Cold weather gear

[Cornfish]

Currently I have a nice set of Alpinestars leathers that I love for summer, but they are perforated. Last spring I hoped on my bike here in Oregon with the A*s leathers and I felt air coming through every single perforation in that suit. The suit also has kevlar stretch panels in the pants that move a lot of air.

I've been round and round about which direction to go for spring and fall rides in Oregon and cooler days when I come back to the Bay for visits. Aerostich has been on my short list and I am getting close to pulling the trigger on a Roadcrafter two piece. I don't (and won't) commute so the quick in/out of a one piece isn't an issue.

Is the Roadcrafter something that works well in cold weather? Rain riding would be on the off chance I got caught out, but if I am going to drop that kind of coin it might as well be waterproof. My question regards cold days and an Aerostich.

The stories of people going down in a 'Stich and not getting rashed up are endless, but the CE-2 protection in my A*s suit seems tough to beat. I am on the lanky side of the spectrum and am curious about whether the armor stays where it is supposed to with a Roadcrafter. I'm not really looking to wear street clothes underneath and wonder if the fit would be compromised if I just had on layered long underwear.

For summer riding I will stick with my leathers. Rukka, Klim and the rest don't really do it for me but the Aerostich company, community and quality have me very interested.

Thanks!

 

[WWWobble]

Seems you like your perf A*Stars. Why not a non perf leather system, with room for an electric vest?

I never found my Aerostich particularly warm or comfy, but I have several riding friends who disagree...:laughing

 

[Cornfish]

I had a non-perf A*s pant for a while but it still had the kevlar stretch panels that moved a lot of air and were not all that warm. Never used electric gear and am hesitant to plug into my Ducati electrical system because, Italian.

 

[WWWobble]

I had a non-perf A*s pant for a while but it still had the kevlar stretch panels that moved a lot of air and were not all that warm. Never used electric gear and am hesitant to plug into my Ducati electrical system because, Italian.

Hey, chances are if the electrics go, it all goes, so why not be warm until it fails... :laughing Vests only draw 45 watts, so I think it's realistic.

My legs have always stayed warm enough with sport/touring leather pants, but I'm on various Liquid cooled 4 cylinder bikes which do shed some heat...

 

[Crispietogu]

I got a heated jacket I can sell you for cheap , it's hotwire brand size XL let me know !

 

[Cornfish]

I got a heated jacket I can sell you for cheap , it's hotwire brand size XL let me know !

Thank you, but I would be swimming in an XL.

 

[Blankpage]

I bought one of those freeze out shirts from Cycle Gear and didn't even bother wearing it on the bike. So uncomfortable and a huge neck opening to allow wind in. Don't bother with this stuff if thats something you're considering.

 

[Tally Whacker]

I own an Aerostich Roadcrafter two-piece, and haven't worn it once since I bought a RevIt Poseidon suit a couple of years ago.

The RC is comfy and convenient, but it sure isn't warm or as dry as I would like in an all-day rain.

 

[Junkie]

I bought one of those freeze out shirts from Cycle Gear and didn't even bother wearing it on the bike. So uncomfortable and a huge neck opening to allow wind in. Don't bother with this stuff if thats something you're considering.

hmm, it fits me fairly well

 

[Vexar]

My system is to wear my rain boots Daytona Road Star GTX, my regular leather jacket, and put a rain suit over it. I carry my tennis shoes in my backpack. I change them when I get to work.

Rain suit was cheaper when I got it the link below is what they sell now. The pants and jacket came as a set, and grey.

To protect my throat I wear a scarf that is long enough to tuck into my jacket covers my neck and face.

If you dont have rain boots you can get some plastic bags and put them on your feet and put them in your regular boots (this is a good temp solution)

Another trick is golf rain gear is good so at first I would wear my golf rain suit over my clothes.

I didn't have a lot money when I first started riding so I used anything I could find to help, once I got a little money I upgraded.

suit
boots
scarf


My suit is more like this one and around this price:

More like current suit

 

[Blankpage]

hmm, it fits me fairly well

Not only is the neck a couple of inches too big on the size large I have but the material is uncomfortable and has has no stretch to it. Making it too unpleasant to wear once stopped and off the bike.
Im sure it works for some but not for me.

 

[motomania2007]

My one-piece 'stich is 8 years old, uninsulated, the goretex is shot in the sleeves, but I love it! Works very well with an electric jacket.
Two piece would leak a lot of cold air.

