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Cold Weather Motorcycling
- Thread starter Dr. Cheese
- Start date
"Responsible adult" and "athletic shoes on the bike" don't exactly go together, IMPE. You dump in sneakers you are going to find something that shreds even faster than jeans - not to mention the joy laces are when they slide back into your wheel/chain. Weather has almost nothing to do with it...gear is for your hide first, weather second.
Well, I mostly got it right from the start, other than the aforementioned jeans. Spent more on gear than I did on my first bike. Have met the asphalt a few times, first from an equipment issue combined with spirited riding (bike came with "engine bars" which hit the road (rigid) before the footpeg (hinged) did, and pried the front wheel off the ground in exactly the way the hinged footpeg would not have. I removed them and threw them away after butt-scraping 101 was over with, and I am VERY careful about the function of accessories ever since. The others were the usual cages invading my space despite vast defensive driving. The scrapes and scars from those are on the leathers and the 'stich, not me. Now, you can get some really nice MC boots that are nearly as comfortable as athletic shoes, but they are motorcycle boots - Though I did love (less so now, as they have aged poorly and are a lot less comfortable now) my bright red leather and stainless steel MX boots for street riding - you need to kick a cage, they'll do the job. But not nearly as comfortable to walk in as the new-fangled ones. I have never worn laced boots on the bike, and I have never worn sneakers on the bike - pull on or buckle/zip only, I respect the heck out of the damage laces can do in the wrong place. I'm pretty paranoid when it comes to scarves and the bike, too. Yick.
Without going to check, I think the SIDI Vertigo or XP3 is pretty close to the "comfy" boots I have (pretty sure they are SIDIs, but possibly a model they don't currently make.) I also have a pair of Carolina Engineer boots and the old red italian MX boots. I wore out another pair of heavy leather pull-ons before the Carolina's, going through two re-sole-ings before the tops gave up, but the purpose built SIDIs are better at the job, really.
Without going to check, I think the SIDI Vertigo or XP3 is pretty close to the "comfy" boots I have (pretty sure they are SIDIs, but possibly a model they don't currently make.) I also have a pair of Carolina Engineer boots and the old red italian MX boots. I wore out another pair of heavy leather pull-ons before the Carolina's, going through two re-sole-ings before the tops gave up, but the purpose built SIDIs are better at the job, really.
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...As for electric riding gear? Yeah, it's a real good idea, but.. it's expensive, and you need to make sure your bike's electrical system has the output to power it. And sadly, a lot of non-touring type bikes don't. My BMW GS Adventure does - even has the extra power outlets for stuff like that. The Sportster? Uh,...no. Not nearly enough output. Just have to bundle up; grit your teeth; and tough it out...And, regarding your battery, Dr. Cheese? If it's more than a couple of years old? Probably time for a new one. Between the way they're made - and they are a little different inside than a car battery - and the fact that they're sealed, they usually don't last too long.. Mine all live on a Battery Tender trickle charger when they're not being ridden. And since my pickup hardly ever leaves the garage? It does, too..
No on the Sportster? Really? I'm kinda surprised. I did the arithmetic on excess electrical capacity before I bought my 2007 Sportster Roadster, and although it was close, it was still in the black - at speed. I ran 99w of Gerbing's gear for many thousands of miles without a problem. True, I seldom ran it on full blast - that's what the rheostaty thing is for. And I never, on any bike, used it while idling at a stoplight.
I have owned bikes that didn't have the alternator output to handle it, but they were a Yamaha XT225 (duh!) and a Yamaha FZ-6. Everything else, from the Ninja 500 to the CBR929RR to the Sportster to the Buells to the Ducati, was fine. And since I can guess what you're about to ask, I'll say that in 21 years of motorcycle ownership, I never had to replace a battery unless it was on a bike I'd just bought. The longest I kept a bike was 8 years, and it was on the original battery... and that one had sat in a crate for over a year before I bought it. Weird. Battery Tender is the greatest invention ever.
Did I see that photo of you and the BMW on the Iron Butt site once? Or somewhere similar? Are you famous? Infamous?
About 30 years ago, it got REAL cold here in the SF Bay Area. Back when I was young & foolish & macho. Mainly foolish. Same things as macho, IMHO.
