CHOOSING THE RIGHT WINTER GEAR

Winter is a great time to ride motorcycles in Australia. In many parts of the country it’s actually the dry season, so clear blue skies and empty roads, thanks to the lack of grey nomads and tourists, means great riding. There’s nothing worse than riding when you’re cold and wet, however, so you still need to prepare for the inevitable winter rain. And unless you’re in the tropical north, it’ll be cold, something that’s easily taken care of with the right preparation.

It’s important to understand how your base, mid and outer layers work together and what each one is trying to achieve. After that, it’s about keeping your head, hands and feet warm as you can lose an awful lot of your body heat through those areas.

BASE LAYER

You need to start with a base layer that traps body heat but allows moisture to wick away, so as the day warms up you don’t sweat into your gear and make it moist and uncomfortable.

Cotton, which is what T-shirts