Along with the pegs, the fxrg syntheticpants work real well at keeping the wind off of your knees and stiffening up. A good investment if doing a lot of cold weather riding.

 

one word for this little problem...GERBING the wifey got me the pants and gloves for christmas. they are a dream. not big and bulky, great fit, not bothersome to ride in, and plenty of heat. i have a 40 minute commute to work and when i left the other morning it was 35 degrees out. by the time i got to work i was almost sweating. yeah, they cost more than chaps, but they work 10 times better and probably look better in some peoples eyes.

 

Highway pegs may help to keep the windblast from hitting your knees directly, but they'll do nothing to keep all that cold air from getting back to where you're sitting. For a "touring" bike, it's a major design flaw, IMO; not anywhere near the protection from the elements a bike in that class should have, and that my Goldwing DOES have. My UC is a fun bike to ride, all right, but when it's cold outside, one has to take extra measures to keep warm.

I'm older than you are, and my tolerance to temperature extremes is probably less than yours, but when the temps go below 50, I put on either my Gerbing heated pants liner under my jeans or my Gerbing Cascade Extreme riding suit over my jeans. Both are heated with power from the bike's battery, and when to temperature goes south, there's just nothing that can compare to being able to simply twist the **** on the controller and turn up the heat. Saves all the bulky outerlayers as well.

 

Congrats on the new bike! Get yourself a pair of neoprene knee braces. They'll support your knees and keep them warm, too, by trapping body heat. They're sold atWalgreens and sporting goods stores.

 

Textile overpants with body armor also work great for keeping the cold out. The armor is hinged and wraps around the knee. There's no way that the wind will penetrate at the knees and they provide good get off protection. They are also waterproof so they make good rain gear.

 

Textile pants is a great suggestion. I haveJoe Rocket textile pants/coat I use year round. It's waterproof,which eliminates the need for rain gear. I wear shorts under the pants when touring in the summer, and I remove the fleece liner from the coat and open the vents to allow airflow.Overall, I find textile much more comfortable, warmer and functional than leather. Of course, leather still looks better on a Harley.

 

ThirdUp, Peppa1, et al-
Thanks for the suggestion on the mounts. I had a "d'uh moment" when I compared the Kury mount to the HD twin and they look like what I'll get.

Geoff, Bigfat (& too many to list)-
Big thanks for all the great pants/protection suggestions too. Neoprene knee braces - 'now, why didn't I ever think of that?' [sm=headbang.gif] As for all the great pants ideas - I just haven't been able to make a choice up to this point - but I know I need to. My g/f loves her chaps, but I think that's where my brain-stumble lies ... I think I'm always looking at chaps from the viewpoint behind her (and other women). (hmm, now where did I put those pictures??) Fwiw, I don't think my rear-end will look the same in a pair. I guess I'll start thinking of them as not just eye-candy, but protection too! lol

One more question: On my Heritage I had moved the stock passenger pegs to the highway-mounts when I added the passenger floorboards ... read: I only have experience w/ pegs on the highway mounts. Are there pro's/con's/opinions/suggestions to highway pegs versus highway mini-boards?????

Bigass thanks again for everyone sticking w/ me thus far!!

Aloha ... Robert

 

I found these can make a difference on the front of the shin / knee -- left over from when I had a softtail and no lowers to block the wind, but not cool enough for full chaps. Check them out at www.denniskirk.com

 

I take the removable plug from the electric fry pan and stick the skillet endup my butt. I wired the plug end to the battery and it keeps me warm all over. It has a temperature control on it too which is handy. BTW, If your knees get too cold without the extended pegs aren't your feet going to get cold hanging out there? I keep mine tucked in behind the lowers when it gets bad. While I'm at it, you're 42. Knock off the soccer. LOL
All kidding aside, those MoCo extended units work great and offer anice change of position.

 

Amen on the Gerbings and get the controller/pants and socks too if you are doing a lot of cold weather riding. Can't be beat, just set the controller to how toasty you want to be and ride forever.

Now if we could only melt the ice and snow up here in New England!... grrr. it's really bad this year.