I sit by a window at street level at work now. I see a few riders/day, no ss though, supermoto, dualsport, touring, cruisers. Honestly temp today was great with proper gear on. Feels like im clear for the rest of the week too (especially friday that will be up to 6 celcius)
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.
Been commuting every day still. I can't imagine that I used to commute all winter long, for the first few years of riding and had no proper gear, let alone heated gear. I used to freeze, to the point that I must have done some permanent damage. Now, riding with heated clothing on the highway for 20 minutes each morning at 6am and not even cold at the slightest.
I used to run Metzler Tourance's on the fronts and PR4's on the rear and was happy with that combo for cold weather riding. This winter it is PR4's on the front and back and have been very happy so far.
For those that live up north, is there sand on the roads?
I sit by a window at street level at work now. I see a few riders/day, no ss though, supermoto, dualsport, touring, cruisers. Honestly temp today was great with proper gear on. Feels like im clear for the rest of the week too (especially friday that will be up to 6 celcius)
I have about 450,000 km on Metzler Tourance and Tourance next's since 2006 and I really enjoy them on my V-Stroms.
As far as the comment macdoc made on faster funding in I would say it depends on *which* Metzler tires. The "next" has a Rounder profile than the regular ones which are more flat and as a result turns in quicker.
I suspect other models of Metzler tires have different qualities.
I really like the Tourance's but suspect for more street oriented riding I'd go with the Michelin PR4's.
I've always liked Metz but never liked the price. BUT $140 the SET for new Metzler Sportec m3 ........well I like them a whole lot.
( guy bought the tires and sold the bike ....they are a bit of an uncommon size so lucky me )
I won't go back to Michelin but not sure what next ....these should do me the coming season - we will see how well they wear. I'm not pushing the envelope these days....more distance sight seeing .... put 3,000 km in 4 days doing Ohio and a few trips like that and tires might be done..
Oshkosh alone will be 3k and doing the southern part of the BRP ( try again ) another 3k ....my season will end in July ( going to Australia in the dry season this time ) so this set might make it to a second season.
Trying to keep my bike costs down as I've decided to keep the CBF1000..poor old Wee getting no attention. Guess I should sell it.
Saw some snowflakes when walking the dog this morning... and was wet last night when i walked..so went against riding today... it did feel noticeably colder though so i think i made the right choice.
@shane re:gear, i tried that past 2 years, riding in the cold without proper gear and thought i was 'warm enough' ..this years just wow's me. a proper liner makes such a tremendous difference. so much so that i don't miss my heated vest (and don't need it)
i haven't felt any difference in handling though with my tires (also tourance next) but i don't try to push it either
You guys need to get a dirt bike with full knobby tires, I remember one day when I was leaving school (Central Tech, very long time ago) I had to dig through a foot of snow drift just to find my handle bars. Roads were almost completely free of car traffic and it was a hoot racing the streetcars off the line. Did you know those things have sanders :| they can hit a switch and sand pours out onto the tracks in front of their wheels.
On second thought maybe you shouldn't try that, I was pretty crazy back then and too young to know any different. But it sure was fun
The sand helps with traction but also jams up the track switches at intersections. That's why the driver sometimes gets out with that long crowbar and pokes around. At least that's what they told me. The new Bombardier streetcars use ground up $5 bills instead of sand.
They need to hurry up and implement Maglev technology, we already have the cooling to make it work in winter. I might even start riding the streetcars again if the do
:lmao: NOT! I really hated those things, thats why I rode the bike all winter.
... was a hoot racing the streetcars off the line. Did you know those things have sanders :| they can hit a switch and sand pours out onto the tracks in front of their wheels.
...
I start and finish work late on Wednesdays. I left Port perry around 10am. Temperatures were already dropping but the roads were still warm.
I hits streamer on the way in so it got incredibly messy. One little thing I learned a long time ago is keep a couple of micro-fiber cloths in the tankbag. One dry, the other wet. I use them as needed to wipe bugs off my faceshield and his time of year for getting the road spray off. Also wipe done the headlights, turn signals and brake lights/reflectors when I get to work so that when I leave I have light and visible signals.
One little thing I learned a long time ago is keep a couple of micro-fiber cloths in the tankbag. One dry, the other wet. I use them as needed to wipe bugs off my faceshield and his time of year for getting the road spray off. Also wipe done the headlights, turn signals and brake lights/reflectors when I get to work so that when I leave I have light and visible signals.
... One little thing I learned a long time ago is keep a couple of micro-fiber cloths in the tankbag. One dry, the other wet. I use them as needed to wipe bugs off my faceshield and his time of year for getting the road spray off. Also wipe done the headlights, turn signals and brake lights/reflectors when I get to work so that when I leave I have light and visible signals.
RainX reduces spray sticking to shields and lenses. Mechanics nytrile gloves keep your hands warmer and dry. A finger wiper is another cheap goodie, the cost about $4bucks.
RainX reduces spray sticking to shields and lenses. Mechanics nytrile gloves keep your hands warmer and dry. A finger wiper is another cheap goodie, the cost about $4bucks.
I'm pretty sure the coating I have on my face shield does similar stuff but would be (Happily!) surprised if Rain-X could do much better against the road spray that comes off of salted roads. Especially when trucks come by the other way or you pass one going your way.
Finger wipers are built into most of my gloves. They do a good job on a coated shield that is wet, but with salty road spray a thin film can be left behind that can dry and make the outside of the shield hazy.
I think Nitrile gloves (or dish-washing gloves) would be handy in a pinch. I'd be surprised if they would work well for any length of time in cold as they would tend to hold moisture in and make your hands cold. If you really want to do any colder weather riding there is no substitute for heated gloves (and Jacket.)
I'm not disputing your statement on heated gear, however, its surprising what nitrile gloves can do. It eliminates cooling from evaporation. Yes your hands get clammy, but that moisture only cools your hands when you peel the gloves off. Hikers use a similar tactic with vapour barrier liners in sleeping bags. It's kind of opposite to what you'd think, but it's been used a long time
...Nitrile gloves (or dish-washing gloves) would be handy in a pinch. I'd be surprised if they would work well for any length of time in cold as they would tend to hold moisture in and make your hands cold. If you really want to do any colder weather riding there is no substitute for heated gloves (and Jacket.)
I've never found them to sweaty or clammy - they do really help keep you warm and dry.
Staying warm is mostly a core temperature issue, keep your core warm with the right layering and jacket, wear winter motorsports gloves and boots relegate heated accessories ot a nice-to-have luxury. That said, I do like my heated grips!
This site uses cookies to help personalise content, tailor your experience and to keep you logged in if you register.
By continuing to use this site, you are consenting to our use of cookies.
