When frequenting other bikers, it’s good to know a few terms, so here are a few of them. We’ve divided them up in General Terms and Motorcycle Specific ones. Next article is about the motorcycle specific ones.

General Terms

1%er – A biker belonging to an outlaw motorcycle club, like the Hells Angels. The term was coined by the AMA, when they mentioned that these biker gangs represented 1% of the biker population. You will find a “1%” patch often on their vests.

Ape Hangers – Ape hanger handlebars rise far above the mounting location so that the rider must reach up to use them, hence the name. They are popular on choppers. They are available in heights up to 20 inches. Some jurisdictions have regulations on how high the handgrips may be above the seat.

Apex – the line a motorcycle must take in order to minimize the time taken to complete a curve.

Armor – The reinforced parts of your riding gear, often found in motorcycle jackets and trousers. Armor can be made out of different materials, like Kevlar, Foam or plastic, and can often be removed.

ATGATT – All The Gear, All The Time, meaning you should always wear all your protective clothing, no matter when you ride. ATGATT Gear means helmet, gloves, vest, trousers and boots.

BAMBI – Born Again Motorbiker, a biker who having reached middle age, starts riding again after years of not riding.

Belly-Shover – A motorcycle racer who, because of the forward position on a sports bike, has the belly on the fuel tank.

Big Slab – A highway or motorway.

Brain Bucket – A helmet

Bubble Gum Machine – The signal that there is police up ahead. The signal is accomplished by patting the top of your helmet several times so that opposing bikers can see they are riding towards a police trap.

Burnout – By holding the front brake and accelerating, the rear wheel of the bike will start spinning and burning rubber, hence the burnout.

Cage – A car or SUV

Cager – Someone who drives a car.

Century – 100 mph

Doughnut – A burnout done while the front wheel stays in place, and the motorcycle turns 360% on the front wheel, making a complete circle.

Do-Rag – A cloth covering the biker’s head and forehead, avoiding sweat in the eyes and helmet hair. Often used by non-bikers as fashion. Examples

Duck Walking – Sitting on your motorcycle, and pushing it with your feet, usually done when parking your bike, or moving forwards a few feet (like at a gas station).

Eating Asphalt – Crashing your bike

Gearhead – Someone who is very interested and passionate about mechanical objects, like cars and motorcycles.

Hammer Down – Accelerate very quickly.

Heat – The police

Highsider – Being ejected from your motorcycle while riding, above the motorcycle.

Iron Butt – An association that promotes and holds rallies aimed at travelling very long distances. The shortest distance, the Saddle Sore, is 1,000 miles in 24 hours, the longest, the Bun Burner Gold is 1,500 miles in one day. The Iron Butt Rally is 10 days riding 1,000 miles each day.

Lid – A helmet

Lowsider – A motorcycle crash with the bike falling sideways and the biker ejected sideways.

Monkey Butt – When riding for hours on end, your rear end becomes uncomfortable and becomes sore, often the result of chafing.

Newbie – A beginner.

Organ Donor – A biker who rides without a helmet, or rides likes a squid.

Patches – Emblems and symbols sewn on biker jackets and shirts, displaying an affiliation, a club, a brand, or anything that is special to the biker. 1%-ers will always have several patches on their jackets.

Pillion – A passenger on the motorcycle.

PMS – Parked Motorcycle Syndrome, usually the result of not being able to ride in the winter.

Poker Run – A motorcycle run involving usually five stops where you get a card. At the end of the run, the biker with the best hand wins the run. Often used in charity runs.

Popping The Clutch – Letting go of the clutch rapidly, making it possible for the motorcycle to accelerate very quickly.

Poser – A wannabe biker, or a biker with all the gear, shiny and new, but rarely rides. Usually found at motorcycle shows with very low mileage full-chrome motorcycles.

Pucker factor – A very close call when riding.

Ride Captain – The leader of a motorcycle rider-out. The ride captain opens the ride, and is up front.

Ride Lieutenant – An experienced riders who rides as last in a ride-out, making sure that every thing goes according to plan with all the other bikers.

Road Rash – Marks from the asphalt left on your body after you have been thrown off your motorcycle, highside or lowside, a skidded alongside the road.

