Cold Weather Motorcycle Riding Gear: All You Need To Know

Riding a motorcycle on a shivery winter night or dewy dawn can be awful if you are not wearing the right motorcycle riding gear. Winter rides against the gush of cold wind become a nightmare without complete protection. This is why buying certain riding gear is crucial for a warm and cozy winter ride. 

While most people experience the shiver, they don’t buy the right riding gear due to reluctance and lack of information. Most people can’t recognize which riding gear they require and the brands that supply them. Misinformation causes confusion and they end up going for a quivering ride.

However, you need not worry as I am going to present a detailed article covering all the necessary information regarding cold weather motorcycle riding gear. I would explain what and why you need certain riding gear to make your decision-making process a bit easier and simpler. 

Stay with me if you want to learn more and have the best winter ride!

5 Essential Cold Weather Riding Gear:

Let us discuss the 5 essential cold weather riding gear that you have to have for a comfortable and warm ride. 

1. Balaclava:

Balaclava is necessary to cover your head, face, and neck area. Most balaclavas have fleece linings that keep the heat inside and prevent cold wind from entering. 

Riders often get a sore throat, runny nose, freezing face, and chilled ears after a motorcycle ride. To stop it from happening, a balaclava is enough. It would block chilled air from touching your face, throat, head, and ears so that you don’t shiver or feel cold. It would keep you warm and comfortable on winter rides. 

The basic features that you should look for in a balaclava are:

• Balaclava with a fleece lining is the best for a winter ride. The fleece lining keeps you warm by blocking wind from entering and keeping the heat inside. 

• Remember to check the fit before buying. You must not buy a loose-fitted balaclava as it won’t effectively block the wind. The fit has to be exact so that no air can pass and the fleece lining touches your skin. 

• Check the closure type. The closure type helps you to take off and fasten the balaclava easily as well as allows you to adjust the fit. Buy the balaclava that has a velcro tab or adjustable straps for the best fit. Choose the closure type you are comfortable in.

• Balaclava that covers your entire face except the eyes must have vents near the mouth or nose area. Vents are necessary to maximize breathability and comfort. 

If you get all the qualities in a balaclava, purchase it and protect your head, face, and neck from getting cold. 

I would recommend the 5 best balaclava brands that you can check out:

• Alpinestars
• Spada
• Zerdocean
• BCOCOB
• Pearl Izumi

2. Jacket:

An insulated jacket is an absolute necessity for a winter ride. Most jackets are suitable for all-year usage. The best jackets have removable thermal linings that you can install in the winter. A Gore-tex polyester riding jacket is always my best choice as it is lightweight and comfortable as well as protects cold wind from entering. 

Consider buying a jacket that fits you well, has removable thermal linings, blocks air, and is easy to go with. Polyester jackets are easy to carry and the inner linings are enough to keep you warm on a winter ride. 

The features that have to be in a winter riding jacket are:

• The jacket should be lightweight and comfortable so that it doesn’t feel like a burden on your body. Just because it’s winter, you need not wear heavy clothes. A warmer with the right riding jacket would do. Consider wearing windproof polyester jackets that are easy to carry.

• Thermal lining is a must that would keep you warm and comfortable during a winter ride. The lining prevents the cold air from penetrating and keeps the heat inside. Thus you stay warm throughout the ride.

• Generally, high-quality riding jackets have reinforcements that would keep sensitive areas (shoulder, elbow) protected and safe from cold. These are necessary for extra protection.

• The closure measures should be considered. Closures in the waist, arms, and front part are the best. Adjustable straps and velcro tabs allow you to adjust the fit so that no air can penetrate. It also allows you to adjust them for maximizing comfort and ease. Jackets with multiple closures offer the best cold protection. 

The best brands for winter riding jackets are:

• Alpinestars
• Borleni
• Milwaukee
• Moto Boy
• HHR

Don’t forget to read the article about 10 best Armored Motorcycle riding jackets.

3. Pants:

Think of chilled air coming penetrating your pants or riding up from below and freezing your legs. Would you be able to operate your legs properly with the freezy and numb legs? No. This is why you need winter pants that offer warmth and comfort to your legs. 

Gore-tex polyester pants block cold air from coming in so that you stay away from cold. The linings and straps are necessary for warmth as well as adjusting the fit correctly. 

The features that your pants must have are:

• A lightweight and easy-to-carry material of pants is preferable. You can carry it comfortably without feeling anything extra on your body. Thus the operation of the legs also becomes easier and flexible. A polyester pant would do. 

• The pants should have straps and adjustable closures that would let you adjust the fit. It would help you block air by adjusting them perfectly so that the pants sit well on your legs.

• Thermal and protective lines should be there in the pants so that you can stay warm and comfortable during a winter ride. The pants must block air and keep the heat inside. 

The top 5 brands for buying riding pants are given below:

• Alpinestars
• Scorpion
• Dainese
• Rukka R.O.R
• Sedici Garda

4. Riding Boots:

Even with the riding pants, your feet may freeze due to the cold wind running down your legs. Boots not only comfort your feet and offer protection but also protect you from cold weather. Leather boots are the best as they are soft but restrict air too. The linings and layers keep the feet warm, prevent them from slipping, and give maximum comfort. 

