Modern Vespa

When I lived in Florida I used to ride to work almost everyday but Indiana is a different thing.

I rode the 20 miles to work today only because the morning low was in the high 40's and it will be in the low sixties on my way home. A little higher than average for this time of year here. It was chilly but manageable. It is a beautiful ride with lots of sweeping curves and elevation changes so I want to ride often but last week I set out with the morning temp at 38 and I was pretty cold when I got to work even in a winter riding jacket, pants, gloves and a tall windscreen.

So what is your lowest limit for temperature? If you ride all year at latitudes above Georgia in the US or in colder regions around the world what gear are you using?

I know this has been discussed in the past but I wasn't paying attention in Florida.

I fear ice but will ride down to the upper 20's. I use heated gloves (Milwaukee from Home Depot), a warm motorcycle jacket, insulated shoes and baggy joggers pulled over my pants.

I was considering heated grips. The MP3 I got from Jess has heated grips and they really keep your hands warm. Unfortunately I don't have that scooter on the road yet.

I rode 15 miles this morning to Southgate - 45°. For Los Angeles that's pretty cold. Leather jacket, gloves and a heavy scarf. I lived but I really need some jeans with a lining of some sort. Traipse through the ghetto on a Vespa sometime: the temperature is kinda low on the list of survival issues.

This year I've ridden down to 32F. I use a Windjammer: https://www.proline-sports.co.uk/acatalog/pro-tour-windjammer/

It works pretty well, but you HAVE to have a pinlock or some other kind of fog resistance because it will fog immediately. I also have a couple of extra long hoodies that I'll pull down to my knees and it usually is enough for my 30 minute commute to not need extra pants.

Muffs are the answer to keeping your hands warm. Together with heated grips I could use summer gloves in the UK year-round, even when it was below freezing. I have some over here in the US as well, but didn't need them last winter, and hardly at all the winter before. A climate change effect? Two years isn't really anything like enough to make a judgement on that.

I ride north GA all year, and especially in winter. All of the great mountain rides from my house all the way to Deal's Gap are empty from around mid November to mid March. Clean runs and great visibility abound.

In North GA, average winter nighttime temps are in the low 30's, highs peak at about 50F. All of my bikes will take electrics, so I have an array of gear that I use:

100w/12v heated jacket liner
20w/12v heated glove liners
2x 5500aH/7.2v li-on hand warmers (I put them in front pockets.)
5500aH 7.2V li-on heated insoles.

I'll use the heated insoles all winter. I use the hand warmers if the total ride time temp stays above 47-ish. Below 47, I use the heated jacket liner. Below 40, I use the heated glove liners.

I have used the jacket liner down to 30F. Even at that temp, I only had the jacket up half way. I imagine it would keep me warm all the way down into the high teens.

I layer the jacket under my First Gear Kilimanjaro jacket and north face puffer jacket. It is extremely warm. That gives me a down layer and riding jacket OVER the heating element. It is really strange when I am on a bike traveling 50mph in the frigid cold, and I am truly toasty warm. When it's at the 30F end of things, I don't even like to stop the bike at all (gas, pictures, etc). THAT'S when I get cold.

Back when I actually commuted it was generally between the beginning of March and the end of November. Long Island weather didn't get below 30 degrees much except for December thru the end of February. I had the equipment for most temperatures then.

Now I'm retired and I ride when the weather suits me.

So far I haven't found my lower limit when it comes to riding in the cold. At near freezing temperatures I will add heated glove liners to my winter gloves and a heated vest, I will also switch to lined riding pants. As long as there's not snow or ice, I love to ride in frigid temperatures.

Though I'm likely not nearly half as tough as these riders:

Having ridden thru 67 winters---have some experience---in US, Aerostich one piece suit, slippery lining with feather jacket for warmth, reg work boots with rubber overshoes keeps feet both warm and dry, large collection of mitts and gloves...work best for now now/WalMart cheap ski gloves, Aerostich over mitts---proper windshield!!---Electric heated grips sure might be nice....if your charging system can handle them. In Germany BOY winter suits were really warm and water proof----my tip, start with proper gear and you will stay warm and dry. I prefer dry roads in winter.

I have 2 fears that would limit my winter riding; ice and sand on the roads/

I believe my coldest ride was -15°, in Colorado. It was under a mile, but holy crap did it suck. In the past, I made the choice to ride based more on road conditions than anything. I did eventually come to the conclusion that I really didn't need to prove anything to anyone, and started riding less when it was just unpleasant to do so.

Quote from a YouTuber "Ride like there's nothing to prove".

I fell on ice and have not ridden below freezing since. However the thought of not riding through most of winter is daunting. So my new limit is no riding in freezing weather in the dark. At least I can get the scooter around the block once in a while.

Regarding clothing I just find the warmest clothes I can fit under the motorcycle jacket and pants.

I played "how low can you go?" for a few years with my 6 mile commute, but I think I'm leveling off at the freezing point. Just a bit more of a pain bundling up for the ride, less comfort and fighting fogging, dark and chill at the end of the day, and the coup de gras of ice and salt Mark's th e'd end.

But dang, I miss it.

