The nights are drawing in, and there is a chill in the air, summer is over, and winter is fast approaching. However, this does not mean you need to turn you beloved two-wheeled buddy into a garage queen.
There are lots of bikers who enjoy the fresh mornings and riding right through the winter months, and so I decided I would look back at the winter I have ridden through to see what you really need to survive the cold frosty rides out.
Heated Grips
Ok, you may take the piss out of your mates for fitting heated grips on his bike, but lets are honest there is nothing worst than having cold hands on a bike, and I think it is probably pretty dangerous as well.
Every bike I have owned the first thing I have done is have heated grips fitted or made sure they have been specced when I have ordered from new.
If your bike does not have them, then it is not the end of the world you can either fit them yourself for very little or pay someone. You can get a set of Oxford Heated grips for £40 from Amazon, and if you know what you are doing, they are easy to wire up. However, I paid £100 to have them fitted on my bike, and that was £100 all in including the grips Which I think was a bargain.
WindProof neck Buff
Keeping the wind out is essential to keeping warm on a bike in winter, and a neck scarf is the only way you can do it, and a windproof scarf is a way to do it. A windproof scarf is cheap, and I only paid £10 for mine, and it has lasted me a few years.
You can wear a windproof neck scarf in many ways, and I even wear one in summer to keep the sun off my neck as well.
Heated Jackets And Gloves
Now this is for the people that like a few creature comforts and money is not a massive issue. I don’t own any heated clothing, but I have some friends who will ride all winter, and they swear by it.
You can get heated clothing that will run off a battery pack, or you can get it hard wired to the bike where you then have a connector.
Everyone I know who has heated gloves will not waste any more money on heated grips as the gloves heat the whole hand and not just the palms.
None Heated Jackets
If you don’t fancy spending a small fortune on a heated jacket, then have a look for an insulated jacket that you can fit under your everyday jacket, and if you get too hot, you can take it off. Keeping the wind out will make you warmer so bear that in mind when purchasing warm clothing.
Good Quality Base Layer
Base Layers… What a crazy idea… I wore one on our tour of Italy earlier this year, and it kept me cool as ice, and I wish I wore one the year before when I went to Spain and Monaco.
Base layers will not only keep you cool in summer but warm in winter and are worth every penny. I do believe you need to spend a fair chunk of change on one to get one that is going to breathe and be able to fight odour as they can get smelly if you buy a cheap one.
A Garden Hose
Ok, this is a strange one, but if you ride in winter, it is essential that you wash your bike off after every ride so that you can get all the salt and crap off. Salt will destroy anything that is aluminum or steel and will just promote rust and deterioration which we do not want for our pride and joys.
But I know after a few hours on a bike in winter the last thing you want to do is get wet washing it off, but you will regret it if you don’t do it.
If you Dont Want To Ride In Winter…
If you are not riding in winter you need one of these Bike Bubble things then these are a really good idea to keep your baby safe and dry over the worst of the winter months.
How awesome are they especially if your garage is not heated they keep your bike dry and dust free along with keeping that horrible moisture out.