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You are getting stuff from Germany faster than me here in UK! You get stuff flown over the same day, I have some stuff I ordered last month that is stuck 'somewhere' at the border still waiting for a slow-boat to export.

Those electric gloves you bought are among the cheaper you can get, I might be inclined to try the same. Will go to a motorcycle gear store nearby and take a look there first.

I bought a set of leather trousers a while back which did not seem particularly 'hot' to wear when I wore them (it was cooling of, though) but are surprisingly warm now. Together with extra layers, the only winter issues I seem to suffer from are misting visors (is there ever a solution?) and cold hands.

I think I am complete at the point where it hits freezing, though, don't really feel an urge to take to the roads when they could be icy.

One tip I can offer, if you get stuck for cold hands (flat battery!! ), if you ride so that you stretch your hands out flat, so only the finger tips are pointed into wind and resting fingers on the levers (gripping the throttle in the crook of your thumb only, and reduce the air hitting the back of your fingers directly) your hands will stay warmer for much longer. I find it's the air hitting the 'flat' parts of your body (including hands) that cool those bits down. I ride tucked as much as possible most of the time, I simply find it more comfortable, but this time of year makes a huge difference compared to if you let the air hit your chest straight on.

 

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IIRC there is a service in the US that ships things from there to the UK.

So I order stuff from Germany to there, and then ... LOL.

 

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I regret I can't offer any view on boots, TBH I have always found 'motorcycle' boots very poor for ergonomics. I have bought a few pairs in my time, but they always seem too bulky and stiff for best control of the bike, and I am one to think that having better control of a bike so you don't fall off in the first place 'may be' ( ) more important than the protection it offers if you do.

I currently use and have found a pair of comfortable walking boots to provide the control and the protection. They seem long enough and tough enough that I am not sure dedicated boots would be that much better, but I'd be interested to hear opinions on that. Having never yet fallen off a moving motorcycle ( 🤞 ), I am rather reliant on what others might say about such things!

Not that this answers your question nor that I would feel comfortable 'recommending' that to others, but the reason I mention it is because if someone 'can' mention here their recommendations for comfortable, ergonomic boots that do the least possible to interfere with gear control, I'd be delighted to hear about them.

 

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Size is always a concern I have, but generally have got lucky one way or the other.

I have small hands, but sometimes 'small' is too small, and 'large' is way big. One pair were so big they fitted over my existing lightweight summer gloves, so that is what I wear in cold, both pairs! I take the outer pair off, and still have flexible high control gloves on underneath. Works quite well actually, but wasn't the original plan.

Generally I am losing weight these days (intentionally, not ill or anything, trying to stay fit) and finding I am sizes smaller than I was. Bought some leather trousers 34", which is what I have been for 2 decades, to find they were too big, ordered the 32" and TBH they are still too large, the side armour is too mobile it'd get pushed out of the way if I really did start sliding. But they are not too big and I can wear a pair of jeans underneath so can do that in the cold, or if I am going somewhere can use them as over-trousers and I've solved the problem of what to wear (though I am still looking for a lightweight carry-all to put jacket and trousers in at the destination).

Returning things is always such a faff, isn't it!

The only other thing I'd say about the boots, but this is the same with all is the material is quite stiff to begin with, and I found the zips a bit awkward at first but they should ease up.

I figure the boots I have will loosten up, of course, but how and when does that happen? I mean, I am very 'economical' with my pedal movements and I don't think they'd ever soften up from riding alone, and they are not designed for walking in. So I am a bit stumped now that I have them. I can't argue they are the wrong size, shoes are even worse for fit than clothes, but the boots that showed up I think are pretty ideal on actual size.

 

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When I lived in the UK, I didn’t even own a car, my bike was my only transport. So, I rode every day, rain or shine. One just gets on with it.

Back then, in my mid 20s I didn’t mind much, and didn’t even mind sodden leathers at times. Here, I have a couple cars, one with heated seats even.

I noticed that my riding skills had gotten rusty over time as Id only ride when it was nice & dry. That’s about 70% of the year here to be fair.

In 2022 I made a commitment to ride all year, only taking the car when necessary for weather. Rain is fine. Wind is fine. Rain with 50 mph wind gusts is not fine.

I took the FJ12 through a few winters and the weather and salt really damaged it.

'Just' rain is almost fun, there is a moment when everything is soaked to hell and can't get wetter, and you just think 'C'mon, call this rain! Bring it on!'. Or maybe that is just me! 🤪

Mud and salt is shit bad for the bike and for you and your clothes, and we get that here a lot, and on small narrow roads so no 'cleaner lanes' to hide from it.

On using a bike for main transport, I am right in the middle of pondering this myself. I am wondering whether to just consider the bike to be 'primary' transport because I am in the process of selling my car, it is worth too much for me to justify the tiny number of miles I do in it, so selling it on. Question is whether to replace it with a 'banger', just in case of needing 4 wheels, or just not bother.

Obviously, if I do then I have a reason and need to invest further into riding kit, hence I have been following your posts recently.