Look up fleece neck gaiters. They're great. I wear that along with ski bib overalls and ski mittens and stay pretty comfy down into the 30s F.

Love fleece neck gaiters! Mine seems to have disappeared.

Jim is right, muffs make an incredible difference. When I first started riding through the winter on my LX150 I tried all kinds of gloves to keep my hands warm and nothing worked in the non-electric realm. When the temperature dropped below 20F I could ride 15 to 20 minutes before I had to stop to warm my hands on the headlight or muffler.

When I got the GTS I also bought Gerbing electric gloves. They kept my hands warm down to about 15F for most of a day but below that my hands would get cold.

Next came heated grips and while they're nice they weren't as good as the electric gloves.

Finally, I bought Tucano Urbano muffs and damn, I could ride well below 0F with the heated grips and regular gloves. Or if I wanted to luxuriate in winter, I could use the electric gloves in the muffs.

The other miracle that I long resisted was an apron. I dismissed them as ugly and complicated. And then I bought one and found it simple to use and made a huge difference in riding comfort.

I'm stubborn about shit. And the price was feeling sort of miserable during the winter at times. The picture below was made after a commute to work at -8F. Only 8 miles but brisk.

And perhaps the real challenge for me to ride in winter was a change in perception and throttle control changes. You just can't ride the same way as in summer. And different routes may be needed if snow is involved. But I commuted through the winter for 13 years until I retired. And I was able to manage snow, ice, and cold. It was an adventure but now that I'm older my willingness to venture into the winter is fading. I still ride in the cold but I am much more risk adverse now in regard to be caught in a snow storm.

Freezing point is also my limit.

I do not use special winter gear except battery powered heated gloves. In winter off course a warm shirt and sweater below the windjack.
The heated gloves solved my main problem when cold.

Today I made a 1,5hr trip on the BV 300, temperature was 3°C (37°F) and sunny. No problem. A bit cold on the chin. Maybe I should have a look at these fleece neck gaiters.

I've got a layered one that's a big help...

25 miles each way suburban-to-urban commute, 40-70 minutes, down to 20°F:
* riding boots, always
* the heavier of my two riding jackets, starting at 60°
* heated grips, recently added, amazing, starting at 55°
* sweatshirt/fleece/quarter zip somewhere in this temperature range
* neck warmer tube (fleece) starting at about 50°
* scooter skirt, starting at 45° or rain
* handlebar muffs, starting at 40°
* electric vest, starting at 40°. Mine is battery powered USB.
* wool socks under riding boots, starting between 35-40°, although these are typically comfortable any time below 55°
* thick wool sweater over electric vest, starting at 35°
* heavier gloves, starting at 30°, but I'm still testing this as the muff/heated grip combo is still pretty comfortable and heavy gloves under the muffs start to interfere with the controls

All of these doodads were sourced cheap from AliExpress with the "Harbor Freight" philosophy: if they're useful, and wear out, replace with good ones. So far the only victim of this philosophy was electric gloves. They were OK but were abandoned in favor of the heated grips and I'm glad I hadn't paid more for them. The basic issue with the gloves is that the elements are on the back of the hand so half the heat is not directed usefully at the fingers.

The scooter skirt and heated grips are the biggest comfort improvements. Yes in the colder temps I do have fleece, heated vest, and heavy sweater layers under the riding jacket.

I do not ride if there is ice or snow on the roads or falling from the sky. I do not ride if salty roads are wet, either, but riding on dry salty roads doesn't seem to be a corrosion problem. I don't encounter much sand used on the road in the greater NYC area but would consider that to be a hindrance.

Last winter I felt like every day was an adventure, commuting during a pandemic with very little traffic on the road and very few people in the office. I rode 2-4 days a week in all but about five weeks of winter. This year the traffic is far worse, vaxxes have decreased the risk of congregation, and I'll be more willing to deal with mass transit on really cold days.

In a word: yuck.

The motorcyclists are welcome to maintain this tradition amongst themselves!

I did ride in the snow, once. Many years ago. It was with the BMW R75.
That was very difficult. Almost no traction, or braking. It was a huge relief to make it home without falling or damaging the motorcycle. I then decided never to do that again.

We had the BMW parked in an unheated garage. A few days later the snow was gone but it was still freezing. I could not get any motion in the motorcycle. Frozen snow between the tyre and the mudgard had blocked the front wheel.

I rode an R75 across Wyoming in May long ago on clear roads between snow drifts when it started hailing. I stood over my dropped bike and couldn't stop laughing. It was a struggle to recover from the hypothermia and get my bike upright without feeling my fingers. Silly me!
These days I just ride on nice days

I am definitely encouraged. Looks like muffs, heated grips and a neck gator is in my future. I also need a new pinlock for my helmet. My current one seems to be failing and allowing fogging.

My old Nolan had a pretty good pinlock system. My new Schuberth has a complicated pinlock and it rubs the $100 visor, leaving marks. But the best system I've found is a FogCity Proshield anti-fog insert. When I breakdown and replace my marked up Schuberth visor I'm installing a FogCity insert. So look into FogCity inserts. Good stuff.

