Ducati Monster Forum

Hi all,

Well after many years of not having a motorbike I have no riding gear for the up coming winter.  Since getting the new Monster in January I have been able to cope with my weekend rides in a pair of jeans or draggin jeans if it has been a little cooler.  I have also been able to get away with a Dryrider Urban jacket or my old trusty leather biker jacket.

Well I would actually like to ride in the cooler months and so would appreciate opinions and advice on what my fellow Aussie Monster riders consider as "must haves" to wear on the Ducati?

So is it leathers top to toe, leather pants, longer jacket etc..  I suppose I have been thinking of leather pants being a very sensible option for most longer rides for protection etc. 

Suggestions / opinions greatly appreciated.

Bret

Did a lot of years winter riding in melbourne,and always found this stuff good, the gloves are great for underneath your other gloves.
http://www.damartthermolactyl.com.au/product_subcategory.aspx?ParentCategoryID=42&categoryID=5

I also had a silk balaclava for under the helmet, bike shops used to sell them, ski shops would also have them.

Lots of dubbin on the boots to keep the rain out too.

As for other gear well it's been 10 years in Qld so don't really know what's out there now,
Tshirt, shorts are popular here   ??? ??? ??? and would you believe I saw this week a d***head with bare feet! on his R6

i've been using an Alpinestar textile jacket and Ducati jeans [can order them from the Italian Ducati web store - they have knee hard protectors in place and cordura fabric + usual italian style], but not warm enough for winter! so im looking at a 1 piece Dainese [i'll be in Copenhagen in June so i'm visiting the Dainese store there - there isn't one in Australia but melb has an outlet]. Alpinestar gloves are v nice and comfortable [and not expensive].

if you go on to the Ducati Italian web-store u can order a set of ducati oakley's also - i couldn't help myself. BTW the stuff was airfreighted out and arrrived within the week!
 [thumbsup]

I go the full Ducati Corporate leather outfit for the cold winter rides. Also have the Draggins jeans and Ducati Motard gear for the hot day shorter rides.

With the Ducati Corporate full leathers they are not lined so for warmth I layer up using the Icebreaker merino thermals from NZ. They make all different weights for warmth. I have a quite a bit of this stuff from another pass time of mine so comes in handy on the Duke.

I don't do much rain riding but sure gets cold up in them there Blue Mountains. The leathers have been fine to date in the rain I have been caught in. Can see them "leaking" if ridden in the rain a lot though.

Also use the leathers on the longer rides (DMF ones, etc.). Because they are not lined they work in the summer as well (just don't stop and sit in the sun to long....). So have one suit for all seasons.

So for those cold frosty rides with some rain thrown in I prefer the full leathers with Icebreaker thermals underneath....  [thumbsup]

Also wear Possum hair gloves under my normal gloves. Got these babies in NZ also.

My 2 cents worth......  [moto]

It really depends where you are riding. I prefer textile stuff when the going gets cold (as it does in Canberra). I also wear thermals, which are fairly invaluable.

My usual winter kit, usually worn from about now (when it gets to zero or just below, but still 18 during the days) until probably the start of September, is the following:
1. TurtleFur balaclava. Thin stuff that goes over your head, thick polarfleece material for the neck. $19 from a snowgear place in Cooma. Bought it when buying my current snowboarding boots.
2. DriRider jacket. Can't remember the name. I've owned it for as long as I've been riding (11 years now, including 8 of those in Tassie). I think it was about $400 new, probably about the same or cheaper.
3. Draggin cargos. Not so comfy in summer, but the kevlar helps keep you warm. I don't like the cut of the jeans but like the cargos a lot. $200 or something from bike stores.
4. Gloves - DriRider highlander gloves. Thick, have a wiper blade on the index fingers (GREAT for foggy mornings when you pretty much get soaked). $50 from most bike places, although I wait till the summer specials are on and buy pairs then. I've owned three pairs - one pair lastest 9 years, the next pair 8 weeks till I crashed in them, and 2 years on the current pair.
5. Glove liners for the really cold day. $9.95 or something from ski shops. Only needed when it is super cold. I tend to wear them on the less warm summer days under my summer gloves too.
6. Thermals - polyprop thermals from Kathmandu. Buy when they have their sales on - 3 pieces for $29 or something like that, so I buy three tops and three pants. I have used merino thermals before, but I didn't really need the extra warmth that they provided.
If it is going to be wet, or windy, I wear my one-piece DriRider hurricane suit. For $100 it's fantastic, and if you get one in super big sizes it's suitable for going over one-piece leather suits, any combo of normal riding you're likely to do, etc etc. Packs up pretty small, although I really wish the Monster's underseat storage was a touch bigger.

Usual stuff like helmet and boots never really changes throughout the year. Jackets for me change from mesh in summer (2-3 months), leather (5 - 6 months) and textile winter (3-4 months).

Oh, and on an aircooled bike, if I have to stop at the lights I give the bike a bit of a hug and it keeps me warm :).

Gets pretty cold out west - and i leave my place around 6:30am to get to work before 7:30

Thermals are the way to go. I got mine from Kathmandu as well - Use thermals under the draggin jeans and they do the job well. I've always worn thick work wear socks with my boots.

