Suited up for cold weather.

I am not an ATGATT (All The Gear, All The Time) rider, but I wear what I can to protect myself while riding.

With winter on our doorstep, there are other protections to consider, aside from crash protection. While a crash is a possibility, frostbite from improper wind protection is a near certainty. So, wearing appropriate gear for the weather is a must.


For those among you who have ridden for many years, you are aware that leather provides excellent protection from the elements. Since I am not able to afford an expensive leather jacket (there's no such thing as a cheap one), I settle for my heavy canvas coat (pictured). This, coupled with my windshield, protects my torso from the wind.

It is also important to wear appropriate leg and crotch protection. Experienced riders will be nodding their heads at the mention of the latter. Even with the full fairing on the scooter, I found I was doubling up on jeans or wearing longjohns so that my knees would not get so cold. This also helped protect my...uh...inner thighs from freezing as well. On a scooter, even when your legs are only slightly apart, the wind channels right in between them, and it becomes quite chilly down under. A suggestion I've heard given by an experienced rider was to forget chaps since they only protect your legs. Instead, he suggested a pair of worker's winter coveralls. The thick canvas helps block the wind and keeps everything underneath nice and toasty.

During the summer, I may periodically wear my half helmet or 3/4 due to the heat, but I am very thankful that I was able to get a full helmet when I purchased the Sabre. By itself, it's good to about 40 degrees (fahrenheit), but with my fleece cowl underneathe (pictured on right shoulder of coat), it's basically blizzard proof.

My mother was kind enough to buy me a pair of heavy work boots when I was in Massachusetts in October. They don't have armor on them, but I am confident that the sides of the ankles will be superior protection to what I would recieve if I were wearing sneakers. The toes are lined, so I do not feel the cold through them. It also helps that they are waterproof, meaning no more soggy toes after a rain ride.

The last piece of gear is gloves. I have two pairs that I wear. The first is my Joe rocket waterproof gloves. They are only good to about 40 degrees, so I have a pair of suede leather driving gloves that do well to about 20 degrees. An older rider made the suggestion of wearing a pair of lady's gloves underneath as a liner. I haven't tried that yet, but it follows the good sense of layering.

This is what I do for the colder months and it works well for my short commute to work (four miles). I generally avoid pleasure riding in the cold since cold weather riding just isn't all that pleasant once your fingers, toes, and other things...start to fall off.