Choosing Motorcycle Equipment for Riding in Winter

The arrival of the cold and rain should not force you to leave your bike at home, but it is necessary that you equip yourself well so as not to have a bad time. Follow our advice to choose your motorcycle equipment for the winter or best motorcycle rain gear.

The only way to continue enjoying your bike in winter is to dress in the best clothes and mount the necessary accessories on our bike. Jackets and trousers with thermal and waterproof linings, thermal underwear, waterproof boots, wind stopper gloves, suitcases and backpacks to prevent water from passing through, supplements to keep the wind out and heatable cuffs are just some of the many products with which you can face a winter, however hard it may be, whether with your road bike, scooter or off-road bike.

Jackets and trousers

Choosing good equipment for the winter is fundamental, as it is a matter of not arriving wet in case it rains; not being cold, even if the thermometer marks below zero; and not ending up sweating in case the temperature is somewhat higher than we thought. There are several aspects that you have to take into account above all others.

Firstly, both the jacket and the trousers have to be multi-layered, with one or, preferably, two or three removable inner linings, each with a technical feature depending on the weather. Secondly, the main membrane on which the outer lining is made must be waterproof and breathable, with Gore-Tex being the most widely named and usually most expensive fabric. Keep in mind that there are other fabrics similar to Gore-Tex that are equally effective.

Check that both trousers and jackets have air inlets and outlets, to facilitate perspiration, as well as other equally important details such as having enough external and internal pockets and being protected from water to carry documentation, telephone,…

Shoulder, elbow, knee and back protections must always be present, or at least with a compartment to be able to put them on. If they are removable, better, to be able to wash the clothes more easily. Shoulders and elbows protections are usually present in all jackets, but not in the back and knees, although they usually have a pocket to put some of them.

On the other hand, although you can always choose a set made up of two pieces of different brands, choosing two garments from the same firm implies advantages such as being able to join the jacket and the trousers by means of a zipper – to prevent the passage of air or water. Another option is to choose a dungarees type trouser, with which the kidneys and belly are better protected from the cold.

Finally, before buying, check out those small details that will allow you to choose one model or another, such as having refractory bands to make you more visible, or that the central zipper has a double closure or that it is sealed,…

Gloves

With regard to gloves, the requirements are different than with clothing. The need to have a good sense of touch at the controls does not allow the use of excessively thick, multi-layered gloves – you can wear thin silk gloves underneath the riding gloves. For this reason, the main membrane must not allow water or wind to pass through, so Gore-Tex and “Wind Stopper” fabrics are preferred.

Obviously, protection must not be neglected, especially on the palm and knuckles. Metal, leather or Kevlar inserts are never too much. Don’t forget that gloves, besides protecting you from the cold, are a fundamental safety element.

A couple of tips: don’t buy gloves that are too tight, so that your fingers don’t touch the tip, which is the coldest part, leaving a small space. Secondly, coveralls, mittens, fairings or any other device that prevents the wind from reaching your hands will be the best invention you can acquire, better than any glove.

Underwear

The evolution of thermal garments has been very noticeable in the underwear segment. Socks, T-shirts and underwear are no longer as fat, unbreathable and uncomfortable as they were years ago, and now, in addition to not allowing the wind to pass through and therefore maintaining body temperature, they are breathable and you hardly notice that you are wearing them. Depending on the temperature at which you are going to ride, you should equip yourself with more or less thick underwear.

In this section we also put underhelmets and buff. What is better? It’s up to you, but it’s true that an underhelmet offers better protection against the cold and is easier to put on when you put your helmet on, while the buff is lighter and more versatile. It works as an underhelmet if you put it on over your head or to wear it only around your neck. For short trips or urban tours with a buffer it can work for us. If we get on the road, better an underhelmet.

Boots

With the boots, it’s similar to the gloves, which can’t be too thick so as not to lose the feel of the pedals. Fortunately, fabrics like Gore-Tex and similar are more than widespread and it is not difficult to find boots that fit what you are looking for.

Whether they are more or less tall depends on your tastes, but it is clear that the ones you choose must have ankle protections, and zippers well closed and protected from water and wind, even if they go under the pants.