Quick Winter Clothing question..

Just a quickie.. what's the best thing to wear under a helmet in this cold
weather, and what are the best gloves? It's for a new biker relative of
mine, she's never done winter on 2 wheels before. It's got to be 10 years
since I rode in winter, so I'm a bit out of touch..

Oh yeah, she's 5'0 so small sizes would be good..

 

A thermal balaclava under a crash helmet is always a winner and heated
gloves rock. It's traditional to recommend the type of kit you own so
I'll vote for a lightweight fleece balaclava and Exo gloves.

http://www.mothercare.com

 

I wouldn't be without my "buff":

http://www.buffwear.co.uk/catalogue/

 

Bar muffs are better than really thick gloves. Not only keep you warm but
dry. Putting wet gloves back on after a stop for fuel etc is horrible.
Muffs eliminate this problem

Yes, they work well, especially if you make an effort with other clothing
to keep the body's core temperature up, then the helmet alone is good
enough IME.

 

That's a bit of slang I haven't heard for about 30 years. Not sure
I'd recommend the beer overcoat option for a newbie, though.

 

I find the combination of specs and balaclavas a right pain in the arse.
Might have to look into it though. That and putting some muffs on the
KTM if I keep riding it through winter.

Brrrr.

 

Beard...

I also find a few stones of fat, evenly distributed around the body helps.

 

Does the KTM have handguards? If so, get the Tucano Urbano ones like I have
on the R-GS. Fit over the handguards without any faffing about. I can put
you in touch with a vendor.

 

Cold Killers balaclava and top. Even the "Long Johns" are all day comfy.

Shouldn't be a problem.

 

They don't do a very good job of keeping the wind out though. At least the
ones I bought don't and are now consigned to being used at the garage as a
"Polo neck" without the jumper.

 

Nope.

 

get the Oxford ones or similar then, they are cheaper

 

Which ones have you got, the 323s or the 319s?

I'm thinking about a pair for mine.

 

I've got the Oxford ones and they fit fine over handguards on the
Tenere. I'll report back later on how warm they were because it's
currently -3c here and once I've drunk my tea I'm off to play.

 

I'm pretty sure they're all the same style and I've not had any problems. Maybe
it's because your neck is deformed. Er, or maybe mine is.

 

Heated grips. Grips are £25 from M&P - easy to direct wire to the battery if
she's good at switching them off when she stops. Wire via a relay on a wire
from the ignition switch if she's are in danger of leaving them switched on.
Muffs - as well as the heated grips is even better.

John

 

Is it better to tap into say the lighting circuit do that there is no
risk of leaving the pwoer to the grips? Or is that a "bad idea"?

 

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Steve

 

Tap into the horn circuit instead. It's a little used circuit so no
real danger of blowing a fuse through overloading.

--
Lozzo
Versys 650 Inter-Continental Hyperbolistic Missile , CBR600F-W racebike
in the making, TS250C, RD400F (somewhere)
BMW E46 318iSE (it's a car, not one of those 2-wheeled pieces of shite
they churn out)

 

"Busters" are currently offering a "free" pair of muffs if you purchase a
set of heated grips. Mind ewe, the grips cost 59 quid.