Any Winter riders
 

So now the summer is ending and it seems set to do nothing but rain I was wondering how many of us are all weather riders. I use my bike to commute more than anything so I'm out in all weathers. It's been awful these last few days in the UK, huge puddles to manouvre and all sorts but the bike seems to mange it all well. What about you guys, do you treat your pride and joys with warmth and loving kindness or do you force them out into the tick of it too?

Same here in Guernsey, I ride all seasons to work and back, well, when I have a license :P

My CBR stays inside most of the winter, mainly because of how the cold temps affect the handing and tire grip. My tires would never heat up in sub freezing weather.

I do pedal to work a lot throughout the winter but that's another topic.

I ride thru winter.

Pretty tough but I manage. :)

Actually riding here through the summer is WAY harder.

I've always found it hard riding in winter as I only have leathers and they do not keep you warm in sub zero temperatures. I try to put layers on underneath but it's never enough, and boy does it ruin my hands!

They do a fine job in 100*/100% humidity tho. ;)

I've spent the last few days soaked through, pretty uncomfortable too! But it's the price we pay when we love riding so.

yep, year round. long as i stay fairly warm and all the way dry when it rains, im happy in any riding conditions.

Nice, I love riding and get all exited when I'm getting my kit on for a ride, be it to work or for pleasure and be it in all weather. A little apprehensive at times when it's icy and what have you but still exited. I've dreamed of bikes my whole life, ever since I was a wee bairn I've always wanted to ride motorbikes and now I do Whoo hooo!

Awesome! I also ride to work and use my f4i generally all year. It's still been fairly mild weather here, but getting some chilly evenings. In the past I've always layered up heavily for colder weather, but this year I invested in some cold weather and waterproof riding pants. They arrived this week, can't wait to see how they hold up once it gets colder. I also ordered my first leather jacket (up until now I just had a summer mesh riding jacket) and I'm equally excited to see how it will hold up to the cold.

pretty much as long as the roads aren't closed and there's no hurricanes blowing me off the road i ride. which reminds me i need to invest in some better winter gear this season...

I'll ride till:
The snow flies
-or-
It gets below freezing...

Thats good to hear, It's not very often I encounter other cyclists on the road when it starts getting cold but the ones you do encounter seem to have more respect for each other and make sure they nod or wave.

The CBR lives outside in the weather. It is my daily ride. I don't even have a car. The wife gets the cage. I also have a 1098s that gets to stay inside and come out in the sun, which in Italy is quite a bit. LOL.

Yeah, mine lives outside too, but we don't have as much sun over in the UK.

My wife road all year last year if it wasn't snowing she was riding, me, I'm a fair weather rider regardless whet people say I like the heat

i was going to say - my riding season is just starting...

If its dry ill ride until the snow or salt hits the roads. Putting my bike back together this past march after painting....we finished it at 5 am (took a good 6 hours to put wheels and fairings back on without scratching or messing up the clear).

My buddy said I could pick it up that night, but I had the itch BAD to ride. So I rode it home. 28 F with 17mph wind.

I tried getting on the highway as its the fastest way back to house but only lasted about 11 seconds.

Cold usually doesn't bother me on the way to work etc. When it gets pretty cold I just use to it commute. No joy rides at sub 45 F.

Winter is the best time of year, imo.

Air is super dense, engine is able to shed maximum heat so the bike is running at it's optimal.

No BUGS!!

Another benefit...the leaves are down and your sight-lines are at their maximum.

I've always either bought or installed a fairing on all my bikes, so I'm only dealing
with actual air-temp. Knowing how to layer helps, as well.

I used to call it a day when the temp was below about 28f. This past season,
I've upgraded to Gerbing heated gloves/jacket and socks. Now there really
aren't any limits.

Ern

Winter rider here :icon_bike:

Where are you riding in winter?
I ride in winter too, but in Southern California that's not exactly a hardship. :)

Nope, not me.... if it's under 70 I won't ride...
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Oh wait..... nevermind =-/

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(that's ice, inside the visor)

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I ride all year round so long as the roads are clear (the above wasn't exactly planned, lol).... I've got heated grips and heated jacket which help out tremendously so I stay nice and warm. Our winters here in western NC generally aren't all that bad though, sometimes a little snow but nothing major. Last winter was awesome... no snow and very mild

Thats impressive, riding in the snow too, what was your traction like?

