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Thermo suit for colder weather

3K views 25 replies 15 participants last post by  Rusty J 
#1 ·
I'm going to be able to ride my scooter almost year round now that I live in mid-Texas and am wondering what to wear for the cold ride home at night. I work second shift.

I'd love one of the one piece aerostitch suits but dropping $1000 just isn't in it for me. I've found a couple of one piecers online, particularly one from First Gear that swears to keep you comfy down into the 30's. Any thoughts?
 
#2 ·
I just had my first cold weather ride of the year

Out comes my fully armoured Fieldsheer riding jacket, with liner.

My 3/4 helmet got replaced by my full face

Still had my summer gloves but the winter gauntlets were under the seat, just in case

Instead of my regular jeans I brought out the Kevlar lined Harley jeans that keep my knees warm

My grips are heated and I have a plug in BMW electric vest in my top box.

Real cold and I would put on my rain pants that have a full bib and maybe even the rain coat

My balaclava is in the glove box just in case I need to block some more wind from my neck

I still had my riding boots on today, I could always swap out to my insulated work boots

The burgman protects you from the wind so well, that I am sure this will be enough

(And I suck at trying to put on anything one piece. Short legs and long body and arms. Coveralls have never worked for me)

PS Check your antifreeze

Blakers
 
#4 ·
I'm going to be able to ride my scooter almost year round now that I live in mid-Texas and am wondering what to wear for the cold ride home at night. I work second shift.

I'd love one of the one piece aerostitch suits but dropping $1000 just isn't in it for me. I've found a couple of one piecers online, particularly one from First Gear that swears to keep you comfy down into the 30's. Any thoughts?
I have one of these and it's probably one of thee best bang for the buck suits out there . Pretty easy on and off , I don't think you can beat it for relatively short trips .
http://www.motorcycle-superstore.co...bben2-jq5sFWWyGlaThgtQGnSWvpAnvmocaAggQ8P8HAQ

TheReaper!
 
#8 ·
My commute is about 16 miles. Does it store well under the seat also? I'm looking at about 60f when I leave for work and 35-40f when I ride home so I'd want to store it under the seat if possible? Thanks to everyone for their responses also!
 
#5 ·
+1 on the heated gear. I live in Florida and don't need to use heated gear very often, but when I do it feels wonderful! But it also means that the gear doesn't wear out very quickly. Here's my favorite jacket liner. Works great and it $40 less than the Gerbing's sale price. You also get a controller with the purchase of a jacket liner. I also have the glove liners from the same manufacturer.

http://www.cyclegear.com/SEDICI-HOTWIRED-Heated-Jacket-Liner-20
 
#7 ·
+1 on the heated gear. I live in Florida and don't need to use heated gear very often, but when I do it feels wonderful! But it also means that the gear doesn't wear out very quickly. Here's my favorite jacket liner. Works great and it $40 less than the Gerbing's sale price.
Just a quick note here. My main riding buddy bought that very jacket from our local Cycle Gear and a few weeks later it quit heating on one side. He took it back and they gave him another one. That one too quit and he took that one back as well and again they gave him another one. So far this one is still working fine but he is very leery of taking it on longer rides now as he is afraid that it will fizz out on him again.

My Gerbing I bought at a BMW rally 15 years ago and it is still working fine. No issues at all and depend on it to keep me toasty warm at all times.

Oh, and his jacket? Made in China. Mine made right here in the USA where they still are today. That alone makes it worth paying a few extra dollars for.
 
#6 ·
My riding pants and jacket have removable quilted liners that make them very warm, but I still get a lot of cold air in around the bottom of the pant legs. Gaiters are the best thing for that area.
 
#10 ·
I use a Fieldsheer Jacket with a thermal liner, Polaredge ski bib pants ( they have a elastic liner at the bottom of the pants legs to keep wind and moisture out), a balaclava under my Shoei Qwest ( full face helmet) and Polaris snowmobile gloves. I wear leather combat boots with heavy socks and ChillChasers under my jeans. With this setup I can ride in 28 degree weather comfortably for long distances, will probably do well at even colder temps, just haven't ridden in weather colder than that over long distances.
All of this will pack under the seat but Ron380 has it right, it ain't no fun putting on cold gear!
Greg
 
#19 ·
That is basically my set up as well Fieldsheer jacket and overpants with thermal liners in. Neck gator and Shoei Qwest helmet with pinlock shield and Baffin expedition boots and wool socks for my feet. Yall can have those electrical suits but I am good down to 20f degrees and that's all I need here.
 
#14 ·
http://electrowear.ca/

Rode today, 8hrs in the saddle temp 45 to 50 deg. Could not have been more toasty warm with heated vest
I rarely use my heated jacket at those temperatures. But when in the 30's that's a different story! I love the way it feels when the heat is coming though my back and shoulders when the temperatures dip down.

