Whats the coldest you've ever ridden in? | GTAMotorcycle.com

Whats the coldest you've ever ridden in?

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dallasmcmahon

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Of course now that the weekend is coming, the weather is going to significantly drop. Got me thinking, what the coldest you've ever ridden in?

For me, it was sometime during the december break when it was like -4C. Just rode around within a 10 min radius from my house on the crf in niagara, then snowflakes started to come down so I headed home.

In the past 3 years, Ive usually been away at school during the colder months.
 
Coldest longer ride was at -2, for a few hours. Even with heated gear that took it's toll on me. I
 
-40ish. The key is wearing something around your neck to stop the draft.

I would much rather ride when its colder than around 0. Around zero you can get unexpected patches of ice and if it snows, its slippery as f#&%&.
 
GreyGhost said:
-40ish. The key is wearing something around your neck to stop the draft.

I would much rather ride when its colder than around 0. Around zero you can get unexpected patches of ice and if it snows, its slippery as f#&%&.
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jeez where did you ride at -40 ?
 
Last year at this time. Started off in Greensboro NC at -7C, heading south. Ice on the windshield melted as I passed Charleston SC... Heated vest, heated grips. Should've brought along a flask of whiskey fireball shooter to defrost more quickly in the motel room at the end of the day.

Probably had some colder rides in my younger days, just around town though.
 
The coldest I have ever ridden was probably around the freezing mark but it felt like -20. That was many years ago. TWN knows what I'm talking about.
 
-15 or so. I grew up riding snowmobiles and me and my old man were pretty seriously into the sport, so riding a motorcycle in the cold really isn't that much different IMHO - high speeds while exposed to the cold. -15 pales in comparison to temps we used to sled in.

As long as you're dressed for it, the temp doesn't matter a whole lot so far as being comfortable, although there is a point where you realize bikes are not built to handle things like a sled - tires are cold and stiff without much traction, and an older carb'd bike may object to the cold - I rode my VTX once in December at about -10 and it wasn't overly pleased about it..
 
dallasmcmahon said:
jeez where did you ride at -40 ?
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In January 2004 I put 10,000 km on a CB450SC while I was at school in Hamilton. Non-windchill temperatures were down to -30. The bike made great power (relatively) as the temperature dropped. I think I have been riding when it was colder but I can't point you to an exact date.
 
About -25 for me. I had sold my Jeep so my bike was my only means of transportation. I just wore my body armour under my insulated coveralls. I was only going about 5km so it wasn't actually too bad.

 
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I used to ride my dirt bikes all winter every winter with studded tires. I've ridden on days that were -40 with windchill. I also had a kx100 that I'd start on the trailer in my buddy's garage and leave it idling until we got to the lake. If I didn't, it wouldn't start for anything once the wind chill got to it on the trailer. Lol

Sent from my Le Pan TC802A using Tapatalk
 
Feb.13 this year

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Was out for 20 minutes and this happened at about the 15 min mark.

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That frost on the inside of the visor means you can't really see through it especially if you ride at night as the glare from headlights lights up the entire shield like a flashlight in your face. So I had to ride with the visor up. Not fun. Need a better solution to combat this frost buildup but don't want to go with a heated shield. Not to mention my hands were frozen even with heated glove liners but then again, I don't have heated grips. Holding a metal clutch lever in those temps is like holding an ice cube through a few layers of paper towel. Again not fun. I was thinking of ghetto wrapping it with hockey tape.

Riding in the winter is great in some ways though as you can get some shots that few others will get to enjoy. I have never ever seen another gasoline powered bike around when the windchill drops below -15 so there's lots of parking!

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mudmojo said:
Need a better solution to combat this frost buildup but don't want to go with a heated shield.
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Breath deflector for the win. You need your breath to go down out the bottom of the helmet not up into your visor. Always ride with the visor cracked in the city to keep air circulating behind the visor.
 
mudmojo said:
Feb.13 this year

Screenshot_2016_02_13_10_37_49_Custom.jpg



Was out for 20 minutes and this happened at about the 15 min mark.

20160213_181045_Small.jpg


That frost on the inside of the visor means you can't really see through it especially if you ride at night as the glare from headlights lights up the entire shield like a flashlight in your face. So I had to ride with the visor up. Not fun. Need a better solution to combat this frost buildup but don't want to go with a heated shield. Not to mention my hands were frozen even with heated glove liners but then again, I don't have heated grips. Holding a metal clutch lever in those temps is like holding an ice cube through a few layers of paper towel. Again not fun. I was thinking of ghetto wrapping it with hockey tape.

Riding in the winter is great in some ways though as you can get some shots that few others will get to enjoy. I have never ever seen another gasoline powered bike around when the windchill drops below -15 so there's lots of parking!

WP_20150216_16_59_27_Pro_highres_Custom_Smal.jpg
WP_20150129_17_11_27_Pro_highres_Small.jpg
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you my friend must really love riding that wr. How did you not wipe out ? and im guessing you'll be out all this upcoming weekend with the 1C coming friday.
 
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1985 From trade school (George Brown) Toronto to Sudbury. I don't know the exact temp but it snowed in Barrie and Parry Sound. I remember when stopping for fuel, I would warm up my hands behind the KerKer exhaust on my 1973 Z1 so I could use my fingers again. I was beyond frozen but I was also young and under warranty lol.
 
inreb said:
Just for the record, air passing thru a rad cools it. Thats why because fans.
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Yes, but the rad will never get cooler than ambient in the end, hence "windchill" is irrelevant. If a cold bike engine is -20 sitting in your driveway, it's still -20 going down the highway at 120KPH on an open trailer - even though at -20 with a 120KPH wind the "windchill" might be -60 (or whatever), the engine on the bike on the trailer is still gonna measure -20.

Wind saps away heat quicker, yes, but the human reference of windchill ("it feels like -30 when it's only -20") doesn't apply to chunks or metal, or anything else. That's the reason Environment Canada stopped referencing windchill some time ago, actually, as did many other weather agencies.
 
PrivatePilot said:
Yes, but the rad will never get cooler than ambient in the end, hence "windchill" is irrelevant. If a cold bike engine is -20 sitting in your driveway, it's still -20 going down the highway at 120KPH on an open trailer - even though at -20 with a 120KPH wind the "windchill" might be -60 (or whatever), the engine on the bike on the trailer is still gonna measure -20.

Wind saps away heat quicker, yes, but the human reference of windchill ("it feels like -30 when it's only -20") doesn't apply to chunks or metal, or anything else. That's the reason Environment Canada stopped referencing windchill some time ago, actually, as did many other weather agencies.
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Getting back to reality. He took the bike out of a warmer garage and put it on a trailer and fearing the much colder air passing over will cool it down in a windy way, he called it windchill. So he ran the engine. But you're right about windchill.
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