Hail. Once and that was also on the old R75, I got in the middle of a hailstorm.
The noise of the hail hitting your helmet and the hail hitting the little piece of throat uncovered between the helmet and the coat.
Impossible to continue the drive. I stopped at the first gasstation I met and under the canopy I waited until the hail was over.

I rode through some hail last month. Yes it was loud but my collar protected my throat. I actually don't mind it if it is light. You don't get as wet like with rain.

I know that you are happy to be in Indiana these days, but winter in Florida has its advantages.

It was 70F yesterday.

I went kayaking with friends in shirtsleeves.

Bill

Being stuck in Southern Ontario the weather is pretty good by Canadian standards, but it can still get pretty chilly.

For much of my working life my daily commute was 30 to 35 miles round trip. Safe commuting season is late March to early December. I would draw the line at about 5 degrees (F) below freezing as long as the roads are dry.

I did right right through a winter once when I was about 17 or 18. Worst ride was about minus 5F, I actually turned around and went home that time. Between crashes caused by snowy roads and road salt the bike was pretty much done in the spring.

Yeah thirty years was about 20 to many for me. I probably would have moved sooner if not for a career I liked. Just not a hot weather animal and it is way to hot for most of the year for me. I define hot as anything over 82. Oddly, my Dad absolutely loves it and will never leave Jacksonville.

-27.4F (-33C) is the coldest I have ever been riding but that was over a decade ago when I was young(er) and stupid. I think I used some kind of snowboarding gear/clothes to keep myself warm while driving. And I froze my fingers back then. This year 19.4F (-7C) was cold enough to stop me from riding..

Age demands its price ...

It's been "chilly" here in SoCal this week. Today the temperature range on the dash of my motorcycle registered between 30 - 42 degrees. Luckily I have heated grips and heated gloves

When I first attempted Winter riding with Melody, I was woefully underprepared: other than my riding jacket, I was badly equipped in terms of hand and foot protection, with cheap riding gloves (Joe Rocket's cruelly misnamed Sub-Zero), and decent but not quite fit-for-purpose Wolverines. These "rookie errors" were gradually sorted out: the footwear got properly sorted out (Bilt water-resistant moto boots), while the hands got multiple options (Sub-Zeros ditched for Joe Rocket's much-better Windchill leather gloves, followed up by their entry-level battery-heated gloves used in tandem with Piaggio's handlebar muffs bolted onto Melody), all augmented by thermal base-layer undies. Not 100% perfect, but way, way better than before.

Now, in my Pick-Yourself-Up-Dust-Yourself-Off-Start-All-Over-Again situation, my proposed all-weather-fighter will add Koso heated grips to the mix, which, together with h'bar muffs, should allow me to use almost any riding gloves I darned-well please, with protection taking a front seat over mere insulation. Since my windchill-unadjusted low-temp threshold is roughly 35℉, I think the new setup will work even better than the old. Here's looking forward.

Torontonian here. I ride year round, it gets down to -15c sometimes colder (not sure what that is in farenheit, you americans can google it, lol ) i have heated mitts, and heated socks, i layer up the coats and wear thermal long johns, full size helmet, full size windscreen and a turmoscud, and fleece lined boots. toasty AF, and worth it to get movin on this beautiful little scoot hope that helps

-15C is about 5F.

(-15*9/5)+32=5

Gotta use that math degree somehow.

In California's Bay Area, stuff can go down to freezing temp (~38F) in the early morning, which is when I go to the gym. It's a 3 mile ride each way, and I easily do it on the MP3. All I need is a down jacket and cozy gloves. For longer and faster rides, I'd definitely wear heavier gear. But riding in the cold I don't mind at all.
It doesn't snow here unless you seek altitude (I don't).
I tend to not ride in the rain these days, but it's rather because the required cleanup of the bike, not because I am against riding in the rain.

A tube made from a old fibrefill jacket that attaches to the bottom of the helmet & tucks into your jacket, Your breath keeps your head warm
Cut the sleeves off the jacket, wear the sleeves inside the cuffs of my gloves & either inside or out side the sleeves of my jacket, more layers are better

Snowmobile gear is good, there's a version of Bell helmets with double layer or even heated visor
https://www.amazon.com/Bell-Elect-Shield-Revolver-Helmet/dp/B01LYF19J2

I have these gloves marked Spartan that have a windshield wiper blade on the back of the left thumb, perfect to scrape fog or light mist
Even in the current decayed state, surprisingly useful
Has anyone seen a current glove with this feature?

I have a pair of Dainese Gore-Tex gloves that have this feature: Dainese Scout 2.

Edit to correct glove name.

If you're thinking about getting something, but you aren't sure whether or not it will be good enough for cold weather riding, here is the cheat code:

Get snowmobile gear.

That's it.

You won't have to worry or wonder "will this be ____ enough for winter riding."

People snowmobile for fun. They're their entire own industry, and there is a ton of gear catered towards them.

I ride year round, I have a great assortment of stuff, thermal underlayers, neoprenes, goretex, you name it, I've experimented with it. The most fool-proof, easy, financially efficient way, is just look for snowmobile-specific use.