MZ Riders Club
South of Scotland Section
Page updated : 27/12/2005
Site designed by Mike
Thoughts on Riding Through a British Winter
(and a few recent summers too)
As the weather turns from dreich to keich (ãUncle Norman) it’s time to start thinking about winter riding. Why do it? It's dark, wet and bitterly cold, sometimes all three at once. So, why are you still riding your bike? I'm not asking anything that you haven't asked yourself, or been asked repeatedly by friends, family and colleagues at work, “Why don’t you get a nice little car?” In an article I came across the author found that, "people treat you as a bit of a weirdo over the winter, wondering why on earth you are putting yourself through it. Bearing in mind all the extra effort that you are making in pursuit of less enjoyable motorcycling, there will be times when you wonder yourself". Can you identify with that? Have you ever been to the Elefant, the Dragon? Been to Dent when it snowed? The ordeal, and I use the word advisedly, can only really be enjoyed at a distance. Like when boring the pants off some "fair-weather biker" you've encountered (cornered) in the pub to regale with tales of derring-do in inclement weather conditions. Winter riding has to be approached with a certain degree of caution. Anyone who rides all year round would agree with this. Bearing in mind all that extra effort you might want to rethink all those unkind things you've had to say in the past about those very same "fair-weather bikers". So back to my original question, "Why do it? Do you enjoy winter riding, or is it simply to be got through? Any right-minded soul would reach the conclusion that bikes weren't made for this country. However, it is possible to ride all year round in a degree of comfort and safety should you have to. I have to,
I don't have a car. So, I need the bike if I’m to get around. Years ago I decided, money be damned, I needed to be better prepared if I was going to survive this. I used to travel the 100-150 mile round trip from Edinburgh to Glasgow regularly in all weathers in nothing more than jeans and a leather jacket. I was young and healthy (and stupid?) and, to be honest, decent all-weather clothing cost money that I didn't have. I vividly remember some of those trips. The miles were ground out as best I could. While I got colder and colder. My reaction times could have been measured with a calendar. Arriving home, the concentration needed to switch the bike off and stagger up the path would have better graced an account of an arctic expedition. How I didn't have, or cause, an accident is a mystery. This was the great adventure? I would have traded the bike in gladly for a bus pass in the hours following each and every trip. Why was I putting myself through this? Something had to change and quickly.
First, there's Clothing. Feel like the Michelin Man? Well, all those layers are serving a serious purpose. What they are doing is trapping still air. This is a pretty good insulator, and with a warm body in there it becomes even better. As your body temperature is lowered your body goes into "automatic-pilot" and arbitrarily decides on which bits it can do without. Things like your brain, heart, lungs and kidneys get to stay. You can say goodnight to your ears, toes and other extremities as the blood supply to them slows down (causing numbness) and eventually stops altogether (frostbite, anyone?). The end result, hypothermia, is not nice and should really be avoided (don't ride your bike? However, that rather defeats the purpose of this article). This is necessarily a rather dumbed down explanation, so don't bother writing in with a definitive way to die of exposure, please.
There is a wide, and often expensive, range of clothing available, from woolly jumpers and socks to full thermal kit. Look around sports shops and those catering to outdoor pursuits for ideas. Silk is good, but how about electrically heated clothing? Make sure your bikes electrics can handle the extra load before opting for this route, though, otherwise you’re likely to find yourself stranded with a flat battery in the middle of winter miles from home. You can get heated gloves, jumpers and the like, take your pick. Don't forget your waterproofs. These tend to be windproof, too, and offer good insulation. It might be stating the obvious, but waterproofs either work or they don't. Do they keep you dry on long trips? Price is not a good indicator of this as anyone who has ever purchased anything from Frank Thomas (patron saint of wet crotches?) will tell you. However, as a general guide, cheap usually means that it won’t work, or at least not for very long.
Most of you will use a good full-face helmet, but how many of you use a balaclava? A scarf will help form a seal between neck and helmet. I like something called a ‘Buff’ - see accessory catalogues. This is an elasticised cloth tube which fits over your head and round the neck. Easier to put on than a scarf and it won’t come loose. A good way to maintain this seal is to fit decent mirrors instead of having to look over your shoulder every 10 seconds. And no, I don't want to argue this point with any driving instructors out there. By now you’ve worked out that looking good is a low priority here. Keeping warm should be uppermost in your mind. However unlikely, it is possible to get too warm. When you sweat your clothes get damp, and this is not good idea in the winter. I can't remember ever feeling like this, except when trying to kick-start a fully laden bike, in the dark, in the rain, at the side of a road, in the middle of nowhere, whilst dressed like Nanook of the North. Sound familiar? If it does eventually start you are so grateful that the minor inconvenience of icing-up is of secondary importance to getting home.
I've mentioned layers, so how about Gloves? I usually wear leather ones and add inner gloves when it gets cold and the weather turns really foul. I've never come across a completely waterproof leather glove, despite all the advertising to the contrary. Stuart Wade reckons a good combination is thick wool mitts, with a pair of plastic over-mitts. Mitts being warmer than gloves since your fingers stay together. In less extreme weather you can wear an XL pair of regular gloves with thin wool gloves underneath. This year I bought myself a pair of Goretex & leather gloves from Triumph. These keep the pinkies dry, they’re warm and they’re the best gloves I’ve ever owned. I think that I’ll see if I can’t pick another pair up at next year’s bike show.
