All you cold weather riders out there...

[Jabba]

Fairings rock!! 

Seriously... overall I like my standard better than my IS. 

But when it's in the 40's in the morning, the IS is a WAY WAY better choice.  I don't have any serious cold weather gear.  I know the cold can be defeated on about anything, but you just don't need it as much on the IS.

Jabba

[NITRO]

They sure do! Off for my 65 mile commute right now and it's 42 out. Gotta love the fairing... and pods... and fork deflectors... and air wings.

[doubletee]

I have one of those, but it's called a cage!   

[Hoser]

Long johns under jeans under chaps, lined flannel under cortech with liner, and vents closed, handguards mounted on mirror stems, twelve inch lined leather gloves over sleeves, thermal sox under lined lace up boots with baker airwings closed, bacalva under 3/4 helmet with shield, good to go all day on my tourer with 150 mile gas stops. Does'nt hurt to have a cup of coffee inside during gas stops.   hoser
Just noticed that my weather banner says it's 46 degrees outside, ther is a BIG difference between 46 and 32 or less.

[Gator John]

While my Tourer doesn't have a fairing, I have something that works just as well.  At 6'4", I ride with a 4" pad on the seat, so the standard windshield wasn't tall enough.  I had one custom made by Rifle to give me the extra height.  It is also considerably wider than the standard.  Not shown in the picture are the side extensions I put on the completely block the wind from my hands and divert the air away from my and my passenger's shoulders. The guys I ride with refer to it as my"Pella." 

[fudgie]

I agree. Even better since I added the fairing wings. Gonna need it on sat. I have another PGR and its only gonna be 56 deg all day. It'll be 40 when I leave.  

[tybme]

I've ridden down to 28 degrees (that I know of) - and riding the IS certainly helps but once you get under 40 layers is the key IMHO

[czuch]

First Gear 'lectric jacket liner. I've been cold and I've been REAL cold. That liner is some of the best money I've spent. It gets good'n cold here believe it or not. I've ridden in 17 deg in Tucson.
Google, "Wind Chill Calculator". 
Then dont do it again cause you'll cry.
Kinda like a "Mortgage calculator".

[Jabba]

I have ridden down to 21F.  No colder than that... But I was stranded without a cage that day.

I did 100 miles once when it was 28F when I left.  It was 65 on the way home.  Again... I was cageless at that particular moment.

Jabba

[czuch]

Jabba, it is hard to beat the cage with a heater.
W left Albuquerque to go to LA for Thanksgiving in 77. We got to Gallup and the guys wouldnt come out of the gas station to take our money and waved us goodbye. We had a great thanksgiving at the barraks back in Abq. The ace mask froze shut from  my breath,  which usually melts it.

[Hoghead]

I've ridden in 26 here in E TX last Christmas. That was on my V65. Ready to try out my I/S this year. Thank you Fudgie for your support of the military. I ride with the ET PGR. Thats the only reason I ride in cold weather.

[fudgie]

Thank you Fudgie for your support of the military. I ride with the ET PGR. Thats the only reason I ride in cold weather.

Like they say, 'standing for those that stood for us.'
I got a 2 hr ride in the morning. Gotta find the insulated jeans. 

[T.P.]

You could always support one of our VRCC sponsors. 

http://www.12voltclothing.com/

[Dubsvalk]

I'm lucky enough to have a faring on my current bike and also wear Gerbings heated clothing.  So I ride all year, comfortably!
Bernie

[Gryphon Rider]

I've ridden in -7°C (19°F).  Flannel-lined jeans, leather chaps, winter socks, long-sleeved micro-fibre shirt, Gerbing jacket liner, home-made electric glove liners.  Comfy-cozy for the 15 miles to home, although my feet were starting to get cold.

[bigdog99]

10 degrees for me, took my foster daughter for a ride when it was 20. she said she liked the cold so we went.
looking for zero this year... it's betwen me and the fat lady. i said as long as she starts, i'll show her cold.   

[Jabba]

I'm lucky enough to have a faring on my current bike and also wear Gerbings heated clothing.  So I ride all year, comfortably!
Bernie

Don't forget LIVE in the SOUTH!!

 

Jabba

[Stanley Steamer]

17 degrees leaving Asheville, NC on a Britman Fall Color ride a few years ago right after I had bought my Gerbing heated jacket liner, gloves, and socks......it was worth every penny for that stuff that morning......what's the windchill at 17 degrees and doing 80mph on I-40??.....COLD!!!...... .....but the Gerbings kept me comfortable.......beats all the layering I had to do before.....it was hard to turn my head because I felt like the Michelin Man.....

I did ride 160+ miles round trip in 32 degree weather with it sleeting on me to eat a chili burger up in Tiger , GA.....I got a lot of weird looks from the cars I was passing on the way up there.....that was a "Pre-Gerbing" ride......  

[Dogg]

last winter, temps below freezing, we had 2 ft of snow. 3 days later, highway clear, I rode to work. 24F when I left for work. I bought these chaps for 29$ on ebay. buffalo hide. lined. jeans and longs johns. a hoody and my leather. heated gloves(sponser) and I was off. felt so good. had my full faced helmet. made the diference. 52 miles to work, that day, was 89 coming home...

I have a huge windshield. 23 inch national cycle windshield. with cruze control( i know how to spell it.lol) I had a great ride...

[F6Dave]

That stuff's made for the cold.  A friend told me to try snowmachine gloves.  I found some from HJC that were a lot warmer and cost about half as much as MC gloves.  They make some great snowmachine helmets, too, with special ducting for your breath.

Some guys I rode with about 30 years ago all made their own electric vests.  You only need a cheap vest and a roll of 24 ga. speaker wire to make a 30-40 watt vest that keeps you nice and warm.

