Freshman Rider
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Post by ungabunga on Dec 21, 2016 23:41:31 GMT -5
Riding a motorbike in the winter may seem crazy, until you realize, people ride snowmobiles, so what's the big deal? A cold commute, and some thoughts about tires, winter riding safety, and being kind to others.
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Freshman Rider
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Post by seamus26 on Dec 22, 2016 4:09:54 GMT -5
I will ride well down into the low 20s, but I don't ride when there's the possibility of ice on the roads. Bundling up will keep you warm, but stopping a two-wheeler in the slippery stuff is totally different than stopping a car. It's not only your own safety you have to think about, but the safety of those around you.
The other issue that we have here in Michigan is the fact that they salt the roads when it starts getting cold and snowy. Everyone knows the cancer that happens to your car with salt. Scoots (although newer ones are mostly plastic) can succumb to the same fate. My old Vespa stays off the road until after the salt has washed off in the spring.
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Post by rockynv on Dec 22, 2016 5:26:03 GMT -5
Ice and road salt are the main reasons to stay off the road when its freezing out when your only on two wheels. You only have to patches of rubber smaller than a credit card in contact with the road when your on two wheels so any amount of ice or even a cold tire can result in a devastating slide on a cold day.
Steel tubing and aluminum engine and transmission cases don't take well to salt and can really take a beating too causing a maintenance nightmare and in the spring if you do not get all the salt cleaned up the corrosion can really then accelerate. We welded up a lot of salt damaged bike frames when I lived up North but some got so bad they were a total loss. I told one guy his was so bad you could probably break it over your knee and when we tested that out after pulling the motor it did bust clear in half. Fortunate for him it did not come apart like that while he was riding it especially considering the speeds a 400+ cc bike is capable of.
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Post by w650 on Dec 22, 2016 9:02:32 GMT -5
In these parts of New York the use of salt is quite heavy in Winter. Even my cheap bikes deserve better than being dissolved from corrosion. I generally won't take them out until a few rains have washed away the salt.
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Freshman Rider
Currently Offline
Down but not out
Posts: 89
Likes: 14
Joined: Jan 5, 2016 21:15:02 GMT -5
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Post by ungabunga on Dec 22, 2016 9:45:11 GMT -5
Yeah, salt is an issue. Not so big a deal yesterday when I was riding since it was very dry and there was no active slush and salt on the roads. I tend to avoid those days.
it is nice to ride in the cold though, very bracing.
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Post by dollartwentyfive on Dec 22, 2016 17:10:17 GMT -5
i could never dress warm enough for temps much below 40 F or so.
i found that a rainsuit helps A LOT in cold weather.
a full face helmet helps too, but i usually have fogging problems with the visor.
i found that opening the visor just a teeny bit takes care of most of the fogging.
i would imagine that rubber gloves, lined with a pair of jerseys, would probably help to keep your fingers from freezing.
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Post by rockynv on Dec 22, 2016 23:54:31 GMT -5
i could never dress warm enough for temps much below 40 F or so. i found that a rainsuit helps A LOT in cold weather. a full face helmet helps too, but i usually have fogging problems with the visor. i found that opening the visor just a teeny bit takes care of most of the fogging. i would imagine that rubber gloves, lined with a pair of jerseys, would probably help to keep your fingers from freezing. After a while the rain suite and rubber gloves can become so wet inside from perspiration that you can end up getting chilled to the bone. A bib front under my riding jacket (even made from a paper bag) will many time be all that's required to make riding in 40 degree weather tolerable. Water proof boot spray on just the backs of ones riding gloves can also make a large improvement. Yes some helmets are not designed well to keep condensation from you breathing from fogging the face shield. The ones with the removable guards to prevent this usually work out the best. |
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Post by oldchopperguy on Dec 23, 2016 1:29:29 GMT -5
Nice vid!
Winter riding CAN be an adventure... Back in my brain-dead youth, I rode all year long on my chopper in Chicago. Kick-starting that 250hp Hog, with 13:1 compression on a below-zero day was NOT for the faint-hearted... LOL! You definitely DO have to watch for slippery stuff. One sunny January day it got up to 50, or 60 degrees and I was a happy camper. No traffic on the "Congress Expy." and I was enjoying the dry highway at near the century-mark... Then, a sweeping curve went under an overpass... The shaded overpass had preserved the ice frozen on the road... LOL!
