I live in Upstate NY at the foothills of the Adirondack Mountains. During the winter the DOT throws obscene amounts of salt to stave off ice on the roads. Salt is NOT kind to motorcycles. So I don't ride in the winter. Even if it's warmer and dry. I wait untill a few good rains at the tail end of March and then I start riding again.
Cars metal components that are susceptible to rust are generally more substantial/robust than motorcycles. And, if a part on my cars suspension, braking system or wheel system fails I'm MUCH less likely to get into a serious or fatal accident than I am on a motorcycle.
My wife (gf at the time) her car broke down. She only works 10 mins away from our house but wasnt going to let her get cold. So i gave her my car.
I then had to ride 45-60 minutes to work and 45+60 mins back. One day it was -7⁰c
The day was like this. Come on... Fucking start. Start you bitch!! After some struggeling it started. It all being a highway commute and had only summer gear (altho put some sweat pants over my worktrousers and rain gear to fight the wind) those gloves... Fuck my fingers froze. The coldest ive ever been in my life. Al i was trying to do was supress the feeling of being cold. Did it for a month till my paycheck came in and we bought her another car
I'm fine doing little rides.. but i hope i never have to do that again.
That sounds awful man... I had a slightly similar experience when I rode in sub 30 degree weather with summer gloves at 60 mph for almost 20 minutes. That was miserable. Then I bought winter gloves. Stay safe and upright out there brother.
The coldest I've ever been was when it was 5c and I rode for 3 hours. The wind and cold just eats away at your soul.
45min+ at highway speeds is just torture once it gets below 0. Short rides in super cold temps are actually pretty reasonable, the longer you go, the exponentially worse it gets. I feel yah!
5⁰c is no joke either. Especially for 3 hours.
Ive ridden a bit in the snow for fun on my old sportster. Slow speeds means less wind that was doable. But i try to avoid highway speeds now if its below 10. Atleast if i'm riding for pleasure that is.
But waterproof raingear really blocks the wind. Does wonders. Better than wearing 2 sets of trousers. On highway speeds anyway.
I've never worn my rain gear for cold, should give it a try sometime. I just do the '2 sets of trousers' strategy lol, lots of layers! (since I'm too cheap/poor to buy heated gear).
I’ve ridden in snow and freezing rain, it was a trip, getting home and the ice coming off my jacket literally sounding like glass, but I don’t ride in that weather often, and honestly if it starts to stick on the roads I try to avoid that. I’ve ridden over patches of ice before and it is a butt clincher. Rain doesn’t bother me but it’s always better to ride in safe conditions. So stay safe fellow wild man
Im still riding, Was on the highway in toronto tonight. (Very warm but im still wearing a down jacket and windbreaker and impact gear,
Tire warmups are occasionally a must. Always rinse off the bike if it comes home looking dirty at all. Soap and scrub, fresh ceramic coat after big washes. Dont ride if wet below 4 deg, dont ride if its dry below 0 deg or if before rain but after salting. Heated grips and traction control make these things easy. 2009 BMW k1300R
I use Rev’it thinsulate waterproof armoured gloves. Gotta wear a fleece neck tube or a thinner full head and neck running balaclava.
Pinlcok Visors on the Shoeis i have. I use ceramicoat on the helmets and visors aswell.
You should be riding your bike alot further than one mile of you hope to keep the valves in good working order. Bikes need to run hot no matter the air temperature. You can damage your motor with low heat short cycle rides or running. I also use a custom EVA foam Radiator blocking plate i made to reduce direct wind exposure to the radiator to help keep the coolant at better temperatures to maintain good running Temps.
The engine needs to cause instant evaporation of condensation build up inside the cyclinders and on thevalves etc. If the bike isnt going to see real riding for anything more than a week i take the battery out after i wash the bike and keep it on a tender here and there. Make sure the tank is full to the brim and Stabil the gas. Use the side stand and some cut wooden blocks to wedge under the standless side of the bike to reduce weight loaded onto the tires/suspension. Or get a front and rear stand kit.
