Riding warmer

[1996shadow]

A couple of weeks ago I changed jobs and now have to drive 30 miles to work. Since my Shadow normally gets about 50 mpg on the open road, it make more sense to ride the bike when the weather permits. A few years back my brother rode his Honda year around, so I knew he had something warm to wear, so I called him to find out what he had. Of course his suit would not fit me, so He told me where he got it from. On Saturday I went to Sports Authorityand looked for some warm pants, like snowmobile pants. I found some that have suspenders, which I like to keep them from creaping down. They said that they were waterproof and wind proof, and that sounded perfect to me. They are made out of a nylon type material, but do have some patches in places for protection. They were priced at $49.99, which was more than I really wanted to spend, but I would save that much in gas in a couple of weeks.. When I got to the register, I found out that they were on sale for 50% off, which was a great surprise.

I put the pants on Yesterday and went for a ride to see how warm they were. I took the 96 Vt1100 since it is the one that I would normally ride to work. I got onto the interstate and opened it up a little to see how the wind effected them. The temp was bout 42 deg, so I figured at 60 it would be cold. At 60 it was comfortable, so I increased to 70 and then again to 80. Those pants didn't allow any cold air into them even up to 80. I figure that they would probably be warm into the lower 30's and maybe even into the 20's. They should pay for themselves pretty quickly.

As an added note, the patches on the legs didn't match up with either of the exhaust pipes. My right leg now has 2 holes melted into them from the exhaust. I am now in the process of making some heat shields for the areas where the pants will hit.

[ZackDaniels]

Carhartt Men's Fleece Lined Jeans - Workwear & Uniforms - Men's Workwear - Jeans & Pants

Fleece lined jeans and some long underwear do this job really well too and don't melt on the exhaust. They're not so good as overpants though so you might be sweating in them all day once inside and toasty.

[CaptKW]

I have enough gear to stay warm all except my fingers. I bought a pair of Alpine Star gloves and they're pretty warm, but my finger tips still get cold. What kind of gloves do you wear?

[1996shadow]

ZackDaniels... I looked at a lot of different stuff, but wanted something that I can wear over my normal work clothes. I am making small heat shields to install over the exhaust in the areas where I would hit them. The heat shields will be held in place with stainless steel hose clamps, so they will go on and come off easy, with no real modification to the bike. I am also thinking about going to someone that does sewing and having them put some patches of black denim on the leg in the area where it is burned, as an added protection.

Captain KAthy.... You are in the far south. It don't get cold there. LOL The gloves that I wear probably wouldn't do much good up north, but they are not too bad here, although I want something warmer. Mine I bought at WallyWorld for about $15, but they are the ones that have all the breathing holes in them to allow the cold in. Have not found any gloves here made specially for riding that didn't cost as much as my bike. Regular gloves seem to wad up when they stay in the position for riding after a little while.

[GadgetBandit]

Originally Posted by CaptKW

I have enough gear to stay warm all except my fingers. I bought a pair of Alpine Star gloves and they're pretty warm, but my finger tips still get cold. What kind of gloves do you wear?

Gerbings gloves and liners have 2 heating elements per finger, one inside and one on the back. It's like holding a heated grip, plus the elements on the backs of the fingers negate the wind. I have poor circulation in 3 fingers, I can ride in the 20s and I'm toasty. If the heating elements prove durable, my new E3s will be well worth the money.

GadgetBandit

[1996shadow]

How are those gloves for flexability? Do your hands get really tired fast with them?

[GadgetBandit]

Originally Posted by 1996shadow

How are those gloves for flexability? Do your hands get really tired fast with them?

The photo is last year's bulky gloves and liners. Gerbings E3 gloves are unbelievably thin and light with soft leather outters. Very comfortable and flexible.

GadgetBandit

[CaptKW]

[QUOTE=GadgetBandit;1446168] I have poor circulation in 3 fingers, I can ride in the 20s and I'm toasty. If the heating elements prove durable, my new E3s will be well worth the money. QUOTE]

My right index finger is especially sensitive (I wear gloves in the cold aisles of the grocery store!)

So it's the liners that are heated? I'm going to have to look into getting some. Thanks for the info.