Boots Cold Toes

I did have my heated gloves fail me once. It was actually a coiled cable that failed resulting in no heat. I was riding in temps at -5F. That was on my ST1100. I could only go about 5 miles at a time before I had to stop and put my gloved hands on the headers to warm them back up... then another 5 miles and another warmup... and like that for 25 miles to get home. That was no fun. Having the bar muffs eliminated that issue somewhat. Wearing the right stuff otherwise, in layers, that enables passive heat retention takes care of the rest.
 
This has all been great information, I have never tried the heat pads before, will look into them. Thank you and others that have learned something here thank you too.
The next really cold day I will start with the silk, then heavy wool, bringing along the heat pads. Definitely looking at insulated boots and a wind deflection contraption for future winters.
 
Something like a better version of the Rain Shields that were once available to deflect the wind away from your feet would help.

See photos in the below link for an idea.

Great service from VP Accessories | Vendor Feedback

I ordered the rain shields for my ST1100 from http://www.vpaccessories.com/ . They mistakenly shipped two right side shields. I emailed them and they promptly shipped out a left one for me. Great people to do business with.
www.st-owners.com www.st-owners.com
 
@Sadlsor made an excellent point. It isn't the wool or material that insulates, it is the air that the material traps that keeps you warm.
Boots that are too tight to accommodate thick socks will simply squash the air out of the sock, putting you back where you started. Cold feet.

But no matter what insulation you have, your feet are going to get colder without a heat source. The best heat source is the blood supply. So sitting on a motorbike seat for hours on end isn't going to help the blood to circulate properly. Good circulation and heated seat help to keep toes warm. Get off the bike more frequently and get your muscles and blood working again. Getting feet out of the air flow - put your toes on the footpeg works. I tend to ride 'incorrectly' with my instep on the peg - it gives my long legs a bit more space - but in cold weather I have the ball of my foot on the footpeg for as long as I can.

Parallel note. I've had three heated jackets over the years. The first was a jacket with sleeves. The heated sleeves were not worth having. The jacket reduced the thickness of insulating sleeve I could wear over the heated jacket and my upper arms are in the direct airflow. The heat got whisked away before I felt any benefit. My two sleeveless heated vests have been much better. Better insulation in my sleeves and a heated torso and my arms never feel cold.

@mudduc is right about the body shutting down the extremities first. This happens when the core temperature starts to drop. Keep the core warm, the warm blood will circulate to help keep the hands and feet warm.

But every little helps. I've never felt the need for foot warmers. Hand warmers, yes - I have heated grips. Handlebar muffs are brilliant, but I've never seen a set that will work on the Pan for some reason. And you have to remember not to take your hands out when riding.
 
Andrew Shadow said:
Something like a better version of the Rain Shields that were once available to deflect the wind away from your feet would help.

See photos in the below link for an idea.

Great service from VP Accessories | Vendor Feedback

I ordered the rain shields for my ST1100 from http://www.vpaccessories.com/ . They mistakenly shipped two right side shields. I emailed them and they promptly shipped out a left one for me. Great people to do business with.
www.st-owners.com www.st-owners.com
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Mocking those up in my brain. Thank you.
 
oude geit said:
Ken Phenix has the goods. Heated socks
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Looking for this guy sent me here. Lots of good info too.

Best winter gear?

don't hold to much with the idea of heated gear, with my luck it'll fail when i really need it. That sounds like you've never actually used heated gear before, or at least not in recent time. As a man who has done LD riding both under the "layer method" you describe and also with heated gear...
forum.ironbutt.org
 
Andrew Shadow said:
Something like a better version of the Rain Shields that were once available to deflect the wind away from your feet would help.

See photos in the below link for an idea.

