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Cold Weather Bad for Motorcycle Engine?

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Rode in cold down to around -10 or less for almost the last 2 decades. No issues. But as said, traction is low and you need to dress properly. Heated gear helps, I have heated grips with wind deflectors. I wear regular clothes under an oversized set of 1pc leathers and a ski jacket over that. Hands and feet are the bits to need extra warmth.

New rider and new bike....your choice. Gotta start some time, but your first year might not be it. Depends on how comfortable you are riding. Be VERY careful if you do.
 
OP I can recall lighting a small fire in a can to warm up my Honda 305 way back and I rode all winter for years in Uni - even in the snow.

Still enjoy cold weather riding but you do need extra caution with traction. Ignore the salt issue and don't be washing the bike all the time. A current machine will start instantly and you should just ride it away but don;t wind it out till you gauge shows warm.

It's your gear that will limit you. You need to be wearing armor including knee protection.
Poly long under wear, Balaclava, heated grips or gloves, 3 season ballistic jacket.

You can get decent 3-4 season motorcyce jackets used. Cold weather riding is difficult to do cheaply and be comfortable.

Many here rode all year last winter tho that was unusual.

Your bike is fine ...it will love the dense cold air ...you ?? maybe not so much :D
 
Matt Rain said:
IMO the salt argument is totally overblown, but yeah, cold pavement can be surprisingly slippery even when dry.

That said, I've ran errands in -8c weather inside the city limits. Wear layers, keep the bike upright and stay under 45-50km/h. S'fine.
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Fully agree....adding to what Matt said, avoid abrupt gear changes, abrupt braking, abrupt acceleration/speed change.... unless you want to carve a donut...
I would agree with others that if it's your new bike just be patient and wait for the summer. If you want to really take it out, take it out on a day where it "feels like" +4 and above...

Be safe bud!
 
I was told by a car mechanic years ago that colder air actually helps your engine run more efficiently.
This concerned auto engines but it strikes me the principle should be the same for motorcycle engines.
Personally, once the first snow flies, I'm packed away for the winter.
You shouldn't have any trouble with salt for another few weeks if you live south of Hwy. 7.
Someone commented on another thread earlier today that they are already laying down brine near Yonge and Hwy. 7.
 
Blackfin said:
Once salt has been put down it's basically there until a few sustained spring rains wash it away. Dry roads in winter appear to have a white hue to them because of the pulverized and powderized salt. Riding on even "dry" roads will still coat the bike in a film of salt.
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Also the sand.

Seems like this new rider will be riding their new bike this winter.
Can someone monitor the fallen rider section...
Soon to be a good deal on a starter bike in need of minor repairs.

@Alexyan - leave the bike alone, covered and parked. If you don't trust yourself give ALL of the keys to someone else.
You won't listen until the bike hits the ground THEN you will say damn I should have listened.
Bike is new and you are in one piece NOW...the outcome depends on.......YOU...be smart.
 
Goku said:
Fully agree....adding to what Matt said, avoid abrupt gear changes, abrupt braking, abrupt acceleration/speed change.... unless you want to carve a donut...
I would agree with others that if it's your new bike just be patient and wait for the summer. If you want to really take it out, take it out on a day where it "feels like" +4 and above...

Be safe bud!
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And all of you are forgetting something CRITICAL...you all have riding EXPERIENCE...you know how the bike works, you know how to ride, you KNOW...this guy has no clue.

I wish all of you knowledgeable/experienced riders would say NO...anyone stop to think if he loses control and the bike hurts/kills an innocent person just walking on the sidewalk or driver/passenger in a car...it could be you or your family/friends.
 
-D- said:
And all of you are forgetting something CRITICAL...you all have riding EXPERIENCE...you know how the bike works, you know how to ride, you KNOW...this guy has no clue.

I wish all of you knowledgeable/experienced riders would say NO...anyone stop to think if he loses control and the bike hurts/kills an innocent person just walking on the sidewalk or driver/passenger in a car...it could be you or your family/friends.
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My bad D....Fully agree with you! I missed the section where he said he was a newB. In that case, don't risk it bro.... you have the whole summer to ride. Store it neatly and read tons of material about your motorbike. This will help cometh summer
 
MacDoc said:
OP I can recall lighting a small fire in a can to warm up my Honda 305 way back and I rode all winter for years in Uni - even in the snow.

Still enjoy cold weather riding but you do need extra caution with traction. Ignore the salt issue and don't be washing the bike all the time. A current machine will start instantly and you should just ride it away but don;t wind it out till you gauge shows warm.

It's your gear that will limit you. You need to be wearing armor including knee protection.
Poly long under wear, Balaclava, heated grips or gloves, 3 season ballistic jacket.