For about 5 days, it barely warmed up to the freezing point, and I kept riding. No fairing, nothing of the sort. No brain bucket, either.
GoreTex gloves. Neoprene face mask for my mouth & nose. Headband of some sort to prevent the nastiest brain freeze ever. Leather chaps. Cotton sweater under my leather jacket.
And I rode, day & night. Freeway and side roads. I was that macho (stupid) then.
Now, when it hits 50f, I say f that night.
Later,
edg
For about 5 days, it barely warmed up to the freezing point, and I kept riding. No fairing, nothing of the sort. No brain bucket, either.
GoreTex gloves. Neoprene face mask for my mouth & nose. Headband of some sort to prevent the nastiest brain freeze ever. Leather chaps. Cotton sweater under my leather jacket.
And I rode, day & night. Freeway and side roads. I was that macho (stupid) then.
Now, when it hits 50f, I say f that night.
Later,
edg
,
Mine's an '06, bottom of the line, solo seat 883XL - the last Harley with a carburetor (and, it runs on regular gas, too). Yours may have an upgraded electrical system because it's fuel injected - or maybe not. However, the key thing here is "at speed". Yeah, my Sporty might hack it at speed (barely), but that's not how I ride the thing. 90% of the time, its just my commuter vehicle, and I'm lucky if I see 45mph going back and forth to work/around town. So no, I don't think electric clothes would work real well. And, I've never been a fan of stuff that "barely" works, either. Like I said, I have the gear to survive a 7 mile, 20 minute ride home anyway, so it's not a big deal...
If you're referring to this picture? You might have seen the bike in the Iron Butt magazine; that Vesco Rabid Transit fairing is fairly rare, and I sold the bike to a fanatic BMW rider in the early '90s who'd certainly do that kind of thing.. But, that's a badly faded Polaroid picture that my father took, shortly after I bought the bike when it was about 4 years old - in Boise, Idaho. To tell the truth, I don't remember who that guy is; one of the guys who worked with my Dad at a VW speed shop, maybe. But, no, that ain't me..
This is me and no, I'm neither famous nor infamous. Just your normal, everyday grumpy old biker...
Mine's an '06, bottom of the line, solo seat 883XL - the last Harley with a carburetor (and, it runs on regular gas, too). Yours may have an upgraded electrical system because it's fuel injected - or maybe not. However, the key thing here is "at speed". Yeah, my Sporty might hack it at speed (barely), but that's not how I ride the thing. 90% of the time, its just my commuter vehicle, and I'm lucky if I see 45mph going back and forth to work/around town. So no, I don't think electric clothes would work real well. And, I've never been a fan of stuff that "barely" works, either. Like I said, I have the gear to survive a 7 mile, 20 minute ride home anyway, so it's not a big deal... If you're referring to this picture? You might have seen the bike in the Iron Butt magazine; that Vesco Rabid Transit fairing is fairly rare, and I sold the bike to a fanatic BMW rider in the early '90s who'd certainly do that kind of thing.. But, that's a badly faded Polaroid picture that my father took, shortly after I bought the bike when it was about 4 years old - in Boise, Idaho. To tell the truth, I don't remember who that guy is; one of the guys who worked with my Dad at a VW speed shop, maybe. But, no, that ain't me.. This is me and no, I'm neither famous nor infamous. Just your normal, everyday grumpy old biker...
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View attachment 3248193 Mine's an '06, bottom of the line, solo seat 883XL - the last Harley with a carburetor (and, it runs on regular gas, too). Yours may have an upgraded electrical system because it's fuel injected - or maybe not. However, the key thing here is "at speed". Yeah, my Sporty might hack it at speed (barely), but that's not how I ride the thing. 90% of the time, its just my commuter vehicle, and I'm lucky if I see 45mph going back and forth to work/around town. So no, I don't think electric clothes would work real well. And, I've never been a fan of stuff that "barely" works, either. Like I said, I have the gear to survive a 7 mile, 20 minute ride home anyway, so it's not a big deal...
