"Riderwear" my butt!

[lanispet]

So, i'm rolling across the Southwest in February, with half-assed trip preparation, and i'm COLD. The spandex/neoprene balaclava i picked up for the trip just ain't cutting it at 40 degrees on a mostly naked bike.

So, i spot a Harley dealership right off the interstate. i sponge some heat and look around for anything to help my plight. Hey, neat looking bobber, except for the cartoonish back tire... 35 GRAND??? I have chills again.

Back on mission. A polar fleece balaclava! Just what the doctor ordered. $30, probably cost them $3 to make, but it's better than wrapping my head in grocery bags.

Onwards!

After 20 miles on the Interstate, i took it off.

Two seams come together dead-center on the middle of the forehead. Foolish me, i'm wearing a HELMET, so it feels like a dull drill slowly boring into my skull.

Riderwear(tm), my butt  

[1KPerDay]

Silly lanispet... helmets are for kids.  

[FizDog74]

You should have picked up one of those $35 pudding bowls for your head while you were there.  

[rodm850g]

or turned it inside out...

[Scratch33]

Two seams come together dead-center on the middle of the forehead. Foolish me, i'm wearing a HELMET, so it feels like a dull drill slowly boring into my skull.

Turn it inside out so that the seams are on the outside.  

[RickC1957]

I must have an extreme tolerance to the cold Helmet keeps my head warm...did you close all the vents

[themenz]

I have a balaclava by Schampa.  Not polar fleece, but made of thicker material kind of like a very thick T-shirt stuff.  Yes it has a seam running straight over the head, about twice as thick as the material.  I have never noticed it while riding with my Shoei or Arai lids.  The Shoei is very tight fitting with this balaclava and this is not the thickest.  I think one made of fleece would be too thick.

Might want to look them up.

http://www.schampa.com/item.asp?iid=49

 

[DredheadV2.0]

I must have an extreme tolerance to the cold Helmet keeps my head warm...did you close all the vents

You live in Chicago, he lives in South Carolina.  I'd be surprised if you didn't have a higher tolerance for cold.

Does the inside-out thing really work?  With the tight fit of my helmet, I'd still feel the seam digging in if it were me.

[Scratch33]

Inside out works fine for me.  I've got, like, two or three baclavas ('cuz I keep misplacing them) and wear 'em all that way just fine.

[lanispet]

You live in Chicago, he lives in South Carolina.  I'd be surprised if you didn't have a higher tolerance for cold.

Yup... i discovered that i don't have near the tolerance for cold that i did ten years ago when i lived in western New York!  Brr!

Somehow i didn't think of turning it inside out. Duh. i did try putting my neoprene one on underneath it, and with a bit of shifting things around it was do-able.

If i'd had any brains, i would have just brought my wetsuit hood and been toasty warm  

[atadaskew]

Two seams come together dead-center on the middle of the forehead. Foolish me, i'm wearing a HELMET, so it feels like a dull drill slowly boring into my skull.

Riderwear(tm), my butt  

You should have got one of those balaclavas where the seams are on the side, not in the middle:
http://www.helmetharbor.com/Products/ProductDetails.cfm/Search/Results/ProductID/473622

[Dichotomous]

what kind of helmet are you using?!  my head stays toasty hot even in winter, 1"+ styrofoam and plastic and then comfort foam wrapped around my head generally wont let heat escape.  is you helmet fitting right?
my chin gets cold but a turtle fur fixes that right up nicely

[highside]

I wear a balacava to keep my neck warm, because neck-gaitors always end up getting pushed down by my helmet. I guess that must be an unusual idea. Then again, they sure do sell a lot of balacavas at bike shops, so maybe it isn't me that has the unusual approach here.

[lanispet]

what kind of helmet are you using?!  my head stays toasty hot even in winter, 1"+ styrofoam and plastic and then comfort foam wrapped around my head generally wont let heat escape.  is you helmet fitting right?
my chin gets cold but a turtle fur fixes that right up nicely

HJC Sy-Max modular helmet... noisy and drafty as hell, but i put up with it for the convenience.  

