If you are like many other motorcycle riders, it does not matter what the time of day is, or year, that you take your bike out. Whether that means it’s a sunny day, rainy day, or perhaps even a snowy day – as long as you are driving your motorcycle, life is good! Now, we can all agree that riding a motorcycle is one of the best feelings in the world.

However, if you are not prepared with the right gear, it can quickly turn into one of the most discomforting.

In today’s article, we are here to help prepare you for the impending winter season. When it gets cold outside, you need to make sure your hands stay warm at all times.

So, to better help you out, we created this handy guide on how to keep your hands warm on a motorcycle, no matter the day or time of year.

Let’s begin!

Understanding the Wind Chill Factor

So, prior to jumping straight into learning how to keep your hands warm on a motorcycle, there is one thing that we wanted to share with you. Here’s the thing: all of us know that, when riding a bike in the middle of the spring, fall, or even winter, it’s actually colder on the bike. The reason being is because of something is known as the wind chill factor (see our helpful wind chill chart here).

If you are not careful, the wind chill factor can be very dangerous, leaving a biker with frostbite, or worse. Without getting into detail, it’s imperative that all bikers take the appropriate measures to ensure that not only their hands but their entire body is protected from the cold weather.

Keep in mind, the colder the weather is off the bike, it’s nearly 30 degrees colder on the bike, or more! Understanding the wind chill factor can really help a biker prepare for cold mornings and even winter.

With that being said, let’s explore 7 different ways that you can keep your hands warm this year on a motorcycle.

7 Ways to Keep Your Hands Warm on a Motorcycle

1. Liner Gloves

If you are looking for the most cost-friendly means to staying warm on a motorcycle, start with considering liner gloves. Now, these are not your typical pair of gloves. In fact, we would like to mention that, if you go the route of purchasing liner gloves, you will need to buy a pair of high-quality heat-retaining gloves.

Reason being, these gloves are meant to be a “liner”. They are typically thinner than typical gloves; however, they do a great job at adding a layer of comfort and warmth when riding your motorcycle. Now, if you are living in a naturally colder environment, you may need something a bit more insulating than liner gloves. These prove most effective during fall or spring mornings – rather than snowy bike rides.

Check out some liner gloves on Amazon

2. Regular Cold Gloves

As you might have guessed, another great way for a biker to keep their hands warm on a motorcycle is through purchasing a quality pair of cold gloves. Now, this is gravely different than a pair of liner gloves. As we will discuss below, bikers may choose to purchase a pair of liner gloves with winter gloves for maximum coverage and comfortability.

With that being said, it’s important as a consumer to make sure that the pair of gloves that you are purchasing are high-quality. To ensure this, it’s important to look at the materials, the insulation, and what type of temperatures the gloves were designed to handle. Additionally, it would also prove effective to make sure the gloves are not too bulky.

As we all know, bulky gear is not always the best – and it can also be quite dangerous. If you are wanting to go with this direction, we suggest getting a pair of gloves that were designed for outdoor activities.

3. Heated Gloves

So, if there is one guaranteed way to keep your hands warm on a motorcycle, it’s with a high-quality pair of heated gloves. For those of you that are new, these are gloves that are designed with heating elements that, unlike heated grips, can keep your entire hand and palms warm.

Now, we would like to mention that there are many different types of heated gloves, making it gravely important for consumers to do their research before purchasing just any pair of heated gloves. There are pairs that plug into a battery and there are others that require their own power pack.

Regardless, these products are arguably the most effect of offering the most comfort and heat for those cold drives. If you are interested in heated gloves, you should expect to pay a little bit more than any other idea that we have shared with you today. The reason being this is because of the heating element and technology. Evidently, if you want quality you might need to be extra!

4. Hand Guards

As we discussed above, one of the reasons behind why our hands get cold while riding a motorcycle is because of the wind chill factor. Another great way to help protect your hands and keep them work is through handguards. Now, this is a type of product that you will not physically wear on your hands.