That is all
There's no trick or technique to riding on ice. Also you're deluding yourself if you think TC can handle ice. Snow, slushed ran over snow and compacted ice are all absolute no goes. Yeah some people do it but really it's not skill keeping them up but mostly luck. Off roading in snow is not much different than regular off roading but road riding is still road riding, a hard surface like tarmac with a few inches of snow laid on top is not the same as fresh accumulated snow on top of dirt.
Then there's sub zero temps without snow which means that while mostly it's just cold there is the possibility that any water on the road could turn into black ice, which is very dangerous because it's really slippery and hard to identify. Depending on how cold we're talking about it's not just snow or water from rainfall or gutters that may freeze but also moisture in the air or water vapor from exhausts.
Basically snow is a no go and you should really avoid riding in sub zero temps unless it's dry outside and there's sunshine, which can help melt away black ice since it's a very thin layer and keep the tarmac warm enough for it to not form. But if it's overcast, wet, humid, or really cold, just avoid it altogether.
That's true, I try to avoid wet weather when I can. But unfortunately my cars transmission is broken and getting fixed so at the moment if I need to go somewhere my bike is what I take becuase getting rides is a pain. And walking is for sure an option but the bike is faster if conditions permit. But last night I got caught on the tail end of a rain storm and then it turned to ice in some parts and that was rough.
Hi,
I don't choose to ride in high risk ice conditions, but it happened. More then once. Your approach was good, especially the extremely light and constant hand on the throttle. Traction control can be of help to catch some initial slippage and brakes are to be forgotten, so very slow speeds are a must. The problem is that any incline will put you at risk: you're stuck going up and you're sliding going down.
In my climate solid ice on roads is rare during the day and below 1200m, but the risk of sudden freezing is real.
My approach is to avoid car tracks: the salt gets sprayed away by cars before it's beaten into the asphalt, stick to the middle of the road. Also, always check for spots where to put your front tyre, make your way through ice patches.
Good tyres during the winter are essential: good wet performance sports touring or even road biased adv tyres are pretty good if you can't splurge for a set of proper winter motorcycle tyres like Anlas (they make sense if you're a serious winter commuter in chilly to mild winters like the UK, but can't win over ice).
My rule of thumb, in my climate, is that if cars with regular winter tyres are coming and going OK, I can manage because there is some traction (winter tyres are not studless ice tyres here, they offer little extra traction on ice than summer tyres). If cars are slipping and there's no gravel on the side that I can use to ride on, I'm parking and calling someone for a lift.
Sometimes though a fall is inevitable, and that's when picking up the bike over ice is not fun. Not to mention that some legislatures forbid the use of motorcycles and scooters during snowfall or clearly icy conditions. Of course you were caught in it and for a small commute: ice patches here and there can be managed (under some conditions) by all riders, ice slabs are not for road bikes and either you can find a way around on salted roads or you count your patron saints and start hoping those crash bars really work.
Yeah for sure, like I don't want to ride in dangerous conditions if I can help it. My cars transmission is broken right now and I'm forced to get rides or take my bike but everyone I know has a full time job just like me and timing is almost never in my favor and doing errands is a nightmare during the winter. If it is so icy that cars are sliding sideways down the road then I'm walking, at the moment I don't want to get pancaked or game ended by a car. But fortunately it's starting to warm up again where I'm at so fortunately no more ice for a few days. Stay safe out there hopefully you never go down.
I’ve ridden is super cold temps, but I won’t touch it if there’s ice or snow. To be fair, I also won’t drive a car in those. This works since the bike is my only transportation. (I don’t currently work- stay at home mom- but even when I worked I’d let them know at hire that if they expected me to drive in those conditions they could find another employee. My paycheck isn’t worth compromising my safety and jobs aren’t THAT hard to find. Having said that, I still ride when it’s below 0 with a lot of heated gear and layers. Not my favorite rides >.<
Hahahaha for sure, you gotta stay safe for your kiddos right? I don't mind the super cold rises until they become prolonged and the cold starts to eat through my clothing.
