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Kevin Helt
Kevin Helt has been racing in all forms of motorsports, building and maintaining his race equipment since 1984. He has worked in the aircraft field for about 12 years in Quality Assurance before going to work for Nmotion Race Technology in early 2004 as a dyno technition and engine builder. In 2005 Kevin became an owner and took over the parts manager position where he made many contact in the motorcycle and atv industry which has proven to be very beneficial to Nmotion. Kevin is experienced in most of the day to day operations at Nmotion where he has taken an active role in managing Nmotion.
Motorcycles
2008-11-01 11:18:00
Riding safely in winter
Answer: I’ll try to explain what cold weather motorcycle gear options are available and what’s best to use. Not only do you have to deal with the colder weather you also need to worry about snow and ice on the roads. For safety matters, I do not recommend riding on the snow or ice. But if you like riding in the cooler temperatures there are a few things to think about. First of all while riding you’re not moving around too much, so your body can get colder faster. Dressing in cold weather motorcycle gear will help you stay warmer and keep your blood flowing. One of the first rules of thumb is to keep your head warm, you can loose up to 70% of your body heat through your head. Keeping your head warm will help keep the rest of you warmer, so this is one of the most important areas to focus on. To prevent from getting cold, you need clothing that is made for the colder weather. You need fabrics that are made from windproof materials that are light enough so that you can layer them to help insulate you from the cold and wind. Let’s start from the inside and work out. I’m talking about “long johns”. Yes, old fashion “long johns” they’ll keep you warm and provide the extra layering. Just make sure you keep the bulk down so you’ll still be able to move. They do make long underwear (windproof underwear) for us motorcycle riders. Make sure that they cover well, some you may find will have stirrups to go around the arch of your foot to keep them from rising up your legs. Other cold weather motorcycle gear to consider is gloves. We’ve all been there, fingers freezing, not being able to hang on. Look for wind proof and insulated gloves that have a gauntlet to cover the sleeves of your jacket. Leather will often protect you if you go down but its not very waterproof and if you get caught in the rain you will get very heavy and water logged. Textiles with Gore-Tex insulation can provide both warmth as well as being waterproof. Some of the newer gloves even have Kevlar in them to provide even more protection.
 
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