Newby riding in cooler weather clothing question.

I feel so overwhelmed when looking to purchase jackets, gloves, chaps, etc.
for cooler/cold weather riding.

There is so much stuff out there- so many brands - so expensive - so many
choices.

Where do I start or where do I get good information?

TIA

 

Here's a start. Buy overpants, not chaps. Consider installing
heated grips on the motorcycle. Buy a rainsuit of some kind,
even if it's a $25 one from the hardware store and polypro
long johns. Avoid cotton or you'll freeze your ass off if you
get wet.

I've been pretty happy with a Firstgear Kilimanjaro jacket
and pants. Not all that expensive and really surprisingly
waterproof. Make sure you get the liners too. I think the
fabric is called "Sheltex".

http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&source=hp&q=firstgear+kilimanjaro&btnG=Google+Search

Also happy with my Sidi boots.

 

Thanks for the advice. I understand about cotton not being warm when wet,
but it seems i need some clothing that can breathe a little. I sweat badly
in the nylon stuff even in cooler weather.

Leather seems to be the best option I guess, but man it is all so confusing.

 

My riding is casually- never more than 50 miles or so. I don't ride in the
rain unless it is a very unusual surprise. That is why I thought leather
jacket and jeans (and chaps?) might be a good idea for my kind of riding.

Basically I am a weekend rider on my cruiser with small windshield and I am
trying to figure out how I can keep comfortably riding when the temperature
goes below 60 degrees. I don't think I will be interested in riding much
below freezing. My truck's heated leather seats have spoiled me.

 

I doubt very much you'd want to ride anywhere close to
freezing weather in a leather jacket and chaps. Below
about 50 I think you'd find yourself getting cold.

If you like the idea of leather that's find by me, but don't
kid yourself that it's good cold weather gear. First things
to worry about are keeping your hands warm and keeping
yourself dry in a rain. You can always layer up underneath
your riding gear once you've solved those problems.

 

I doubt very much you'd want to ride anywhere close to
freezing weather in a leather jacket and chaps. Below
about 50 I think you'd find yourself getting cold.

If you like the idea of leather that's find by me, but don't
kid yourself that it's good cold weather gear. First things
to worry about are keeping your hands warm and keeping
yourself dry in a rain. You can always layer up underneath
your riding gear once you've solved those problems.

Yeah, I can see what you are saying. Thanks again for the advice. Cold
hands are gonna be pretty high on the list of things to fix.

 

Thirty bucks or so buys you a heated grips kit. This is
a good bet. Besides keeping your hands from going numb,
bloodflow through your hands can actually circulate quite a
bit of warmth back to the rest of your body. They're great
when you hit unexpected cold weather regardless of the
time of year.

 

What he said. And any form of windscreen makes a big difference, too.

 

I would start at www.aerostich.com for a great range of cold weather
gear. An electric vest will go a long way in making you more
comfortable below 60F. They even have waterproof leather gear, though
it's expensive. I wear a Roadcrafter suit to work -- It's very easy
on and off over my work clothes, keeps dry, and I wear a fleece jacket
underneath for warmth when necessary. My bike has heated handgrips,
which I'd highly recommend!

 

Just bought a pair of Fieldsheer Polar gloves I'm pretty
happy with. Look a little and you can find them for about
$50. Definitely on the tight side though. I'm normally a
medium or large, and in this case, large is still a little
snug, though I think it'll work fine.

Grab a look at www.motorcyclecloseouts.com and
www.newenough.com. I'm pretty happy with a
Firstgear Kilimanjaro jacket and overpants. Extremely
waterproof. The jacket is well vented too in warm weather.

 

I've got two basic sets of gear. Warm weather mesh
gear with a rainsuit and a Kilimanjaro jacket and
pants with liners.

If I'm wearing the Kilimanjaro jacket in warmer weather
with light clothes and no liner, I figure the extra space
is a plus because it allows more air circulation.

I'd really like to find gear good over a wider range, but
I don't really think it exists. I'll ride in weather ranging
from a little below freezing up to a little over 100 and
I'm not sure there's really a single set of gear that'll
handle that. There's some Rukka gear that looks like
it might, but it's more than a little bit pricey.

Another problem is that when it's down to freezing
gear that'll keep you warm at speed will overheat you
fast when you're at a stop. I figure gear should keep
you warm when you're not moving without counting on
the electrics, but maybe I need to beef up my charging
system and spring for an electric vest to go with the grips.

