Commuter Bikes And Keeping Warm In Winter
Posted: Fri Oct 31, 2008 4:48 pm
ZXR400H's thread reminded me of something that I wrote, but don't seem to have actually posted it anywhere before! Maybe I was saving it for the Winter? I must have written it ages ago becasue I've been on a ZX9R since January. Anyway, here it is:
It's the same old story - "I need a bike for fun at the weekend and another for commuting".
It seems like the sensible thing to do. Your weekend bike is something fun yet a bit impractical, and your commuter bike is... well, something that gets you from A to B.
So what does everyone choose as a commuter bike?
Something without a fairing!
Yes, totally ignoring the fact that on your way to work, you're going to need MORE weather protection, people always seem to pick some shitty upright bike, which is slow, boring, and has fk-all protection!
WHY???
I've always ridden sportsbikes, all year round. It's a bit treacherous on snow and ice, but I don't think it's any more so than any other bike.
Comfort? Well, that's relative, isn't it? I've never had any problem with comfort on a sportsbike, but then, I've never ridden a Honda Goldwing or anything, either. Personally, I think the sportsbike foetal position is better for your back than some upright postion with your back straight!
In fact, the only Winter that was a bit of a pisser for me was when I traded my sportsbike for a 'sensible' 250cc crosser.
Small, light, does about 90mph, plenty of suspension, knobbly tyres for offroad stuff... the perfect Winter commuter, right?
Wrong.
I was colder on that bike on my short journey to and from work than I've ever been on another bike!
I put a lot of this down to having no protection from the wind and rain. All the cold air smacks you firmly in the chest.
Also, not only did the lack of speed mean the journey took longer, hence I got colder - but also I think a big part of it was that, well, it was boring.
It was so boring that my adrenalin levels stayed low. I honestly think this was the biggest factor in my hands getting even colder than they normally would at a faster speed. Riding a faster beast gets your blood pumping more!
So Winter is approaching fast again. I'm sticking to the same VFR750 that I rode 10 miles in 6" deep snow at the start of this year - sports tyres and all!
Actually, I shall share my tried and tested methods for staying warm on the bike over Winter, for any bikers reading this:
The first stage of Winter is where I'll bring out the trusty Buff thermal neck tube. Your throat takes the brunt of the cold air - and as I've got a breath deflector in my helmet, it's also where all my nice warm moist breath goes to, so it can freeze solid in the wind chill! Brr!
Around the same time, I'll finally conceed and put the thermal lining into my leathers. Leathers are never the warmest though, so for the coldest days, I wear my synthetic jacket. I'd also rather crash in this rather than a £500 Spyke leather jacket (even though the Lookwell Goldline jacket cost £240).
I can take some horrendous temperatures, so for the last 2 Winters I've actually got through them wearing my Summer vented race gloves! OK, so I also have some Cold Killas liners - but they don't do a hell of a lot! If you want warm hands over Winter, don't get sucked into buying expensive gloves and crap, because there is only one thing that works: Heated grips. I can heartily recommend the Oxford Hot Hands Kit. Nothing else will keep your hands warm, whatever anyone tells you.
For proper Arctic or long distance riding, I also have a Cold Killas windproof top that I'll wear. Failing this, go for several thin layers rather than a big thick jumper - 3 t-shirts works better!
And that's just about it! Maybe it's my Polish ancestry, but I don't really wear anything under my leather trousers except my boxers, even in Winter! Cold Killas do leg wear, but any pair of trousers is more than enough for me. The same with my boots - I've never even needed thicker socks.
So there you are! Forget thoughts of a CB500 this Winter, and get yourself that R1 and a few bare essentials as listed above.
You'll be warmer, AND have a lot more fun!
It's the same old story - "I need a bike for fun at the weekend and another for commuting".
It seems like the sensible thing to do. Your weekend bike is something fun yet a bit impractical, and your commuter bike is... well, something that gets you from A to B.
So what does everyone choose as a commuter bike?
Something without a fairing!
Yes, totally ignoring the fact that on your way to work, you're going to need MORE weather protection, people always seem to pick some shitty upright bike, which is slow, boring, and has fk-all protection!
WHY???
I've always ridden sportsbikes, all year round. It's a bit treacherous on snow and ice, but I don't think it's any more so than any other bike.
Comfort? Well, that's relative, isn't it? I've never had any problem with comfort on a sportsbike, but then, I've never ridden a Honda Goldwing or anything, either. Personally, I think the sportsbike foetal position is better for your back than some upright postion with your back straight!
In fact, the only Winter that was a bit of a pisser for me was when I traded my sportsbike for a 'sensible' 250cc crosser.
Small, light, does about 90mph, plenty of suspension, knobbly tyres for offroad stuff... the perfect Winter commuter, right?
Wrong.
I was colder on that bike on my short journey to and from work than I've ever been on another bike!
I put a lot of this down to having no protection from the wind and rain. All the cold air smacks you firmly in the chest.
Also, not only did the lack of speed mean the journey took longer, hence I got colder - but also I think a big part of it was that, well, it was boring.
It was so boring that my adrenalin levels stayed low. I honestly think this was the biggest factor in my hands getting even colder than they normally would at a faster speed. Riding a faster beast gets your blood pumping more!
So Winter is approaching fast again. I'm sticking to the same VFR750 that I rode 10 miles in 6" deep snow at the start of this year - sports tyres and all!
Actually, I shall share my tried and tested methods for staying warm on the bike over Winter, for any bikers reading this:
The first stage of Winter is where I'll bring out the trusty Buff thermal neck tube. Your throat takes the brunt of the cold air - and as I've got a breath deflector in my helmet, it's also where all my nice warm moist breath goes to, so it can freeze solid in the wind chill! Brr!
Around the same time, I'll finally conceed and put the thermal lining into my leathers. Leathers are never the warmest though, so for the coldest days, I wear my synthetic jacket. I'd also rather crash in this rather than a £500 Spyke leather jacket (even though the Lookwell Goldline jacket cost £240).
I can take some horrendous temperatures, so for the last 2 Winters I've actually got through them wearing my Summer vented race gloves! OK, so I also have some Cold Killas liners - but they don't do a hell of a lot! If you want warm hands over Winter, don't get sucked into buying expensive gloves and crap, because there is only one thing that works: Heated grips. I can heartily recommend the Oxford Hot Hands Kit. Nothing else will keep your hands warm, whatever anyone tells you.
For proper Arctic or long distance riding, I also have a Cold Killas windproof top that I'll wear. Failing this, go for several thin layers rather than a big thick jumper - 3 t-shirts works better!
And that's just about it! Maybe it's my Polish ancestry, but I don't really wear anything under my leather trousers except my boxers, even in Winter! Cold Killas do leg wear, but any pair of trousers is more than enough for me. The same with my boots - I've never even needed thicker socks.
So there you are! Forget thoughts of a CB500 this Winter, and get yourself that R1 and a few bare essentials as listed above.
You'll be warmer, AND have a lot more fun!