Who's still riding? (Fall 2017 / Winter 2018 edition) | Page 9 | GTAMotorcycle.com

Who's still riding? (Fall 2017 / Winter 2018 edition)

When does the tpms flag the tire? My car lets them lose a lot of air before giving an alarm.
 
PrivatePilot said:
Reality is, as long as you ride with an understanding that you'll have less traction, you can ride a motorcycle down to whatever temperature you can damned well tolerate.

The people who think it's tantamount to suicide riding a motorcycle in below (or significantly below) freezing temperatures make me laugh. It's not like the tires suddenly reach a temperature where they have zero traction and the motorcycle becomes instantly uncontrollable. They stick just fine. Just don't try to corner and brake like a hot day in August, that's all.
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I don't have a problem with folks riding in the winter -- to each their own!

That said, this is a public forum and there are lot of riders here who have never ridden in extreme conditions and are probably reading these messages because they are curious or anxious to try cold weather riding. It's not as simple as easing your roll on, slow in corners -- there's a lot more to understanding reduced traction. If you want to ride comfortably and safely in cold weather, recognize the risks then prepare, learn and practice to mitigate them.

Things I do differently for cold weather riding:

Gear: Regular street gear is fine till about 0c. Below that and you'll start getting unconfortable after a few minutes unless your on a fully faired bike. Heated grips are nice, the most important thing is keeping your core warm -- layers and a good cold weather riding jacket. I thin belaclava will also reduce heat loss on your neck/face/head.

Bike: Big bikes are difficult to handle in the cold. Longer stopping distances, heavier in corners, heavy to recover if you lose traction. Torque isn't your friend in the cold, so you have to ease up rolling on and forget engine braking. I ride litre+ bikes in the summer and rode <250's in the winter. My favorite: Yamaha TW200 - rode one for a few winters it was great.

Tires. Most motorcycle tires will be hard as hockey pucks at 0C so you are going to lose traction when rolling on, cornering and most important -- stopping. From 80KM/hr takes an additional 5m more to stop at 0C than at 15C with motorcycle tires. Buy some used rims and buy some cheap Kenda or Shinko dualsport tires - doubles your traction.

Salt: Bikes are less tolerant of salt, so protecting and cleaning are more important in the winter. S100 is good for forks, frame, wheels and hard to reach places. Rinsing off at a local self-serve car wash or in your garage is also a good practice.

Hazards: This is a big one. There are more road hazards in the cold - sand, salt, leaves, water, swater, black ice. You also have to be aware that car drivers aren't as aware of motorcycles in the colder months.

I don't ride in the winter any more -- maybe I'm just too old. If you do choose to try winter riding, remember its' colder and more dangerous than summer riding -- but perfectly doable if you're prepared and your manage the extra risks.
 
Mad Mike said:
I don't have a problem with folks riding in the winter -- to each their own!

That said, this is a public forum and there are lot of riders here who have never ridden in extreme conditions and are probably reading these messages because they are curious or anxious to try cold weather riding. It's not as simple as easing your roll on, slow in corners -- there's a lot more to understanding reduced traction. If you want to ride comfortably and safely in cold weather, recognize the risks then prepare, learn and practice to mitigate them.

Things I do differently for cold weather riding:

Gear: Regular street gear is fine till about 0c. Below that and you'll start getting unconfortable after a few minutes unless your on a fully faired bike. Heated grips are nice, the most important thing is keeping your core warm -- layers and a good cold weather riding jacket. I thin belaclava will also reduce heat loss on your neck/face/head.

Bike: Big bikes are difficult to handle in the cold. Longer stopping distances, heavier in corners, heavy to recover if you lose traction. Torque isn't your friend in the cold, so you have to ease up rolling on and forget engine braking. I ride litre+ bikes in the summer and rode <250's in the winter. My favorite: Yamaha TW200 - rode one for a few winters it was great.

Tires. Most motorcycle tires will be hard as hockey pucks at 0C so you are going to lose traction when rolling on, cornering and most important -- stopping. From 80KM/hr takes an additional 5m more to stop at 0C than at 15C with motorcycle tires. Buy some used rims and buy some cheap Kenda or Shinko dualsport tires - doubles your traction.

