Insulation and wind resistance
How do you mitigate these dangers? Simple, cover up. "Whether it's 40 degrees or 15 degrees," James says, "if all your skin is covered up, the wind chill is irrelevant." There are plenty of products available to help you beat the cold, and what's right for you depends greatly on where, when, and for how long you intend to ride. In the end though, it all boils down to insulating your body, much like the way you insulate your home. To do that you'll need to layer your clothes. Make that inner layer thermal or fleece underwear. The idea is to let your body create a warm cushion of air between you and the environment. Next, you need to stop the environment from stealing your warm air. As your outer layer, some form of windbreaker will do the trick. A denim jacket, though comfortable standing still, just isn't going to cut it. You need a material that blocks air. Leather has always been a popular outer shell for its wind resistance, abrasion resistance and the fact that it looks cool. There are, of course, many other fabric choices from man-made fibers. Cook recommends an overall suit that also repels water. But whatever your choice, make sure it has some crash protection, just in case señor black ice makes an appearance. Hands can be particularly vulnerable. Gauntlet-style gloves will help keep your fingers warmer longer. The extra length up your sleeve helps to seal cold air out and warm air in. For extreme cold, Cook recommends something like the old "Hippo Hands" that mount on the handlebars and fit over the controls and hand grips. You slide your hands into a rear-facing opening. These usually have very thick insulation and will allow you to use smaller gloves. It may be obvious, but a full face helmet will keep you warmer than no helmet, or a shorty. And you'll want to seal the area between your neck and that. A bandanna will work, but leather or any wind proof fabric will cut wind better. There are fleece and silk neck warmers, and a balaclava which fits over your head like a ski mask. next-->
A sampling of cold weather gear suppliers © 2001, American Motorcyclist Association |
