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Wind Chill Reference for Motorcycle Riders

Plan for the wind chill, not the air temperature.

Wind chill is how cold the air feels on exposed skin once you factor in air movement. On a motorcycle, the wind speed IS your road speed, which means even a mild 50°F / 10°C morning can feel close to freezing at highway pace.

Three charts below cover the unit systems endurance riders actually use:

Find your speed on the left, find your air temperature across the top, and the number in the cell is what the wind chill feels like on exposed skin. Dress for that number, not the thermometer.

Note on warmer temperatures: the wind chill formula is officially defined at or below 10°C / 50°F. We extend it across the full chart because the cooling effect is still meaningful for motorcycle riders at highway speeds in moderate temperatures. Cells are capped at the air temperature, since wind never warms you. For genuinely hot weather (above 25°C / 77°F), use the Humidex / Heat Index Reference instead.

Freezingbelow 0°C / below 32°F
Caution0-6°C / 32-44°F
Cold7-12°C / 45-54°F
Cool13-17°C / 55-63°F
Nice riding18°C+ / 64°F+

Metric: km/h vs °C

km/h ↓
Temp →		 2°C 4°C 6°C 8°C 10°C 12°C 14°C 16°C 18°C 20°C 22°C 24°C
5 1 3 5 7 10 12 14 16 18 20 22 24
10 -1 1 4 6 9 11 13 16 18 20 22 24
15 -2 1 3 5 8 10 13 15 18 20 22 24
20 -3 0 2 5 7 10 12 15 17 20 22 24
25 -3 -1 2 4 7 10 12 15 17 20 22 24
30 -4 -1 1 4 7 9 12 14 17 20 22 24
35 -4 -2 1 4 6 9 12 14 17 19 22 24
40 -5 -2 1 3 6 9 11 14 17 19 22 24
45 -5 -2 0 3 6 8 11 14 17 19 22 24
50 -5 -3 0 3 5 8 11 14 16 19 22 24
55 -6 -3 0 3 5 8 11 14 16 19 22 24
60 -6 -3 0 2 5 8 11 13 16 19 22 24
65 -6 -3 -1 2 5 8 10 13 16 19 22 24
70 -7 -4 -1 2 5 8 10 13 16 19 22 24
75 -7 -4 -1 2 5 7 10 13 16 19 22 24
80 -7 -4 -1 2 4 7 10 13 16 19 21 24
85 -7 -4 -1 1 4 7 10 13 16 19 21 24
90 -7 -4 -2 1 4 7 10 13 16 18 21 24
95 -8 -5 -2 1 4 7 10 13 16 18 21 24
100 -8 -5 -2 1 4 7 10 13 15 18 21 24
105 -8 -5 -2 1 4 7 10 12 15 18 21 24
110 -8 -5 -2 1 4 7 9 12 15 18 21 24
115 -8 -5 -2 1 4 6 9 12 15 18 21 24
120 -8 -5 -2 0 3 6 9 12 15 18 21 24
125 -9 -6 -3 0 3 6 9 12 15 18 21 24

US: mph vs °F

mph ↓
Temp →		 36°F 38°F 40°F 42°F 44°F 46°F 48°F 50°F 52°F 54°F 56°F 58°F 60°F 62°F 64°F 66°F 68°F 70°F
5 32 34 36 39 41 44 46 48 51 53 55 58 60 62 64 66 68 70
10 29 31 34 36 39 41 44 46 49 51 53 56 58 61 63 66 68 70
15 27 29 32 34 37 40 42 45 47 50 52 55 57 60 63 65 68 70
20 25 28 30 33 36 38 41 44 46 49 51 54 57 59 62 65 67 70
25 24 27 29 32 35 37 40 43 45 48 51 53 56 59 61 64 67 69
30 23 26 28 31 34 37 39 42 45 47 50 53 56 58 61 64 66 69
35 22 25 28 30 33 36 39 41 44 47 50 52 55 58 61 63 66 69
40 21 24 27 30 33 35 38 41 44 46 49 52 55 58 60 63 66 69
45 21 23 26 29 32 35 38 40 43 46 49 52 54 57 60 63 66 69
50 20 23 26 29 31 34 37 40 43 46 48 51 54 57 60 63 66 68
55 19 22 25 28 31 34 37 40 42 45 48 51 54 57 60 62 65 68
60 19 22 25 28 30 33 36 39 42 45 48 51 54 56 59 62 65 68
65 18 21 24 27 30 33 36 39 42 45 48 50 53 56 59 62 65 68
70 18 21 24 27 30 33 36 38 41 44 47 50 53 56 59 62 65 68
75 17 20 23 26 29 32 35 38 41 44 47 50 53 56 59 62 65 68

UK: mph vs °C

mph ↓
Temp →		 2°C 4°C 6°C 8°C 10°C 12°C 14°C 16°C 18°C 20°C 22°C 24°C
5 0 2 4 7 9 11 14 16 18 20 22 24
10 -2 0 3 5 8 10 13 15 18 20 22 24
15 -3 -1 2 4 7 10 12 15 17 20 22 24
20 -4 -1 1 4 6 9 12 14 17 20 22 24
25 -5 -2 1 3 6 9 11 14 17 19 22 24
30 -5 -3 0 3 6 8 11 14 16 19 22 24
35 -6 -3 0 2 5 8 11 13 16 19 22 24
40 -6 -3 -1 2 5 8 10 13 16 19 22 24
45 -7 -4 -1 2 5 7 10 13 16 19 22 24
50 -7 -4 -1 2 4 7 10 13 16 19 21 24
55 -7 -4 -2 1 4 7 10 13 16 19 21 24
60 -8 -5 -2 1 4 7 10 13 16 18 21 24
65 -8 -5 -2 1 4 7 10 12 15 18 21 24
70 -8 -5 -2 1 4 6 9 12 15 18 21 24
75 -8 -5 -3 0 3 6 9 12 15 18 21 24

Important caveats

Wind chill is a measure of felt cooling on exposed skin. It does not lower the actual air temperature, so liquids in your tank bag will not freeze at 5°C / 41°F even if the wind chill is below zero. What it does do is steal heat from any exposed body part faster than the air alone, which is what makes cold-weather motorcycle riding harder than walking in the same air.

The values are calculated using the standard Environment Canada / NOAA wind chill formula, the same formula weather forecasts use. The formula assumes still air with no other variables. Real-world wind, humidity, sun, and your riding gear all change the actual cooling on your body.

Treat these numbers as a planning guide, not a guarantee.

What this means for endurance riding

If a 24-hour ride starts at 50°F / 10°C and you plan to spend it at 65 mph / 105 km/h, the wind chill on exposed skin is closer to 32°F / 0°C. For 24 hours. Dressing for the 50°F reading from your weather app is a recipe for cold hands by hour two and a slowed-down brain by hour six.

The same applies after sunset. Air temperature can drop 10 degrees in 30 minutes once the sun is down, and the wind chill drops along with it.

For more on cold-weather endurance riding strategy, see Endurance Riding in Cold.

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