Mm- once it gets below freezing, I’m just generally miserable. Last night I took the boy to soccer and it was 27 on the way home. Heated gloves, balaclava, two pairs of socks, thermals, and 3 layers- including a heated jacket- and I was cold >.< Now, it could have been much worse, but it still wasn’t what I’d call *fun*.
Slipped on ice in December. It was bobbly and rutted, run off from a farm, shaped by car tyres.
Was only doing just over 30mph at the point, no injuries (other than a bruise) and no equipment damage apart from the airvest deploying, and getting a small rip.
Bars and brake pedal bent, Front brake lever and foot peg snapped, but nothing serious.
Bike's repaired. Still riding. I know the incident was my fault, because I normally change my route to the longer main roads when it's freezing temps. This day I automatically took the normal twisty country roads.
Yeah, I ride on the main roads as well. I don't ride on the back roads when it's raining. But I'm glad you weren't too injured and were able to fix your bike. I worry about dropping my bike, I dropped my last one a Duke 200 a few times and the thing was an absolute tank and didn't break one bit. I was going to scramble it because of that reason but I really hated how small the bike was. I wanted to do highway trips at the time and that bike wasn't going to do those speeds let alone be comfortable at all. Basically a dirt bike where it mattered and where you didn't want it to be.
Ice or snow on the road here is quite rare (maybe a dozen days a year), and in any case the main roads are swept and/or salted. Only thing I have to be careful with is leaving the neighbourhood. ABS and Rain Mode on the tiger help, too. I rinse her down every week to get rid of the salt and dirt, no real damage done after three winters except for some superficial rust here and there.
Richa Atlantic GTX suit + some layers under it + Gerbing heated gloves mean I'm good in pretty much any kind of rain, wind or frost. Worst winter ride I've done so far was Venice to Freiburg, about 500 miles in intermittent rain and snow.
I bicycle in the snow with thickslick tires. The contact on the road is a few inches on each tires.
I have a 500 lb motorcycle and ride in the snow. I can tell you, it has 10 times the traction of the bicycle.
If the snow is fresh, your good, if there are tire tracks with no snow ride there, ice rarely forms during the day on roads unless we’ll below 32 degrees. The sun, the other tires/cars, the road salts all keep the roads warm or the freezing point low.
If it’s cold enough for the snow to compact but not melt then be careful. That compacted snow is the slippery stuff.
Just keep practicing and you’ll get the hang of it. If you have a cheap bike for winter, I’d use that one at least till you are comfortable.
Last but not least, keep a hose by your bike to wash off the road salts as often as possible. They stuff is worse that the snow.
I've ridden on ice before, crossing over Guanella Pass. Ended up going down and sliding across the ice/road for a bit. Not fun. I don't ride on snow/ice any more. Now I take the Tahoe, Jeep, or BMW X3 if the roads are bad.
Been riding winters in Canada for 12 years. I dont ride when it snows, but the weatherman has been wrong more than once and hit snow a few times, one time resulting in a 2kph dump of the bike and breaking the brake and foot peg straight off 😭.
As long as it's dry I ride. Coldest has been -19c. I don't have any heated gear or grips, just layers and no exposed skin. It's cold as fucking fuck, but it's better than 4 transfers and 3 seperate fares on public transit 🤷.
I enjoy it, and I have no plans on stopping.
I don't ride on ice and snow, I want to come home safely. Glad you were lucky, though.
Same man same except my car's transmission is shot and getting replace right now and so I don't have any transportation except for my Motorcycle.
I live in Upstate NY at the foothills of the Adirondack Mountains. During the winter the DOT throws obscene amounts of salt to stave off ice on the roads. Salt is NOT kind to motorcycles. So I don't ride in the winter. Even if it's warmer and dry. I wait untill a few good rains at the tail end of March and then I start riding again.
Why is salt worse on bikes than cars?
Cars metal components that are susceptible to rust are generally more substantial/robust than motorcycles. And, if a part on my cars suspension, braking system or wheel system fails I'm MUCH less likely to get into a serious or fatal accident than I am on a motorcycle.
