Is riding on the highway at 5 C a dumb idea? | Page 3 | GTAMotorcycle.com

Is riding on the highway at 5 C a dumb idea?

Some of us have lived long enough to be able to hold other people's beer.

Its all about risk vs reward. So, what would be the reward?
 
I don't agree with this personally.... i share gear between the two and have never had a problem, especially with gloves or mitts.

Which boots are you talking about??? If you're talking about Canadian Tire winter boots, I might agree... but boots designed for snowmobiling like Tobe's or others should have no problem on a bike.
Traditional snowmobile boots don't take bulk into consideration, just warmth...layer upon layer of rubber and insulation. I can't even fit mine between the peg and the shifter on my MX bike. Feel / feedback would be zero. That's why ice racers use thin layers of clothing and MX boots. If the sport was more common, there'd be a demand for thin and warm vs thick and warm. And more market research into finding such a thing. Notice the clothing and boots:

https://youtu.be/UxSiH5VonTE

I guess thin and warm research has been answered by heated gear. But heated gear is far from perfected.

I suppose you could ride a big cruiser with its massive shifter and foot rests in a snowmobile suit. Black ice will still get you tho.

This thread has gone off topic. The OP's question has been answered.

Edit: Just checked out Tobes. Are they as warm as traditional snowmobile boots?
 
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Traditional snowmobile boots don't take bulk into consideration, just warmth...layer upon layer of rubber and insulation. I can't even fit mine between the peg and the shifter on my MX bike. Feel / feedback would be zero. That's why ice racers use thin layers of clothing and MX boots. If the sport was more common, there'd be a demand for thin and warm vs thick and warm. And more market research into finding such a thing. Notice the clothing and boots:

https://youtu.be/UxSiH5VonTE

I guess thin and warm research has been answered by heated gear. But heated gear is far from perfected.

I suppose you could ride a big cruiser with its massive shifter and foot rests in a snowmobile suit. Black ice will still get you tho.

This thread has gone off topic. The OP's question has been answered.

Edit: Just checked out Tobes. Are they as warm as traditional snowmobile boots?



Bro, its gonna be +5, he can wear normal riding boots with thick socks lol.
 
Bro, its gonna be +5, he can wear normal riding boots with thick socks lol.
I know...we've gone off topic here into a new topic of interest: snow bikes / ice racing and the attire that's needed. A new thread is needed.
 
I hope the OP doesn't fall for the "man up and ride" guff. Riding cold can lead to weakness sneaking into your legs, arms and hands. It can be distracting and can slow your reflexes.

If you're going to ride, either dress properly for the ride or wait until it warms up some and conditions improve. No need to risk a wreck just to prove something to folks exerting internet peer pressure.
 
while riding in any weather can put a smile on your face, wait for a nicer day, you have the whole season in front of you.
 
I hope the OP doesn't fall for the "man up and ride" guff. Riding cold can lead to weakness sneaking into your legs, arms and hands. It can be distracting and can slow your reflexes.

I do agree with that, my statement was purely a response to the fact it's possible, if not necessarily wise considering the OP's situation/scenario.

I just get a laugh every time I see a thread where there's some question if you can actually ride a motorcycle in the cold, however. My response was pretty much tongue in cheek in that respect...as someone who was an avid snowmobiler for many, many years back in the era of real winters.
 
It'll be fine. I won't even stop commuting on my bike until the average temps drop below that.
 
Not to mention a new bike has a break in procedure and running it at constant highway speeds is not in the engines best interest during the break in period. I know there will be many people scoffing at break in rules. I have had 9 New bikes and followed the break in as close as I could and never once had an engine issue with any bike.
 
Your body core heat is more important than you'd think. The warmer the core, the warmer the blood that goes to your hands. But obviously hands get cold REALLLLY fast at those temperatures. Had to ride from qc city to mississauga in temps under 10 degrees. (got as low as 3 degrees). I had inadequate gear. I don't know how i survived. I had windbreaker gear on top of my gear which saved me most likley from some sort of hypothermia. I was cold in my BONES for hours after i came back. The sun setting made a big different in how cold i felt.

Reckless but i survived and learned to never do that again unless i have better (like my current) gear.
 
Cutting the wind is important. In the cold, I wear full leathers with a ski jacket over top, heated grips with wind deflectors. Only thing missing were heated socks, that would have made a big difference.
 
The bike's a 2015 Ninja 300 with little over 4k KM's, I'll probably need to change the tires this summer rather than worry about slick new ones.
Since the bikes plated & ready to go I can pretty much pick it up any day I need so I'll wait for a warm day to git er whenever that will be.
 
Shhh! You can't mention gender. Perhaps try "Where are all the hardy people?".

Funny, or I would replay with the laughing-out-loud acronym, but to some politically sensitive people that might be mistaken as an obscene symbol. There are offended people lurking everywhere. So ya, "hardy" is the right word. And to show what great unbiased sports everyone has become, have you heard the story about the marine?

A teacher asked her young students to get their parents to tell them a story with a moral lesson. The next day, the kids came back and one by one, began to tell their stories. There were all the regular types of stuff. But then the teacher realized that only Janie was left. “Janie, do you have a story to share ?’ ”Yes ma'am……My daddy told me a story about my mom. She was a Marine pilot in Operation Desert Storm in Iraq and her plane got hit. She had to bail out over enemy territory and all she had was a flask of whiskey, a pistol and a survival knife. She drank the whiskey on the way down so the bottle wouldn’t break on landing and injure her, but then her parachute landed her right in the middle of 20 Iraqi troops. She shot 15 of them with the pistol, until she ran out of bullets, killed four more with the knife, till the blade broke and then she killed the last Iraqi with her bare hands. Pin drop silence in the class! . ”Good Heavens,’ said the horrified teacher. ‘And what did your Daddy tell you was the moral to this story? “Stay away from Mommy when she’s drunk"…:laughing7:
 
Funny, or I would replay with the laughing-out-loud acronym, but to some politically sensitive people that might be mistaken as an obscene symbol. There are offended people lurking everywhere. So ya, "hardy" is the right word. And to show what great unbiased sports everyone has become, have you heard the story about the marine?

A teacher asked her young students to get their parents to tell them a story with a moral lesson. The next day, the kids came back and one by one, began to tell their stories. There were all the regular types of stuff. But then the teacher realized that only Janie was left. “Janie, do you have a story to share ?’ ”Yes ma'am……My daddy told me a story about my mom. She was a Marine pilot in Operation Desert Storm in Iraq and her plane got hit. She had to bail out over enemy territory and all she had was a flask of whiskey, a pistol and a survival knife. She drank the whiskey on the way down so the bottle wouldn’t break on landing and injure her, but then her parachute landed her right in the middle of 20 Iraqi troops. She shot 15 of them with the pistol, until she ran out of bullets, killed four more with the knife, till the blade broke and then she killed the last Iraqi with her bare hands. Pin drop silence in the class! . ”Good Heavens,’ said the horrified teacher. ‘And what did your Daddy tell you was the moral to this story? “Stay away from Mommy when she’s drunk"…:laughing7:

Easy for you to say, you have fur.
But don't forget this is going to be the person's maiden voyage on the bike, and perhaps maiden voyage on a bike.
That's why I'd opt for the low risk, high reward route.
 

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