Winter Clothes

timbo

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Hi all,
Last night I was riding up lakeshore drive in chicago and thought to myself that it'd be nice to have something thin to put on under my riding gear when it's cold, but not so cold that I pull out the full winter suit. I was thinking either the normal FOTL thermal underwear, but someone suggested underarmour. Anyone have any good ideas? Maybe a ski shop might have some good stuff???
 

Botch

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I've got a couple thin, body-hugging turtlenecks that I wear with my ski suit, think that'll work really good with my jacket (especially the turtleneck part, gets a bit drafty right up there). Unfortunately I can't remember if I bought them in a sporting goods shop or JCPenney; probably Penney's as they have Tall sizes (and will be cheaper).
 

craig007

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I would recommend underarmor cold gear (or a knock-off) as a baselayer, then a long sleeve tee shirt if it is not too cold or a fleece sweatshirt if it is really cold. A good jacket helps too. Mine is good to around 30 degrees (so far) with just a long sleeve shirt under it.
 
B

Bo67

I use the polypropeylene thermal underwear I got in the military. It's kinda plasticky/sheeny feeling (like women's nylons). i've seen some commercial stuff like it at Cabela's out here but maybe Gander Mountain has it out by you. Also a balaclava has been a lifesaver for me. It's basically a thinner version of a ski mask. It helps keep that draft from going down your chest. I'm riding in 30-50 degree weather right now but 30 is about my limit even with heated hand grips and vest. I'll still ride around town but my 45 mile commute to work days are nearing an end.
BTW- I grew up in Chicagoland and really miss the Lake Shore Drive cruises that always wound up in Lake Geneva Wis, Milwaukee Wis etc or back out in my home town of Crystal Lake. Also miss Vienna Red Hots, Chicago Style pizza and Italian beef sandwiches. Nothing like that where I am now:(
 

OneTrack

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I bought some inexpensive 2-piece long-sleeved/long legged "thermal underwear" out of the sports section in Wal-Mart that I initially got as a temporary set until I found "the real thing". As it turns out, they keep me toasty warm under my leather jacket and textile pants even at temps under 10 deg Celsius (around 50 deg F). I wear a t-shirt and "polar fleece" over the thermals under my leather jacket on top, and jeans over the thermals on the bottom. IIRC, the thermals were "gun name" branded....Winchester or Remington, I think.
 

OneTrack

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I use the polypropeylene thermal underwear I got in the military. It's kinda plasticky/sheeny feeling (like women's nylons). i've seen some commercial stuff like it at Cabela's out here but maybe Gander Mountain has it out by you. Also a balaclava has been a lifesaver for me. It's basically a thinner version of a ski mask. It helps keep that draft from going down your chest.

I've got a set of the polypropylene underwear coming to me from S.I.R. in Winnipeg (now owned by Cabela's, btw) "as used by the US Military" :D
along with the thin 'ski mask' balaclava.
I'm still deluding myself that I'm actually going to ride my bike in January. :p
 

Botch

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Also miss Vienna Red Hots, Chicago Style pizza and Italian beef sandwiches. Nothing like that where I am now:(
Bo, I go TDY to Chicago every so often, and I love the dogs and Italian beef sandwiches! Portillo's!! :thumbup: Never got a taste for Chicago pizza though, back home we'd call that "casserole". :p

Hope I don't derail this thread. I recently got one of those balaclavas, but even though it's quite thin, it wedges too much up in my helmet. Just yesterday I bought what's essentially just a ring/collar to go around my neck. I'm going for a drive up Ogden Canyon/Trapper's Loop again today, but it's still too warm for something around my neck; we've had a blissfully warm fall this year. :rockon:
 

OneTrack

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My new Polypropylene "underwear" arrived yesterday and I went for a ride today to try them out under my usual gear. The polypropylene material is quite thin, which is a good
thing. Here's a photo from S.I.R.'s website:-

PolyProps.jpg


The zip-up turtleneck concerned me a bit, that it would be annoying, but I didn't notice it at all...it helped keep the wind and chill out of both my jacket and my helmet. The undersuit itself kept me nice and warm, and was not bulky like the thermal stuff that I bought previously. The temperature was about 8 deg Celsius today, or about 46 deg F.
 

