Wilsons Sandbox

Charlie-- Don't know if it's a list favorite, but *for the price* I'd buy my Joe Rocket Ballistic jacket again in a heartbeat. I've had it 3 years and many miles, so I know it well. It's mostly waterproof (after hours on the highway it starts to seep a little at the bicep vents), has ok vents when it warms up, and is warm as hell with the thinsulate liner, plus I trust its armor. It's a 3/4 touring jacket in tall and allows no wind in. I have their pants, too, which are hot as hell if it isn't chilly and, though the fabric is waterproof, the fly leakes like a sieve so if you're riding position allows water to pool there even a moment your boxers are soaked... -Luke --- "C. Bebber" wrote:

> I commute to work with my KLR about an hour total > each day and now > that the weather's starting to cool down, I'm > starting to think about > what to wear during the fall and winter months. I'm > in California's > Central Coast/SoCal so it doesn't get *that* cold > but I'm more in the > hills so it can get chilly. > > Are there common favourites those on the list tend > to like? > > Many thanks in advance, > > -Charlie >

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On 9/30/06, C. Bebber wrote:

> I commute to work with my KLR about an hour total each day and now > that the weather's starting to cool down, I'm starting to think about > what to wear during the fall and winter months.

There's nothing like electrics, but a heated vest may be a little overkill--or not, only you can be the judge. Just remember that everyone has different ideas of what's hot and what's not, so what works for me might not be enough for you! In general you'll want a windproof layer on the outside, and an insulating layer on the inside. Any raingear, as long as it doesn't flap itself to shreds, will nicely protect you from the wind. Raingear is also not as expensive as a riding jacket with GoreTex (assuming you don't already have one). For insulating the torso, thick fleece is hard to beat for the price. Most motorcycle jackets have some room under them for a fleece pullover or liner. If yours doesn't, electric vests are thinner and more effective if you can get them pretty snug to your body, but they're a lot more expensive. Remember that unless you keep your core (torso) warm, you'll never get your extremities (hands and feet) warm. I strongly dislike winter gloves for motorcycle riding--too thick and bulky, IMHO, putting way too much slop into my efforts to control the bike. Heated handgrips are a wonderful solution since they allow you to use your summer gloves far longer. When it gets very cold out, though, the backsides of your hands will get cold even with heated gloves; that's when I give up and put on the winter gloves. There's quite a bit of effort involved in installing them, but if you're comfortable with working on your bike and wiring stuff they aren't horrible. (The OEM wind deflectors help a fair amount too.) My feet don't get cold, as I spent my formative years inuring myself on the ski slopes of Colorado. Or, maybe it's my SmartWool socks. Either way, most motorcycle boots provide good insulation, especially for rides of the duration you're concerned about. Same thing with my legs, but again a pair of raingear pants should provide all the wind protection you might need. -- Blake Sobiloff http://sobiloff.typepad.com/> http://sobiloff.typepad.com/klr_adventure/> San Jose, CA (USA)

Where do you ride Luke? I have been looking at buying the Joe Rocket (I have the mesh one for summer and love it) but is it warm enough for the northern climates. I'm in Michigan and am looking to ride in weather under 40 degrees (the coldest I can stand right now with the current jacket and fleece sweater). --- Analog Aardvark wrote:

> Charlie-- > > Don't know if it's a list favorite, but *for the > price* I'd buy my Joe Rocket Ballistic jacket again in > a heartbeat. I've had it 3 years and many miles, so I > know it well. It's mostly waterproof (after hours on > the highway it starts to seep a little at the bicep > vents), has ok vents when it warms up, and is warm as > hell with the thinsulate liner, plus I trust its > armor. It's a 3/4 touring jacket in tall and allows > no wind in. I have their pants, too, which are hot as > hell if it isn't chilly and, though the fabric is > waterproof, the fly leakes like a sieve so if > you're riding position allows water to pool there even > a moment your boxers are soaked... > > -Luke > > --- "C. Bebber" wrote: > > > I commute to work with my KLR about an hour total > > each day and now > > that the weather's starting to cool down, I'm > > starting to think about > > what to wear during the fall and winter months. I'm > > in California's > > Central Coast/SoCal so it doesn't get *that* cold > > but I'm more in the > > hills so it can get chilly. > > > > Are there common favourites those on the list tend > > to like? > > > > Many thanks in advance, > > > > -Charlie > > > > > __________________________________________________ > Do You Yahoo!? > Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection > around > http://mail.yahoo.com >