...Or rain so hard you fear drowning... Don't mind the rain as long as it stays outside my gear, if it's really pouring it always finds a way in. Plus if it's raining in the morning when I'm leaving to work I normally won't ride cause I have to keep the wet gear on the cab of my truck the whole day and they keep fogging up my windows... I've invested about 800-900 euros to riding gear this season to be able to ride longer, but I gotta admit when I'm walking the dog before I leave, it's pitch black dark, I'm dead tired and it's drizzling cold water, that warm, dry, comfy car looks mighty luring beside the bike... Can't say how long I can still ride, the days are still oddly warm but right when I'm leaving to work @ 5am it can be freezing cold... Wonder where I could get one of those heated jackets, I looked once and there's about one or two stores here that sells them and they were just stupid expensive...

Hmm, looked again, thermalution FIR vest @ 159e. Tempting...

Dont get me wrong Ive ridden in the winter below freezing temps..

But when there is a couple feet of snow on the ground theres no way a bike is getting through that lol cars can barely get through it..

I don't know how you guys do it. Anything below 50, and I store the bike haha.

as long as its not deathly cold ill ride here and there in the winter and no snow and or salt on the road lol freaking Chicago lol

Oh blimey I hear what your saying Mattson, i too have the same feelings when I am up early for work getting my bike sorted and the nice cage is sitting there with it's heaters and demistifiers I think "she'll not miss it just this once!"

I had a KLR 650 last winter, rode all winter. I installed heated grips on that bike. I am planning on trying to ride this winter, it will be a judgement call from day to day, depending on ice, snow and how salty the roads are.
I just bought a heated vest, just have to install the power port for it to plug in to.
Lets see how the weather goes this year.

^^^ Jared's always riding somewhere...rain, shine, or snow! ;-)

This will sound selfish, but it is what it is.... As bad as we need snow here to extinguish these forest fires that are ravaging our state, I hope we have a late winter, or at the very least keep the snow up in the high country...
This time of year is about the only time I ever regret leaving California... But then again I think about how much that state sucks and the regret doesn't last long :icon_lol:

I did when I lived in FLorida but in RI your gonna be buried for a good part of the winter. :(

shout out from the boston area.. i'll check back into this thread when snow finally falls and i start my winter upgrades..:)

I've taken the plunge into commuting on two-wheels, but I am really apprehensive about the coming winter!

The weather lately has been really wet and windy. Side winds at crossroads/junctions in the city have taken me by surprise. I was prepared for them on exposed sections of road and going over bridges, but I suppose wind gets chanelled between corridors of buildings and then cuts across. Should have been obvious really, but now I know.

The wet has been a bit hairy too. I was turning a long, banked corner and started to drift sideways! I got it back under control nice and smooth but I was kind-of pooping myself just a little bit.

Last winter was really dry, but as this is going to be my first biking winter, I'm going to forecast plenty of rain and snow. Most likely around 6:30am!

Have you thought about buying one of those cheap plastic walk-in greenhouses? I bought one for £25 from Aldi so although my girl lives outside she's protected from the worst of it.

Get a battery tender, and invest in a good quality, one-piece, insulated rain-suit.

Spend the bucks on decent gortex gloves, and consider getting some pull-over
rubbers for your boots. A neck scarf or bacalav is also recommended. Silk/nylon glove
liners are the bomb, too. Yeah, it'll cost a bit and is a chore getting in/out of the gear,
but if it's your day to day-24/7, you owe it to be comfortable and dry/warm.

It's also a safety issue. Hypothermia inhibits your ability to comprehend and react to
danger/conditions.

Ern

Yeah I've been really tempted to get some silk liners for my gloves. I've got a silk liner for my sleeping bag and it improves the heat retention by loads! Camped out in Snowdonia in -5C conditions, snug as a bug :D

Cool. I fancy some of those myself but I first need to look under some rocks for any hidden money!

I will be riding this winter, i wont have to every day though. I'm using an er500 to get to work on at the minute but i will have to change the tyres as in the wet they are awful, they slip and slide and do not inspire confidence at all :(

I used to ride all winter. Any more if there's moisture on the road and the temp drops below the high thirties the bike stays parked. Plastic for a 21 year old CBR is too expensive/hard to find. And my old body doesn't heal as fast as it once did.

Or maybe age brought wisdom. I dunno.