running with the CD medium screen.

I'm OK to about 35 degrees. Probably even lower but at 35, I'm more worried about the roads at night and black ice!!! So, if it will be much below 38 for the ride home, the bike stays in the garage that day.

I'm hoping to rectify this cold weather problem in the next year. ;)
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I rode today...whew was it cold out. high of 43.
 
wind_chill_chart.gif


this finally convinced me I needed heated gear so I made my own. Heated gear combined with hand guards and heated grip make riding in colder temps tolerable. I can ride in temps near the 20s (in Georgia) and be okay. Before heated gear, anything below 40 and I chose other transportation.
 
I made a rule a couple of years ago to not ride in weather with temps lower than my age. That way as I get older I can become more of a fair-weather-rider. I turn 45 next month and I'm thinking my rule might be a little too harsh. I stay pretty comfortable down to about 40 degrees if I dress right. One inexpensive trick I use to keep my neck warm and to help seal up my full-faced helmet is: get a $1 knit cap (toboggan cap) from Walmart and cut a slit in it on the top, then slide the cap all the way down over your head so that it is wrapped around your neck. I pull it down so that the top edge of the cap comes to just below my bottom lip. The chin strap of the helmet goes over the cap and helps hold it up in place. Makes a HUGE difference for me. I wear one at any temp below 50 degrees. My hands are usually my limiting factor. Thinking of going with heated grips but haven't decided for sure yet.
 
thepopularjock said:
Hey Troy - what model Olympia Gloves do you use? I'm not running heated gear and I really don't want to mess with the electronics so I'm interested in the best gloves I can get for cold weather.
Right now I'm using a pair of gloves that I snagged at Academy Sports when I got caught in a cold front. They are ski gloves but they are really warm. However, I am looking to upgrade.
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I'm also using Olympia gloves. These are the ones I have http://www.motorcycle-superstore.com/14/67/903/691/ITEM/Olympia-Sports-4350-All-Season-I-Gloves.aspx They're pretty warm down to about 35 degrees. I haven't been out colder than that. A note on the sizing, almost every pair of gloves I own, motorcycle, ski, mountain biking, etc., are size large, but in these I needed a medium. I got them at the local shop for $72.
 
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i have the half faired fz1 and did a 120 mile trip last week when it was 0 degrees C, 32F...with snow on the fields either side of the motorway
i tried getting surgical gloves under my winter ones but couldnt...but my motorcycle inner gloves allowed the outers to slide on ok...i would have liked to have known how well the surgical gloves worked?

i had to stop twice in the journey as my hands and feet were freezing..stomping around rubbing my hands whilst heating my gloves on the engine worked fine

as well as wearing long johns here is my tip....i have a cycling top that zips up and is tight to the body...i wore a long john t shirt, fleece jumper, then the cycling top to retain heat from clothing under it, then a padded shirt, then the lined bike jacket and my body was never cold...
i wore long john leggings under leather trousers and textile overtrousers..my legs were never cold
just my hands and feet...but i dont ride enough times in such coldness to warrant the expense of heated grips or clothing....

oh, and my head was stinging a bit from the cold..guess my helmet vents were open...d'oh
 
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If your head is that cold, spend $5 on a thin balaclava. It makes a world of difference. Just remember to put your earplugs in before putting it on. :)

Handwarmers are awesome; I would recommend them even if you lived in Florida. They're cheap. $20 for the warmers themselves (from Rocky Mountain ATV), $15 for a nice pair of grips, and $5 for a 12v relay. Once you've had them, you'll wonder why you didn't get them sooner. I have heated grips on all three bikes, AND on my ATV.

And I still say heated gear is the "hot" ticket if DO ride in cold weather a lot. I've had mine on every day for the last month. I just got my heated gloves last week, and they're awesome. My toes got pretty cold during a weekend ride in 40-deg weather with rain, but I'm going to try heavier socks before resorting to heated socks. I'm rapidly running out of spare watts for anything else heated. :)

Rob
 
ecruz said:
I'm also using Olympia gloves. These are the ones I have Olympia Sports 4350 All Season I Gloves - Street Motorcycle - Motorcycle Superstore They're pretty warm down to about 35 degrees. I haven't been out colder than that. A note on the sizing, almost every pair of gloves I own, motorcycle, ski, mountain biking, etc., are size large, but in these I needed a medium. I got them at the local shop for $72.
Click to expand...

Those are the same gloves I have and I needed a medium when I usually have a Large - XXL (Thick hands, short fingers). I got my wife a pair. I first bought the XS in men's, not thinking about it and then found the S in women's. (there is no XS in women's) I'll give both pairs to and let her keep the pair that fits the best and return the others.
 
ive always wanted to try seal skin socks for feet but not sure if they are just for wetproofing or work as coldproofing as well?

excuse my made up words there...lol
 
as for riding in the cold.

body/arms:
get some thin gear and layer up.
t-shirt,
turtle neck long sleeve t-shirt, under ware for the cold works here. (must be a turtle neck).
wool neck warmer,
thin hoodie.
heavy wool shirt and a wool sweat shirt all under your riding jacket. that is rain proof.

i say thin stuff so you are not dressed like the tire guy. or that poor little boy in that old time movie. (forget the title but it deals with a bb gun and glasses).

legs:
tights, long-johns, pants, under rain proof riding pants.

feet:
two pairs of socks. wool outer ones and bicycle styled thin under socks. and of course your water proof boots.

head:
full face helmet, with pin shield.

hands:
heated gloves. and brush guards for the hands. the guards are for breaking the wind so your gloves do not.

can add heated vest and heated socks if you need more or doing a very long ride (over 100 miles).

keeping the body warm, keeps the arms and legs warm-er. feet and hands get cold first.

keep the cold air off skin. try to breath through something that mixes your breathing to warm up the cold air in.

do not get dehydrated. it brings on fatigue and the body's ability to keep warm fast.

cold air will dry you out.

.
 
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