RUB – Rich Urban Biker, a biker who rides an expensive motorcycle only on the weekend, and never very far. Often RUBs are Posers.

Safety Nazi – A person who rides in absolutely full safety gear, often to an extreme, obeys every law, and wants all others to do the same.

Two Up – Riding with a pillion.

Stoppie – Stopping a motorcycle by pulling only the front brake, resulting in the rear wheel lifting off the ground. Often used in stunts.

Squid – A biker who rides with no protection, and rides very dangerously.

Tank Slapper – A high speed wobble resulting in the handlebars banging against the sides of the fuel tank. Usually an extreme Pucker factor.

Twisties – A part of a road that has many curves, turns and bends. Twisties are very much sought after when riding a motorcycle.

Wannabe – A person who wants to be a real biker, who dresses like one, who tries to behave like one, but probably only drives a SUV or a moped.

Wave – A greeting between bikers on the road, involving raising a hand, usually below the handlebars. The Wave is done to bikers on the opposite direction.

Wheelie – Sudden acceleration and slight pulling of the handlebar (unless your bike has enough torque to do it by itself), resulting in the front wheel of the motorcycle moving up in the air, and riding on the rear wheel alone.

Whoops – An obstacle section on a dirt track that has rows of mounds, requiring expertise to ride within a race.

Wrench – A mechanic.

If you are lucky enough to have your own garage, then there are a couple of items you will really need, and some that would be nice to have. They will not cost you an arm and a leg, but having them will make your life so much easier, meaning you will be able to get your motorcycle up and running, enjoying your rides.

Basics

The already mentioned (see previous article) HD-40 oil and duct tape, two indispensable “tools” of the trade. Also put a window cleaner spray and some paper towels (best is a kitchen roll) to clean your helmet.

If your motorcycle has a chain (in other words not a belt or shaft drive), you’ll need chain lube. You can get them in nice & easy sprays.

Bugs are bad for your bike, so get a bug cleaner, usually a spray. Make sure you have a proper soft cleaning cloth, preferably a microfiber one. Some cloths may scratch your bike, so make sure you get a good one.

Wax for the bike, wax for the leather. Wax protects your motorcycle from the elements. Rain and sun will slowly deteriorate the metal and leather parts of your bike. Wax your bike at least once a month.

A battery charger will go a long way for making sure you can ride. If you ride everyday, there’s no need, but if there are intervals of several weeks before the bike is fired up, you might want to invest in a trickle charger and hook up your motorcycle every time it gets pulled into the garage.

Not only is a tire pressure gauge essential, but a small electrically powered air compressor is very handy. You can get them relatively cheap, and they will work on 12V, so powered by your motorcycle. Depending on whether you ride alone, with a pillion and/or with cargo, you will need to adjust your tire pressure.

Another essential piece of equipment is a strong light that you can use to inspect your motorcycle. Even if your garage is well lit, you’ll still need to inspect at times the lower parts of your bike, and with a handheld torch, or light, it will make your life so much easier.

And the last item you’ll want in your garage is a motorcycle cover. Just because your bike sleeps in the garage does not mean dust will not get on your ride. So cover it properly. Unless of course you like cleaning your bike (I prefer to ride mine).

Wrenching

If you plan to do maintenance yourself, then you’ll need quite a lot of stuff. Obviously, all the tools to open up your bike and perform open-heart surgery, wrenches, screwdrivers, pliers, you name it, the list is long. But apart from that, you will be well served with the following:

Gloves. Unless you love scrubbing your hands to clean off the grease, mechanic gloves will save you wear & tear of your hands.

Trays for parts, and trays for oil. If you’re going to change oil, you’ll need to catch the old oil. The parts you take off your bike when working on them should go in a good sized tray, because if you don’t you’ll be spending more time looking for them then actually wrenching.

Good solid shoes. Don’t wrench while wearing flip-flops. You can easily skid and hurt yourself in a garage. You need shoes that are solid, with a good ankle support.

Obviously a motorcycle lift would be great to work on your bike, but that does cost a lot of money. But if you are planing to do a lot of work, it might be a worthwhile investment, since it will make working a lot easier. You can get quite elaborate lifts, but there are simple, manually operated lifts available. It also makes changing tires os much easier.

There are several things, some indispensable, that you need as a biker if you want to function properly.