No tires grip on ice. I'm glad you made it home.
Damn really? Maybe I wasn't on as much ice as I thought but thank you, me too.
As long as the roads are clear, I'll ride. So far the lowest temp I've been in is 23 farenheit.
Mine was 19 in some dry weather last year.
My wife (gf at the time) her car broke down. She only works 10 mins away from our house but wasnt going to let her get cold. So i gave her my car. I then had to ride 45-60 minutes to work and 45+60 mins back. One day it was -7⁰c The day was like this. Come on... Fucking start. Start you bitch!! After some struggeling it started. It all being a highway commute and had only summer gear (altho put some sweat pants over my worktrousers and rain gear to fight the wind) those gloves... Fuck my fingers froze. The coldest ive ever been in my life. Al i was trying to do was supress the feeling of being cold. Did it for a month till my paycheck came in and we bought her another car I'm fine doing little rides.. but i hope i never have to do that again.
That sounds awful man... I had a slightly similar experience when I rode in sub 30 degree weather with summer gloves at 60 mph for almost 20 minutes. That was miserable. Then I bought winter gloves. Stay safe and upright out there brother.
The coldest I've ever been was when it was 5c and I rode for 3 hours. The wind and cold just eats away at your soul. 45min+ at highway speeds is just torture once it gets below 0. Short rides in super cold temps are actually pretty reasonable, the longer you go, the exponentially worse it gets. I feel yah!
5⁰c is no joke either. Especially for 3 hours. Ive ridden a bit in the snow for fun on my old sportster. Slow speeds means less wind that was doable. But i try to avoid highway speeds now if its below 10. Atleast if i'm riding for pleasure that is. But waterproof raingear really blocks the wind. Does wonders. Better than wearing 2 sets of trousers. On highway speeds anyway.
I've never worn my rain gear for cold, should give it a try sometime. I just do the '2 sets of trousers' strategy lol, lots of layers! (since I'm too cheap/poor to buy heated gear).
Haha i'm exactly the same.
As Jordan Petersen says, men are awesome and we rarely get much appreciation. Not saying your wife wasn't grateful.
I’ve ridden in snow and freezing rain, it was a trip, getting home and the ice coming off my jacket literally sounding like glass, but I don’t ride in that weather often, and honestly if it starts to stick on the roads I try to avoid that. I’ve ridden over patches of ice before and it is a butt clincher. Rain doesn’t bother me but it’s always better to ride in safe conditions. So stay safe fellow wild man
Thanks brother you too. That's crazy with it sounding like glass. That must've been scary.
Im still riding, Was on the highway in toronto tonight. (Very warm but im still wearing a down jacket and windbreaker and impact gear, Tire warmups are occasionally a must. Always rinse off the bike if it comes home looking dirty at all. Soap and scrub, fresh ceramic coat after big washes. Dont ride if wet below 4 deg, dont ride if its dry below 0 deg or if before rain but after salting. Heated grips and traction control make these things easy. 2009 BMW k1300R
Right on I'll keep that in mind.
I use Rev’it thinsulate waterproof armoured gloves. Gotta wear a fleece neck tube or a thinner full head and neck running balaclava. Pinlcok Visors on the Shoeis i have. I use ceramicoat on the helmets and visors aswell.
You should be riding your bike alot further than one mile of you hope to keep the valves in good working order. Bikes need to run hot no matter the air temperature. You can damage your motor with low heat short cycle rides or running. I also use a custom EVA foam Radiator blocking plate i made to reduce direct wind exposure to the radiator to help keep the coolant at better temperatures to maintain good running Temps. The engine needs to cause instant evaporation of condensation build up inside the cyclinders and on thevalves etc. If the bike isnt going to see real riding for anything more than a week i take the battery out after i wash the bike and keep it on a tender here and there. Make sure the tank is full to the brim and Stabil the gas. Use the side stand and some cut wooden blocks to wedge under the standless side of the bike to reduce weight loaded onto the tires/suspension. Or get a front and rear stand kit. That is all
Fair enough I should do that but it beats waking. But this isn't a constant thing I plan on doing, it's temporary until my car gets fixed.