 

[Cornfish]

Good info guys, thanks. I am looking at Daytona boots and some gloves from Helimot and now that he is just over the mountains from me they should arrive soon. I have a variety of Gore-Tex rain gear but I don't think I could get any of it over my current jacket since it has the speed hump thingy. Seems like the big benefit of the Aerostich is being able to get in and out of it quickly and wear normal clothes underneath. Can't say I have ever felt that comfortable riding in regular clothes since I usually am doing multiple big days and trying to jam in as many miles as I can during my visits to the Bay now that I am living out of state.

Time to start revisiting the A*s/Revit! gear again. I went through this a year ago and never pulled the trigger but do remember liking the Poseidon. Not that Aerostich is cheap, but the latest Poseidon jacket is $900! Maybe gloves, boots, some layers and an emergency rain suit will have to do for now. A garbage bag tucked into the chest area of my jacket blocks wind well :confused

 

[Lagwagonlead]

Just make sure it's totally and completely waterproof and blocks the wind. Once that's achieved you can use conventional non-moto specific layering. For 8 years I was riding year-round in Washington using a Cortech GTX Sport jacket ($200?) and Cortech waterproof pants ($100?). Boots and gloves were both A* Drystar. That was good enough for rain and get me pretty deep into winter. When it dropped below freezing I would add base layers, a balaclava, and turn up the heated grips to max. I think switching to a one piece would have helped on the days with extreme rain though, eventually the rain will penetrate the waist on a two piece system. A 3/4 jacket may have also prevented this. If I had the money I do now back then, I would have just ponied up for a one piece like an Aerostich RC with a heated jacket and a controller.

Honestly a big upgrade for you might just be adding Frog Toggs over your current gear and Under Armour cold weather gear as a base layer.

 

[mototireguy]

You could throw a budget, non-armored waterproof rain suit outer layer on top of your existing perforated gear to keep the cold air out.

Mix in a good set of winter gloves and a balaclava to keep your neck warm/sealed and you should be mostly warm.

The next step after this is a plug-in heated vest.

 

[fubar929]

Aerostich has been on my short list and I am getting close to pulling the trigger on a Roadcrafter two piece. I don't (and won't) commute so the quick in/out of a one piece isn't an issue.

Quick on and off over street clothes is the killer feature for the Roadcrafter. If you're not going to take advantage of that, you just end up buying the world's ugliest piece of motorcycle gear for no good reason. I tried on a 2-piece before ordering a 1-piece suit. The jacket wasn't long enough that I'd want to wear it without the pants. Combine that with the slightly more fiddly on and off and I couldn't see how the 2-piece made sense for me.

Is the Roadcrafter something that works well in cold weather? Rain riding would be on the off chance I got caught out, but if I am going to drop that kind of coin it might as well be waterproof. My question regards cold days and an Aerostich.

My 1-piece is somewhat drafty around the main zipper. When temps drop into the 40's I add a Warm and Safe heated jacket liner. That combined with heated grips and heated gloves keeps me comfortable down into the 30's. The new waterproof zippers have worked well for me, but I'll admit the longest ride of done was a couple of ours in light rain.

 

[Whammy]

I use Under Armour coldgear leggings under my leather pants and its way better than the cykill gear stuff.
Also under armour coldgear mock turtle top.
Keeps the cold out.
We have these same conversations every year tho.
Rain that's another ball game.

 

[orbframe]

Harley fairing plus heated grips is my cold weather ride of choice... the other bikes hibernate on the cold days

 

[Cornfish]

Quick on and off over street clothes is the killer feature for the Roadcrafter. If you're not going to take advantage of that, you just end up buying the world's ugliest piece of motorcycle gear for no good reason. I tried on a 2-piece before ordering a 1-piece suit. The jacket wasn't long enough that I'd want to wear it without the pants. Combine that with the slightly more fiddly on and off and I couldn't see how the 2-piece made sense for me.



My 1-piece is somewhat drafty around the main zipper. When temps drop into the 40's I add a Warm and Safe heated jacket liner. That combined with heated grips and heated gloves keeps me comfortable down into the 30's. The new waterproof zippers have worked well for me, but I'll admit the longest ride of done was a couple of ours in light rain.

Thanks for the info. BARF has once again steered me in the right direction. :thumbup

 

[tzrider]

I’ve used a two piece Stich for about 25 years. If I were to get another,mit would be a one piece. My suit isn’t drafty, but as someone else stated, the two piece is a little more involved to put on.

If you will be in the rain for extended periods, get a lightweight over suit. After 40 minutes or so, the Stich will leak. I think the waterproof zippers help, but they’ll eventually leak too. A good solution is a set of Frog Toggs, which pack up smalle and are all day waterproof.