MotoBreeze app for iPhone and iPad

MotoBreeze and Riding Comfort

Many factors affect the comfort level of outdoor activities such as motorcycle, bike, snowmobile and jet ski riding. One of the key factors is your body’s core temperature. The core temperature of your body can be lowered on a ride by wind chill, radiation (sunny vs cloudy), clothing, humidity and the duration of the ride. By considering these factors, riders can dress appropriately for the type of ride they plan. For example, the duration of a motorcycle or snowmobile ride in cold weather is easier to endure if the ride is 10 minutes rather than 2 or 3 hours. Likewise, proper clothing shields the body and protects against the elements. Wearing chaps when motorcycling in cold weather will protect your legs and thighs from wind chill effects. In warmer weather, humidity affects how much moisture is evaporated from your skin’s surface, when biking this affects the cooling quality of the breeze.

One of the chief factors used to evaluate potential comfort levels during outdoor activities is wind chill. Wind chill describes the rate of heat loss on the body resulting from low ambient temperatures and wind speeds. As the temperature drops and your riding speed increases, more and more body heat is carried off at faster rates. This initially affects the skin temperature and eventually your overall core body temperature.

MotoBreeze calculates the wind chill value, based on the latest wind chill standards and is accurate for temperatures below 50 ºF (10 ºC) and at riding speeds above 3 mph (4 kmph). However, MotoBreeze allows input temperature values between 0 and 120 ºF (-17 to 48 ºC) and riding speeds between 0 to 150 mph (0 to 241 kmph) to be entered using two slider controls. Note that wind chill accuracy suffers above and below the threshold values, just mentioned, but the results (while possibly strange) are antidotal, giving you a sense of overall riding comfort.

Encountered headwinds add to the overall riding speed values while tailwinds subtract from that same value.

Be safe, dress appropriately and we’ll see you out there!