Long Distance Cold Weather Riding tips needed

[FlaBound]

Call me crazy.
But I thinking about riding my RT, instead of flying to my annual Florida destination, in JANUARY.
Will be a little over 900 Miles one way, leaving from Maryland to Central Florida.
Normally my wife and I fly down, but I'm getting real serious about riding, and meeting up with her. (She won't ride, thinks I'm crazy)

I'm becoming obsessed with the idea of this adventure, and have been spending lots of time on the internet looking for tips.
I've done 300+ miles in a day with no problems at all. Have road all through the winter, provided there is no snow or threat of black ice.
Figure once I get south of Virginia, traffic and cold weather will be less of an issue.

Can't decide on a route though. 81 South, 95 South, 301 South, or 1 south.
Hoping to do the ride south in 2-3 days.
Don't mind highway riding, other than bad traffic, (won't ride highway at rush hour), and boredom.

Looking for some sage advice.

[flaggerphil]

When it comes to clothing...layer! Also good winter gloves and perhaps a balaclava would do.

If it was me and I was going to make the trip in 2 or 3 days, especially if it's really cold and you're not used to riding long distances, I'd use 95. But save time for going off the beaten path from time to time.

And remember...Central Florida can be chilly (cold, if you live here) in January.

[bscrive]

Get yourself some Gerbings heated jacket liner, gloves, pants and dual controller. The leads hooks up to your battery and there is a disconnect at your seat. When you are not using it just put the plug under the seat. This is what my wife does on her RS.

[FlaBound]

When it comes to clothing...layer! Also good winter gloves and perhaps a balaclava would do.

If it was me and I was going to make the trip in 2 or 3 days, especially if it's really cold and you're not used to riding long distances, I'd use 95. But save time for going off the beaten path from time to time.

And remember...Central Florida can be chilly (cold, if you live here) in January.

Thanks. I have the first gear thermo suit. I think if I add some layers, and maybe some heated gear, I would hope to be ok until the Carolinas. After that I'll have a rev it set of gear with removable therm liner if I need it.

Been going to central florida every winter now for over 5 years. As a "northerner", I can say, Central Florida never gets cold janurary.
I can always tell the "snow birds" from the locals. Snow birds are walking around in t-shirts and shorts. The locals shivering in coats, hats, and long pants

[FlaBound]

Get yourself some Gerbings heated jacket liner, gloves, pants and dual controller. The leads hooks up to your battery and there is a disconnect at your seat. When you are not using it just put the plug under the seat. This is what my wife does on her RS.

I've been wondering about how to hook up the heated gear. Are the "leads" just a couple battery clips?
Do you know if a more permanent socket solution for the dash etc.. is available.

[Chupaca]

having ryden during the winter anyway you should have good gear. Heated liners are nice and on an RS/RSS heated gloves are good. But if you stick to the coast on down you should be warmer and have less traffic and problems. I don't see any problem and ryding alone you will probably make better time..I would ryde with you if it were nit so far away...have a great trip and be safe..!!

[jtoro1]

Call me crazy.
But I thinking about riding my RT, instead of flying to my annual Florida destination, in JANUARY.
Will be a little over 900 Miles one way, leaving from Maryland to Central Florida.
Normally my wife and I fly down, but I'm getting real serious about riding, and meeting up with her. (She won't ride, thinks I'm crazy)

I'm becoming obsessed with the idea of this adventure, and have been spending lots of time on the internet looking for tips.
I've done 300+ miles in a day with no problems at all. Have road all through the winter, provided there is no snow or threat of black ice.
Figure once I get south of Virginia, traffic and cold weather will be less of an issue.

Can't decide on a route though. 81 South, 95 South, 301 South, or 1 south.
Hoping to do the ride south in 2-3 days.
Don't mind highway riding, other than bad traffic, (won't ride highway at rush hour), and boredom.

Looking for some sage advice.

I have taken the auto train it goes from lorton va. To sanford fl north of orlando nice ride they take spiders

[bscrive]

I've been wondering about how to hook up the heated gear. Are the "leads" just a couple battery clips?
Do you know if a more permanent socket solution for the dash etc.. is available.

The leads are a couple of ring terminals that you bolt onto the battery. Just unscrew the two bolts on the battery and put on the terminals and route the wire to the front of the seat. The part that hooks up to the controller is a RCA connector.

[FlaBound]

having ryden during the winter anyway you should have good gear. Heated liners are nice and on an RS/RSS heated gloves are good. But if you stick to the coast on down you should be warmer and have less traffic and problems. I don't see any problem and ryding alone you will probably make better time..I would ryde with you if it were nit so far away...have a great trip and be safe..!!

San Diego!!
Must be nice.
I'm jealous...

[ARtraveler]

Good advice about the clothing, heated gear, and layering. Riding in the cold can be done safely. I have done it here down to 10 degrees above (no snow or ice on the roads). At that temperature, it is not a pleasure to ride, but what I describe as an "exercise in endurance."

Riding in temps of 20 and above are doable--but you might want to make coffee and rest stops at least once an hour--to warm up and get the blood circulating again.

I do not recommend riding on snow or ice covered roads. For me, a serious safety issue (mine).

[FlaBound]

I have taken the auto train it goes from lorton va. To sanford fl north of orlando nice ride they take spiders

I looked into that. Pretty costly.
Was wondering if there was a "clearance" issue with riding the spyder up the ramp.
Looked pretty steep.

