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Old December 29th, 2017, 05:06 PM   #1
Bluberryrain
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Any other winter warriors?

Hey All,

For those of you that live in cold winter states, how often do you ride your bike?

It gets pretty cold here in the winter, and I tend to ride if it is above 40 degrees.

Any tips to cold weather riding? Both gear and skill wise.

I mean obviously the tires are going to be cold, and not stick well, so lessen the speed/lean. But other than that, what do you guys think?
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Old December 29th, 2017, 05:09 PM   #2
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When I was younger I rode in the cold. Now that I’m older not so much.
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Old December 29th, 2017, 05:33 PM   #3
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Old December 29th, 2017, 06:05 PM   #4
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If I can stay warm, I don't mind riding. It's just when it drops below freezing it gets iffy.

I just love riding my bike. Traffic is easier, gas is better, and it's more fun.

Although, I did recently buy a new WRX, so I have also been less inclined to ride in the cold.
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Old December 29th, 2017, 07:42 PM   #5
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I've done about 3 British winters on my bike. My tips are:

- assume it takes longer to stop so leave bigger stopping distances
- try and wash road salt off your bike after each ride to prevent corrosion (it's hard and laborious I know; it protects your precious though)
- don't ride at all if you find yourself shivering cold. I've done that and had a few close calls. My thinking was impaired when I was that cold and I made bad decisions. My reaction times were also much slower and it was harder to do things like quickly apply braking force.
- Buy yourself some awesome warm and water proof textile protective gear.
- Same as always: wear all the gear all the time.
- Put one of those emergency foil blanket things in your pocket and keep your phone in a pocket too so in the event you come off your bike, you are badly injured and no one is around, you can keep warm and call for help. This isn't so important if you ride in a heavily populated area, but I'd go as far as saying it's almost essential if you travel in rural or less-populated areas.
- Don't be embarrassed about shifting your weight left or right when corning in order to keep the bike more upright in a corner so you have more grip. I do this a fair bit. If it improves grip at high speed and big lean angles it will also improve grip at lower speeds and lesser lean angles. It also keeps you moving about on your bike thus helping you to keep warm and it gives you feedback from your body about how tense / mobile it is.
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Old December 29th, 2017, 08:19 PM   #6
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It's 9 degrees F before wind chill.

Eff that noise.

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Old December 29th, 2017, 09:08 PM   #7
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It stays around 40 here. Hippo hands are ugly, but they're a nice investment. Also, wearing latex gloves under your riding gloves helps a lot. Lastly, while I've been guilty of this before, don't wear a scarf. Get a balaclava instead.

I recall reading that one member keeps a $10 tyvek suit on longer rides where it might get really cold to add another layer. I haven't tried it, but it seems like a nice investment.
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Old December 29th, 2017, 09:33 PM   #8
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Hey All,

For those of you that live in cold winter states, how often do you ride your bike?

It gets pretty cold here in the winter, and I tend to ride if it is above 40 degrees.

Any tips to cold weather riding? Both gear and skill wise.

I mean obviously the tires are going to be cold, and not stick well, so lessen the speed/lean. But other than that, what do you guys think?
If it's below 50 degrees I don't ride unless it's my only form of transportation. I've got proper gear to ride when it's colder than 50 but I consider it surviving not riding. I will NOT ride if there is snow or ice on the road - that's close to suicide.

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Old December 30th, 2017, 07:10 AM   #9
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Aside from the whole cold thing, the biggest reason why I don't ride in the winter is this:



Road salt is something with which those from states where it rarely snows are not familiar. It gets everywhere. Bikes are full of nooks and crannies where it can find a place to accumulate, and bikes are a giant PITA to clean. Maybe impossible if it's cold enough for salt to be used in the first place, which means leaving it until spring.

I've long been in the habit of parking the bike before November brings gray, miserable weather and the distraction of holidays, and pull it out in the spring after the road salt and sand have washed off the roads.

As a result, my street bike (5 years old with 14k miles on it) is in near-new condition.
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Old December 30th, 2017, 07:17 AM   #10
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Ram Jet View Post
If it's below 50 degrees I don't ride unless it's my only form of transportation. I've got proper gear to ride when it's colder than 50 but I consider it surviving not riding. I will NOT ride if there is snow or ice on the road - that's close to suicide.

Bill
My limit is ~45 degrees (~7 C). I found that when I rode below that temperature my thermal gear wasn't enough to keep me warm and my riding ability was getting impaired.

