As cold weather starts to roll in this season and the last red leaves fall off the trees, it's time to start thinking about what you're going to do with your motorcycle this winter. For some, winter means buying fuel stabilizer, dusting off the trickle charger, and gently snuggling their motorcycle into a warm corner of the garage. For the rest of us, winter means no change to our motorcycle riding habits except the addition of quite a bit of extra clothing!

I clearly fall into the "extra clothing" category - I'll ride anything above 20 degrees (if I had heated clothing, I'm sure I could go lower). Call me crazy or just "thermally gifted," but riding motorcycles in the winter can be really enjoyable.

(By the way, I am by no means thermally gifted. I've seen rocks with better circulation than myself.)

Now, I'm not the type that loves to ride so much that I'll get out there and freeze my rump off just to get miles under my belt. To make winter riding enjoyable, I like to be comfortable, and comfortable in the winter means warm and dry.

Riding a motorcycle in cold weather comes down to one simple concept: insulation.

Since most people aren't very active on a motorcycle, their body isn't doing much to produce heat on its own to counteract the cold. That means we have to do everything we can to insulate the body in order to keep what precious heat that we do produce actually on our body, and not floating off in the cold winter air.

Insulation boils down to two things: layers (to slow the rate at which our body loses heat), and wind proofing (to keep the wind from stealing our heat).

Let's talk about layers first. Layers are critcal for riding a motorcycle in the cold weather of winter. The number of layers you'll need to wear is based both on personal preference (some people naturally run a little hotter than others) and the temperature outside. I've worn up to four layers in really cold weather. The key is to have enough layers on that you feel comfortable (maybe even slightly warm) when you step outside and just stand in place(before you ride your motorcycle).

Remember two things

• Your bottom layer should always be some type of snug fitting thermal or fleece underwear. This will create a warm layer of air between your body and this material. (Don't worry about buying the expensive wicking materials like Dri-Fit, etc. - you won't be sweating much so it won't do you much good)
• Don't wear so many layers that you lose mobility. If you can't hold your arms at your side because of all your clothing, than it's probably time to invest in either some warmer, or even heated, clothing.