Motorcycle Riding Tips: Cold And Snow Rides
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Your basic goal is to keep yourself warm and avoid hypothermia. Hypothermia is a condition when the temperature of your body just drops. The initial symptoms include shivering. Your hands and feet are cold. It is because the body works to protect your more important organs like the brain and torso, using the body’s less vital parts ( like hands and feet’s warmth) to heat them.
If your body is thoroughly chilled, it can not function normally. Your ability to skillfully handle the control of your motorcycle deteriorates. As cold takes over your body, you can not think clearly and you get clumsy. This will only expose you more to danger if you head out on the road.
So at the first signs of shivering, just stepping inside from the cold and drinking something warm, are all it takes to recover. If you do not have the opportunity to get inside from the cold, just park by the roadside and do some calisthenics. Don’t entertain the idea of drinking alcohol, you may get warm initially but after awhile you will be colder than before.
If your priority is to make sure your head and torso are protected from cold and wind, your extremities are likely to stay warm with fewer layers. A before-ride planning and studying the wind chill chart will help you be ready for any conceivable kinds of weather, you may likely run into. Do not take the wind for granted. The wind or moving air over your skin can suck away your body’s warmth.
For your head, a full face helmet with insulation can protect your brain from cold,hail or rain. Manage to fill in the gaps by wearing a neoprene face mask to lessen the wind that permeates in. Just make sure you won’t totally run out of oxygen, a little fresh air should get in. You need a scarf or leather bandanna to cover your neck, since the neck serve as a funnel in which blood circulates from the brain to the other vital organs. Make sure your face shield is fog and frost resistant by coating it with anti-fog solution.
When it comes to motorcycle clothes for winter riding, there are various kinds of fabrics to choose from for your base layer. This is where the fabric is closest to your skin. Wool blends,silk,silk blends,nylon and polypropylene materials are recommended. Absolutely no cotton. Cotton absorbs moisture and dries slowly.
Fleece is a man-made fabric that is ideal thermal liner for your mid -layer which provides the bulk of warmth. Fleece retains body heat and let perspiration escape. Wind-proof leather jackets makes the ideal outer layer for cold rides,aside from it’s abrasion resistance quality.
A wide windscreen mounted on your motorcycle will minimize air coming up from underneath. Another option is electric clothing ( heated vests, heated socks,heated gloves etc.) which is attached to the bike’s electrical system and provides heat when you need it.