Obviously you’ll need a helmet, maybe even two, jacket, boots, gloves and maybe even some good trousers. These are for safety, and although you can go without them (depending on where you live), it’s a good idea to protect yourself.

But that is not all. Before you know it, you’ll be wanting a few other things in your garage or with you on your bike. For example, when you finished a nice ride through the forest and fields, once you take off your helmet, you’ll notice all those bugs splatted over your visor and motorcycle. You’ll need to remove them pretty quick, since they are not good for your material. The bugs will start rotting and damage your fairings and helmet.

Bug remover sprays will work wonders on your motorcycle. Spray it on the bike where the bugs are, get a good cloth (you’ll need to buy one), preferably a microfiber one, and remove the bugs.

Your helmet can use a bit of the spray as well, but preferably not your visor. Helmet visors are a bit strange, remember that they let the light through, so you will need to be extra careful. Bug spray may stain the visor. The best way to remove stains from the visor is the old fashion way; soap and water. Window cleaner spray is the next best option. In my garage, I have a window cleaner spray and paper towels (or use special towelettes) right where I park my bike. The first thing I do when I arrive is clean the visor.

Next thing is cleaning your motorcycle. Depending on how dirty it became during the ride, particularly if you’ve gone off-road, the cleaning effort can involve high pressure water, or just plain running water. If you are using high pressure, remember not to aim it at joints, brakes, levers and anything that can move.

After cleaning off the dirt, you’ll want to wax your bike to protect it from the elements for the next ride. If you’ve got leather on your motorcycle, like saddles and saddlebags, a bit of waterproofing cream will go a long way.

After months of riding, even years, things on your motorcycle will wear out, and even fall off. Two of the handiest and most used items bikers often carry are HD-40 oil and duct tape. As the old saying goes “if it moves and it shouldn’t, use duct tape, if it doesn’t move and it should, use HD-40”.

Your bike probably has a small tool kit hidden somewhere. Usually the tools are for emergency repairs, but it makes sense to get a few tools that will add to the initial kit. Screwdrivers, pliers, Allen keys (make sure they are all the right size for your bike) are always welcome.

Depending on how much cargo space you have on your bike, carry a small first-aid kit. I always have one in my topcase, since you never know what can happen. Just a simple scratch that starts bleeding will require a plaster, and that is not easy to get right away.

If your bike has storage space for one or two helmets, great. But if not, you’ll not want to be carrying your helmet wherever you’ve gone, so a small chain and lock is handy to secure your helmet to your bike. A good chain can be used to secure your bike, but also your helmets.

The last thing you’ll always find on my bike is a tire pressure gauge. Tires should always be properly inflated, depending on the weight you are carrying (solo, with pillion, with cargo). Once a week I’ll check the tire pressure, just to be safe.

Next time we’ll look at the stuff you need in your garage.

But before we do, we need to check a few things before firing up the engine. The last thing you want is to start your motorcycle, start riding, and 1 mile further up notice that you have a problem and need to push your bike back into the garage. Not fun, and not necessary if you take a few precautions.

Battery

Even if your battery has been hooked up to a trickle charger, or un-hooked, open the filler screws and check the water level, and more importantly, check to see if the plates are straight (plates that have started curving will require you to change the battery).

If your battery was disconnected, top it up with a battery charger. If the water level is low, fill it up with demineralized water.

Oil & Filters

The first thing to check is the engine’s oil and air filter. Your bike has been immobilized for a while, and all oil has gone to the bottom. Start your engine for a few seconds to warm it up and then shut it down. Check the quality of the oil from the dip stick, looking for very small particles embedded in the oil. Best thing you can do if your bike has been out of action for a few months is change the oil and filters. Play it safe.

Tires

Many motorcycles when they are stored in a garage are left on their tires. The weight of your bike will be pressing down for months, so you’ll need to inspect if spots & cracks have started to appear in your tires. Today’s tires are very solid, but you never know. A spot (color difference) in your tire can spell disaster when riding.

Make sure your tires are all up to their proper air pressure.

Leaks

Check below your motorcycle for oil and hydraulic fluid leaks. If you do find some, better find out where it is coming from and fix it.

Lights

Turn on the lights and check all of them, including the blinkers. Bulbs can die off when not in use.