The main features of riding boots are:

• Riding boots block air to go in. As the boots are a bit longer covering the ankle and upper areas, they cover up the leg and feet blocking air to pass in. As cold air can’t pass, you automatically feel protected and warm.

• The inner linings in the riding boots are the best as they keep the heat inside so that you get maximum warmth and comfort. The linings give extra comfort and cover your feet well.

• The reinforcements and closures allow you to get a perfect fit so that you can maximize your comfort. The closures help you to personalize the fit and the reinforcements improve your feet grip so that you can ride comfortably. 

The best brands for riding boots are mentioned below:

• Alpinestars
• Harley Davidson
• O’Neal 
• Fly Racing
• Joe Rocket

Also, you can check out the 10 best motorcycle riding boots.

5. Gloves:

No one can ride a motorcycle with freezing hands that are about to get numb. But if you are not wearing gloves, the chances are that your fingers will get numb due to the cold wind, dew, and low temperature. As a result, you won’t be able to operate your fingers and hands freely hampering the riding comfort. 

Gloves have liners that keep your fingers warm and active. Full-coverage gloves with thermal linings and closures would not only keep your hands warm but also restrict air from penetrating. Thus the cold weather won’t affect you. 

The main features of gloves are:

• Gloves that cover full fingers are suitable for winter rides. They must have thermal linings that would give you warmth and comfort. The complete coverage and warmth let you move your hands freely and comfortably.

• The wrist closure ensures that wind can’t penetrate and that your entire hand stays warm and comfy all the time.

• The knuckle areas are protected especially with armors or warm layers so that they stay active and warm no matter how cold it is. 

The top 5 brands for gloves are:

• Alpinestars
• Dainese
• Scorpion
• Reax
• Joe Rocket

You may check a single article about motorcycle riding gloves.

Is Cold Weather Riding Gear Worth It?

Cold weather riding gear is worth it. Most riding gears have specialized features that help you ride comfortably on a winter day. While most people think riding gear to be lightweight, soft, and easy to carry material, they often misunderstand the capability of the gears to keep them warm and comfortable even on a shivery day. 

The main riding gears that can give complete protection against wind are:

• Balaclava
• Riding Jacket
• Riding Pants
• Riding Boots
• Motorcycle Gloves

All these are the essential things that can give you a comfortable ride. But how? If you are wondering about that, let me tell you how riding gear can offer you protection on a cold weather ride:

• Protection From Wind:

Riding gears have vents for airflow that are adjustable (not all). Be it a jacket, pants, or balaclava, vents are there to let you decide the degree of ventilation you want. But the main fabric is generally windproof. The fabric is never made breathable in most cases to block air from touching your body. 

The fabric of gloves, pants, balaclava, jackets and the material of the boots is windproof. This means that cold wind can’t penetrate the layers. As the cold wind can’t touch your body, you stay protected and warm.

• Closures For Personalized Fitting:

The gears usually have extra closures. This is added so that you can adjust them well and make the fitting perfect that adjusts to your body. The adjustable straps and velcro tabs are added so that you can fix them as you want. It helps you to make the fitting tight so that air can’t penetrate your body. 

• Inner Linings For Warmth:

Not just the riding gears block air but also keep heat inside. The fleece linings and thermal linings are added to the riding gears so that they would cover all the openings (like the arms, neck area, the lower side of the pants, etc.) to block air from coming in. 

The linings are added so that the body heat doesn’t escape. Thus you feel warm and cozy with the gears on. Blocking air and keeping your body warm both are done by these added linings.

Can You Ride A Motorcycle In Cold Weather?

Many people often hesitate or feel reluctant to ride a motorcycle on a cold day. Many feel uncomfortable while some think it is impossible to ride a motorcycle on a chilled day where there is no sun and only a cold gust of wind. 

However, you would be surprised to know that you can comfortably ride a motorcycle on winter days and enjoy a warm and cozy ride. The only step that you would need to take is to wear the right riding gear. 

Wearing a sturdy and windproof jacket and pants with fleece lining, adjustable closures, and solid armors would help you to stay away from the splash of cold wind and keep yourself warm. The gloves also protect your fingers from wind and keep them warm enough so that you can ride at ease.

The riding boots let your feet stay warm and active even on a very cold day by blocking air. A balaclava is necessary so that air can’t freeze out your face, ears, and head. Balaclava covers your face, neck, ears, and head so that no air can pass and you stay warm.

If you can choose the right riding gears that are suitable for a winter ride, you can surely enjoy a comfortable and relaxing ride even on a winter day. 

Conclusion:

Now you have a complete idea of what riding gears you should wear for a comfortable winter ride. You have the brand ideas too and now you can easily choose which one is the best for you. 

So, are you ready for a warm and cozy winter ride? If yes, gather your cold weather motorcycle riding gear and rock on!