"Old Blue" went sideways, tossing me over the side, between the steel uprights of a sign and into a 20-foot snowbank at about  -mph. Thankfully, I did go BETWEEN the uprights, as did Old Blue. I penetrated that snowbank about 20 feet and ducked fast as my faithful Harley was airborne and right behind me... When it went out from under me on the ice, it slid upright until the tires hit dry pavement, flipping it into the air, never touching the road. Old Blue went into the snowbank un-damaged!It did smack me pretty good on the way by... LOL! But, after an hour of digging and pulling, my head quit hurting, and I had her out and upright again, and completely undamaged! She started on the third kick and I rode VERY carefully home.
I learned a monumental lesson about 2-wheels and ice that day... I was only 17, so I had a LOT left to learn about EVERYTHING... Had I not gone BETWEEN the legs of that sign, and/or that snowbank NOT have been there like huge feather-pillow, I would never have reached 18.
Something to consider!Ride safe, ESPECIALLY when there may be ice (or oil, pea-gravel, wet diagonal railroad tracks, etc.) afoot! Leo (lovin' my big, barn-door GIVI windshield this winter) in Texas
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Post by dollartwentyfive on Dec 23, 2016 10:58:20 GMT -5
After a while the rain suite and rubber gloves can become so wet inside from perspiration that you can end up getting chilled to the bone. maybe. i never had any problems with mine, but then again i never rode my bike for 8 hours straight. most of my treks were in the 70 to 80 mile range, and the vast majority of that was in temps above 45 F. a couple layers of clothes, then the suit, then your riding jacket and pants, will do a great job, unless you regularly qualify for the iron butt award. the first time i tried it, i was amazed how effective it was. it must have been about 30-35 F outside, and i felt i could've rode all day. like you said though, perspiration will be a problem on long treks |
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Post by bandito2 on Dec 23, 2016 13:07:49 GMT -5
When it is that cool, perspiration is not likely to be a problem unless one is actually overheating themselves from being overdressed. Wearing layers that can be opened for better circulation would help prevent overheating. Rain suits can help block the direct blast of air to reduce wind chill effect, but if they don't have adequate venting built in, it can get uncomfortable... especially if it is already warm. Tire grip becomes less effective when it is 45° F or less. Car tires, especially winter tires have more silicates in the rubber compound for better grip for use in wet and cold conditions. I use a car tire on the rear of my scooters  Makes it hard to do donuts in the driveway, but possible with determination.   |
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Post by oldchopperguy on Dec 23, 2016 18:41:31 GMT -5
When it is that cool, perspiration is not likely to be a problem unless one is actually overheating themselves from being overdressed. Wearing layers that can be opened for better circulation would help prevent overheating. Rain suits can help block the direct blast of air to reduce wind chill effect, but if they don't have adequate venting built in, it can get uncomfortable... especially if it is already warm. Tire grip becomes less effective when it is 45° F or less. Car tires, especially winter tires have more silicates in the rubber compound for better grip for use in wet and cold conditions. I use a car tire on the rear of my scooters Makes it hard to do donuts in the driveway, but possible with determination. Woo-HOO! "Scooter Snow-Angels"! Have a bone for that one!  Leo in Texas |
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Post by rockynv on Dec 24, 2016 11:02:29 GMT -5
Condensation from winter clothing that does not breath has long been a problem beyond riding gear and once enough builds up you get cold very fast and a prime candidate for chilblains and frostbite. Hiking and camping in sub zero temps you become acutely aware of this, that even though you never feel warm your body as it is made up of mostly water develops a large amount of vapor that can soak your clothing if sealed up too tight.
For riding sometimes just a flap of material or paper to prevent wind that passes through the zipper of your jacket from getting all the way through is all it takes to stay warm on your commute. And it saves your rain gear so it stays leak free for when its raining.
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-mph. Thankfully, I did go BETWEEN the uprights, as did Old Blue. I penetrated that snowbank about 20 feet and ducked fast as my faithful Harley was airborne and right behind me... When it went out from under me on the ice, it slid upright until the tires hit dry pavement, flipping it into the air, never touching the road. Old Blue went into the snowbank un-damaged!
