Cold weather motorbiking fun, with proper preparation

My friends say that I must be a reptile because neither the heat nor the cold really bothers me.

During the summer I open all of the windows at home and turn on the ceiling fans and I'm good. In fact, I have not turned on my air conditioning the past three summers. And during the winter I don't wear a lot of heavy clothing and I keep the heat at a moderate temperature.

Unlike most, I typically ignore heat index and wind chill factor calculations. The way I see it, when its hot, its hot and when its cold, its cold and that is all you need to know. So I have never understood is why some people constantly talk about how hot or cold it is. What exactly does this reminder do, can someone explain this to me?

Constantly stating that its hot or its cold only reminds and reinforces that its uncomfortable. And calculating how much hotter or colder it "feels" than what the temperature is, only acerbates the situation.

However when you ride a motorcycle during the winter, the wind chill factor all but smacks you in the mouth. Even I can't ignore this kind of cold, for instance, if it is 20 degrees and your speed is 65 mph the temperature feels like -4.9 degrees.

But just because its cold does not mean that you can't enjoy your motorcycle during the winter. And just because fuel prices are relatively low, does not mean that its time to burn through gasoline without a care.

For the past 10 years my journalistic focus has been and is primarily on automobiles. So the majority of the year is spent testing new cars on closed circuit race courses and public streets. However, in recent years, I have done something a little differently nearing the end of each calendar year.

Starting near the beginning of the fall, I stop testing four wheel machines and start testing motorcycles. For several weeks I ride one selected bike all the way into the winter months. Some of the motorcycles that I have tested include the Honda CBR 600F4i, the Triumph Daytona 675, the Honda Shadow Spirit 750 and the United Motors V2S 650R.

"Warm and safe is the goal when riding in winter, but you cannot get there if you do not stay dry. If you are not dry and comfortable you cannot effectively manage the skills required to stay safe on winter roads. Layer your body with both waterproof gear to stay dry with material that manages sweating and regulates body temperature," said Wayne Gaylord, Fieldsheer brand manager.

There are a few things that you have to keep in mind when riding in the cold. Proper gear is key to riding when the temperature falls below 40 degrees. Another thing to keep in mind is the type of motorcycle ridden, which makes a big difference on how the cold effects the rider. When riding in cold weather, a riders feet, chest, neck, mouth and hands are all key areas that must be protected.

If you are riding a cruiser like the Honda Shadow Spirit 750 your feet and legs are positioned farther forward than with a sport bike like the United Motors V2S 650R. This means that they will tend to get cold a bit quicker. So it is key to wear shoes or boots that block the wind along with heavy pants, leathers or chaps. On the other hand if you are riding a bigger grand tourer such as the Honda Gold Wing, the wind is all but directed around the rider and passenger.

While it is best to wear a full face helmet, these are not a favorite of many cruiser riders. A good full face helmet like the Scorpion EXO-1000 is not only safer, it is also much more comfortable especially in the winter. But if you don't like full face helmets, a good face mask that covers the neck and mouth along with a good pair of glasses or a full face balaclava along with glasses are a must.

As you can imagine a good jacket is also key. On most days, my Joe Rocket leather pants and jacket is enough. The best thing about the Joe Rocket gear is that its not too bulky and it does not restrict motion very much. But on very cold days a beefier jacket is needed, such as the one that I have been testing from Fieldsheer. Unlike most jackets the Fieldsheer jacket has an oversized collar that completely protects the neck and chin. The down side is that it is a bit bulky, but when you are well protected, especially from cold rain, a little bulk can be overlooked.

This brings us to the most important area, the hands. Of all the areas highlighted here, my hands are the only areas that have given me problems. When riding in temperatures under 35 degrees winter gloves are a must. Sadly "regular" winter gloves might not be enough. The best and most certain way to keep the hands warm is to keep the wind off of them with wind blockers or electric gloves.

"Make sure that your gear is worn in layers and that there is ventilation in key areas so that sweat does not leave you cold and damp. And also make sure that your helmet is equipped with a fog-free shield because nothing is worse than not being able to see," said Teri Gorrell, with media relations at Scorpion Sports Inc.

Fogging is an area that open face helmets have over full face helmets. Simply put, open face helmets don't fog up. When riding in temperatures above freezing, this problem can be solved by opening ventilation slots or by leaving the visor cracked. While this will help with fogging - which obscures vision - it also brings in cold air. And when the temperature is below freezing, any kind of fogging will freeze, which obscures vision even worse. Cracking the visor helps in this situation as well, but will bring in even colder air. Then there are specialized products such as anti fog visors or Scott's anti fog cloth.

There are a few tricks that I have formulated over the years for keeping warm when riding. These include wearing thermal underwear to keep body warmth from escaping, drinking hot chocolate and cracking off a handful of jumping jacks just before riding off. Last but not least throwing your gloves and jacket in the dryer will also help to keep things toasty as well.

Winter riding can be a pain. But just because the wind chill factor is 4.9 degrees does not mean that it can't be pleasurable too.

Larry Cornwell is a freelance automotive journalist based in Charlotte.