Any Motörbike riders here?

Kittyfrisk

Some good suggestions here.
I think the cold hands thing might be made worse by having bars that are raised higher than usual on touring type bikes.
Your circulation will struggle to maintain blood flow to your hands when they are above the level of the heart.
Looks great though... I wonder if that's the origin of looking cool ? 

sinbaadi

Bikes feel way more agile when you realise that pushing the "wrong" way initiates the turn, and if you do it with some intent you can really make them change direction much more quickly than if you're essentially only doing it passively.

No bike in my garage at the moment and mad keen to get hold of something but don't want to finance anything unless it's an electric bike that will save me hundreds of pounds in fuel on my commute each year.

Used bikes still seem expensive to me.

jaytmon

+1 on the heated vest. I have a sleeveless BMW one, definite game changer but does require power outlet on the bike. 

thebreeze

Was speaking to someone only today about heated gloves @Corvus.  They do sound good I have to say.  His view was go for the best quality, expensive leather ones so you’ve got the feel as well as the heat/comfort too.  Heated grips help but they don’t stop my fingers getting too cold no matter what.  His gloves were attached to the bike battery via some sort of connection like a charger and then a wire into his jacket, then gloves.

AK99

jaytmon said:

+1 on the heated vest. I have a sleeveless BMW one, definite game changer but does require power outlet on the bike. 

Yeah - have heard good reports about the heated body-warmers. I have a friend who initially bought one for golf but then also found it really good on the bike. As far as I know his one is powered be a small enough rechargeable lithium type battery which fits into one of the pockets. A neater solution than having to wire it to the bike possibly.

TheBigDipper

AK99 said:

jaytmon said:

+1 on the heated vest. I have a sleeveless BMW one, definite game changer but does require power outlet on the bike. 

Yeah - have heard good reports about the heated body-warmers. I have a friend who initially bought one for golf but then also found it really good on the bike. As far as I know his one is powered be a small enough rechargeable lithium type battery which fits into one of the pockets. A neater solution than having to wire it to the bike possibly.

My Keiss jacket draws 7A but lasts all day riding on the bike (obv wired, not batteries) Battery powered ones aren't as warm, and might only last 2hours when it's really cold. And it's not a vest. There's heat all the way down the arms and round the neck - no snoods required. I did work with another instructor who had a battery-powered jacket for winter pad work,  but she swapped to a wired one for road rides. 

MtB

@Corvus ; - Hi Bill, I have kept my hands warm when winter biking by having a decent pair of gauntlet gloves and heated handlebar grips with 2 or 3 heat levels on them - typically Rukka gloves, as they have a plastic/kevlar knuckle and finger protection insert in the glove that staves off some of the cold blast.   

AK99

TheBigDipper said:

My Keiss jacket draws 7A but lasts all day riding on the bike (obv wired, not batteries) Battery powered ones aren't as warm, and might only last 2hours when it's really cold. And it's not a vest. There's heat all the way down the arms and round the neck - no snoods required. I did work with another instructor who had a battery-powered jacket for winter pad work,  but she swapped to a wired one for road rides. 

Yeah - a 7 Amp draw for several hours would need a fairly hefty battery pack. The golf jobs are probably better suited to short runs in 'coolish' weather, than long runs in proper freeze your undercarriage off conditions.

D'ye mind me asking - what kind of cost are the Keiss jackets and wiring kit ?

Haych

Mind if I start an alternative motorcycling thread within this post?

Might be taking a week or so in Spain/Portugal by motorcycle next year.  I've been invited out by a friend but details aren't available yet so don't know whether I'll be able to go, but I am keen to go.

It would mean taking the Plymouth to Santander ferry and then travelling on the bike from Santander to Marvão, probably via A Coruña, just because I've always wanted to go.

Now, I understand the Spanish have some weird rules for motorcycles, like in-ear comms aren't permitted and any use of a mobile phone is strictly forbidden, even if it's for navigation purposes.

Is that right, and if so, does Portugal have the same rules, or are they different there?  

The ban on in-ears will be a serious bummer*, I'll just have to find a way to work around it somehow.

As for motorcycling in Spain and Portugal, is there anything else worth knowing and being aware of before I go, if I go.

* Hearing damage sucks.  

thebreeze

@midiman1962  may have some tips?

Kittyfrisk

Haych said:

Mind if I start an alternative motorcycling thread within this post?

Might be taking a week or so in Spain/Portugal by motorcycle next year.  I've been invited out by a friend but details aren't available yet so don't know whether I'll be able to go, but I am keen to go.

It would mean taking the Plymouth to Santander ferry and then travelling on the bike from Santander to Marvão, probably via A Coruña, just because I've always wanted to go.

Now, I understand the Spanish have some weird rules for motorcycles, like in-ear comms aren't permitted and any use of a mobile phone is strictly forbidden, even if it's for navigation purposes.

Is that right, and if so, does Portugal have the same rules, or are they different there?  

The ban on in-ears will be a serious bummer*, I'll just have to find a way to work around it somehow.

As for motorcycling in Spain and Portugal, is there anything else worth knowing and being aware of before I go, if I go.

* Hearing damage sucks.  