Chain

Check the tension in your chain. Make sure it’s according to the manufacturer’s specifications.

Nuts & Bolts

Its a good idea to go around your bike and tighten all nuts & bolts. It’ s not really necessary, but it’s one of those things that does not cost much time, but can save you a lot of grievance later on.

(c) Zero Motorcycles

Now your motorcycle is ready to go out for the first time, but are you? Before you go out, remember that riding a motorcycle requires experience and instinct. This is normally acquired by riding many miles. It’s a good idea to start your first few rides more slowly than you would in mid summer. Take it easy and build up your instincts and traffic sense.

Ride smart, and be safe.

For example, many of us like going to Sturgis, it’s an annual pilgrimage, but the ride takes up way too much time to get there, party, and then go back; it eats away at our holiday time. But arriving at Sturgis without a bike is like attending your Prom Night without a date. And shipping a motorcycle is not limited to Sturgis. There are many good reasons to ship a motorcycle.

But if you are going to ship your precious bike, there are a few things you need to take into account before you do so.

Select The Right Transport Company

Getting the right shipping company is important. Your best bet is using one that someone you know has used. There’s nothing better than using references in selecting a service company, and shipping is no exception.

But maybe you know no one who has shipped a motorcycle before, and you just don’t know where to begin to find a trustworthy shipping company.

No worries, there’s a website that can help you. Uship has not only an exhaustive database of motorcycle shipping companies, but they also have user ratings for each. You can find transport companies in your neck of the woods (USA, Canada, most of Europe, Australia and India), find out for how much they are insured (very important), and what recent customers thought of them.

(c) Heritage Motorcycle Shipping

Quotes

Get as many quotes as you can handle. It’s the only way of properly judging not only what it will cost you, but more importantly, what the conditions are.

Check very carefully what the conditions are for delays (imagine that you are heading for Sturgis and the bike gets delayed), and also very important, check what is insured (accidents, fires, etc).

If your motorcycle is immobile, in other words, does not work, you will need to tell the shipping company. Many will drive the bike into a truck, and if the bike doesn’t work, it may raise costs.

Preparing Your Transport

You’ll need to do a few things before shipping your bike. It is not a simple matter of putting your bike on a truck.

Photos

Take plenty of photos of your motorcycle before it gets shipped. Make photos from the sides, front, rear and if at all possible, the lower parts of the bike. Specially if there’s existing damage, like scratches, make photos of them.

Print out the photos, and write out a statement of the state of your motorcycle.

Get It Signed

When the transporter comes to pick up your precious bike, make them sign your statement and photos. This way, if your motorcycle is damaged, you have proof what it looked like before it got mauled.

Check List

Here are the things to do and watch for before the bike gets loaded:

• Remove all personal stuff from your bike, including what may be in your saddlebags, panniers and top case.
• Check your tire air pressure and make sure it has a proper pressure.
• Check if there are any oil or fuel leaks. If there are, make sure you mention it to the transporter.
• Fold your mirrors inwards
• If you have an anti-theft alarm, deactivate it
• Set your gear to neutral

Crates

Some companies allow you to ship your motorcycle in a special crate. The advantage of crates, usually a more expensive option, is that your bike is protected from scratches. But to use a crate will mean you will need to drain your fuel tank, and you’ll need to un-hook your battery (you can imagine what happens if the fuel catches fire… you can not move a crate out that quickly from a truck).

(c) Quick Crate

Reception of your motorcycle

When you take delivery of your motorcycle, take a detailed inspection of your bike. Even the smallest scratch is going to be expensive to repair, so pay attention.

Any damage, no matter how small, needs to be reported immediately, in writing, to the shipment company.

Enjoy your ride wherever you sent your motorcycle.

Click here to access uShip

In a sleepy beach resort town in France, in a town called Le Touquet, once a year the town hosts a beach race for motorcycle. Called the “Le Touquet Enduropale”, the date is always the first weekend in February, typically when France is at its coldest.

Braving icy cold weather, sea and often strong winds, 1100 motorcycles start the race at the same time. 1100 motorcycles thundering along the first part of the race, a 7.5 kilometer long stretch of deep sandy beach, alternated with sea water pockets. The first biker to reach the first curve wins the holeshot, and a purse of €1500. The motorcycle reach speeds of 200 kph (120 mph) in the sand, and usually the holeshot is won by professionals who have adapted a streetbike to the deep sand. These professionals are not expected to finish the race, since their street racebikes are not meant to be able to race the rest of the circuit.

