Long term update: Winterproofing the Strom

Everyone’s doing it. I look around and it’s bar muffs here, heated grips there and cold kit everywhere. And if riders aren’t doing it then it’s because they’re busy tucking their prized possessions away for winter hibernation. But the Strom is going to perform its winter duty and see me through the cold months, so it looks like I’ll have to prepare it instead.

As I’ve reported before, the official Suzuki heated grips (£225) are pants, so I’m wearing a pair of Gerbing XRS-12 heated gloves (£149.99) instead. I find gloves better anyway as they keep my whole hand warm – including the back – instead of just hot and sweaty palms. It was easy to fit the power cable for the gloves as it only required a minute to pop the seat off, screw the terminals to the battery and poke the connector out the side of the seat once it’s back on. Toasty hands make a happy Andy.

The XT comes with handguards, which also do their part to keep the brunt of wind off my hands. If you didn’t fancy spending on the gloves, then the standard guards make it easy to fit a pair of bar-muffs as a cheaper option.

I’m happy with the current screen and overall the Strom offers an excellent amount of wind protection. The 650’s chunky tank and bulbous face keeps the majority of wind off me and the screen protects my chest, which means I don’t need to look for heated jackets. The only other winter preparation I’ve made is applying generous lashings of SDoc100 corrosion protector to metal parts that might rust. Warm hands and great wind protection for me and a protective film of corrosion resistance for the bike is all we need to get through the next few months. Bring on the cold!