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For legs, a pair of rain pants adds a surprising amount of warmth by completely cutting off the wind. For cheap, athletic pants at the K-Mart discount rack are adequate and pack small for the ride home. They're usually lined and zip at the bottom. When the weather cools more, I've got some TourMaster pants that I use. On top, I'd wear my electric vest if I was riding for an hour. __Arden

--- In DSN_KLR650@yahoogroups.com, "C. Bebber" wrote: > > I commute to work with my KLR about an hour total each day and now > that the weather's starting to cool down, I'm starting to think about > what to wear during the fall and winter months. I'm in California's > Central Coast/SoCal so it doesn't get *that* cold but I'm more in the > hills so it can get chilly. > > Are there common favourites those on the list tend to like? > > Many thanks in advance, > > -Charlie >

An electric vest covered by a 100 weight Aerostich fleece sweater, and grip heaters. WIth the heat off you can tolerate temps into the 70s, with the heat on temps into the 30s. _____ From: DSN_KLR650@yahoogroups.com [mailto:DSN_KLR650@yahoogroups.com] On Behalf Of C. Bebber Sent: Saturday, September 30, 2006 10:10 PM To: DSN_KLR650@yahoogroups.com Subject: [DSN_KLR650] Recommended cool(er) weather garb I commute to work with my KLR about an hour total each day and now that the weather's starting to cool down, I'm starting to think about what to wear during the fall and winter months. I'm in California's Central Coast/SoCal so it doesn't get *that* cold but I'm more in the hills so it can get chilly. Are there common favourites those on the list tend to like? Many thanks in advance, -Charlie [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Thanks for all of the replies! I need a new jacket anyway so I might look into Luke's suggested Joe Rocket jacket and pants. The heated vest might be a little overkill for my needs but I guess I'll find out pretty quick Thanks again, -Charlie [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

--- In DSN_KLR650@yahoogroups.com, "C. Bebber" wrote:

> Thanks for all of the replies! I need a new jacket anyway so I

might look

> into Luke's suggested Joe Rocket jacket and pants. The heated vest

might be

> a little overkill for my needs but I guess I'll find out pretty quick

I've ridden in snow with the following: * Big Enduro Engineering handguards mounted on barkbusters (not scoop-shaped like the OEM but bigger). * Aerostich tank paniers (breaks the wind to the legs quite nicely), * Slipstreamer CF-30 windshield (ditto to chest and neck), * Heated grips * Joe Rocket waterproof(windproof) textile gloves * First Gear HT overpants with liner zipped in * First Gear Kilimanjaro jacket with liner zipped in * Widder electric vest, over * Cheap Wal-Mart long underwear * Cheap Sears Craftsman brand boot socks (a thick synthetic), * Oxtar Infinity boots (waterproof/windproof). This all worked reasonably well, with the exception that my toes got a little chilly and my upper arms got a little chilled. I do have ragg wool socks and tried them, but they made the toe of my boots uncomfortably tight so I decided slightly chilly toes was better than physical pain. I'm going to try a slightly wider (and slightly shorter) bar-mounted windshield next to see if I can cut down the blast to my upper arms. I am also going to look at getting the arm chaps to my Widder vest, but I'm pretty much at the limits of my alternator, so that might not be such a great idea... boy, I wish Electrosport's stuff actually worked at improving alternator output rather than being all hype!