 

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I have a good set of winter gloves but found they don't really cut out the wind as much as I'd like

Try my tip of pointing the fingers of your flattened hands over the levers (when you can do that safely), the air then diverts above and below only hits the tips of the fingers, does not chill back of the fingers like when your hand is wrapped on the grips.

 

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Do they make heated seats to keep your ass warm and dry 🤣

No problem making one. Just get a resistive heater film and refit under the seat cover.

What's wrong with the electrically heated jock strap? Doesn't everyone have them?

 

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Update:
Was informed my new suit arrived today. Unboxed and tried the jacket first. Fit is better than the 56, through the 58 feels like a snug 56 should.

What are those numbers? Not chest size, surely, wouldn't you flatten the poor bike!?

 

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What he said^^^

But yes, chest size. I spent a great deal of my spare time in my younger days in the weight room. I generally wear a US 46 jacket though some, like my leather flight jacket is a US 48.

Way back when I was in my late 20s/early 30s and fit like a draught horse, I had the same size chest/back and a 28” waist. Sadly, as I’ve gotten older my waist size has ballooned to a 36 where it’s been since my mid 40s. It takes increasingly more work to keep it a 36.

Not for any vanity reasons…I have too much $$$ invested in riding gear to just say to hell with it and let myself get fatter. FWIW, at age 56 now, and 5’9” tall; I’ve weighed roughly the same for the last 15-16 years. 210 lbs. Roughly 15 stone I reckon? Hardly a weight that would flatten a bike. Might be hell on the rear shock though! 🤣

I guess you are quite muscular at that height, weight and vocation history. I trust you're happy with body image as you're willing to discuss on public forum?!

I just wrote some comments on that subject, but was off topic so expanded on it here - Rider weight and suspension settings (chat).

 

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I’m 56 man. I don’t obsess over body image anymore.

Yeah, sorry, I didn't mean like a teenager or someone worried about that sort of thing! I think what I wrote lost its meaning when I put the rest in the other post for a different discussion. I'll shut up or I'll look like a dick!

 

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I think I will get the bikes taxed and back on the road too for Feb. January was cold, and still not 'nice' but not actually as cold as I thought, I'd have gone out a couple of times already.

Given my current situation (other thread, sold car) the 'kit' situation should get some attention. I am not into buying expensive branded kit, I have generally found that there is equal quality unbranded available, though it can be pot luck. I think I hit lucky with a reinforced and "armoured" cordura jacket, and a very good quality pair of leather trousers, they zip together. Happy with those, and I have some waterproof layers if needed.

That stuff is OK on a long trip down to 5C or a pinch less. I think we are there now. I am not keen on leather jackets, personally I find they tend to restrict the head movement, OK otherwise but the bulk of leather around the shoulders and neck don't really suit my style to move my head around a lot.

Whether I need to get a warmer winter suit, I guess nothing would be practical to go over that sort of arrangement so it'd need to be a single piece with due protections in it. That sounds expensive.

It's my hands that I am now worried about. I have developed instances of 'Raynauds' syndrome which has been quite significant this winter where the fingers stop flowing blood.

So I think the biggest expense is that I have to try to get some heated gloves. The ones @Yellow Submarine posted about look good, about the cheapest you can get and I noticed the list price from the manufacturer direct is like 250 euros. Thing is they are not CE rated, and I am actually struggling to find 'any' heated gloves rated for CE protection. I'm not overly anxious about that, but looks like it might be the biggest single expense of clothing. Even getting a new quality lid might not come to more.

 

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Really? Maybe I’m the one in the dark then as I thought the CE on the tags & in the “features” meant they were.
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These are really better described as “mobile warming” versus “heated”

Heated tends to be used to describe gloves that plug into the motorcycle electrical system to generate heat. Mobile warming means they’re independently battery powered so are able to heat on or off the motorcycle until the battery goes dead.

According to the interwebz the tag is read:
1. The motorcycle pictogram shows the glove has been tested as a bike glove.

2. The numeral 1 shows its CE rating (1 is a basic pass, 2 would mean more advanced testing)

3. “KP” shows the knuckle protector has passed an impact test.

4. Designation number showing the recognized standard the article has been tested to.

In the case of these gloves, there is not a #4 on the tag. I’ll have a look at the box when I get home. However, the CE standard for motorcycle gloves is EN 13594:2015 so in order to display a CE level 1 rating that is the standard the glove must be tested to.

Ah, thanks.

It was not intended to be a pejorative on the gloves, it just didn't appear in the list of features where they usually list these things.

Glad to see it. I'll consider them but I'm now looking at some others that are not much more and seem to have more battery and more leather. Will put your choice back on the list!

 

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No mention of the CE rating on the desktop website, seems it appears on the phone version. Odd .. well, now we know!

https://www.fc-moto.de/epages/fcm.sf/en_GB/?ObjectPath=/Shops/10207048/Products/Orina-Tesla-Heated-Gloves/SubProducts/Orina-Tesla-Heated-Gloves-0001