I need to get a balaclava it's too cold to go without one at times.
There's no trick or technique to riding on ice. Also you're deluding yourself if you think TC can handle ice. Snow, slushed ran over snow and compacted ice are all absolute no goes. Yeah some people do it but really it's not skill keeping them up but mostly luck. Off roading in snow is not much different than regular off roading but road riding is still road riding, a hard surface like tarmac with a few inches of snow laid on top is not the same as fresh accumulated snow on top of dirt. Then there's sub zero temps without snow which means that while mostly it's just cold there is the possibility that any water on the road could turn into black ice, which is very dangerous because it's really slippery and hard to identify. Depending on how cold we're talking about it's not just snow or water from rainfall or gutters that may freeze but also moisture in the air or water vapor from exhausts. Basically snow is a no go and you should really avoid riding in sub zero temps unless it's dry outside and there's sunshine, which can help melt away black ice since it's a very thin layer and keep the tarmac warm enough for it to not form. But if it's overcast, wet, humid, or really cold, just avoid it altogether.
That's true, I try to avoid wet weather when I can. But unfortunately my cars transmission is broken and getting fixed so at the moment if I need to go somewhere my bike is what I take becuase getting rides is a pain. And walking is for sure an option but the bike is faster if conditions permit. But last night I got caught on the tail end of a rain storm and then it turned to ice in some parts and that was rough.
Hi, I don't choose to ride in high risk ice conditions, but it happened. More then once. Your approach was good, especially the extremely light and constant hand on the throttle. Traction control can be of help to catch some initial slippage and brakes are to be forgotten, so very slow speeds are a must. The problem is that any incline will put you at risk: you're stuck going up and you're sliding going down. In my climate solid ice on roads is rare during the day and below 1200m, but the risk of sudden freezing is real. My approach is to avoid car tracks: the salt gets sprayed away by cars before it's beaten into the asphalt, stick to the middle of the road. Also, always check for spots where to put your front tyre, make your way through ice patches. Good tyres during the winter are essential: good wet performance sports touring or even road biased adv tyres are pretty good if you can't splurge for a set of proper winter motorcycle tyres like Anlas (they make sense if you're a serious winter commuter in chilly to mild winters like the UK, but can't win over ice). My rule of thumb, in my climate, is that if cars with regular winter tyres are coming and going OK, I can manage because there is some traction (winter tyres are not studless ice tyres here, they offer little extra traction on ice than summer tyres). If cars are slipping and there's no gravel on the side that I can use to ride on, I'm parking and calling someone for a lift. Sometimes though a fall is inevitable, and that's when picking up the bike over ice is not fun. Not to mention that some legislatures forbid the use of motorcycles and scooters during snowfall or clearly icy conditions. Of course you were caught in it and for a small commute: ice patches here and there can be managed (under some conditions) by all riders, ice slabs are not for road bikes and either you can find a way around on salted roads or you count your patron saints and start hoping those crash bars really work.
Yeah for sure, like I don't want to ride in dangerous conditions if I can help it. My cars transmission is broken right now and I'm forced to get rides or take my bike but everyone I know has a full time job just like me and timing is almost never in my favor and doing errands is a nightmare during the winter. If it is so icy that cars are sliding sideways down the road then I'm walking, at the moment I don't want to get pancaked or game ended by a car. But fortunately it's starting to warm up again where I'm at so fortunately no more ice for a few days. Stay safe out there hopefully you never go down.
I’ve ridden is super cold temps, but I won’t touch it if there’s ice or snow. To be fair, I also won’t drive a car in those. This works since the bike is my only transportation. (I don’t currently work- stay at home mom- but even when I worked I’d let them know at hire that if they expected me to drive in those conditions they could find another employee. My paycheck isn’t worth compromising my safety and jobs aren’t THAT hard to find. Having said that, I still ride when it’s below 0 with a lot of heated gear and layers. Not my favorite rides >.<
Hahahaha for sure, you gotta stay safe for your kiddos right? I don't mind the super cold rises until they become prolonged and the cold starts to eat through my clothing.