In fact, these are actually installed directly onto the bars of your motorcycle. Through installing handguards onto your bike, it can actually help prevent any cold air from touching your hands. What makes handguards such a popular option among the motorcycle community is that these are relatively cheap in comparison to other hand-warming methods.

Reason being, these are plastic and easy to install. If you are looking for something a bit more impressive – let’s explore muffs for your hands.

5. Hand Warmers

In our opinion, one of the most common methods that people use to keep their hands warm, whether on a bike or not, is through hand warmers. Today, bikers can go to any local store and grab an entire packet of hand warmers for an incredible price. Now, in order to keep your hands warm on a motorcycle, you will need to have a high-quality pair of gloves.

From there, you can insert a hand warmer into each glove and begin your drive as needed. Now, the only downside to hand warmers is that these products do not last as long as, let’s say muffs for hands or even heated grips.

In this, bikers can attest that, when using hand warmers, you might need to stop more frequently to remove a hand warmer and add another. Fortunately, this method is very cost-friendly as hand warmers are cheap.

Related

• Motorcycle coolers

6. Muffs for Hands

Like hand guards, muffs operate and function in a very similar manner. Chances are, you probably have even seen some bikers use muffs in colder states because they are one of the most effective means to keep your hands warm on a motorcycle. Now, these products are just as easy as hand guards to install; however, they are much bulkier.

They have a hand slot on them so, when you are driving and it’s cold outside, all you need to do is place your hands inside the hand slots to keep your hands warm.

As you might imagine, the biggest let-down with this product is that they are huge. If you are looking for a minimalist style – muffs are in the opposite direction. However, before you’re quick to knock these off your list – consider the quality and the affordable price tag.

7. Heated Grips

If we can say, one of the coolest pieces of motorcycle innovation is heated grips. Today, this has become one of the most popular options for motorcyclist because of how effective these are – and how they look visually. In fact, they are so popular that many manufacturers are beginning to include heated grips with a standard purchase.

Now, here is how this works: underneath the actual handlebar grips, there is a heating element that is connected to the motorcycle’s battery. So, the moment that the bike starts in the cold weather, bikers can instantly notice some relief from the cold weather on their hands.

If you currently own an older bike and do not own heated grips, they are relatively easy to install. Evidently, you should follow the instructions – or have a bike shop do the work for you.

The only disadvantage to heated grips, in our opinion, is that they really are only designed to heat a particular area of your hands. Additionally, unless you purchase a high-quality brand, you might not get the relief you are looking for in the cold weather.

Things to Consider When Purchasing Hand Warming Gear

Before we finish up today’s article, we wanted to share with you some tips and things to consider when purchasing hand warming gear.

• Always Go Leather!

When it comes to the cold weather, always try to stick with leather gear. The leather is best at preventing both the wind from impacting your hands and preventing the cold, chilly air.

• Look for Breathability

When picking out hand warming gear – try to focus on gear that comes with breathability or ventilation. Reason being, when on a motorcycle for an extended period of time, the last thing you want is the build-up of moisture in your gloves, muffs, or liner gloves.

• Touch Screen Technology

Chances are, if you are a frequent motorcycle rider, you will end up getting some type of gloves to help handle the cold weather. Given that many newer bikes and technology are focused on touchscreens, it may prove beneficial to purchase gear that is designed to work with touchscreens.

• Think Safety First!

When you are purchasing any hand warming gear or gear for your motorcycle in general, always think safety first. For example, if a product is too bulky, how might that impact your driving? Will it be harder to turn or navigate? In another example and tip, look for handguards or heated gloves that come with reflective stripes for night time riding.

Maximum Protection on a Motorcycle

Let’s be honest, there is not just one way that you can keep your hands warm on a motorcycle. In fact, in our opinion, bikers should not only use one means to keep their hands warm. Rather than limit yourself to just a liner, heated grips, or even handguards, what about the idea of maximum protection by utilizing multiple different measures.

