Winter Motorcycle Jackets
Winter riding means one of two things in the UK: waiting for a perfect, crisp winter afternoon to take a long, winding ride down to your favourite cafe to warm yourself up with a hot cup of coffee; or it means dragging yourself out of bed to face the wet and cold slog up the M25 to get to work, and hoping your gear isn’t still dripping by home time. But, with proper gear, there’s no reason the ride to work can’t be as pleasant as the ride to the cafe - unfortunately there’s nothing we can do about office coffee quality.
As a rule, the focus when choosing winter riding gear should be on substance over style. Not to say there aren’t some handsome winter jackets, but the priorities should be on the technical materials, and practical construction features.
Three simple options
There are three main types of winter jackets: winter jackets (duh), three season jackets, and all season jackets. Winter jackets tend to be cheap and cheerful with a fixed waterproof membrane, a fixed thermal liner, and little if anything in the way of ventilation. Three season jackets are the most common sort, with removable thermals and some ventilation. These are often considered to be all british weather jackets, save for the two weeks a year we complain it’s too bloody hot. Finally, all season jackets are over-engineered to the point you can ride from Siberia to the Sahara and always maintain room temperature, because all of the layers are optional.
BYOB - Bring your own base-layer
Speaking of layers, quick reminder that it is especially important in winter to wear wicking base layers. Also, all jackets can be supplemented with extra mid-layers, and of course heated layers for the skinny amongst you. I won’t go into any more details on mid-layers themselves, but it is a good reminder that adjustability, for example waist straps, are a useful feature when looking for a winter jacket, as you can give yourself extra room for a wooly jumper.
And remember, the number one cause of cold riding is cold weather, so a connection zip, or rather, connecting your jacket to your trousers, makes a huge difference on keeping the cold out. By the same token, longer cuts serve a similar benefit.
Get in line-r
While there are plenty of mid-layer options, it’s always nice to get something for free. A good thermal liner should trap as much air, and therefore body heat, inside the jacket, in as thin a space as it can. Thinner liners leave more room for mid-layers when it’s below freezing, and provide more dexterity to the rider. A removable liner also makes it easier to wash the jacket properly. Thinsulate and innoborne are key materials for this.
Outlast is another good material but with a slightly different purpose; it traps some heat, but it specialises in redistributing that heat throughout the material. Reducing cold spots and hot spots and getting the rider to room temperature all over. Outlast pairs well with another thermal liner, or a heated layer, giving it more heat to redistribute.
Why does it always rain on me
When it does inevitably rain, you’re going to want a waterproof membrane. All the waterproof jackets we sell are, wait for it, waterproof. Apart from the holes they cut in the top, bottom and sleeves. Speaking of holes - side note! I mentioned earlier about zipping to trousers to keep the wet out the bottom, but it’s just as important to keep the wet out the top, with a storm collar or a water-resistant neck tube. And, put the cuff of your gloves inside your sleeves, to prevent water running down your sleeves and into your gloves. This is why the best jackets have cuff adjusters.
So, they’re all waterproof, what really matters for winter is the breathability. A sweaty body is a cold body out on the road below freezing. This is where gore-tex excels. Please refer to my previous rambling on liners for the details. Short version is - gore-tex is the best liner to stop you getting sweaty. Other liners for good jobs, such a D-Dry, but this is the number one reason to shell out for gore in winter.
Speaking of over-priced garments: laminates. Laminate jackets are not as warm as drop-liner jackets, as they trap less air, but a soaking wet jacket is colder than a dry one, so best make a personal call based on where and for how long you can store your gear between rides.
Oh and visibility is even more important when it’s dark out so try to pick something bright and reflective.
So what does it all mean?
Based on all of the above, my go to jackets for winter would be: the Rev’it Sand 4 H2O if you’re looking for something truly all season. The separate waterproof means extra air gaps to trap heat, but the many, many zips allow for localised ventilation if it starts getting too warm.
If three layers are too many layers, the Dainese Carve Master 3 has a fixed Gore-Tex drop liner, so maximum warmth plus maximum breathability, which also happily carries it from british summer to british spring. If you’re commuting and only have a broom cupboard to hang your gear in, the Lindstrands Sunne jacket is a great value laminated option that is so brightly coloured, including the storm colour, that you’re guaranteed to be seen (please note this is not an official guarantee and Bike Stop will not be liable for any collision into the front or the back of another vehicle).
All of these jackets are longer cut and zip to matching trousers to keep the snow out of your arse crack.
If you must pick style over substance, and aren’t cool enough for fluorescent orange, I would recommend picking your favourite, probably leather, jacket, and upgrading it with a wind-stopping midlayer, for example the Dainese No Wind D1, and a breathable waterproof over jacket, for example the Lindstrands DW+ (*Scott*).
That’s all folks
Finally, if you’re going to go to the hassle of riding in the pissing cold, make sure you take care of your gear. If you store your jacket somewhere warm and dry, it will be warm and dry when you come to wear it. Also, armour like D3O gets very stiff when it’s cold, and can be uncomfortable.
Change and wash your base-layers regularly, it cuts down greatly on the need to wash the stink out of your jacket. When the time comes to de-stink: remove any thermal liners (these can be washed with your base-layers); also remove all of the armour, it can get shredded in the wash; then read the wash and care instructions on your garment as it can vary. The usual rule is, do a gentle wash at 30 degrees with a technical wash, for example Nik. Wax. Tech. Wash. and then a second gentle wash at 30 degrees with a proofer, like Nikwax TX Direct. Then just let that bad boy dry and you’re ready to ride to work and get the mediocre coffee in style. Thanks for listening. Oh, and put the armour back in before you ride. Thanks!