[FlaBound]

The leads are a couple of ring terminals that you bolt onto the battery. Just unscrew the two bolts on the battery and put on the terminals and route the wire to the front of the seat. The part that hooks up to the controller is a RCA connector.

Sounds simple enough. Great tip. Thanks

[Woodsrider]

The leads are a couple of ring terminals that you bolt onto the battery. Just unscrew the two bolts on the battery and put on the terminals and route the wire to the front of the seat. The part that hooks up to the controller is a RCA connector.

Go to warmnsafe.com and check out some of their mounting options. You can put the controller into the dash if you'd like, and wire out of the way.

The products are superior to gerbing, I've been wearing heated gear for a long time and haven't found anything that compares to warmnsafe. I usually trade mine in when they come out with a major upgrade to the product line, they give good trade ins.

[FlaBound]

Go to warmnsafe.com and check out some of their mounting options. You can put the controller into the dash if you'd like, and wire out of the way.

The products are superior to gerbing, I've been wearing heated gear for a long time and haven't found anything that compares to warmnsafe. I usually trade mine in when they come out with a major upgrade to the product line, they give good trade ins.

I'll check them out. Thanks

[Jccjr50]

Check out Baker Wings. I have them and are very helpful keeping the cold off of you as well as keeping you cooler in the hot weather.
Good luck with your trip.

[FlaBound]

I can hear the Mrs now, once I get all the necessary gear and farkles;

"You idiot, we could both fly 1st class for the $$ you spent on that crazy idea of yours"

[Chupaca]

I can hear the Mrs now, once I get all the necessary gear and farkles;

"You idiot, we could both fly 1st class for the $$ you spent on that crazy idea of yours"

You can't put a price on the ryde to your destination....it's what it is all about..!!

[FlaBound]

You can't put a price on the ryde to your destination....it's what it is all about..!!

I keep telling her, we can't take it with us.

"My last check is gonna bounce"

[daveinva]

I ride in cold weather all the time. Even did 150 miles round trip on a 20-degree day this winter to get my laser alignment done. Don't recommend doing that if you can avoid it, though.

My advice:
1. If you're touring, below 40 degrees I think heated gear is a must. Heck, I personally use mine below *55* degrees; if you've got it, why not use it?

2. I've been very happy with Gerbing. The jacket liner works great as long as you block the wind well enough (I've got a 24" Madstad shield on my RS, it blocks wind great; you'll be fine on an RT). The gloves aren't as useful; there's only so much heat they can generate against the wind. The gloves are toasty in the 50s, fine through the 40s, but into the 30s it gets rough. I'll never do another *20* degree distance ride again without buying a set of Hippo Hands, though; at speed in those temps it didn't even feel like the gloves were even on, I genuinely felt like I risked frostbite at times.

http://www.hippohands.com/

3. Even at 20 degrees I never found that I needed heated pants. I wore long johns, flannel-lined jeans, and a pair of FirstGear overpants to block the wind and that was enough. I *did* use heated chemical liners in my boots, however, underneath winter-grade motorcycle socks. Those are very nice to have.

4. For heated gear, consider installing an outlet(s) (I put in Powerlets, but 12v works fine, too) in your dash vice going direct to the battery terminals. It's more elegant and flexible that way.

5. Cold is bad, but cold and *wet* is worse. Have quality rain gear handy. Personally, I don't trust any waterproof jacket or pants for anything but a passing shower; I carry a set of neon-can't-miss-me-green Frogg Toggs to change into for serious storms.

6. Stop more frequently! Warm up, have some coffee, relax, and enjoy yourself!

[Gray Ghost]

I once did a business trip on a Yamaha V-Star (no fairing or lowers) wind chill was 6 degrees when I started out on the 300 mile trip. I was layered and had some good goretex lined combat boots. What worked for me was adding the chemical "toe warmers" below my socks and some hand warmers over the inner liner on the back of my hands. Heated gear is good and I love my heated grips, but with taking stops and a decent interval and just some inexpensive alternatives can still make this happen for you.

[FlaBound]

Daveinva,

Thanks for the great tips. Very helpful.

[SNOOPY]

Call me crazy.
But I thinking about riding my RT, instead of flying to my annual Florida destination, in JANUARY.
Will be a little over 900 Miles one way, leaving from Maryland to Central Florida.
Normally my wife and I fly down, but I'm getting real serious about riding, and meeting up with her. (She won't ride, thinks I'm crazy)

I'm becoming obsessed with the idea of this adventure, and have been spending lots of time on the internet looking for tips.
I've done 300+ miles in a day with no problems at all. Have road all through the winter, provided there is no snow or threat of black ice.
Figure once I get south of Virginia, traffic and cold weather will be less of an issue.

Can't decide on a route though. 81 South, 95 South, 301 South, or 1 south.
Hoping to do the ride south in 2-3 days.
Don't mind highway riding, other than bad traffic, (won't ride highway at rush hour), and boredom.

Looking for some sage advice.

Screw that.

[FlaBound]

Screw that.

You been talking to my wife?

[SNOOPY]

You been talking to my wife?

Actually, you should go for it.

Let me know how it goes.

I wouldn't do such a trip since I have a trailer for my Spyder. LOL

More power to you! Go for it!

[FlaBound]

I came up with a compromise for the Mrs.

We'll both book round trip flights.
If the forecast looks like snow and ice, I'll hop on the plane with her.
Otherwise, I'll meet her in Florida a couple days later (Good Lord Willing)