3 things that make cold-weather riding safer and more comfortable

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March arrives this weekend and therefore, despite the snowstorm that continues to hound my hometown of Toronto, a young (at heart) man’s thoughts to turn to two wheels.

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In the immediate term, that’s because I am going to be testing BMW’s F900 XR next week, one of the more anticipated bike launches this year (look for the road test soon).

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3 things that make cold-weather riding safer and more comfortable Back to video

But it’s also true that, even here in the Great White Frozen North, I am trying to ride earlier in the season and delay putting the beast away in the fall. It’s all the result of demographics or, more specifically, my particular demographics: when I turned the big six- oh! two years ago, it suddenly dawned on me I had more years of riding in my rearview mirror than those that lay ahead.

And since genetics limit the numbers of years I can extend my riding season, the only way I can put more motorcycling miles under my belt is to extend the riding season. In other words, get out earlier and stay out later.

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Which in Canada means fighting Old Man Winter, or at least Mr. Frigid Fall. In either case, that means slippery roads, wind-chill and early sunsets. So here, to help salve the pain of early spring and late fall riding for those as dedicated to – that should read “crazy about” – motorcycling as I am, here are three tips to get you through the cold, dark nights of winter riding.

Electric Gloves

Anyone who’s ridden through even one fall of motorcycling knows the first thing to feel the chill is your fingers. Wrapped tightly around handlebar, not only are they relatively un-insulated and facing directly into the wind, but circulation – remember you are “hanging on” – is reduced.

You could bulk up with thick snowmobile-like gloves, but no matter how much Thinsulate you layer over fingers, they will eventually go numb. Besides, with half-an-inch of gauze between you and handlebar, however are you going to ‘feather’ the brake or operate turn signals?

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A much better solution is the pair of Keis G501 heated gloves that now bask my fingers in the warmth of electrified coziness. Attached via a fused cable to the battery – you can also get battery-powered heated gloves, but their warmth lasts but two hours – they provide surprising warmth, have carbon-fibred armour for protection, and, perhaps most surprisingly for a winter motorcycle glove, they are truly comfortable.

In fact, so comfy-cozy are they that I wear them even when it’s not so chilly outside. Throw in an admirable resistance to rain and these are some of the best gloves I’ve ever owned.

Nonetheless, the best thing about them is their incredible warmth. They are my go-to winter mitts now and, along with my Venture Heat riding vest, they’re the reason I was able to extend my riding season last year until my birthday, December 3.

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I bought my Keis G501s from angel-wings.ca for $338, but they are no longer in business. You may have to order yours online. However, the company’s size charts are accurate.

Laser Beams

Frequent readers might remember me waxing lyrical about SLD Laser , the company trying to bring laser lighting to automobile headlights. Not only do lasers emit a beam of light like no other, say the company’s engineers, but they also transmit data a la Wi-Fi. I had to get me some of that.

Unfortunately, SLD has no lights on offer. Oh, they make a set of OEM headlamps for BMW’s M5, but nothing that anyone like you or I can install on our motorcycle or car. But, they do supply technology to Baja Designs and they do have something small enough – the single-beam S1 Spot Laser – that would fit on my bike.

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Barely 50 millimetres square and with only one laser chip installed – Baja also makes the quad-chipped XL, but Chris Fortunato, marketing manager, said I might burn down my garage if I leave them on too long – the S1 puts out some 500 lumens. Not a huge number (for those who follow lighting specs) but with a beam barely 1.5-degrees wide, I am going to be boring holes in the night.

And with March’s sunset arriving as early as 6:00 PM, I’ll have plenty of time to see exactly how deep these laser things can burn into the deep, dark night. Being truly cutting edge technology, however, means the S1 doesn’t come cheap; two lights, a wiring harness and some mounts cost US$599.95 from bajadesigns.com.

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Anlas Winter Grip Plus tires

Now, even if the concept of winter motorcycle tires might seem oxymoronic – nothing short of inch-and-a-half studs is going to keep a bike upright on ice – the Aria Winters really do make a difference in cold weather.

Besides their aggressive tread pattern, which will help on light dustings of snow, the Arias, like all tires with official winter “mountain/snowflake” ratings, have a softer rubber that stays soft below seven degrees.

Regular sportbike tires turn into slippy-slidey hockey pucks below that temperature, but the Winter Grip Plus’s keep on grippin’. Or so says Anlas. I ain’t finding out. I might be crazy enough to ride a motorcycle until the beginning of December, but I’m definitely not nuts enough to ride a motorcycle through December.

In my Suzuki DL1000’s tire size – 110/80-19 front and 150/70-17 rear – Anlas Winter Grips would set you back $284.90 and $318.99, respectively. And yes, they are perfectly legal for use in Quebec, which mandates the use of “mountain/snowflake” rated tires from December 1 to March 15 — even on motorcycles.