Plymouth Fury by any chance? 
Not much room for stashing a bike, but pretty much indestructible & self restoring too...

midiman1962

Haych said:

Mind if I start an alternative motorcycling thread within this post?

Might be taking a week or so in Spain/Portugal by motorcycle next year.  I've been invited out by a friend but details aren't available yet so don't know whether I'll be able to go, but I am keen to go.

It would mean taking the Plymouth to Santander ferry and then travelling on the bike from Santander to Marvão, probably via A Coruña, just because I've always wanted to go.

Now, I understand the Spanish have some weird rules for motorcycles, like in-ear comms aren't permitted and any use of a mobile phone is strictly forbidden, even if it's for navigation purposes.

Is that right, and if so, does Portugal have the same rules, or are they different there?  

The ban on in-ears will be a serious bummer*, I'll just have to find a way to work around it somehow.

As for motorcycling in Spain and Portugal, is there anything else worth knowing and being aware of before I go, if I go.

* Hearing damage sucks.  

I did this trip in October 2022 on a tour - motorcycling in France and Spain is a joy compared to the uk. Portugal in particular has a lo5 of good empty roads .

Corvus

Thanks all re the gloves/warmth, all useful stuff. The reason I ended up wondering about heated gloves is part of the problem is  self-inflicted, I've never got on with big winter gloves, so am knowingly compromising there. Partly an old thing I suppose from riding daily in London where you wanted every last factional bit of feel & response you could get.
And most of my carcass is fine, reckon heated gloves would sort it and don't really need a vest/inner layer. I did think about heated grips Mike but wiring HD bars is a faff, it feeds through the bars, needs 1" so less choice etc.

So I've set watches on some quality gloves going on fleabay, see where they end up. Hopefully will snag a pair to try, and could still go for the heater inner layer if I fancy it.

Dominic

As an ex-Dyna rider I should have recognised the bike from the battery box but for some reason it looked like a sporty from that front angled shot.Best riding Harley ..I've always preferred the rubber mounted models.

Haych

Kittyfrisk said:

Plymouth Fury by any chance? 
Not much room for stashing a bike, but pretty much indestructible & self restoring too...

Had to Google that, D'oh!

midiman1962 said:

I did this trip in October 2022 on a tour - motorcycling in France and Spain is a joy compared to the uk. Portugal in particular has a lo5 of good empty roads .

Thanks bud.  Anything particular, other than what I've already noted, that I should be aware of - other than to stay on the right?

TheBigDipper

AK99 said:

TheBigDipper said:

My Keiss jacket draws 7A but lasts all day riding on the bike (obv wired, not batteries) Battery powered ones aren't as warm, and might only last 2hours when it's really cold. And it's not a vest. There's heat all the way down the arms and round the neck - no snoods required. I did work with another instructor who had a battery-powered jacket for winter pad work,  but she swapped to a wired one for road rides. 

Yeah - a 7 Amp draw for several hours would need a fairly hefty battery pack. The golf jobs are probably better suited to short runs in 'coolish' weather, than long runs in proper freeze your undercarriage off conditions.

D'ye mind me asking - what kind of cost are the Keiss jackets and wiring kit ?

Of course not. I bought this one 3 years ago (to replace a previous version that I dieted myself out of and no longer fitted snugly). It's a Keis J501, which has been retired. The replacement, the JP501RP, is £200. £200 is what I remember paying in 2019. I've paid more for a pair of winter gloves. It appears to draw less power (5.5A) and the technology has changed from "electric blanket style" wiring (mine) to a thinner "mesh" - which would be nicer to wear and reduces the chance of cold spots between the wires, I suppose and be more efficient. 

On my bike, I've got a Canbus circuit with an output socket, but it shuts down if you try to draw over 5A through it. So it's good for charging phones and intercoms, but not this. The jacket came with a wiring kit to charge straight from the battery and I have a little socket poking out from under the seat near my groin/inner thigh. I had a relay installed to stop it from being live when the ignition was off but I don't think many people bother. You can get remote controls for your handlebar and so on, but I never bothered with that. The controller sits in the left hand pocket.

I can ride all day in winter as long as the road surfaces permit it. Even turned off, the jacket is warm. I wear base layers in winter, a long-sleeved t-shirt and then the Keis, with my outer jacket on top. I don't use the outer jacket thermal lining or any other layers. Occasionally I think some heated gloves would be nice, but no more than that. Heated grips just don't work with winter gloves, IMHO. 

AK99

That sounds bloody good value - and looking online, they're still available for that kind of money. Must see if I can track one down to see what they're like fit and size wise.

Thank you

chris78

Absolutely swear by heated grips and my hands have lousy circulation. 

Being fitted to this currently

https://www.dropbox.com/s/ma16n9f4vzsb1hb/BFACC18D-75F1-4FB5-961D-BBCB210ED909.jpeg?raw=1

Dominic

^ dark Stealth ....I had a 1260 S 
so bloody comfortable ......Diavel are a great compromise ....handle so much better than you would expect despite 30cm on the rear tyre ( although that can be a nuisance on a B road where lorrys have worn a groove into the blacktop and it's hard to get the back out of the rut

chris78

Coming from a Harley it’s a revelation in terms of comfort and performance. 

Sold my 68 plate softail and got that in its place with £4k in my pocket and it only had 2k on the clock on another 68 plate.