Quote:
Originally Posted by adouglas View Post
Road salt is something with which those from states where it rarely snows are not familiar. It gets everywhere. Bikes are full of nooks and crannies where it can find a place to accumulate, and bikes are a giant PITA to clean. Maybe impossible if it's cold enough for salt to be used in the first place, which means leaving it until spring.
That's the main reason I'm not riding this winter and probably wont ride any other winters until I get a cheap bike I don't care about.
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Old December 30th, 2017, 07:27 AM   #11
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I picked up a heated jacket liner and gloves last year to extend my riding season a little. I've ridden in weather around 25°, sometimes lower ( I'm young so I enjoy being a little crazy sometimes). But once they salt the roads she goes into the garage and doesn't come out till it rains enough days in a row to get rid of it all.
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Old December 30th, 2017, 09:39 AM   #12
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Road salt is something with which those from states where it rarely snows are not familiar. It gets everywhere. Bikes are full of nooks and crannies where it can find a place to accumulate, and bikes are a giant PITA to clean. Maybe impossible if it's cold enough for salt to be used in the first place, which means leaving it until spring.
This. This is why the fun toys get left inside for winter.

Also why the wifes car gets spray off on the nice days. Underside and body.
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Old December 30th, 2017, 11:21 AM   #13
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Well I ride down to below zero C if it’s dry. Tips are electric clothing is awesome. I use an inner jacket & attached gloves, they are toasty ��

The other hot tip is lower your tyre pressures by about 8psi when riding at zeroC, this creates a bigger footprint andallows the tyre to flex & warm up quicker, plus at that ambient temp it’s the correct pressure !

Most of all if it’s not fun don’t do it !!!!!
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Old December 30th, 2017, 01:37 PM   #14
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Cold will keep me off my bike. Happy riding to those more acclimated or tougher than me!
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Old December 30th, 2017, 04:12 PM   #15
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It's -10 f so you would not be able to pay me enough to ride today
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Old December 30th, 2017, 05:03 PM   #16
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Well I ride down to below zero C if it’s dry. Tips are electric clothing is awesome. I use an inner jacket & attached gloves, they are toasty ��

The other hot tip is lower your tyre pressures by about 8psi when riding at zeroC, this creates a bigger footprint andallows the tyre to flex & warm up quicker, plus at that ambient temp it’s the correct pressure !

Most of all if it’s not fun don’t do it !!!!!
Be careful of low tire pressures. My 07' Ninja will do a little "head shake" if the front tire is below factory pressure. I had a 1973 Kaw 500 H1 that got into a severe "head shake" once due to my failure to check the front tire (tyre?) pressure.

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Old December 31st, 2017, 01:26 AM   #17
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English = Tyre
American English = Tire, which to us means get tired ! As in after exercise or before sleep ��

All tire pressure are advertised at the international standard 20C temperature. You gain or lose about 1.5 PSI for each 5C change in temperature. So if the bike says styrene should be 40PSI then that’s at 20C ambien. So 0C ambient is -20C from that point,which is 4x1.5psi or minus 6psi, so going 6-8psi lower than the 20C setpressure is actuallykeeping the pressure correct !
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Old December 31st, 2017, 02:17 AM   #18
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English = Tyre
American English = Tire, which to us means get tired ! As in after exercise or before sleep ��

All tire pressure are advertised at the international standard 20C temperature. You gain or lose about 1.5 PSI for each 5C change in temperature. So if the bike says styrene should be 40PSI then that’s at 20C ambien. So 0C ambient is -20C from that point,which is 4x1.5psi or minus 6psi, so going 6-8psi lower than the 20C setpressure is actuallykeeping the pressure correct !
Wow, I'll keep that wonderful explanation under my bonnet whilst tucked behind my windscreen. All I know is that I thought my new Ninja rode rather harshly and reduced my tyre pressure to match my Honda FT500's 24/28. Not good, I got some serious "head shake" and returned to the Kaw recommendation of 28/32.

Excuse me while I go polish my spanners.

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P.S.; I'm still pissed that you burned-down out White House.
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Old December 31st, 2017, 06:01 AM   #19
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Old December 31st, 2017, 06:38 AM   #20
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Well, just burned. The building was still standing afterwards.
Yep. MY house wouldn't look this good.

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Old December 31st, 2017, 05:26 PM   #21
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Originally Posted by Bluberryrain View Post
Hey All,

For those of you that live in cold winter states, how often do you ride your bike?

It gets pretty cold here in the winter, and I tend to ride if it is above 40 degrees.

Any tips to cold weather riding? Both gear and skill wise.

I mean obviously the tires are going to be cold, and not stick well, so lessen the speed/lean. But other than that, what do you guys think?
check out my bark buster install. they work great!
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Old December 31st, 2017, 10:48 PM   #22
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It was down to 13F at Grand Canyon when I went for holiday break. Tourist trolley was strangely empty.

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Old January 1st, 2018, 12:21 AM   #23
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I ride year round here in the DC area, try not to ride when the roads are covered in salt like they are right now, and generally only ride when the temp is above freezing, but I have ridden when it was 26 degrees out.

You have 2 choices for cold weather, dress so you look like the Michelin Man or wear electric heated gear. Of course for the latter you need a bike with a big enough electrical system to run all of the gear. I have warm gear, heated grips, and hand guards to block some of the wind on my hands. I also have used a set of hippo hands which work very well.
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Old January 1st, 2018, 06:21 PM   #24
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It was down to 13F at Grand Canyon when I went for holiday break. Tourist trolley was strangely empty.