Le Touquet Enduropale Beach race start

After the holeshot curve, there is a narrow hill which the riders need to take. Already on its own, the narrow but steep hill with very deep sand is a difficult obstacle to take, but in the first lap, you are competing with 1100 other bikers, most have never ridden in deep sand before. So the traffic jam is so enormous that when the first riders have done a complete lap of the 15 kilometers long circuit (which takes about 10-15 minutes), they often have to wait a few minutes for the traffic to clear. It’s an assured obstacle entertainment.

Le Touquet Enduropale traffic jam on the first hill

What makes the race the most interesting to watch are the professionals, often big names like David Knight, Cyril Despres (this year’s Dakar winner) and others, needing not to compete with all the curves, hills, jumps and other man-made obstacles, but needing to circumnavigate the Sunday riders. These Sunday riders have often never raced a motorcycle on a beach before, and since it requires a tremendous physical effort, they stop on the circuit to catch their breath, or, as often is the case, crash and fall from their bike. The professionals need to speed past these obstacles at high speeds, sidestepping a fallen rider.

The race is free to the public, and you can see some 300,000 spectators amassed alongside the dunes to see this incredible race.

Competitors and spectators come from all over the world for this race, and during the weekend the village of Le Touquet is turned into one big motorcycle party. With motorcycle shops setting up tents selling you bikerwares, to hot food and drink sold anywhere, live music blasting everywhere, it’s a bit like Sturgis, but in the winter. People pitch up their tents everywhere or just sleep in the streets.

The beach race was dreamt up by Thierry Sabine, the same person who dreamed up the famous Dakar race. For years, famous races like the Dakar and the bicycle race the Tour de France, and the Touquet Enduro were run by the same person and organization, ASO. It is only recently that the Le Touquet Enduropale is run by the French motorcycle federation.

Le Touquet Enduropale Finish

The 2012 edition was won by Jean-Claude Mousse on a Yamaha.

If you are ever in Europe during the first week of February, it’s one event you would have to put in your agenda to see.

Click here to see the Le Touquet web site.

Now, let us look at the actual ride itself.

Once autumn is in full swing, and then the long winter months have come, roads will have become slippery. At its best, rain will have made them wet, and its worst, black ice will have presented itself, making roads treacherous.

1. Take your Time

The main rule, rule #1, is take your time. Respect the roads! Just because you are riding in a nice part of twisties in the forest, with no ice or humidity, does not mean that in the next curve there will be none. Anywhere where there are shadows, the temperature can be much lower, resulting in ice. If a part of the road is in the shadows (of trees or buildings), while the rest of the road is in the sunshine, chances are that the roads appears to be rideable, when it’s not. So ride carefully.

2. Increase your distance

Roads have become slippery, no matter what the weather conditions are. Keep more distance with the next vehicle.

3. Do Not Take Too Long

Although riding in the winter is nice, especially when you are dressed for it, do not be fooled. If it is really cold out there, no matter what you have got on, your body will start getting colder and colder. So take pauses regularly to heat up.

4. Bring Sunglasses

Sunglasses are great in the summer, and they make you look cool. But in the winter they are often a life saving necessity. Daytime during winter months are short, meaning that the sun is at its lowest. Chances are that you will be blinded faster during winter months than during summer.

5. Unsure? Feet on the ground!

If you are hitting a spot on the road which looks slippery, do not take any risks. Put down your feet to balance the bike. This serves two purposes; 1) in case you start slipping, you can redress the bike, and 2) your center of gravity is lowered, making it easier to correct your movements.

But…..

6. If you drop the bike, let it go!

If you do drop the motorcycle because it slips, and your immediate efforts do not reestablish the position of your bike, LET IT DROP! If you try to keep your motorcycle upright while it is going down, you will hurt yourself. At the very least, you will sprain your back muscles, and the worst, .. you do not even want to think about it. So let it drop.

7. Enjoy

Despite the dangers, you should enjoy yourself. Just remember that car drivers behave differently in the winter as well. They may not see you since the sun is low, and they are mindful of the road conditions. So be visible, pay attention, and just enjoy a winter ride.