Haven't used the thermal long sleeve T just yet as haven't felt the need - But i generally wear a singlet, normal long sleeve t (from giordano), and have the thermal insert attached to my jacket (duke corse textile/dainese leather). Don't really use anything under my gloves as i don't find the cold too numbing on the fingers.

I also bought a silk balaclava but found it pretty useless. Been using this headless beanie i bought from the markets. I pull it all the way over so it's around my neck, tuck the bottom under the jacket, lift it over my nose and put my helmet on. Took a while for me to get used to putting my helmet on without pulling the beanie down off my face. Works just like a neck warmer but also stops the cold air from pushing up from the bottom of my helmet. Keeps my lips from turning blue  [thumbsup]

+1 on a full head & neck one. - Chris

DRIZABONE, looks like shit, but can't beat it for chill and pissing rain. No need for thermals underneath. Gonna buy the pants as well. Neoprene face mask, rubber gloves (over normal ones) & those plastic/rubber overboots. (Under $350)

We lost you on friday King what up  ???

Buyers Remorse, Mourning ?? Felt a little depressed with those TERRIFIC Monsters ahead of me. I love my King but I miss my Monster. Wounds are still fresh, looking at buying another Monster for those short rides.

BUMP!

With my upcoming move to Picton, I'm gonna need me some toasty warm gear. Any more suggestions?

yep take the cage  [laugh]

I would if I had one.  ;)

moving to Picton....so more money available ???  ;D

Dainese. Great gear, expensive.  If you can get some stuff from overseas or on sale, then I highly recommend it. I've got their goretex pants and jacket, both with removable liners. Used them on the MotoGP trip in rain and hail, stayed warm and dry - except for water collecting in my boots, so overpants are a good idea if it's cats and dogs.

I use layers.
My wet weather gear works just as well when it gets cold!
Winter time I still use jeans and a leather jacket (when I ride on the weekend I often wear my leather duds).
When its cold or raining I simply pull on my rain jacket over my leather jacket on and pull up my rain pants over my jeans or leathers.

When I get to work, all I need do is strip off these layers. I commute about 40 minutes each way.

I found using thermals a real pain when commuting as when I get there it's usually just too warm to have them on all day. I can strip off the outer layers without having to use a change room

My Rjays jacket was about $40 and Rjays scotchlite material pants - $80.

Its taken a lot of trial and error to get a combination where I can get too and from work and say dry.

NB I also have alphine star wetweather boots which I wear all winter. These ones actually keep the water out as well!

big bulky cold weather riding gear is ok but limits movement and makes using the controls clumsy and awkward. you really can't avoid that with gloves but decent winter gloves are a must and good ones aren't too thick , especially with an unfaired bike, and waterproofing boots is a must do also. as for keeping the cold out, leather does very little. if i were faced with the cold every day i would buy thermal underwear, especially if it is cold enough to keep them on all day, jeans a size too big so good quality tracksuit pants will fit under and a decent winter/rain jacket. make sure it fits well, there's nothing worse than one that's too big, the wind forces out the warm air barrier generated by you and you can't stay warm, but too small and it will ride up your back and that will make you very cranky very quickly! Try and remind yourself too that just cause you're rugged up and toasty, your tyres are still freezing and hard, there's no grip on cold roads. dannogs tip of wearing rain gear works well too, as a postie i can remember wearing my rain gear on freezing mornings and taking it off as the day warmed up.
cheers,
paul.

+1 on the Possum fur gloves. I picked some up at the markets here in Hobart the other day. they fit nicely under my normal gloves and keep my fingers nice and warm.

I also stopped into a camping shop and bought a thin balaclava. It's thin enough not to make the helmet feel too tight and does provide extra warmth. I also grabbed one of those fleecy neck warmers. It's nice and thick, covers my whole neck (you can pull it up over you nose too) and it fills the gap around the bottom of the helmet. It's great at stopping the cold air getting in.

I've also got a Mammut "Polar Fleece" jumper, that I wear under my leather jacket. It's real warm, and quite thin too.

I rode up Mt. Wellington yesterday arvo, the temp was probably in the single digits up there.
My feet were warm in my Puma boots, but my legs were freezing under the Hornee jeans. There was some major shrinkage happening below the belt :-[ but from the waist up I was toasty warm and very comfortable. ;D

I knew I should have worn my thermal Y-fronts...



 

If it's only one laying under leathers - for when the day looks like it could be decent - I'd recommend merino wool underlayers, I wear socks, leggings, boxers, t-shirt, balaclava, undergloves and jumper. The advantage is that it's thin and you can wear multiple layers depending on the day and the other reason it's great is that it will still keep you warm if it gets wet - no man made fabric can do that from what I've read - and those polypro thermals suck the heat right out if they get wet.

Doesn't have to be expensive either, target had a range last year of the basics in good smooth merino.

If Meanie had worn the leggings under his jeans his genitals would be talking to him now instead of trying to be one with his liver a few days ago.

I used to think that riding up Mt Wellington was make the beast with two backsing cold... then I moved to Canberra.

Not actually cold enough to justify thermals during the day - givne it gets to 16-18 and awesomely sunny - but I don't find it too bad to change. You can't really cope without them.

Personally, when it's close to -10°C, one thing I should have mentioned... I have normal snowboarding pants I wear to the snow, then I have XXXXL ones that go over my draggins. Keeps one nice and toasty.