[ryanr256]

Back in '83 I rode my Yamaha Turbo from Mtn. Home AFB in Idaho to Cincinnati, OH in February. I didn't take the southern route either.  

I bought the full Gerbing offering (one-piece suit, gloves, socks and controller) and a silk (yes, silk) balaclava.

Silk has very little bulk and it kept my head and face warm. I don't know if anyone is still making them from silk though.

-Bob

[maddjack]

Back in '83 I rode my Yamaha Turbo from Mtn. Home AFB in Idaho to Cincinnati, OH in February. I didn't take the southern route either.  

I bought the full Gerbing offering (one-piece suit, gloves, socks and controller) and a silk (yes, silk) balaclava.

Silk has very little bulk and it kept my head and face warm. I don't know if anyone is still making them from silk though.

-Bob

You can still find them,I got one belive it or not at Cabelas

[inspecto]

 that $30,000 Harley would have made ya hot. thinking of all that money

[cultureslayer]

HJC Sy-Max modular helmet... noisy and drafty as hell, but i put up with it for the convenience.  

I don't have a modular, but the scorpions are known to be drafty as well.  If the balaclava alone won't do it, I use a polarfleece scarf and tuck it up into my helmet.  Works really well, I just have to wash the thing all the time because cold makes my nose run like a faucet.

[LicketySplat]

Or turn it sideways so the seams are in a non-pressure area.

But you had to have the logo in the right place, helmet or no helmet  

[Mrs. DantesDame]

Inside out works fine for me.  I've got, like, two or three baclavas ('cuz I keep misplacing them) and wear 'em all that way just fine.

same here!  Well, the inside out part, as I only have one and haven't lost it yet  

[jakieboy]

Agreed, inside out and no pressure points. Nice and toasty!

[DredheadV2.0]

I've been using the Noj "Quiet Rider" helmet curtain (I think it's mainly for snowmobiles) for years with good results.

[SeriousGeorge]

Or turn it sideways so the seams are in a non-pressure area.

But you had to have the logo in the right place, helmet or no helmet  

hmm... I think turning a balaclava sideways may make for a very short, dark, and exciting ride!  

[Ant]

https://www.buffwear.co.uk/catalog/index.php/cPath/51_59

Thats what you need  
Nice big fleecy bit for around your neck and then the thinner seamless material for over your head. I don't have a branded Buff one since I found a no-name in a sports shop (intended for skiing I believe) for about half the price but I would definitely consider getting one of these otherwise.
Much comfier than a true balaclava in my opinion and since you can just scrunch it down around your neck when you take your helmet off it is one less thing to forget and leave at a petrol station Plus you don't look like you're about to rob the place!

[Ant]

Oops, just noticed I pasted the UK link in there. It refuses to let me go to the US site since it must be tracing my IP and forwarding me to the "correct" place. I'm sure you'll be able to work it out, it's the Polar Buff.

[Thor]

You should have just got the free one while you were there: http://www.experiencebuell.com/

[highside]

Oops, just noticed I pasted the UK link in there. It refuses to let me go to the US site since it must be tracing my IP and forwarding me to the "correct" place. I'm sure you'll be able to work it out, it's the Polar Buff.

You guys get like a thousand more color options than we do.  

[rickdick80]

No no no!!!  THIS is what you need:

http://www.motorcyclecloseouts.com/off+road/mx+jackets+&+cold+gear/klim_windstopper+balaclava

I have one, and love it.  The windstopper portion (the black part) is thin enough that I wouldn't mind it between my head and helmet, unlike a thick chunk of fleece.  However, any portion that IS between my head and helmet is a vented mesh that lets your head breathe, and it's half as thick as the windstopper part.  Downright affordable, too.  I picked mine up at Nielsen Enterprises; I've also seen them at BMW motorcycle dealers for reasonable money ($25-30).

-Rick

edit: Oh yeah, I forgot to mention, at 40deg.F on the Interceptor, I notice my Tour Master Cortech jacket zipper leaking cold air more than this balaclava does.  It works! /gushing