Living in Florida, the Sunshine State, Forever Summer or whatever people like to call it… It’s unbearably hot. Minus the rainy season, and our favorite season, “winter.” I put winter in quotation marks because our winter is not as cold as others. However, it does get pretty cold for our standards, especially in the northern parts of the state. Florida riders wear anything from real protective gear to jeans, shorts and even beachwear. Yes, beachwear and honestly, I’ve done it once. Not proud, but it was done.
I’ve done a few cold road trips like when I rode up to Daytona for an Arai helmet press launch. And well, it was quite colder than expected. I started off in a leather jacket, a long sleeve shirt, jeans, boots and of course a helmet. After a few hours, it started to get colder, so I stopped and threw on a jacket underneath since being on a naked bike doesn’t shield you from any wind, especially going straight at 100mph for hours, which is also insanely boring.
As the sun went down, it was pretty uncomfortable. My teeth were chattering and all I could think of was a hot shower. Thankfully I had purchased hand warmers, so once I stopped for gas, I threw them in my gloves and that saved my Florida fingers from falling off and I continued on.
Depending on the weather or the temperature it is pretty obvious what makes for appropriate riding gear. However, don’t underestimate the weather. Always bring extra layers or just wear them. Handwarmer inserts are my go-to, not only for riding but for snowboarding as well. My other favorite thing to always bring, even when it’s not cold is a neck scarf. What a difference does it make! Also, don’t forget to choose the right helmet. I always go with Arai because the wind doesn’t shoot up into my face as much as other helmets do.
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