You can get decent 3-4 season motorcyce jackets used. Cold weather riding is difficult to do cheaply and be comfortable.

Many here rode all year last winter tho that was unusual.

Your bike is fine ...it will love the dense cold air ...you ?? maybe not so much :D
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this
 
-D- said:
And all of you are forgetting something CRITICAL...you all have riding EXPERIENCE...you know how the bike works, you know how to ride, you KNOW...this guy has no clue.

I wish all of you knowledgeable/experienced riders would say NO...anyone stop to think if he loses control and the bike hurts/kills an innocent person just walking on the sidewalk or driver/passenger in a car...it could be you or your family/friends.
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I said No.....sort of
 
lol. I was hoping he has a clue and can self evaluate. But if not, then NO, don't do it since you are a new rider and still gaining experience. Do not try, do or do not. Don't do it.
 
PrivatePilot said:
It's good for performance, but it's not necessarily good from a wear/longevity standpoint. On piston powered aircraft for example it's quite common for them to have shutters to control air flow over the cylinders in order to avoid shock cooling related failures. Close the throttles on an extremely cold day while still maintaining signifigant airspeed causes a drastic change in engine temperature all of a sudden which can be stressful and even cause the engine to come apart in extreme situations...that are not exactly unheard of in aviation. The shutters can be selectively closed before such power changes are applied in order to minimize and virtually eliminate the risk.

All that said most of this doesn't directly translate to the average ground based air cooled or liquid cooled engine, but it's important to keep in mind that the operation in cold weather does have potential wear and tear issues for *any* engine, although as I mentioned in my first reply there's nothing specific to motorcycle engines per se that make them any different. Your car engine doesn't "like" extreme cold either, but yes, performance may benefit.
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links for above?

also?
"The shutters can be selectively closed before such power changes are applied in order to minimize and virtually eliminate the risk."
 
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Cmon ya old farts.....he's not going to leave the bike in the garage when it's warmish out ....you forget what it's like ??????

There is good advice in here but parking it is not in that mix.
 
I rode in freezing temps with a mere 3 months of experience. Looks like OP is likely to do the same 'cause he's in the honeymoon period. Putting the shiny new toy away is hard.

Obviously, if you're the reckless and non-situationally-aware type, don't ride in the cold. It's all about assessing risk and adjusting to it.
 
yodude said:
links for above?
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Google "cowl flaps airplanes" and there's lots of reading. Here's the controls for them on a Piper Seneca, for example.

Picture7.jpg
 
Matt Rain said:
I rode in freezing temps with a mere 3 months of experience. Looks like OP is likely to do the same 'cause he's in the honeymoon period. Putting the shiny new toy away is hard.

Obviously, if you're the reckless and non-situationally-aware type, don't ride in the cold. It's all about assessing risk and adjusting to it.
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I feel bad for him as i know how it was when i first got my bike (November)

All i can tell you is that nothing can prepare you for cold weather on a bike, or wind, or rain or any combination of the aforementioned.

Try not to do it, as tires are cold, engine reluctant (although could be warmed up), you have too many layers and is hard to move, paranoid with new bike, cluth cable is tight because of the cold, your tire temp is for the summer (and not deflated a few PSI for winter) etc....

As everyone else said before ... get a good motorcycle jacket and pants for the winter and a few layers of clothing, heated grips, (your head will be ok in almost any helmet but your face will still get cold and your face shield foggy), let the engine warm up (enough say 1 min or so), deflate the tires by about 2PSI or so, a neck warmer (this will save your neck quite literally). Do a few rounds in your neighborhood before heading out. Braking .. buahahah ... you got no brakes (they are cold) so give yourself plenty of distance. Tires are cold so give them time to bite (acceleration & deceleration)

Report back how it was ... we are interested
 
Let us know when you bin it sometime this winter lol.
I've ridden in the winter quite a few times, not recommended for a newbie.

When did everyone become so nice on GTAM? Haven't been around in a year almost... Things have changed. Guess the ban hammer has been swinging more often!
 
Matthew.Tremayne said:
Guess the ban hammer has been swinging more often!
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I don't think anyone notable has been banned in a long while, at least as far as I've noticed.

Yay for civility, even when one disagrees.
 
Alexyan said:
i heard its bad for the motorcycle engine to ride it in cold weather (such as below 0 Celsius).
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As has been said the bike will he fine. You on the other hand... You need the right gear to ride in the cold. It will cause fatigue quickly which is bad for a new rider. Black ice also tends to be nasty and freezing rain/sleet is just miserable to ride trough.

I do remember doing it without good gear or heated grips back in university.... Young and foolish but I lived and learned.
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