[Walküre]

Some guys I rode with about 30 years ago all made their own electric vests.  You only need a cheap vest and a roll of 24 ga. speaker wire to make a 30-40 watt vest that keeps you nice and warm.

We're going out tomorrow to look for quilted vests, so we can make a couple. Using PWM controller, for temp control, and 30 ga. teflon coated hook-up wire. My riding buddy has 4 sets of gloves, and isn't looking to wire any of them up, but I'm going to wire mine, right off the vest, if I can. I like challenges!

Not sure how cold I've ever been up on two wheels in. I did get caught in a pretty decent snow, on a Goldwing. And another time had about 2 feet of snow on the ground, but a fairly warm day, and caught a 20-mile ride. It's not often, but I enjoy riding between Christmas and New Years, here in Indiana.

[sandy]

It was 84 when I left the house at 6 AM and 105 coming home at 5 PM. I'd kill for some colder weather. I might ride naked just to get the full effect. As I was doing 70 in the HOV lane, I looked over and saw RP slugging along in the slow lane. Poor bugger had 3 more miles before his HOV lane kicked in.

[PhredValk]

ZeroC, 32F, Lite rain for 5 minutes. Jeans, sweats, chaps, tee/denim shirts, hoodie, leather jacket, wool socks, boots, full face helmet, lined gloves, GL1100 with wind screen. 50 miles each way to visit and coffee. Had spare gloves; wet gloves and cold will kill you.
Better prepared now, but hoping I won't be riding in the snow again...
Fred.

[highcountry]

I got to admit that I "cheat" in colder weather.



Hard to beat a full fairing with an adjustable windshield.   

[Valkahuna]

Coldest I've ever been was in winter of '72 in Ohio. It was very hard to get your MC license at that time. Had to be a riding test, which were always booked, and you had to schedule way in advance.

I was riding a '68 Norton G15CS. It was a bare bike, and other than several layers, long Johns, Leather jacket, I remember putting these asbestos welding gauntlets over my gloves, and a flat face shield on a 3/4 Bell Helmet. Man, it was below zero, and I've literally froze.  Sucked then, but now I look at it as an adventure.

Now, I find that if my fingers are warm, I am OK. I have heated gloves for those real cold days. We do a Polar Bear run up here in the winter. Secret is layers, and a wind break. So, I put my Gore Tex rain suit over everything, including my leather jacket and chaps. Actually pretty comfortable even down into the teens!

Most memorable ride was a four day trip in October of 2009. When we left it was 31 degrees with rain forecast the whole trip. After 100 miles it started raining and kept raining the whole trip. Highest temp was mid 40's. That was the October lots of snow fell in PA, WV and other areas. We had to keep changing our route to stay in the rain and out of snow. I was on my H-D RoadGLide with full fairng and windshield.

I have not had my Vlk IS in winter yet, and since I am now in Florida for the winters, I am sure the Valk will be just fine! I don't mind cold, but won't ride in snow, so FL will be fine.  Used to ride my XR500 Honda in the snow by putting hardened sheet metal screws into every cleat of the knobbies.

[Oss]

rode to Danbury for a meet with the NE Crew with Gman it was 18 when we left and did not get warmer   Was leanin over and holdin the engine covers while on the interstate going 75mph and no way I want to even learn what that wind chill was.

Now I wear a microfibre ski shirt, the liner under my killimanjaro jacket and on top is the mesh jacket, chaps tourmaster synergy heated gloves and I use the toe warmer inserts in my boots and thats it  less its really cold then a balacava under the full face


DOnt need heated gloves on the beemer tho it has 2 settings on the grips and they get HOT

My body just dont get cold behind the fairing if I close the baker air wings and put back that fixed piece of lexan than I took out last summer.

G refuses to go back out with me in the winter, must be an old guy thing cause I love everything about if cept the tires dont stick until a few hard miles into the ride and I need to run a lower air pressure up front

[NITRO]

You could always support one of our VRCC sponsors. 

http://www.12voltclothing.com/

Just got a generation 4 heated liner from them two weeks ago. Excellent product and American made, I believe.

[fuzzy2bucks]

Have commuted 8 mi on a snowmobile up a steep mountain in minus 10 F weather with blowing snow and all I needed was a full helmet.  On my
Valkyrie all that is needed are heavy chaps and a good coat.

Via Droid

[Willow]

You could always support one of our VRCC sponsors. 

www.12voltclothing.com

Just so you know, that relationship has been severed at his request.    

[RP#62]

Someone once said, There's cold and then there's cold on a motorcycle.
-RP

[NITRO]

You could always support one of our VRCC sponsors. 

www.12voltclothing.com

Just so you know, that relationship has been severed at his request.    

Bummer, this forum is how I found out about him.

[Smokinjoe-VRCCDS#0005]

You could always support one of our VRCC sponsors.  

www.12voltclothing.com

Just so you know, that relationship has been severed at his request.    

Bummer, this forum is how I found out about him.

First time I remember seeing his ad as a vendor was around early spring this year now he quits before winter riding even starts    Its hard to sell heated gear when it's 100 degrees and 95 % humidity ....That's my opinion anyway.

[Smokinjoe-VRCCDS#0005]

" THE " Detn8er and I rode out of my garage a couple years ago for a 500 mile one way ride to Hattiesburg, Mississippi. It was 9 degree's when we rode out we had bitter cold temps all the way through Tennessee hit freezing rain,sleet and ice balls through Alabama and pouring rain in Mississippi...That was a awesome ride     Only thing that got cold on me was my face and neck everything else had the Gerbing's on high and cookin'....I've got the jacket liner,gloves, boot liner & socks along with the outer pants....Got them for Christmas several years ago without a doubt some of the best money my ol'lady ever spent  
To date the coldest weather I've rode in was that day...9 degrees.