Rich

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Gerbings!!! Heated gear is a godsend in the cold and really easy to install the wiring harness on the FZ! I was able to ride in 29 degrees F and not even a chill.
Gerbing's Heated Motorcycle Clothing

This stuff is as good or better than Gerbings, according to some folks. Heat-Troller and Warm & Safe Heated Clothing for Real Quality! I sure like my jacket liner. The quality is exceptional, and riding in 20 degree weather like Circe said is no problem at all. Just make sure you get the heat-troller and not a switch, it gets too hot to leave on for long.
 

Cloggy

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Gerbings!!! Heated gear is a godsend in the cold and really easy to install the wiring harness on the FZ! I was able to ride in 29 degrees F and not even a chill.
Gerbing's Heated Motorcycle Clothing

my last trip was the cold feet tour 2007 (Kouwe potentocht run by the ANWB, the Dutch equivelent to the AAA & AA) yesterday, as an extra you could try out the stuff from gerbrings for free and they even wired it up to your bike. The day started off about 1 degree C and rose to about 8 Degrees C during the day.
Anyway a woman in the group I rode with tried out a pair of gloves and a vest, everything was wired in on her FZ1.
Anyway these things had been wired in without a switch, so she was simmering on a gentle heat. When we stopped for lunch she was clearly sweating, so they do work.
After lunch she plugged them in again and rode off.
Later we stopped to refuel, and afterwards she couldn't get her bike started again (even after disconnecting the Gerbrings equipment), so she had to be push started. The battery had discharged due to the current drawn by the electric gear.
Well she left everything disconnected, and at our next coffee stop she didn't have any problems any more.
Well as you can guess she decided not to buy the stuff.

Here's a question for you guys who use this heated stuff, do you require a heavy duty battery to run this stuff, or was the battery of the FZ1 simply on its way out. (as a side note she had carried out the headlight Mod).
 

Rich

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My son rode the FZ6 for 4 days in the Black Hills recently and used the heated jacket liner for the duration. No problems at all.

The big thing is to make sure it is unplugged, or at least turned off when the bike is not running. I think the jacket liner he was using at the time uses around 100 watts, but when using the heat-troller it uses much less, because it is cycling the heat. 50% on - 50% off would equate to 50 watts. Not a lot of load for any current motorcycle. I have never had to turn the jacket liner controller over 50%, even when riding in 25 degrees.

I don't know the wattage of the alternator in the FZ6 or FZ1, but I am sure they are rated plenty high to run any heated clothing on the market, along with headlights.

Since I went electric, I ride in any temp above 20 degrees F, as long as the roads are clear. Of course that is on my BMW, which has a taller shield that the FZ6. I don't know why it took me so long to buy electrics. I'll never be without them again, especially in ND. I keep my jacket liner in the tankbag when I'm not wearing it, I love putting it on when you get chilled.

If anyone plans on buying electric clothing, I highly recommend the jacket liner over the vest. I've had both, and the vest sits in the closet now. You can't beat the warmth of the liner if you have a good windproof jacket over the top of it.
 

craig007

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I picked up a pair of Gerbing G3 heated gloves a few weeks ago. I been out with temps as low as 30 degrees, and these things work great. These things make cold hands a non-issue. They pull about 27 watts. I have seen that the FZ6 has about 100 watts of spare power. I looks like if you have not done the dual headlight mod (hence save 55 watts), then there should be enough for gloves and a jacket (about 100 watts for the jacket).

When, I bought the gloves, I didn't think that the jacket would be necessary, but if you are out riding in the cold for more than about an hour, a heated jacket would be nice thing to have.
 

Doorag

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A lot of guys I know wear wind-stopper jackets under their riding jackets. They are usually form fitting and will go under even a snug leather jacket and they really do block the wind and help you stay warm. The best thing is that they will usually zip into an outer shell jacket to make a good ski combo. Try North Face or Hard Wear.
 

Nelly

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I use women's nylons:(



Thats very interesting mate:D sorry couldn't resist miss quoting you.
I use thermals with a high wick ration. Even when its warm it moves the sweat away from my skin and keeps me cool. This is a really interesting topic as genrally I have only thought abbout cold weather gera for the winter. Two weeks ago I roade to Birmingham. It was a very pleasant day about 24C. It was the first time that I had had the oppertunity to wear my airtex jacket on a long run (140 miles) about halfway there I was freezing. I had packed a very lightweight rain jacket. I put it on under my Airtex and it was brilliant as explained by Doorag. I would consider a liner for the winter though as cold bodies = poor concentration = poor reflexes = CRASH.


Nelly
 
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