I went for a 20 minute ride this morning. The temperature was 41 degrees at 9:30 am. I’d forgotten how cold that can be riding. My leather bomber jacket and gloves were like a sieve, cold air leaking through. My finger tips were turning numb when I was still outbound. I thought I could tough it out for a little longer, but not so. By the time I got back home my fingers were turning seriously numb. I rushed to soak my fingers in a pot of hot water. I felt the stabbing pain as the circulation worked its way back into my fingers. I don’t remember it being that bad in the past when I rode in cold weather. Maybe I could tolerated the pain better when I was younger. I guess it’s true what they say, when you’re older your circulation is not as good as it used to be.
P.S. I have some heavy duty cold weather gloves that I neglected to wear. They would have been much better. The one day in Florida when I could have used them and I forgot.
Jim this may simply be a case of acclimation, but as a friend of mine(not a m/c rider) said “there is no such thing as inclement weather, just improper clothing”. I agree with Richard that heated grips or just hand guards really help. I’ve found my Aerostitch Roadcrafter suit to be a wonderful garment. Not only does it keep you warm, but it is waterproof so no need to carry a rain suit. I’m still searching for the perfect winter gloves though…
I do have a pair of thinsulate winter gloves which I should have used. I ride less now, and I guess I forgot how cold 40 degrees at 50 mph can be.
Heated handgrips are one of mankind’s greatest inventions. Supposedly there are generic aftermarket heated grips for Vespas, but I don’t know how well they work. The old BMW heated grips on my R80 were wonderful.
My fingers are the first to go on a cold weather ride. I haven’t found a good solution on bikes that don’t have heated grips or some type of hand guard. Found that a good pair of insulated pants or overalls make a big difference in comfort.