I ride all year round which translates to riding in temperatures below 0, coping with ice, snow, and gravel on the road.  Here is what I've learned over 27 years of doing this.

2.  Over your electric vest, wear a good insulated jacket liner and cover that with your favorite leather (heavy duty) jacket.

3.  Obviously, chaps won't cut it in serious cold weather so I'd suggest a good pair of powder (snow) pants.  If the weather is really cold (below 0 ambient), I'd suggest a pair of electric chaps.

4.  You can purchase a fair pair of electric socks from K Mart; they're battery operated.  I've found a pair of rechargeable batterys will last about a week.   You'll also need a pair of heavy-duty cold weather boots.  Mine are from LL Bean but others will do.

5.  Lastly, wear a good full-face helmet.  Heat escapes from the body from three main locations:  head, hands, feet.  These need to be protected.  In addition to a good full-face helmet, I recommend getting an Apple Warmer which attaches to the bottom of the helmet and covers the shoulders.  This will prevent air from coming in from the bottom of the helmet.

1.  Don't speed.  Now there's a surprise.  Many states use sand and gravel on the road instead of tons of salt.  The result is the potential to slide.  If you're travelling fast, the chances are good that you'll see the hazard too late.  Result - new bike (unlikely), big bills (more likely), busted body

2.  When you see a hazard, gravel or ice, slow down (lots) before reaching it.   Don't accelerate while going through it, keep your feet on the pegs, and keep the bike upright.  If you notice the hazard while in a curve, I'd suggest concentrating on keeping the bike in an upright position.  I'd rather end up off the road on my own versus sliding off it.  You're choice. 

In Auguest 1994, I was staying overnight in Salina, Utah which heading back home to Black Forest, Colorado.  When I left the motel, I went across the street to gas up.  There was another biker, young guy, there riding an old Yamaha Virago.  He was heading in the same direction but we didn't ride together.  He had a brand new Shoei full-face helmet (which he wasn't wearing) and a new leather jacket.  I left shortly after him.

The ride from Salina to Green River is 114 miles with no gas or food stops in between.   I saw him ahead of me as we cruised down I70.  When I got to Green River, I stopped at a gas station which was adjacent to a restaurant.  I went in and the guy who I'd seen in Salina asked me if I'd like to join him (he'd already waited in line for a table so this saved me about 10 minutes and gave me someone to talk to). 

When we got to the table, he took off his jacket and I pretty much lost my appetite (for a while, anyway).  His arms were black and charred, swollen, with puss (wet and dried).  Where it wasn't black it was beet red.  I asked him what happened; here it is. 

He lived in Florida and drove his car to Colorado where he sold the car and bought the motorcycle.  He took off from Denver and went along I70 up into the mountains.   As the temperatures dropped, he realized he needed a jacket to keep from freezing (even in the Summer, temperatures in the high country can drop below freezing).  His destination was California.

I'll skip the cold country stuff and get to the hot weather stuff.  This guy didn't have any sun block and didn't want to buy any because of the cost.  Sooooo, he kept riding with bare arms through the hot Utah, Nevada, California desert.  With the heat coupled with the wind, he eventually began to suffer wind burns and heat burns.   At some point, he decided to buy sun block which further aggrevated the injuries.  

I'll skip the rest, I think you get the point.  After hearing his story, I went to a phone and dialed 911.  I talked with the operator and about 10 minutes later, an ambulance arrived and two guys came through the restaurant.  When they saw the guy, they asked him to step outside.  I didn't see him again for about an hour. I won't go into his visit to the hospital, all the pain as they scraped his arm, or the pain shots he received.  The point of this is that bare arms and heat don't go together.  I've seen countless riders who cruise long distances and suffer similar injuries. 

Recommendation:  wear a jean jacket or light shirt with full sleeves.  And... so you don't look like a dork, wear gloves to protect your hands.