Great service from VP Accessories | Vendor Feedback

I ordered the rain shields for my ST1100 from http://www.vpaccessories.com/ . They mistakenly shipped two right side shields. I emailed them and they promptly shipped out a left one for me. Great people to do business with.
www.st-owners.com www.st-owners.com
Click to expand...
That's what is pictured in my post 7.
They made some for the ST1300 but they did not work very well from a ST1300 rider I know personally.
So the concept is good, you've just got to sort out the coverage.
You might start with cardboard to get a pattern, then do some 'smoke/fan' testing before you make them out of metal.
IIRC, my metal ones are .063-.100 aluminum but thin steel (18-16 gauge) would also work - except for the rusting problem.
 
I remember silk underwear and socks were the best items to keep you warm when downhill skiing. The socks were amazing!
I now have this in my arsenal to fend off the cold.
Heated jacket, heated glove liners, heated chaps, heated insoles. The jacket on one circuit the chaps gloves and insoles on another. These products are from Gears, they use carbon fibre ribbon instead of wires. The chaps are the most time consuming to put on so I only use them when I know I will be riding for a few hours. The full combo is a game changer in cold weather. ;)
 

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Uncle Phil said:
That's what is pictured in my post 7.
They made some for the ST1300 but they did not work very well from a ST1300 rider I know personally.
So the concept is good, you've just got to sort out the coverage.
You might start with cardboard to get a pattern, then do some 'smoke/fan' testing before you make them out of metal.
IIRC, my metal ones are .063-.100 aluminum but thin steel (18-16 gauge) would also work - except for the rusting problem.
Click to expand...
I’m thinking ABS, I have an empty boot on the peg now and just kind of tilting my head back and forth. You know how that goes UP.
 
The originals were bent Plexiglas from what I can tell which worked fine until they got some age on them.
Then they tended to crack at the bends.
I would think that ABS would do much better than that.
The ones I saw had too small a coverage to do any good.
The other consideration is the position of the ST1300 tip over wings in relationship to the foot pegs.
The ST1100 models are held in place with the top screw that holds the wings in place holds the top of the shield.
One of the lower cowl screws is replaced with a longer one to hold the bottom of the shield as well as the cowling.
Never really paid much attention to the ST1300 'arrangement'.
 
jfheath said:
. Handlebar muffs are brilliant, but I've never seen a set that will work on the Pan for some reason. And you have to remember not to take your hands out when riding.
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Handlebar muffs work brilliantly on the ST especially since there are no mirror stalks to mess with

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Judging from the side shot of Ferret's ST1300, the foot shields would have to be quite long given the height of the tipover wings and the position of the foot pegs.

ST1300 Foot Shield.jpg

You would want enough 'blockage' from the tipover wing cover so you don't get air up there.
 
Thanks for the bar muff images @the Ferret , @Willsmotorcycle . The last time I tried them was for my XS650 and Squire XT2 combination when it was my only form of transport. I've recently watched a documentray about the winters of 47, 63 and 81-82. Wow. They were worse than I remember (or was told for the 1947 event). In the UK my point of reference for playing out in Snow was 1963. 81-82 wasn't a patch on that, but it was very cold and snowbound when the combination was my only mode of transport. We never got stuck anywhere with it. They just about fitted, but getting my massive hands in there was a problem - a mistake I made just once when riding. Grabbing a handful of handlebar muff and brake lever is not a technique that I have seen documented in the advanced rider manuals. What do they know, anyway ?

So what do you do when you need to wipe the visor ? I've forgotten. Perhaps getting your hand back in isn't the problem that I remember. And you can wear closer fitting gloves with the muffs keeping them dry, out of the wind chill, and toasty with the heated grips on. Doesn't rain run down off your sleeves and pool in the bottom. I can't remember that either.

Those Oxford Muffs might just be big enough. I will have to investigate. And yes - just to keep this post on the topic of the thread, if you fingers are warm, the toes will be warmer too - less chilled blood circulating to get warmed up by the core. So the answer to cold toes really is keeping the body, arms and hands warm. :)
 
I know sometimes I wish I lived in a place where I didn't have to worry about wearing heated gear ;)

Taking hands in and out of muffs is not an issue and you get to wear thin summer gloves inside so you can easily feel the switches. You DO have to know where your switches are since you can't see them
 
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