View attachment 3248217 If you're referring to this picture? You might have seen the bike in the Iron Butt magazine; that Vesco Rabid Transit fairing is fairly rare, and I sold the bike to a fanatic BMW rider in the early '90s who'd certainly do that kind of thing.. But, that's a badly faded Polaroid picture that my father took, shortly after I bought the bike when it was about 4 years old - in Boise, Idaho. To tell the truth, I don't remember who that guy is; one of the guys who worked with my Dad at a VW speed shop, maybe. But, no, that ain't me..
View attachment 3248239 This is me and no, I'm neither famous nor infamous. Just your normal, everyday grumpy old biker...
But triple discs! Something tells me it didn't come from the factory that way. And yes, you're right: the EFI did have upgraded alternator output... most of which was eaten up by the fuel pump and injectors, so net was about the same or worse. Come to think of it, I did have an '04 883 that did run the electrics too - but you're right, speed is critical. The vast majority of motorcycle alternators don't do much below about 2000rpm.
Ha, Rabid Transit fairing. That's awesome. No, it was a rider dressed quite similarly and in nicely snowy conditions. Well, I'm sure there's more than one crazy person in the world.
The weather in the St. Louis area has been great today with temperatures approaching 60F. Believe it or not, I think I did the first hour long ride on my bike since I bought it. I rode over to St. Louis, just to say I crossed the bridge and then I rode back to Illinois and visited a GC close to my home.
I have been a bit shy about the freeway, getting and riding for an extended time allowed to get in the flow of traffic and get used to the wind. I am so glad that I have a bike big enough to flow with traffic. The irony is that my first close call happened when I was getting off the freeway an SUV nearly ran me over from behind, trying to get to a strip mall. Looking behind can save your life!
I have been a bit shy about the freeway, getting and riding for an extended time allowed to get in the flow of traffic and get used to the wind. I am so glad that I have a bike big enough to flow with traffic. The irony is that my first close call happened when I was getting off the freeway an SUV nearly ran me over from behind, trying to get to a strip mall. Looking behind can save your life!
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Thinking about it some more, I remember seeing a pickup and a Kia Soul getting into an accident at the same spot about two and half years ago. The Kia was in the spot I was in and the pickup hit her right side and snapped her front axl/driveshaft. I will either wait for light when I make a right coming from the freeway at that exit, or I may avoid that exit all the time. Some exits and intersections are just poorly designed.
I got a trickle charger this week, and the results are quite good. First, the battery must be usable because it had to be holding a minimum charge to respond to the charger. My fired right up like it is July. The charger is quite small and I may carry it with me because I do not want to be stranded.
Gaolee
Official leathers tester and crash dummy
I rode to work today after plugging in the DRZ last night. Too many days of no riding meant the battery wasn't up to firing the sometimes balky thumper. I'm concerned that the Truimph's battery may have been flattened too much and too often to be worth a lick any more. Those little batteries don't last unless they are charged most of the way, most of the time and cycled a bit periodically.
Bless her heart, my wife gave me a pair of Bates motorcycle boots for Christmas and was determined to ride wearing them today. The past three or four days have been swallowed up by me battling a plugged bathroom drain. I tried to save money and fix it with a water hose bladder, but on Christmas Eve, I gave in and rented a electric snake and that did the trick.
To make a long story short, I did get out to ride until close to 4:00PM, which meant that I had less than an hour. The temperature was probably in the mid forties. I got on the freeway and rode about seventeen miles one way before going home. I guess my average speed was seventy-three miles an hour. I was my boots, a hoodi under my suede jacket and jeans, and heavy riding gloves. My legs immediately felt chilly, but it seemed manageable. My hands did not until my twenty miles in but once old, they chilled faster than my core, of course. On the way back, I stopped at Walgreens for paper towels since had run out, and this allowed me to warm up a bit. After Walgreens, I was less than two miles from home. When I got home, my thighs were quite chilly and so were my hands. It looks like long johns are mandatory winter riding, and I need heated grip something fierce!
On the plus side, my trickle charger worked like a charm. My bike fired up with almost no effort all day.
