There are modern inventions I love. On cold mornings, I can remotely start my car from inside the house. A few minutes later, I go outside and get into a nice warm car. The seat is heated and so is the steering wheel. As I wrap my hands around the wheel, I take a deep breath and thank God that one of the blessings of growing up in these times is some of these modern inventions. I look outside at the already-defrosted windows, and I head out to start my day.

On a motorcycle, we can get the same comfort to stay warm.

Before you head out, check the local hourly temperatures. If you are going out of town, check the weather for various locations along your route. Remember to give additional attention to elevation changes
For a planning factor, subtract three degrees for every 1,000 feet of elevation and bring extra layers.

Here are some ideas that will keep you warm. A full-face helmet is a start. The face shield should have pin-lock and lens inserts. Pin-lock inserts will prevent your face shield from fogging up. To help keep the head, neck and face warm, use a balaclava helmet or ski mask hood. The body loses a lot of heat around the neck, especially on bike, where the wind and air are blowing around your neck, and where there is little body fat for insulation.

For your chest, wear layers. A good base layer is a shirt that provides odor resistance, warm and cold reactive temperature regulation, comfort and breathability to wick away the sweat from your body. For the midlayer, wear something a little looser. For frigid weather, I have a North Face jacket that is nice and warm and another North Face rain jacket. Both are great for using as casual wear when you are off the bike. For the outer layer, I have a few different jackets. They all have back, shoulder and elbow protection pads.

For the legs, I have a base layer that does the same job as the chest base layer. I have an inner layer of waterproof/windproof pants and outer layer Gore-Tex protective pants with hip and knee protection.

Protect your feet with a thin pair of Polypropylene socks, layer them with a pair of wool socks. My boots are Gore-Tex to help keep the moisture away from the feet. Any boot will work, but cold feet make for a stiff ride.

Hands are always a struggle for me. I have a medical condition called Raynaud’s phenomenon, which causes decreased blood flow to the fingers. For the winter, I carry what I call a mid-thick glove, a heavy glove made of Gore-Tex and glove rain covers. Once your gloves get wet, it is hard to get them dry again in cold weather. In a pinch, I have seen people use surgical gloves and dishwashing gloves. Whatever works, right?

Of course, going electric is pretty impressive on those really cold days. I have an electric jacket and gloves. You can wire them into the bike's electrical system or buy a battery system. Mine is hardwired. I have a dual thermostat. One thermostat controls the temperature of the jacket and another one for the gloves. They also make pants and boot inserts.

Lastly, having heated hand grips and heated seats are great any time of the year. For some bikes, this is standard, and for others it is optional. There are also plenty of aftermarket products out there that are easy to install.
No matter how you stay warm, take lots of breaks and ride safe!

If there is a topic that you would like to discuss, you can contact me at motorcycle4fun@aol.com.