Chill factor - Wear the right gear folks

[Motu]

I revisited the '70's again to sort cold hands - mittens, specifically ski mittens....and before someone jumps in with the obvious, they are leather. Non gauntlet cuffs, so I have cut up some old socks to cover the wrist area. Way warmer than my fancy gortex thinsulate motorcycle gloves, and way cheaper too. But the better the gloves, the less the heated grips work (I have handlebar heaters) I understand you can get gloves for heated grips, thin in the palms with insulation on the outside.

[Moi]

Horses for courses...Others swear the polypro is the way to go.

Oilskin rocks if you ( or your desk neighbours ) can live with the odour.

Thanks for your comments, perhaps I'm a polyprop person rather than a merino person.

As for oilskin... I'm old enough to remember japara raincoats which everyone wore on their way to and from school or work, cause in those days you used public transport... still have a Driza-bone riding coat which I'd wear when doing crossing duty on wet days...

[Moi]

A few years ago a colleague rode everyday no matter the weather... asked him about keeping hands warm in winter. He replied he used a trick he'd learnt from an in-law who rode daily in the Waikato and was a recreational diver. He had several pairs of summer weight gloves which he wore over 2mm or 3mm divers' gloves which kept his hands warm and dry despite the leather gloves being sopping wet.

Just a thought...

[russd7]

i layer up, starting with microfibre t shirt (swazi), brushed cotton shirt, wool jersey then my leather jacket, and on really cold days i wear moleskin trou instead of jeans under my leather pants and the best socks, possum-merino blend (exspensive but i only wear them biking) and to keep the rain out i use a good old Driz-a-bone riding coat. gave up on the textile stuff.
didn't need the coat at the weekend but the rest kept me warm riding to and from the brass monkey

[Motu]

Oilskin rocks if you can live with the odour.

They only smell when new or reproofed, and fades pretty quick. I wore leather for 30 years, ah, the smell of wet leather putting it on to ride home, or in the morning going to work.

[Berries]

You could all just move south. We don't seem to get the bad weather all you northern pussies are having problems with.

[Gremlin]

You could all just move south. We don't seem to get the bad weather all you northern pussies are having problems with.

No... these pussies are complaining about night time temperatures you'd be happy with for daytime

[Big Dog]

They only smell when new or reproofed, and fades pretty quick. I wore leather for 30 years, ah, the smell of wet leather putting it on to ride home, or in the morning going to work.

I quite like the smells of wet leather and oilskin, fond memories all that shit.
My work colleagues have other ideas. I wear dayglow but odourless gear to work but prefer the oilskin for going for a spin in the wet.

[Big Dog]

You could all just move south. We don't seem to get the bad weather all you northern pussies are having problems with.

Bad weather is not the problem. How badly Jafas drive in temperate or inclement weather is.
Not doing your best to mitigate any inconvenience caused by aforementioned conditions on the other hand leaves you miserable, distracted and grumpy when these people decide you don't in fact need the space you are occupying as much as they do, leaving you little processing power for dealing with the "shituation".

Rugging up isn't about being weak. It's about using your head.

Besides if we all moved down South you would have to put up with over a million Jafas.

Stupid phone / Tapatalk, apologies in advance.

[Berries]

Besides if we all moved down South you would have to put up with over a million Jafas.

I don't mind Chinese food so not all bad.

[pete-blen]

yer can keep yer heated grips.....

these...
http://www.aliexpress.com/item/Motor...714414932.html

had a home made set on a RD400 years ago when I was riding home from stoke to wakefeild in nelson at 3am...
dam great things....

[awa355]

I had a pair of mitts on a CX500 when I was riding from Putaruru to Rotorua over the Mamaku ranges throughout winter back in '93. They were good but damn near ran off the road once trying to get my glove back into the flapping opening after adjusting the helmet visor.

I have a pair of new hand guards but the right one would have to clamp to the handlebar ahead of the master cylinder and that wont cover the hand grip.

[pete376403]

My home-made electric vest worked brilliantly on the Brass monkey. -5 degrees at HariHari on Thursday morning and (from the waist up) perfectly warm and comfortable. If I've calculated correctly its 12 watts (12v and 1 ohm resistance cold) which doesn't sound much but it great. I used heating wire from an old low voltage electric blanket.

Another heated item I've got is an old one piece Windak flight suit, with heated boot and glove liners, but its 24 volt and just doesn't create any warmth on 12v.

[pete376403]

I have a pair of new hand guards but the right one would have to clamp to the handlebar ahead of the master cylinder and that wont cover the hand grip.

Have a look at KLR650 hand guards, they clamp on using extensions to the brake or clutch lever pivot bolts.

[T.W.R]

Would never use heated grips on my own bikes, have ridden a few bikes with them and just don't like them. Come cold weather its out with proper winter weight leather gauntlets & its real cold silk liners.
Rode many years in the small AM hours in all weathers with just polyprops as a base followed by merino top then std clothes under leathers ( which regularly get treated with snoseal) & never had probs; had multiple times where condensation on inside of visor would freeze.
Drafts are the killer; minimize them and anything is bearable....more you do it, the more conditioned the body becomes.