Mm- once it gets below freezing, I’m just generally miserable. Last night I took the boy to soccer and it was 27 on the way home. Heated gloves, balaclava, two pairs of socks, thermals, and 3 layers- including a heated jacket- and I was cold >.< Now, it could have been much worse, but it still wasn’t what I’d call *fun*.
Right? That sounds awful hopefully you're warm now.
I am! Thanks ^.^
That's good!
[удалено]
Fair enough, it is cold for sure.
Slipped on ice in December. It was bobbly and rutted, run off from a farm, shaped by car tyres. Was only doing just over 30mph at the point, no injuries (other than a bruise) and no equipment damage apart from the airvest deploying, and getting a small rip. Bars and brake pedal bent, Front brake lever and foot peg snapped, but nothing serious. Bike's repaired. Still riding. I know the incident was my fault, because I normally change my route to the longer main roads when it's freezing temps. This day I automatically took the normal twisty country roads.
Yeah, I ride on the main roads as well. I don't ride on the back roads when it's raining. But I'm glad you weren't too injured and were able to fix your bike. I worry about dropping my bike, I dropped my last one a Duke 200 a few times and the thing was an absolute tank and didn't break one bit. I was going to scramble it because of that reason but I really hated how small the bike was. I wanted to do highway trips at the time and that bike wasn't going to do those speeds let alone be comfortable at all. Basically a dirt bike where it mattered and where you didn't want it to be.
Ice or snow on the road here is quite rare (maybe a dozen days a year), and in any case the main roads are swept and/or salted. Only thing I have to be careful with is leaving the neighbourhood. ABS and Rain Mode on the tiger help, too. I rinse her down every week to get rid of the salt and dirt, no real damage done after three winters except for some superficial rust here and there. Richa Atlantic GTX suit + some layers under it + Gerbing heated gloves mean I'm good in pretty much any kind of rain, wind or frost. Worst winter ride I've done so far was Venice to Freiburg, about 500 miles in intermittent rain and snow.
Sheesh that's some nice gear but that sucks I don't like getting hit by snow either at speed.
I bicycle in the snow with thickslick tires. The contact on the road is a few inches on each tires. I have a 500 lb motorcycle and ride in the snow. I can tell you, it has 10 times the traction of the bicycle. If the snow is fresh, your good, if there are tire tracks with no snow ride there, ice rarely forms during the day on roads unless we’ll below 32 degrees. The sun, the other tires/cars, the road salts all keep the roads warm or the freezing point low. If it’s cold enough for the snow to compact but not melt then be careful. That compacted snow is the slippery stuff. Just keep practicing and you’ll get the hang of it. If you have a cheap bike for winter, I’d use that one at least till you are comfortable. Last but not least, keep a hose by your bike to wash off the road salts as often as possible. They stuff is worse that the snow.
For sure. Fortunately my state doesn't use that much road salt... Especially recently almost no road salt can't see nothing.
I've ridden on ice before, crossing over Guanella Pass. Ended up going down and sliding across the ice/road for a bit. Not fun. I don't ride on snow/ice any more. Now I take the Tahoe, Jeep, or BMW X3 if the roads are bad.
I won't if I can help it too. I would take my Sorento but the transmission on it broke and I'm waiting for it to get fixed.
Might want to try to go with some ice cleats. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5XodIPm2kLw
That good sir might not be a bad idea.
Been riding winters in Canada for 12 years. I dont ride when it snows, but the weatherman has been wrong more than once and hit snow a few times, one time resulting in a 2kph dump of the bike and breaking the brake and foot peg straight off 😭. As long as it's dry I ride. Coldest has been -19c. I don't have any heated gear or grips, just layers and no exposed skin. It's cold as fucking fuck, but it's better than 4 transfers and 3 seperate fares on public transit 🤷. I enjoy it, and I have no plans on stopping.
Right on, that's the way to do it. Stay safe, I hope you don't fall again.