To make a long story short, I did get out to ride until close to 4:00PM, which meant that I had less than an hour. The temperature was probably in the mid forties. I got on the freeway and rode about seventeen miles one way before going home. I guess my average speed was seventy-three miles an hour. I was my boots, a hoodi under my suede jacket and jeans, and heavy riding gloves. My legs immediately felt chilly, but it seemed manageable. My hands did not until my twenty miles in but once old, they chilled faster than my core, of course. On the way back, I stopped at Walgreens for paper towels since had run out, and this allowed me to warm up a bit. After Walgreens, I was less than two miles from home. When I got home, my thighs were quite chilly and so were my hands. It looks like long johns are mandatory winter riding, and I need heated grip something fierce!
On the plus side, my trickle charger worked like a charm. My bike fired up with almost no effort all day.
Youse guyes need to look into deese here tings. Dis be sum ghute chit here.
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At that price it's quite a bargain too. A note of caution, when you turn the thing on the LEDs indicate a full charge, except that's a lie; the indicator doesn't work until after you initially charge it. My brother bought one a couple years ago for $100, I bought one earlier this month for $65 So this is a real good price. I'd like to tell you that you can hook the cable up to the battery and just unplug the hot box, but the cable has a logic circuit that prevents that convenience, so you have to access the battery every time you use it.
This might be better for a trickle charger. This one you can leave connected to the battery and just disconnect the cable, I have no experience with this though.
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At that price it's quite a bargain too. A note of caution, when you turn the thing on the LEDs indicate a full charge, except that's a lie; the indicator doesn't work until after you initially charge it. My brother bought one a couple years ago for $100, I bought one earlier this month for $65 So this is a real good price. I'd like to tell you that you can hook the cable up to the battery and just unplug the hot box, but the cable has a logic circuit that prevents that convenience, so you have to access the battery every time you use it.
This might be better for a trickle charger. This one you can leave connected to the battery and just disconnect the cable, I have no experience with this though.
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One of the nice things about a Deltran Battery Tender is that you can get extra ring terminal leads (the part that connects to the battery), and... just leave it hooked up to the battery. That way, you can use the one charger unit for multiple vehicles, without having to mess around with alligator clips, and groping around trying to find the battery all the time. Putting one of these things on any new bike, car, or truck is usually the first thing I do to it. The only vehicle I have that doesn't have one, is my Sportster. Unfortunately, the oil tank is form - fitted around the battery, so tightly that the ground wire has to come out of the hole with the battery when it's replaced. The only part of it that's exposed is the side of the battery with the positive terminal. So, I have to connect the charger to the positive terminal and the ground post on the engine, right behind the rear cylinder; where one of these things would last about as long as it took for the engine to get hot. So, it's alligator clips for the Harley... But, my truck and my Beemer have one of these things on them. And, they're plugged in right now, in fact - since I have several charging units...
View attachment 3260166 One of the nice things about a Deltran Battery Tender is that you can get extra ring terminal leads (the part that connects to the battery), and... just leave it hooked up to the battery. That way, you can use the one charger unit for multiple vehicles, without having to mess around with alligator clips, and groping around trying to find the battery all the time. Putting one of these things on any new bike, car, or truck is usually the first thing I do to it. The only vehicle I have that doesn't have one, is my Sportster. Unfortunately, the oil tank is form - fitted around the battery, so tightly that the ground wire has to come out of the hole with the battery when it's replaced. The only part of it that's exposed is the side of the battery with the positive terminal. So, I have to connect the charger to the positive terminal and the ground post on the engine, right behind the rear cylinder; where one of these things would last about as long as it took for the engine to get hot. So, it's alligator clips for the Harley... But, my truck and my Beemer have one of these things on them. And, they're plugged in right now, in fact - since I have several charging units...
You got me. I will have to get one.
Gaolee
Official leathers tester and crash dummy
That's what I use. It looks like a wall wart, and mine is old enough that its housing has been repaired with packing tape. I dropped it sometime or another. I don't leave the bikes plugged in all the time, mostly because they are feral bikes that live in the driveway under bike covers. Leaving anything plugged in outside while a rainstorm blows through seems like a bad idea to start with.
Another bonus of the pigtail for a Tender is it's the same pigtail you can use for heated gear. That was essential for long distance commuting (180 miles) during the winter 15 years ago or so. I haven't used it much since, but when you need it, it makes a huge difference.
I definitely could use it, because here in Southern Illinois and St. Louis, even "good" riding days like today leaves my fingers cold even with thick gloves on..
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