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SuzukiSavage.com
/cgi-bin/YaBB.pl General Category >> Rubber Side Down! >> Gear /cgi-bin/YaBB.pl?num=1254408754 Message started by Angie on 10/01/09 at 07:52:33 |
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Title: Gear Post by Angie on 10/01/09 at 07:52:33 Oh joy, fall is here and winter isnt too far behind. Boooo! That leads to my next question. Where do you buy most of your gear, esp the cold weather kind? What items are recomended, indespensible, etc. I have order things off the following websites with great results. www.nybwholesale.com www.leatherup.com www.jpcycles.com :) |
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Title: Re: Gear Post by serenity3743 on 10/01/09 at 08:15:26 I have bought a face mask at a ski shop, thinsulate gloves (River Road brand) at the Suzuki dealership, thinsulate Gortex pants from Cabella's catalog, and I wear a Steelers NFL jacket with down quilting that I got a deal on. This gear keeps me warm down below 32F. If needed I layer on a sweatshirt and/or fleece scarf for REALLY cold weather. I have ridden when it was 17F but I try to avoid WET cold. |
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Title: Re: Gear Post by photojoe on 10/01/09 at 08:34:52 Most of my cold weather stuff comes from military surplus stores like sportsmansguide.com. If you search, you could find cheaper places. I bought German military long johns, very thick tops/bottoms made in Germany. Wool Dutch Military sweaters made in the netherlands. Browning thick wool socks are excellent. And, cold weather heat packs. With a bit of work, you can find packs of 100 for a good price. Those things are great. I use them on top of my toes in my boots, and also use silk gloves inside of my gauntlet gloves and slip the packs between them. For bottoms, either leather pants or flannel lined jeans with long johns under. Face masks you can find anywhere for around $10.00. A good scarf and I'm ready to ride here in the northeast. Outside of a few snowstorms, I rode through most of last winter here in NJ with this gear. |
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Title: Re: Gear Post by justin_o_guy2 on 10/01/09 at 10:17:54 I got some insulated coveralls & sewed vinyl over the upper legs & torso, to stop the air. They are big enough to wear stuff under. A T-shirt cut down & sewn up to cover the head & face, with an open place for the eyes really makes a big difference. I cant stand the poly knit stuff available. Makes me itch. A neck wrap is nice. Some wool socks a guy gave gave me from when he was in Korea. Yea, theyre old, but theyre good. Gloves, a hundred ways to do that one, just as everything else. http://www.rei.com/gear/feature/search/Google/balaclava/?cm_mmc=ps_google_OW-_-Category%20-%20Apparel-_-Apparel_General_Balaclava-_-balaclava&mr:adGroup=1437881675&mr:ad=3080074955&mr:keyword=balaclava&mr:referralID=NA&gclid=CKSZr_KsnJ0CFQtM2god7WmOqg You can make your own for cheap. If you need to make it double thickness, thats easy, too. |
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Title: Re: Gear Post by Angie on 10/01/09 at 12:31:18 I want to ride for as long as I can, but I dont want to freeze body parts off like I almost did yesterday. That was not fun. But I cant afford alot of stuff, esp all at once. So I guess I wanted to prioritize things and get the most important first, and so on. Im good in the coat dept. I really really need better gloves, and a liner for under my helmet. I do have riding boots (Think I'd get in trouble for wearing Harley boots while riding a Suzuki?) but they seem to be a bit cumbersome for the Savage. There isnt much clearance between the foot peg and shifter, and I found that sometimes it felt like I had to wedge my boot under the shifter. Plus I only have a about a 20 min ride to work, so I dont want to spend twice as long getting all my stuff on as it takes me to get where Im going. Does anyone have chaps and are the worth the $$? Chaps make me giggle. I just keep picturing either the Village People or S&M guys wearing chaps but no pants. ;D |
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Title: Re: Gear Post by photojoe on 10/01/09 at 12:44:08 Hand protection should be first on the list as my hands are the first that freeze, and are of no use to me frozen while trying to operating throttle, front brake and clutch. Footwear second. Harley boots? Who cares what you wear, as long as you like them. My engineer boots are as smooth as butter right now. I have zero problems operating my brake and shifter with them. They're not made for warmth, but that's where good socks come in. Unless you're familiar with a specific pair, or know what you want, boots are difficult to buy online. Need to try a bunch on in a store first. |
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Title: Re: Gear Post by serenity3743 on 10/01/09 at 12:52:39 3F3039373B2E6C6966675E0 wrote:
You might need to adjust your shift peg upward a little bit. There is a connecting rod with locknuts on it going from the shift peg to the shift arm, right behind the footpeg. Loosen those nuts and turn the rod until you have enough space to get your biga$$ boot under there! ;D Then tighten the locknuts back. As to chaps, the latest "Scary Movie" has a parody of "Brokeback Mountain" with two "cowboys" moseying along wearing chaps with no pants underneath. Pretty funny! :D |
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Title: Re: Gear Post by justin_o_guy2 on 10/01/09 at 12:55:14 I agree with P/Joe to a point. Misery starts in the hands for me, then the feet, but the core temp is very important & a cold head will drop it. Lots of heat goes out thru the head. The helmet helps a lot, but a head wrap under the helmet made a real big difference in my comfort level. Clothiong that doesnt let the air blow in is a big deal. Ive been caught out without the "Good Stuff" on & the temp dropped hard. Ive stopped & grabbed "Thrifty Nickel" papers & stuffed in my jacket & that helped a lot. |
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Title: Re: Gear Post by Jack_650 on 10/01/09 at 21:50:26 I live in southern MN and we get plenty cold. I've not gotten to winter riding yet, but for the stuff down to around freezing I've found layers work the best. I have pretty good, roomy rain gear that I wear over my layers to keep the wind out. Doesn't completely solve the hands and feet problem, but with a full face helmet I'm in pretty good shape. Make sure your boots have enough room in them for a couple pair of warm socks. If you crowd into your foot gear you'll just cut down on the blood flow. How do you spell frost bite? We need an alternative electrical generating system so we can run the electric heated clothes. Even an extra little 20 amp or so alternator/generator would make all the difference in the world. We could get heated gloves, extra lights and maybe even a little TV/VCR combo or something for those longer trips. Jack |
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Title: Re: Gear Post by Dj12midnit on 10/01/09 at 22:29:51 People always look at me strange when I come into work and there is ice on my gloves... |
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Title: Re: Gear Post by FreeSpirit on 10/02/09 at 01:30:21 I have chaps and love them in cooler weather. And so many in my area wear them that it dosent look like a village people moment,as you mentioned ;) Its just the norm here. Layers work wonders and definitely get a ski mask type head/face cover. My face used to be all that got really cold. And my hands....I havent solved that problem yet,but I think Palladin and others recommend Silk glove liners. And you can wear panty hose as one layer under your pants...seems like I've even seen guys mention that.Plus I have long underwear-long johns,whatever they're called ;D Maybe just lay it all out at night,jump into them in the mornings,then remove some layers at work. :-/ Once you get use to the routine,its not as much trouble to put all that on as it seems. But I dont even know what state you live in....dont know how cold it gets there. |
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Title: Re: Gear Post by kel30734 on 10/02/09 at 05:00:39 I like Wemonz in Chaps ;) |
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Title: Re: Gear Post by babyhog on 10/02/09 at 05:32:06 We went out yesterday evening for dinner and knew it was going to be dark and cool by the time we got home. I didn't think the chaps were going to be necessary, but once we left the house, it was already chilly and the sun was still out.... So we turned around. Man am I glad we did! What a difference they make! I have a little thermometer on my handlebars and it was reading 53 by the time we started home. Remember, this is my first season riding, and it has been in the 80's here until this week, so cool coming on that quickly has me shivering. (Ok, I'm a 110 lb. wimp, when it comes to cold) But, since the addition of my windshield, the only thing that got even the slightest bit cold were my fingers. I was only wearing Isotoner driving gloves, with the little leather strips on the fingers. Long sleeve t-shirt, fleece sweatshirt, leather jacket, Jeans, and Chaps! And Angie, I love my Harley boots (Faded Glory style). Have been wearing this style for about 8 years... I'm on my third pair. I don't have shifting trouble with the ones that are low on the ankle, but I have a pair that are taller that doesn't let my ankle bend comfortably enough to shift. I wear these boots 16+ hours a day, darn near every day! I can put on a pair of tennis shoes and my feet hurt within an hour. So ain't noboby gonna tell me I can't wear my Harley boots to ride a Suzuki! ~ |
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Title: Re: Gear Post by Angie on 10/02/09 at 07:24:30 464544494B51280 wrote:
I just loved this response! 8-) My boots do have the higher ankle, which I got because I had to have them when I took the Basic Rider Course last fall. And Im pretty sure the cops wont pull me over to check and make sure Im in fasion compliance. I guess the upside to wearing the boots all day is that they are steel toed (which might make them colder on my toes) so if anyone at work tickes me off I can kick them and not hurt myself. ;D OK, I finally figured out how to do the quote thingy. But I cant finger out how to do more than one quote per response and have it show who said what. So I'll do my best here to answer those that have been kind and shared their info/experiences with me. PhotoJoe - I do like my boots, but they fit snug enough that it would be hard to wear thick socks with them. I do look good in those boots though... Serenity - big A$$ boots huh? LOL Actually they aren't that clunky, so I guess its just my lack of coordination. Justin - I hear on the misery starting in the hands. My hands tend to be cold in the winter anyway so I can tell Im going to have to invest in some really good gloves. Jack - Elec hook ups for clothes, and a tv/vcr combo huh? Im lucky I can manage to ride a bike without trying to watch tv at the same time. I did see a guy on a big ol Harley that had a cell phone up to his ear while he was riding! I dont know how he could hear anything, between the wind and the bike. :P FreeSpirit - I live in Iowa, so it gets plenty cold here. For awhile last winter it was actually colder here than it was in Antarctica! Kel - I think thats the name. I took notes on who said what, but I cant read my handwritting, lol. Wemonz in chaps huh? ::) Im going more for clothing/gear that serves a purpose (like keeping me from freezing off body parts) other than fashion and/or making the blood in a man go to below the equator. I mean, it spends so much time there anyway their brains are deprived of oxygen enough. ;D Wouldnt want to cause brain damage. ;) DJ - and Im used to peeps looking at me strange. Doesnt really bother me anymore. :P |
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Title: Re: Gear Post by babyhog on 10/02/09 at 08:05:30 28272E202C397B7E7170490 wrote:
While replying to a message, I can scroll on down and see all the prior posts. I assume everyone can, so there's no need to take notes, unless its from another thread... And I like my chaps for their wind-breaking and ease of riding in... its just a bonus that they look good! Me thinks menz looks good in them tooz! Seeeexxxxxyyyy! Quote:
To insert another quote, I use the icon that looks like a piece of paper with the blue arrow pointing right. Then highlight, copy & paste from the summary down below. There's probably another way, I have only done it a time or two... By the way, I'm at work too... we are working, aren't we?? Teaching each other stuff.... LOL |
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Title: Re: Gear Post by kel30734 on 10/02/09 at 08:11:35 Hay I count three of us that are supposed to be working Kel |
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Title: Re: Gear Post by FreeSpirit on 10/02/09 at 08:26:25 Angie...I look at it this way... Usually when you have insurance nothing ever goes wrong.It seems to go wrong when you dont have insurance. Wearing chaps is not only warmer but protects my legs,so I figure nothing will go wrong if I wear them...like insurance...LOL.Goofy,I know,but it works for me ;D Dang ,You are in cold country! No wonder you need winter gear!! :o BTW-I have Harley Boots also. ;) |
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Title: Re: Gear Post by serenity3743 on 10/02/09 at 08:51:11 454B421D1E191D1A2E0 wrote:
I reckon I'm # 4. |
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Title: Re: Gear Post by Digger on 12/13/09 at 20:43:27 5B43445F4441442B0 wrote:
Gotta go with Joe concerning the hand thing. Since I don't have a cage, I ride my Savage all winter long. Winters here in the Springs aren't anything like they were where I grew up (St. Paul, MN), but things can get brisk here nonetheless. I pop these beauties on in the Fall when the temps start getting into the 40's: http://i235.photobucket.com/albums/ee201/Digger109/HippoHands-2E.jpg http://i235.photobucket.com/albums/ee201/Digger109/HippoHands-1E.jpg Those things are Hippo Hands rip-offs I scored at a garage sale a few years back for two bucks. They work great. For boots, when it gets into the 20's, I break out my 35 year-old Sorel snowmobile boots, the ones with the felt liners.....accept no substitutes. A long scarf wrapped a few times around my neck and I'm good to go into the single digits, as long as the streets are clear. Strictly for urban riding, though. If you were to hit the highway in those temps, you'd need electricity, like I use on my big road-burners. |
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