Funniest lookin' damn helicopter I've ever seen.....
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Old January 2nd, 2018, 11:49 AM   #25
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Aside from the whole cold thing, the biggest reason why I don't ride in the winter is this:

I don't blame you. I won't ride when people don't park correctly either.
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Old January 4th, 2018, 01:34 PM   #26
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check out my bark buster install. they work great!
Oh yeah! I just went and checked that thread out. That's exactly what I need with my gloves!
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Old January 5th, 2018, 07:35 AM   #27
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We mess around on the lake and in the woods, but the street bikes are stored until the roads are decent.





I'd probably ride something like a 250 enduro on the road in the winter, but not any regular street bike.
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Old January 5th, 2018, 07:41 AM   #28
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We mess around on the lake and in the woods, but the street bikes are stored until the roads are decent.





I'd probably ride something like a 250 enduro on the road in the winter, but not any regular street bike.
I'll bet you don't venture out on "black ice" very much.

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Old January 21st, 2018, 07:32 AM   #29
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Out on the CRFs this weekend with my oldest (21) boy. Almost 40F, but the ground in the woods was frozen solid. No traction at all once you got through the snow, leaves, and grass.

The bike is constantly out of line and sliding. Good practice.

I bounced off of one tree on the way down, but luckily it was just a glancing blow. Plenty of close calls though.

Here he is on our regular track -



And in the woods after finding a small tree hidden under the snow -



Fun day, but I'm a little sore this morning.
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Old January 21st, 2018, 07:56 AM   #30
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check out my bark buster install. they work great!
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Old January 27th, 2018, 06:50 PM   #31
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I've ridden down to 10F, which was a day I won't repeat since between home and work I encountered an ice storm. Stayed upright but almost lost it in the gutter into the parking lot as it was solid ice; somehow my brain decided to stomp the pavement and right the bike.

Anyway, normally it's salt and snow, not degrees, that prevent me. That means rare riding here in winter made even more so when needing to bring others in the morning.
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Old January 27th, 2018, 07:03 PM   #32
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I've ridden down to 10F, which was a day I won't repeat since between home and work I encountered an ice storm. Stayed upright but almost lost it in the gutter into the parking lot as it was solid ice; somehow my brain decided to stomp the pavement and right the bike.

Anyway, normally it's salt and snow, not degrees, that prevent me. That means rare riding here in winter made even more so when needing to bring others in the morning.
I hope Michigan gets an early spring this year. Last year sucked. I nearly rode today as it was about 52 but I'll wait until it's closer to 70.

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Old January 27th, 2018, 07:19 PM   #33
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I’m waiting for the big thaw as well.
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Old January 28th, 2018, 06:14 AM   #34
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I rode all year on the 250 for the first 2 years of ownership. It was very sketchy during the winter to say the least. The stock tires like to skip a bit when its very cold.


Now I have a car + gained a bunch of weight because I'm no longer shivering.

Edit: Oh yeah, for tips we had a very good thread on this a while ago: https://www.ninjette.org/forums/showthread.php?t=193270
In summary: Balaclava, pinlock visor, don't let the wind get to the trunk of your body, and for the love of god protect your hands somehow (heated gloves/barkbusters/etc).
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Old January 28th, 2018, 07:47 AM   #35
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I don't ride below 30f.

One thing I've noticed is that my hands get much colder with gloves+liners than gloves alone. I don't know if it's because my hands are basically forced into the same position by the liner or if I can generate more heat from movement without them or what

Last futzed with by Poddelniy Russki; January 28th, 2018 at 11:16 AM.
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Old February 13th, 2018, 01:16 PM   #36
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I've done about 3 British winters on my bike. My tips are:

- assume it takes longer to stop so leave bigger stopping distances
- try and wash road salt off your bike after each ride to prevent corrosion (it's hard and laborious I know; it protects your precious though)
- don't ride at all if you find yourself shivering cold. I've done that and had a few close calls. My thinking was impaired when I was that cold and I made bad decisions. My reaction times were also much slower and it was harder to do things like quickly apply braking force.
- Buy yourself some awesome warm and water proof textile protective gear.
- Same as always: wear all the gear all the time.
- Put one of those emergency foil blanket things in your pocket and keep your phone in a pocket too so in the event you come off your bike, you are badly injured and no one is around, you can keep warm and call for help. This isn't so important if you ride in a heavily populated area, but I'd go as far as saying it's almost essential if you travel in rural or less-populated areas.
- Don't be embarrassed about shifting your weight left or right when corning in order to keep the bike more upright in a corner so you have more grip. I do this a fair bit. If it improves grip at high speed and big lean angles it will also improve grip at lower speeds and lesser lean angles. It also keeps you moving about on your bike thus helping you to keep warm and it gives you feedback from your body about how tense / mobile it is.
Great advice all around!
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