For example, you could combine a pair of heated gloves with liners and even purchase heated grips to ensure that your hands are warm and in control.

Additionally, we would also like to say that, if you are planning on riding in the winter or during cold mornings in the fall or spring, be sure that you are protected and purchase the right gear. As much as you want to enjoy a morning drive and watch the sunrise – it’s important to put your safety first. Start off by picking out what handing warming gear matches your style and needs the most and then go from there!

When the cold weather starts to roll around, many motorcyclists begin to talk about the infamous “wind chill”. In fact, as temperatures begin to drop below freezing, the temperature for motorcyclists is actually much, much colder. In fact, in this community, many motorcyclists can probably agree that, wind chill is slightly more important than temperature itself. Whether you are new or not, wind chill is an incredibly important aspect to take into consideration. While it may be 10 degrees outside, when you factor the wind chill, it can be around -15 degrees outside, which can cause frostbite or numbing, leading to a motorcycle accident!

There is nothing that can magnify the cold than riding your motorcycle during winter’s gusts.

Below, we are going to share with you our Motorcycle Wind Chill Chart and how to stay warm during the winter monthsl. As you will note, our chart stays between the standard ranges that motorcyclists are driving, and the average temperatures in the winter. If you live in an area that is naturally colder, as you might conclude from our chart, the colder the weather and the faster you drive, the most intense the wind chill will be.

Tips to Stay Warm This Winter

In light of these wicked cold temperatures, it still may be tempting for some motorcyclists to drive. If so, it’s vital to take proper measures to ensure your body is protected from the frigid cold weather. Here are a few tips that we have to help stay warm this winter when driving your bike.

Heated Inserts

One of the quickest and easiest ways to keep your body warm when driving a motorcycle is purchasing heated inserts. You can buy these at any common store, and they are relatively cheap. You can purchase multiple packages and utilize them to keep your feet, hands, and even jacket warm, especially on a colder day. However, it’s important to keep in mind, if you do not have appropriate external layers to fend off the cold weather heated inserts will be ineffective. This brings us to our next tip!

External Layers

If you want to stay warm this winter, you need to purchase winter gear and external layers to help defend and protect your warmth. There are numerous stores that offer combination packages for winter bikers. These typically include jackets, pants, hat, and even gloves, if you are lucky. It’s highly advised to purchase as many appropriate external layers as possible. Do you really think plain blue jeans are going to help in -7-degree weather?

Heated Seats

If you want to stay warm when driving your motorcycle, invest in a heated seat. Not only is this a great technology innovation that you might become obsessed with, but a heated seat can help keep the main part of the human body warm. Having a heated seat will keep the blood flowing through your body and keeping you as warm as possible, avoiding frost bite and the painful numbing in your limbs.

Heated Grips

Aside from heated seats, did you know that you can also purchase and install heated grips? This is probably one of the best features that any motorcyclist can invest in this winter, aside from proper clothing and gear. It’s important to know that not every manufacturer is currently producing heated grips as this is a relatively new innovation. Heated grips can help keep your hands warm, keeping you driving longer, and safer.

Staying Dry

It may seem like common sense; however, staying dry is a great way to stay warm this winter when driving your motorcycle. Purchase the right protective layers, which should be waterproof and heavily insulated and make sure that no part of the skin is exposed to the frigid air, snow, or rain.

Know the Windchill Factor

Understanding what the wind chill factor is plays an incredibly important role when driving a motorcycle. The truth is, if you are not careful, wind chill can lead to numb hands and feet while driving a bike, making it difficult to navigate. Moving forward, always take the time to use our handy motorcycle wind chill chart to figure out what the temperature is truly like when cruising along. Also, do yourself a favor and start implementing some of the tips we provided to keep yourself warm, comfortable, and safe. While driving a motorcycle is one of the most exciting experiences, safety is most important.