 

Already got some OK handguards (BMW GS stock).

http://picasaweb.google.com/rob.kleinschmidt/DeathValley09#5353357525667525250

Problem is that with a stock 280 watt alternator I'd be pushing
it trying to run a vest and grips both. One thing I want to do is
swap over from a resistive to a PWM heat control on the grips,
but I suspect I really need a 400 watt charging system.

I can dress warmly enough, but really have to watch it or I'll
be sweating when I'm stopped. The morning that picture
was taken, I was really struggling to stay comfortable on
the way over Walker pass to Death Valley

 

If you're using a resistive control you're wasting up to 50%
of your current draw.

They are extremely inefficient. You need to upgrade the
controller regardless of what you do to the charging system.

have you done the math? list everything you have powered and
what the draw is and you'll know for sure. 40watts for the
grips, and 120 watts for the jacket, 110 watts for all the
lights. You're still charging your battery using everything
at 100%. Do you have more than this? I bet not.
One thing all bikes have from the factory is a weak link
form the charging system to the battery. You need to run a
single HEAVY gauge wire DIRECTLY from the regulator to the
battery.

 

Uhhh no, I don't. You're thinking perhaps of a permanent
magnet charging system with a rectifier/regulator combo.
And 280 watts is best case rating.

 

Pretty much, yes. An excited field alternator with separate
diode board. Monitoring voltage, under normal running
it's pretty good, but even the heated grips by themselves
will pull the voltage down from ~14 to 13.5 at speed and
to 12 or even lower in stop and go traffic.

I've got a PWM controller given to me by a friend that
I've got to wire in for the grips. Mostly a question of
wading through his directions and the grip wiring, which
was on the bike when I got it.

Rather than optimize lighting, I think I'd rather upgrade the charging
system. There are a couple of hacked up 400 watt systems available.
Maybe long term, an HID or better yet an LED conversion for the
headlight too.

 

I agree, but one of the upsides to in-bar systems is their
indestructibility. This is a bike that gets spilled in the dirt
occasionally and gets a new set of rubber grips annually.
The in-bar heaters were on the bike when I bought it
10 years ago and just keep on working. ~35 watts estimated
draw, ~24 for grips + resistor on low power.

Do you find that the velcro units give you a full firm grip on the
bars ?

Got 'em.

Roughly $1/watt for a higher output alternator. 2 units available,
~400 watts each. One friend sells an 800 watt conversion and
runs a couple aircraft landing lights as his offroad illumination.

I think you can already buy an LED headlight pair for only
$500 or so. ~$100 or less for a 35 watt HID conversion.

 

In thinking about it, I probably misspoke when I said
I had a drop to 13.5 volts at speed. This is as observed
on a 6 LED device reading in 1/2 volt increments.

The drop below 12.5 volts is pretty real though.
In general, boxer charging systems don't hold
their own below about 1400 RPM, so in stop and
go traffic the grips can definitely pull things down.

This is a schematic for a bike a couple years later.
Fused circuitry differs somewhat. Charging is identical.

http://www.xmission.com/~wendell/GS/node2.html

Real honestly when comparing my bike to others of
the same age, I feel like I'm doing pretty well to be
able to hit 14 volts as easily as I can.

 

I saw something that works well in stop and go traffic with
heated clothes and grips. It was a relay attached to the
heating output circuit from the brake light. Whenever you
stop the heat goes off.

 

I like the idea just as a way to regulate heated gear to
keep you from overheating while stopped. In terms of
trying to solve an anemic charging system problem, I
think KISS prinicples say just upgrade the charging
system rather than trying for lots of negawatts.

OTOH, I talked to a ricky racer type a while back who
had actually downgraded his alternator and battery
in the hope of finding another fraction of a horsepower.
You could probably sell that kind of rider a few energy
saving devices. God knows why.

 

Upgrading the charging system isn't always possible. If the
stator can't be changed you're stuck with what you got. With
the exception of making sure you have a direct wire from the
regulator to the battery.
Besides, at speed most bikes have enough charging power.
It's when you're idling you're draining the battery.
Regulate the heat with a temp controller at speed, and shut
it off when no air is blowing over you when stopped.

Obviously this works best in NON stop and go traffic and it
allows battery charging when stopped.