Salt: Bikes are less tolerant of salt, so protecting and cleaning are more important in the winter. S100 is good for forks, frame, wheels and hard to reach places. Rinsing off at a local self-serve car wash or in your garage is also a good practice.

Hazards: This is a big one. There are more road hazards in the cold - sand, salt, leaves, water, swater, black ice. You also have to be aware that car drivers aren't as aware of motorcycles in the colder months.

I don't ride in the winter any more -- maybe I'm just too old. If you do choose to try winter riding, remember its' colder and more dangerous than summer riding -- but perfectly doable if you're prepared and your manage the extra risks.
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Great write up Mike.

I'd also add to the hazard section. Night riding. Dusk arrives early. Many people have difficulty seeing at night. Look into getting a hiviz vest or other measures to enhance visibility.

I had a rider on an EX500 on the QEW with a dim head light roll up at high speed. He was damn hard to spot.
 
Yeah 0 degrees and less... when i leave (or come back) = bike stays parked. Hope it warms up by a few degrees during the week. My gear can still withstand it...
 
Baggsy said:
When does the tpms flag the tire? My car lets them lose a lot of air before giving an alarm.
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I have TPMS through my Garmin 590 GPS. It allows you to set pressure warning levels that will pop up in the screen if pressure drops below them.

..Tom
 
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V-Tom said:
I have TPMS through my Garmin 590. It allows you to set pressure warning levels that will pop up in the screen if pressure drops below them.

..Tom
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Curious..
Do most TPMS, also give tyre temperatures? Thanks.
 
I didn't put it in my original post because I thought I'd get flamed. I drop my tire winter tire pressure to 18PSI, a trick I learned when riding atop glaciers in Iceland. Reducing tire pressure increases surface area and tire heating. Since your not running at the razor's edge on speed and cornering, the added traction is a reasonable tradeoff for lost performance.
 
18 is a little low no? Perhaps a drop of 5 psi should be enough? front and rear?
 
When does the tpms flag the tire?
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I don't have mine set - I just check at beginning of ride. Forgot the thing and with multiple glove layers could not be bothered. I suspect it was just slick from misty rain.
The CBF is known to be sensitive on the front to pressure and road conditions and I've always found Metzler's to have a different "tip in" than other tires. I only have a couple hundred k on them or less maybe.

Mine shows internal tire temp - can't comment on others.
 
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bigpoppa said:
18 is a little low no? Perhaps a drop of 5 psi should be enough? front and rear?
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I don't think there are any proven rules here. I found 18PSI cold was ideal for me.

I think the main point here is you can lower your winter tire pressure to offset some traction loss. How much will depend on your bike and riding style. My 200cc TW had a 180 rear tire and kicked out a whoppint 7lbs of torque at 3000rpm. I ran that bike at 10PSI all winter with no complaints. I ran my Ninja 250 with a $100 set of Duro HF308s at 18PSI (also great on dirt roads).
 
cycling said:
Curious..
Do most TPMS, also give tyre temperatures? Thanks.
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Only time I've ever heard of it is Macdoc mentioning it.

..Tom
 
MacDoc said:
I don't have mine set - I just check at beginning of ride. Forgot the thing and with multiple glove layers could not be bothered. I suspect it was just slick from misty rain.
...
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Nice thing about the TPMS built into the Garmin 590 GPS is that it slips in it's mount in any condition with any thickness of gloves on.

The TPMS is always there along with traffic and weather warnings.

Other thing about having alarms set is that they are always there without having to check them. It let me know of a puncture while riding last fall.

..Tom
 
just got back from a nice evening ride around mid town. Felt glorious after being off the bike a few days. Also did an oil change, chain maintenance and fuel stabilizer.

Sent from my SM-G930P using Tapatalk
 
Was out yesterday afternoon for a run. Felt great to be out, even better when the sun appeared. Saw 1 other rider yesterday we both noticed each other at the last second. Today should be a pretty good one to get out there.
 
I don't mount mine so cannot help you there. I have put it in the tank bag map cover.

•••

Looking good today but maybe no time. :(
 
Saw a guy on a black cruiser out and about today in my neck of the woods. I so would have been out there had I been able.
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