Bone Chilling Cold yesterday evening.... | GTAMotorcycle.com

Bone Chilling Cold yesterday evening....

Veej

Well-known member
I rode into work yesterday

Time: 7:45 am
Route: Scarborough-Morningside & Ellesemere to Downtown-Yonge & College
Temperature: -4

Not a bad ride, with Sun out the temps don't feel to harsh

Coming home was another thing, temp dropped to -4 again and with wind chill and no sun feels like -8 to -10 according to forecast

My Carburated 2004 Honda VTX stuttered for a good 20 -25 minutes into the ride until it warmed up enough even though I pulled the choke and let it idle for awhile before jumping on it.

I've been riding through the winters for a while now and can go till -6 after that it gets too cold with no pleasure in the ride.

Yesterday however was really bad going home due to no sun and at -4 with the wind chill, not only me but the bike felt it as well and she is usually fine. I did not wear the right under clothing and gloves either for this and when I got home my fingers felt like they were going to drop off and even after a hot shower my internals were still cold for next hour.

I think a few things contributed to the extreme cold feeling.

1) My body has not climatized to the cold riding yet due to sudden drop in temperatures from last week to this. Usually a gradual drop during fall to winter riding help the body bear more cold

2) Not the proper gloves and long johns- I didn't put my fleece long johns on and my warmest gloves

3) -4 with no sun feels way more colder than -6 and sun and possibly the wind chill was more as my bike usually can handle -6 in the morning with the sun better

For those who ride through the winter take care with these unpredictable drops and keep the extra layers on especially in the evening when the temps seem the same as the morning but feel much colder due to no sun.

Wonder if anyone else felt this yesterday evening.
 
I was out for a spin yesterday, out at 2PM (about -2) and home at 7PM (about -6) -- it was chilly! I wear a Technic cold weather touring jacket, tall Wellington riding boots, and winter riding gloves. I put a giant Madstad windshield and handguards (barkbusters) on my Vstrom -- they help. This bike offers zero element control for one's lower body and when you stop, there isn't engine heat or a hot spot to warm hands.

Before I got the Vee I rode an FJR -- way more comfortable in the cold. The fairings keep the wind off you, and the engine pumps heat when you're stopped at lights. Down side is a snatchy throttle, and frozen tires make the ride a bit scary.
 
Add heated grips....then even with the wrong gloves, you can manage.

Had heated grips years ago on a previous bike, it only warms the palm, which doesn't get that cold anyways, what gets cold is the knuckles and front of the fingers.
 
A battery blanket warmer :) makes for a really nice cheap motorcycle block heater.
 
.....frozen tires make the ride a bit scary

this is my biggest concern, rock hard rubber
not confidence inspiring
 
Cleaned out the garage today and moved the bike to the back. The car now has room inside. :D
 
I picked up a heated vest made by Tourmaster a few years back for about $200.As long as you keep your core temperature warm your hands and feet will also stay warm.I felt very comfortable in temperatures slightly below freezing that I normally wouldn’t have ridden in.
 
whoever jumps on 2 in Canadian winter is asking for trouble...
just sayin'


Sent from my iPhone using GTAMotorcycle.com
 
whoever jumps on 2 in Canadian winter is asking for trouble...
just sayin'

Buddy of mine told me a story of his friend who dumped his motorcycle on black ice and claimed the repairs on his insurance.

The insurance company asked him, "Why the hell were you riding your motorcycle in winter?"

He replied, "Why the hell are you charging me motorcycle insurance premiums in winter?!?!"
 
Buddy of mine told me a story of his friend who dumped his motorcycle on black ice and claimed the repairs on his insurance.

The insurance company asked him, "Why the hell were you riding your motorcycle in winter?"

He replied, "Why the hell are you charging me motorcycle insurance premiums in winter?!?!"

Savage.
 
Used to ride into winter.
One dump on black ice was all it took to convince me that it's not the wisest way of getting around.
One second I'm riding along; next thing you know, bike just flies out from under me and I'm chasing after it as it slid down the street. No thanks.
 
Had heated grips years ago on a previous bike, it only warms the palm, which doesn't get that cold anyways, what gets cold is the knuckles and front of the fingers.

Heated grips for the transition time between seasons. I added wind deflectors when it gets colder and my hands were fine into the -10C range.
f0pa3vO.jpg
 
Yep I put deflectors on my bike as well and find the wind just bounces off and back on my fingers. I think it was freak off cold day as my VTX does not stutter that much as it did that day, perhaps there was more moisture in the air than normal . Will be getting on the bike again when the weather has some consistent dry days.
 

Back
Top Bottom