If you have taken a liking to riding in the winter, then maybe you would like to participate in the Elephant Rally, or as it is known, the Elefantentreffen, This is a German organized motorcycle event in the Alps, during the winter, and involves camping in the snow, and to get there, you must arrive on a motorcycle.

Your motorcycle will also need to dress up warmly for a ride in cold weather. You will not need to worry about putting on warm blankets over your bike, but you will need to be careful that your poor ride does not get frostbite.

Radiator

If you have a water-cooled motorcycle, just like with a car, you will need to put in antifreeze in the radiator. If not, you will have severe problems when you have stopped and the radiator cools down.

Read your motorcycle’s maintenance manual how much, and which kind of antifreeze.

Tires

If you are riding on slicks or race tires, forget it. Just do not bother, you might just as well put on ice skates and go to a skating rink, since that is what you will be doing on your motorcycle. Make sure you have at the very least street tires fitted. Knobbies are much better, since they will bite into snow, but obviously studded tires are the best when you have got snow or ice. At the very least, normal street tires will offer better grip and reach operating temperatures much quicker than slicks.

Oil

The best oil to use during winter months is a thinner oil. They will improve performance, especially right after starting your bike. Get an oil that is made for winter, but do check your motorcycle manual which ones are recommended by the manufacturer, since not all companies allow a different oil type to be used.

When shopping for oil, make sure the viscosity grade has the letter “W” next to it (e.g. 20W or 30W). The “W” denotes Winter use (source).

Protecting Your Bike

When you say winter and snow, I say salt on the roads. In most parts of the world, when it starts snowing or freezing, salt is sprayed on the roads. It’s great to ride, since the roads are far less slippery, but it does mean that you will get salt on your motorcycle, and that means corrosion. If you want to prevent this, spray some WD-40 oil on all the parts that are exposed to salt & slush, typically below your fairing, forks, engine and mudguards.

When you have finished your ride, wash off the salt from your bike. If you leave it on for the rest of the winter, chances are by spring you will find some rust spots.

Lights

It gets dark quickly, and even during daytime, it can get dark, so it’s a very good idea to make sure that your lights are in good working order. Test them out before setting off.

Mirrors (and visor)

Because of big temperature differences, it is wise to spray an anti-fogging spray on your mirrors and helmet visor.

Battery

Check the water level of your battery. If it is lower than normal, you might have a leak, and during the winter, that is not a good thing. Top it up, but make sure you close the tops firmly.

If you will be riding with heated gear, make sure your alternator can handle it. Read your motorcycle manual to see how much wattage gets generated. If the sum of what is used by riding (lights and other components) plus your heated gear exceeds the wattage supplied, your battery will run out. On its own, this will not prevent you from riding, but you will not go a long distance, and you will need to recharge your battery when you are home again.

Brakes

You will need to apply brake grease to your brakes, since sludge and salt will form around the brake pins.

Next, we will look at riding tips.

But if you live in an area where it is cold, rainy and sometimes some snow, you can still ride, but you’ll need to take some precautions.

Trap Heat

The most important factor for riding in the cold, is that you need to trap your body heat. Heat tends to dissipate into the cold, and it is difficult to stoke the fire inside your body to replace the lost heat. So the best way is to insulate your body from heat loss.

In the old days, people would wrap old newspapers against their body to trap the heat. Nowadays you will not need to worry about newspaper ink rubbing against your skin, giving you who-knows-what-kind-of-sickness. A microfiber layer against your skin is the first defense layer against the cold. A microfiber T-shirt is great, better yet a long-john made out of microfiber. If you don’t have microfiber, get a good cotton one. A one-piece is better than two, but having one is better than none.

TIP: You need to put on the first layer, the microfiber, when you are warm, not outside in the cold. In that case, all you will be doing is trapping the cold temperature, so defeating the idea of keeping warm. Put on the microfiber when you are warm!

Next you can put on layers of woolen sweaters or cotton or silk shirts. Don’t put on too much, if not you’ll not be able to operate your motorcycle properly. Alternatively, you can get a heated vest. Plug it into your 12V system, and you’ll be as snug as a bug in a rug.

