Winter warmth?

[coxxy]

OK, so we dont ride on the road but want to make the best of any extra winter track time available. In your considered opinion whats the best warm equipment or clothing combination to keep:
1. Dry
2. Warm
3. Flexible
4. In control

Gloves, grip warmers, waterproofs/rubber suits ???

any best ideas invited

[fizzwheel]

Layer up.

So thin thermal base layer, then something like a Helly Hansen Warm layer over that and a thin fleece over the top of that. Depends how much room you have under your leathers really.

Several thin layers work better than one or two thick ones the Helly Hansen stuff is what I wear when I am out cycling, its designed to be worn during sports so should be flexable enough to cope with the amount of moving about on the bike you'll do on a trackday.

EDZ make a thin Microfibre Shell thats designed as a windproof layer, works pretty well, failing that a windstopper would be good, but again depends if it will go under your leathers or not.

I've seen a few people wear a fleece over the top of their leathers as it helps keep the wind out, so you might try that, I dont know if it would be acceptable on a track day though safety wise that is.

Liz has a Gerbing heated jacket that she used when she was commuting through winter, she had a t-shirt on, with the heated jacket over that and then her normal textile winter jacket as was doing a 60 mile commute and proclaiming herself toasty at the of it, but they arent cheap.

I'd try the layering up approach first, and see how you get on.

[ChrisSV]

Ive got an EDZ underlayer, long sleeve. I wore it this morning in 4 degrees with my leathers on, and a thin held waterproof over the top, and was fine and warm, not so much as a draught.
However the waterproof was a bit flappy when goin above 60.But a better fitting one would probobly sort that.

[thedonal]

I just got some silk inner gloves and a silk balaclava from HG. Lovely and comfy, good insulation and thin enough to wear under other gear without getting in the way of flexibility.

Microfleece and baselayer under the leathers will be good too- like with hiking/mountaineering, more layers=better as they trap air between them.

[coxxy]

Thanks guys - this is a great start and i already feel the warmth of several thin layers already :) . Bear in mind that when racing we average 80 mph and often manage to top out at 135 - all legally! The wind chill factor on hands and fingers is extreme and whilst a race only lasts maybe 12 minutes, trackday sessions are 15 or so and during this time pain becomes quite intense on digits and we need to solve it for rider comfort at Icy or just above zero temps. You roadies must get cold hands too?

[ChrisSV]

For my cold hands, Ive got some waterproof leather gloves, cant remember model, but will update when I do. There not massivly warm, cause there thin enough to be used during summer, just. So I use thin undergloves, with latex gloves under that, and am mainly fine, except when it goes below 0, but im getting heated grips to olve that, after i tried a friends.

[Sid Squid]

I often used trailly handguards, they stop your brake getting interfered with in those lunges of questionable wisdom when going for a pass too.

[ChrisSV]

Bit of a derail, but are handguards a better investment than heate grips?

[coxxy]

I was thinking of handguards but they may clash with fairings. Heated grips - are they a pain to fit and any interference with race throttle etc?

[fizzwheel]

You roadies must get cold hands too?

Eventually yes, but I use big thick winter gloves which keep my hands toasty, but you'd not want to race with them on as they dont give good feel through the grips.

I've noticed alot of the racers, especially Rossi this weekend had a pair of thin surgical gloves on his hands when he was talking in the pits, I guess he was wearing them under his race gloves to keep his hands warm as it wasnt that warm at Phillip Island last weekend, so you could try that.

[timwilky]

I invested in some heated gloves last year, best accessory I have ever got. Nice and toasty, after a while I find myself turning the heat setting down.

Palms/ fingers and back of hands warm. Although I still will not ride in wet winter, cold is ok

[ophic]

Bit of a derail, but are handguards a better investment than heate grips?
No. Actually quite ineffective at keeping cold out. The wind just whips around them. At least with heated grips you can warm your hands up when you stop.

I have thick winter gloves, handguards and heated grips and still get cold hands, although I was riding over the tops of the M62 and it was sometimes -2 when I set off... god knows what it was at the top.

[Stu]

I was thinking of handguards but they may clash with fairings. Heated grips - are they a pain to fit and any interference with race throttle etc?
I fitted the Vstrom hand guards to my pointy didn't clash too much with hthe fairing - i.e. only on very full lock which I doubt you guys need? I think Grinch later fitted them on a curvy without worry either (I had to take them off as they didn't fit with a gixxer front end

[coxxy]

OK, so what make do you have Tim (heated gloves) never knew you can get these but how do they plug in etc?
Is that you stu ? Did you not meet up with us sometime?
Sounds like the handguards could round off the anti cold developments so will have a look out for some.

Love the poster - somewhere else to warm ones cockles?!

[Bibio]

heated socks, gloves and vest. best investment i ever made. i hate being cold on the bike. bit of a pain to get it all on but once on thats it. now just to get some heated knee/leg warmers.

[xXBADGERXx]

I have heated grips , and then around the end of October I fit the DL650 handguards onto the bike to keep the windblast off the back of the hands and all I wear is the same gloves all year round which are Rukka Xtrafit and quite thin for a Gore-Tex glove . This combo has kept my hands in a fair condition throughout 3 very hard Winters on the SV . I would also say that I wear full Rukka kit and my main thing on journeys is that my feet can get a bit on the cold side despite doing all the usual things to keep the circulation on the move . I have considered the new vests and insoles that are coming out in the next month from Keis . The X5 range as they all plug into each other , they do a neat line in gloves which can be powered from the bike or from a battery and well worth a look . http://www.chainspeed.co.uk/products/Keis-Heated-Inner-Gloves-*-New-for-2011*.html

You could wear a set of gloves and power them off the bike as I wouldn`t really recommend carrying the Li-Ion battery in an inner pocket in your leathers , I broke my ribs falling on my Mobile Phone when it was inside my jacket .

[coxxy]

Cheers guys, I am well impressed with this info and now realise road riding has moved on to extend the comfort of the sitting room into the cockpit of an SV :cool:

[thedonal]

Just wait until someone pops up with a twin-sprung seat with memory foam.... :D