Boots. Take your pick. I wear leather boots for the protection, but these will leak. You can spend £100 plus and be sure of a few years worth of dry feet, or they can leak first heavy rain you encounter. A number of folk I know have bought handmade boots from Altberg in Cumbria (see Links page) from about £140 and reckon that they’re the best that they’ve ever encountered. Stuart recommends rigger boots. These are thick leather boots with steel toe-caps as worn by construction workers, and they’re cheap. A good pair can be had for about £40 (VAT free since they’re safety equipment). These aren’t really waterproof, but you can get a pair of those rubber overboots to keep the water out. Standard Wellington boots work well at keeping you dry, but offer little or no protection, and it can be awkward to kick-start a bike with them on. However you can get heavy-duty ones. These are heavier rubber with steel toe-caps. Steel toe-caps, it must be mentioned, help improve the feel of an MZ's gear-change.
Right. That’s you sorted, but what about the bike? There are a number of products which promise respite to the weary biker.
Heated Grips. I've never tried these, but many folk swear by them in the winter. They are reasonably cheap and easy to fit. While keeping the palm and most of the hand warm I believe that your fingertips are still expected to freeze. Once again, check that your bike's electrics are up to the job.
Hand-guards and Handlebar muffs. A little more effort needed here. Fitted properly these keep your hands out of the wind and rain and stop them freezing up. A good idea if you are doing lots of town work. Also, it allows you to wear the same gloves all year round. Ever seen a dispatcher's bike that didn't have muffs fitted in winter? However, if incorrectly fitted, or if they’re the cheap sort, they can be blown back and operate your clutch, brake and other sundry switch-gear. This is not a good idea. Beware "universal fit" claims. You will have to modify them to suit your bike. Once sorted, you'll have warm mitts through the worst weather.
Fairings & Screens. These come in all shapes and sizes, with price tags to match. The best kind are those you get cheap, or even for nothing. I got my handlebar fairing for nothing courtesy of a club member and it goes on, and stays on, during the winter. It deflects the wind and rain off the chest area and keeps you from getting too cold. The downside is that your fuel economy will suffer and the weather is usually thrown up and onto your helmet so you get a bit more buffeting. I can live with this easier than the alternatives.
Okay, now that's both you and the bike kitted out. The weather is still going to be crap and you can expect to get regularly frozen and soaked. You can justify this in a number of ways. It ensures that you get your money's worth out of your insurance company, and this is no bad idea. You are not reliant on anyone else for transport. It definitely makes summer riding that much more attractive (although this latter is a bit like the man who hit himself on the head with a hammer so that he could enjoy it when he stopped).
When riding, remember to keep your wits about you, just like the rest of the year but more so. Riding a bike in winter uses up energy. Don't be tempted to start out on a long journey with just a cup of tea or a piece of toast inside you because you never usually eat breakfast. If you must, consider your body as another component in the machine. You wouldn't neglect to fuel the bike, so don't forget to fuel the rider.
Do you carry a tool-kit and spares? If you do, make sure that this consists of more than a couple of mismatched spanners. A can of WD40 and a torch can get you out of trouble at a pinch. Damp can get into the wiring, the WD40 can help sort this out and have you on your way. It's most likely to be dark so how are you set for bulbs. Carry a few spare ones. Also, fuses, a spark plug and possibly a few cables. Better still, join the AA/RAC and keep the card in your wallet.
So, work at it. Make sure your bike is in good running condition, make sure that your winter clothing is up to scratch, and be aware of your increased vulnerability on winter roads. I've not even touched on road conditions or other road users. Stay alert every single minute. And at the end of a ride in really foul weather don't just stomp indoors in a bad mood. Take a moment to pat yourself on the back. You've arrived safely, in spite of the conditions. And, hey. Spring is just around the corner.
I’ll leave you with a tale of keeping warm in adverse weather conditions from Stuart. Returning from the 1995 Applecross rally on a really miserable, gloomy, wet day and having got to Loch Cluanie, he decided that he’d have to stop as he’d lost all feeling in his toes. So, into a lay-by and drain some petrol from the bike into an old tin can. Sets it alight and, sitting on a rock, gently waves his feet (still shod in their boots) over the flame to try and get some feeling back into his numbed toes. As he was doing this a couple of BMW-mounted German bikers stopped. They milled about a bit and ended up taking pictures of this bizarre behaviour. The pictures will, no doubt, amuse and confuse their fellow countrymen in years to come.
Falling off is easy to do
Well, even as I sit typing this the snow is gently falling against the skylight window next to me. Winter motorcycling is upon us once again. Time of ice, snow, fresh raw red fingers and frozen toes - at least for those people like me who are crazy enough to ride all year round.
Ah, the pleasures of winter riding. Slushy streets, the awful feeling as the wheels begin to slide on black ice, and the worst feeling of all, when your fingertips begin to thaw after a couple of hours of numbness, clamped onto the bars.
Just think. It's summer in Australia right now. People are sitting out on patios, enjoying a cold beer in the blistering heat of the day. In Southern California, motorcyclists are happily hurtling themselves off cliffs wearing only shorts and T-shirts (and occasionally helmets, too).
If you insist on riding your motorcycle through the snow, sleet and slush, you know as well as I do what's bound to happen. You're going to fall off, sooner or later. Winter motorcycling guarantees its share of slips, slides and falls. It sure is easier to fall down. It's not always easier to get up, Just think of that roaring open fire and the hot toddies waiting at home once you get in out of the snow.
Year after year, I read stories in the motorcycle press, and I’ve written a few pieces myself, about how to prepare for winter riding. The funniest thing that I’ve ever seen is the myth that a little dirt biking experience will prepare you for the slips and slides that are inevitable on the street come winter. If you think hopping onto a 200lb dirt bike a few times during the summer will help you control a 500lb motorcycle on ice, you're dreaming.