The final layer, your jacket, needs to be totally windproof; leather or nylon will do the trick, and ideally it should be a one-piece suit. If you don’t have a one-piece suit, get one that can be zipped between the pants and jacket. This way, less heat will escape.

Extremities

Your body extremities will see the fastest heat loss. Feet, hands and very important, your head, will loose heat very fast. It’s important to keep them warm.

Hands: Make sure your gloves are the gauntlet type, i.e., fit over your jacket sleeve. This way, no cold air can come in or out via the top. You might also want to get some silk gloves to wear inside your normal gloves, since they keep the fingers warm & dry. Remember that your hands & fingers are exposed to a very cold air when riding. It’s the reason many all-year riders have heated handlebars, or heated gloves.

TIP: If heated handlebars or gloves are too expensive, consider chemical heat packs.

Feet: Your feet will not be moving much on the motorcycle so they will tend to get cold quickly, but they have a source of natural heating; your motorcycle’s engine (unless you are riding a sports motorcycle).

But you will still need to wear warm socks, preferably with silk under-socks. Make sure your boots are rainproof and do not let wind in (and therefore hot air out). In the worst case scenario, get rain boot covers.

Head: Your head, believe or not, is very important. A head, and therefore brain that is exposed for long periods of time to cold temperatures will not function properly. You will start to loose concentration, and make judgment mistakes; your reaction time will diminish dramatically. At the very least, wear a balaclava, preferably with a silk hood underneath it. An advantage of a balaclava, one that goes up to your nose, is that it will prevent your visor from fogging up, something, no matter how good your visor, will happen in the winter.

Since you will find that cold air will enter your back, get a proper neck warmer that covers your neck, chest and shoulder.

Next we’ll look at what you need to do for your motorcycle in order to ride it in the winter.

The easiest thing is to leave it in the garage, but you’ll need to do some preventive steps if you want to be able to ride the motorcycle after the winter has melted away.

First of all, if you don’t have a garage, you’ll not want to leave your motorcycle on the road, especially if you live in an area where there is snow and frost. Your bike will not like it. If you do not have a garage, rent some space in a storage area, preferably one that is specialized in winter storage for motorcycles. These places are usually well adapted, and the good ones will assist you in preparing your motorcycle for the winter.

If you have your own garage, there are a couple of things you can do to make your bike hibernate properly:

1. Service your motorcycle, either yourself or at the dealer. Make sure the oil is changed (leaving old oil in a bike’s engine is not a good idea).
2. Fill up your fuel tank before storing.
3. If you have a carburetor, block the fuel flow and start the engine until all the remainder fuel is drained from the fuel line. This way, there will be no fuel in the lines.
4. Put fuel stabilizer in the fuel tank (if your dealer doesn’t have any, head over to the local marine supply store). No matter how full the tank is, after a while, condensation will form, and that can put a stop to you riding the following season.
5. Clean your motorcycle throughout. Remove all dirt and grease.
6. Degrease your chain (if you have one). Put oil (WD-40) on moving parts; joints and spray some inside the exhaust. The WD-40 will repel moisture from forming.
7. If your garage is not weather-proof, ie, it can get cold and humid, your best bet is to put some Vaseline or other wax based products over your chrome and other noticeable metal bits, including the fuel tank. You can also use a good chrome polish. The last thing you want is to have rust forming on your bike.
8. Preferably remove your battery, and place it on a dry surface (not the ground). But whether you remove the battery or not, connect a trickle charger to the battery. This will ensure that the battery is fully loaded and in good working condition for the day you fire up the bike again.
9. If your motorcycle has a center stand, use it. If you really want to, place your bike on blocks. This will relieve pressure from your suspension and tires.
10. Inflate your tires to the maximum pressure. It is going to get cold in your garage, so there’s no worry that the tire will inflate any further.
11. If you live in an area where it really gets cold, make sure you have put anti-freeze in the radiator (that is, if you have one).
12. Put a cover over your motorcycle. Do not put some plastic wrap, or anything but a special motorcycle cover, since proper covers allow the bike to “breath”, making sure humidity evaporates.

It sound like a lot of work, but it shouldn’t take more than 30 minutes maximum, and this way when the riding season starts again, you can go straight for the ride instead of having to bring it to the dealer.

Your motorcycle will thank you.