Meeting the elements alone on a bike can be exhilarating, yet weather is also a safety issue. Physical stress due to heat, cold or discomfort is both tiring and distracting and may slow reactions. You are far less likely to be involved in a crash when you are comfortable and alert.

Cold

Feeling the cold is more than uncomfortable: it can seriously affect you if a loss of feeling in the hands and feet negates your ability to operate controls. Insulation and wind proofing are the keys to avoiding cold stress.

The principle of insulation is to allow a thick layer of warm air between your body and the outer layer of clothing. You can do this by:

• Choosing clothing with close-fitting openings (neck, wrists and waist) and covered zippers. These prevent wind entry and heat loss and are essential for maintaining the warm layer of air.
• Avoid garments that are too loose. They effectively aid heat loss from wind buffeting that forces warm air out.
• Keep dry. Damp clothes, especially leather, can result in wind chill as wind evaporates the moisture, drawing heat from your body.
• Pressure (e.g. from tight boots, gloves or wrist straps) affects blood flow and becomes more of a problem as you get colder. Insulated boots and gloves can keep your feet and hands warm, but this will not be enough if the body is cold, as the brain restricts blood flow to the extremities in an effort to maintain a core temperature. So if your body is cold, your hands and feet will also be cold.
• Remember, the shins of any rider are very exposed. If the shins become cold this will affect blood flow to the feet and therefore the warmth of your feet - so protect your shins.
• Chemical heat packs from camping shops can assist in maintaining warmth once tucked inside boots or wrist straps. Additional layers on your hands such as inner gloves or over-mittens are also a good idea.
• A third of all heat loss is from the neck and face, so use a neck sock or windproof cover over those areas.

Wet

Water conducts heat 23 times faster than air. This means you will get cold 23 times faster if you are also wet. Wet weather gear is therefore essential, but rain is not the only source of 'wet stress'. Clothing wet from perspiration will also draw heat away from the body.

Wet clothing is a particular problem on a motorcycle because of the additional effect of the wind chill factor. For every 5 km/h wind speed, the surface temperature drops five degrees.

Some textile suits offer waterproof or water-resistant properties, whereas leathers are not so good at keeping you dry because leather absorbs water. Regardless of whether your normal gear is leather or textiles, you will need to add another layer to protect yourself from rain.

The key to keeping dry is to have waterproof, breathable clothing.

• Lightweight roll-up PVC or plasticized nylon over-suits are waterproof and useful in an emergency, but quickly become very uncomfortable because they keep sweat in. This results in accelerated heat transfer - overheating in hot weather and rapid cooling in cold weather.
• A huge variety of textile jackets and pants come with a waterproof or water-resistant liner. The difference between waterproof and water-resistant? Water cannot penetrate a waterproof fabric, whereas it eventually soaks through one that is only resistant.

So... check the fine print!

• Is the garment made of waterproof or just water-resistant fabric?
• Is the liner fully breathable, semi-breathable or non-breathable?
• Check the design and construction. How are pockets, zips and cuffs covered? Does it have waterproof seams? Will water find ways in?
• Does it allow ventilation in hot weather?

Hot

In summer, many motorcyclists don't wear protective clothing because they believe it's too uncomfortable. Think again. Don't sacrifice commonsense for sunshine you can still enjoy on arrival at your destination.

Apart from the massive risk it poses in a crash, uncovered skin absorbs heat directly from the sun, causing rapid dehydration and sunburn.

Ventilated cover is the key to avoiding heat stress. The idea is to allow wind to flow through clothing over the skin to evaporate sweat. Air entry points through vents or mesh panels on the forward facing parts of the body (i.e. with maximum air pressure) will achieve this, but should not compromise impact protection. Mesh should only be used in Zone 4 and small amounts in Zone 3 (no more than 30 cm²) in any one area in Zone 3 of a jacket.

Outer layers of clothing should also be designed to reflect rather than absorb infra-red heat from the road surface.