When I lived in Houston I never saw the need for heated gear. After moving to Tennessee I used it quite a bit. After moving to Idaho I use it a lot more. Man, but I sure would hate to be without it now. Too spoiled!
 
#15 ·
+1 for electric heated gear. The 1-piece suits are not anything special for temperature control (I'm wearing a one-piece Aerostitch R3 Light every day).

I know cost for, say, the Gerbings jacket liner and a controller is a lot but the benefit is being able to adjust the heat up and down, versus a simple insulated liner that will be comfy at just one temperature. If you do go electric, one piece of advice, buy a dual-controller. You'll probably be adding gloves, lol, and they tend to heat at a different level than your liner (if you put them on one circuit).

A good scarf or a balaclava-ish thing with a long base does help with your head and sealing air leaks around the neck. Brrrr.

Don't forget some anti-fog coating or pinlock insert for your visor.
 
#16 ·
I've been told to expect winter highs in the 55-60 range and the lows in the mid 20's at times. Won't ride below freezing, seen too many black ice patches to want to do that.
 
#17 ·
When I bought my '03 650, it came with a Tucano Urbano Thermoscud leg cover. It looks kinda wierd, but it sure keeps my legs warm in cold weather. Attaches perfectly to my 650 and has a "bib" that comes up and covers my chest. My kids also bought me a Milwaukee battery-powered heated jacket in high visibility yellow. Works great and really improves my visibility and you can get them for $99.
 
#18 ·
if you want to ride all year round "comfortable" and actually enjoying the rides, there is no other way I'm afraid than heated gear.

I went with Gerbing heated gloves and jacket liner, based on the Burgman fairing design, this is the only things you'll need.

gloves 195
jacket 250
controller 99

total: 544 once!

all these items are guaranteed for life and made in the USA.
 
#21 ·
You say tomato I say tomato :D

What this thread proves is different strokes for different folks .

An awful lot of things come into play on winter riding , the temperature , how long you are out , wind velocity , speed of travel , tolerance to cold , the variables are incredible . A 10 minute commute to work at 50 degrees Fahrenheit on back roads , is one heck of a lot different than a full day on the freeway at 30 degrees or even 50 degrees . If you’ve ever been out for several hours you know that this stuff brakes down . Out in the open at 30 degrees with no wind protection , heated gloves will eventually get cold . A friend with a Harley and no wind protection , told me that his Gerbings gloves on full power was only good for about 45 minutes at 30 degrees around 60 to 70mph . He said after that his hands were literally freezing . I bought a complete set of Gerbings this year but I have yet to need them . I’ll post a report on them after I get some miles under my belt with them . One thing I can report on is Hippo Hands I give them 5 stars , and even with heated gloves I won’t be without them in the winter time . Another thing that really works well is Hot Hands hand warmers for your toes , scotch tape one on each foot (to socks) across the hollow spot just above your toes . Don’t buy the foot warmers they don’t work , the hand warmers on the toes keep your entire foot warm . I also give the hand warmers 5 stars . That’s my 2 cents .

TheReaper!
 
#22 ·
Not knocking heated gear(it can be Heaven sent). But even with heated gear you should have extra non-electric gear to keep you warm if you need to sit along side of the road waiting for help. If you breakdown extra layers will keep you warm longer than a non-running bike.
 
#26 · (Edited)
QFT. On some of my late-in-the-year trips through Utah, i was getting chilled even during fuel stops (granted, it was in the 30s (F)...) because I couldn't use the heated gear without the bike running.

On the other hand, being able to press on to the next planned fuel stop rather than having to stop to layer-up right after the sun goes down (or vice versa in the late morning) helps with putting miles behind you on the highway. Again, I'm talking about Utah -- dry, thin high-altitude air doesn't hold heat well, and the day/night temperature swings can be severe, especially back up in the mountains.

The temperature swings aren't nearly as bad where I am now. Having a massive saltwater thermal stabilization mass (better known as the Pacific Ocean) just a few miles upwind will do that. That said,, there is often a significant temperature gradient between the coast and a few miles inland.
 
#23 ·
The big advantage of heated gear is being able to adjust it. Most passive insulated gear is less adjustable. Opening up some venting does nothing when I wore my windproof-outer Thinsulate liners. Most decent length rides are going to have significant temperature variation, morning to afternoon if not mountains to plains.

A concern about emergency survival is reasonable. I used to carry a couple of chemical hand warmer packets with me when I rode in constant cold (e.g. upstate NY in winter). Now living in a warmer climate I travel with extra water and a big folding hat.
 
#24 ·
Penforhire I'm in the same situation as you are, extra water and a way to keep the sun off you are the most important things here.
 
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