The love of motorcycle riding does not die with the change of seasons. You can still enjoy riding even when the winter weather hits. It just takes the right know-how on protecting your body and motorcycle to do so safely.

Preparing Your Motorcycle

Let's talk about your motorcycle first, it needs to be equipped with the correct tires for one thing. You need tires that will grip the road even when the temperature dips down. Your summer tires will not work for winter roads. As you probably already know, there are many styles of motorcycle tires and the ones you need for winter are the ones like knobblies or other well-treaded tires. Check out your tires before the weather turns cold to make sure they will handle winter conditions.

The type of oil you use in your motorcycle might need to be switched out to a thinner one for the colder months. However, see what the manufacturer of your bike recommends. It could only say that one type of oil can be used in the motorcycle year round.

Protecting Yourself

It is extremely important that you keep yourself warm enough while riding your motorcycle in the winter. The best way to do this is wearing layers of clothing. You need one layer to hold in heat for your body this layer should also absorb any sweat a wick it away. Your top layer should be windproof and waterproof. Good materials for this are ones like nylon and leather. Still make sure you have freedom of movement.

Make sure to have a couple pairs of socks under your sturdy leather boots. It is important that your feet stay warm. The same with your hands, you can wear an extra layer under the gloves made of microfiber to hold the heat in more effectively. You should have a quality pair of leather gloves on the outside.

If you are going on too long of a trip, you might want to wear an electric vest and/or some electric gloves. These will help keep you nice and warn and the blood circulating. They hook up to your motorcycle's battery or electrical system for power. Just make sure your motorcycle is made for supplying this extra power.

With your helmet, you should wear a full helmet complete with visor. On your face, you need to have a half mask on top on your balaclava, this will absorb your breath so your visor does not fog. The last thing you need in winter weather is a fogged up visor. This could be extra dangerous in the winter. The balaclava will also help your neck stay warm.

These are just some tips on how to do your winter motorcycle riding safely. Another note on icy days you might think twice going out just like with driving a car. Have fun and be safe.