POLL: Cold weather riding... | Page 4 | GTAMotorcycle.com

POLL: Cold weather riding...

At what temperature do you park the bike for the season?

  • 10ºC

  • 0ºC

  • -10ºC

  • It's never too cold to ride!


Results are only viewable after voting.
I've seen these but wasn't sure it would stay in position. It looks as though it would fall down, wouldn't it?
A snowmobiles dickies will stay in place. Think about it, they typically run in much colder temps, rougher terrain, and often at very high speeds.

Don't bother with the scrunchy types, they are for bugs, not cold.
 
That’s my default too. 5C-10C with some Sun on my back, 10C+ if it’s overcast.
An electric vest makes it feel like the sun is always on your back (and tummy). Plugged in 5C is no problem.
 
An electric vest makes it feel like the sun is always on your back (and tummy). Plugged in 5C is no problem.
A beer belly does that too.
 
used to ride in -20. no longer. i can maybe tolerate 0 if im just zipping around town for a quick errand. 10 is definitely doable for regular riding though. as long as my hands aren't freezing im usually fine.
 
"
In fact, according to a Quebec, Canada highway safety code regulation that went into effect on December 15, 2014, only tires that meet the 3PMSF standard are considered to be acceptable snow tires for use in Quebec. The law specifies the winter months there as ranging between December 15 and March 15 each year. Winter vehicle requirements may differ by region, so it’s worth familiarizing yourself with what’s legal in your area before you go tire shopping.


While you’ll find many motorcycle tires that bear M+S designation, the Anlas Winter Grip Plus is one of the only (if not the only) motorcycle tires with a 3PMSF rating as of January 2022. "

Ask RideApart: Are There Motorcycle Snow Tires?

Edit: I'd have to go off size for the front tyre.
I believe that the law only applies to P.Q. registered vehicles. Tourists with money are exempt.
 
I don't trust the road when it's below 5. Had bikes skrrt sideways enough times when it was colder than that to be comfortable dropping the marker there. Maybe modern electronics would make that less hairy? But I also don't like salty bikes. I get plenty of riding opportunities the rest of the year
Exactly. The road temperature is more important than the air temperature, especially if a sudden warm day popped up. The road could be a lot colder for a while yet.

Under a bridge you could hit black ice, particularly if drainage from the surface above dripped onto the lower surface.

Snow banks melt, the melt water runs downhill and freezes when it hits the shade.
 
My comment is simply 15C because…

1. My tolerance for cold is quickly disappearing with age
2. Grip is garbage in low temps and black ice abounds
3. People don’t expect you in those temps. They barely see us during warm months and you expect them to see us in the colder weather?

I had a motorcycle blow by me today and it startled me as he came so close and i wasn’t Expecting him at all.
Ages ago riding a 125 Yamaha in 15 Cm of snow a pedestrian stepped in front of me, probably thinking nothing was moving. Braking and maneuvering sucks.

A bit of frost bite occasionally and the foam seat feels like an oak log.
 
About 7C is the cut-off point for me for local riding. I need double digits for extended rides.
I had to do a repair in a blast freezer once and spent eight hours in it with short breaks. When we finished we asked the regular workers how they could stand it and the reply was "We're in for ten minutes and then twenty minutes out. You guys are nuts."

The cold exhausts you out. After that one eight hour shift I was as beat as I would have been after working a triple shift.

There was a story going around the shop on the Danforth where I bought my first bike that a hardazz bet he could ride from the shop to another location in Oshawa only wearing jeans and a tee shirt. Apparently he went into a ditch around Port Union Road. Cold fatigue is real.
 
A trick I've been told, which doesn't help me on a Katana, is to place your hand on the motor at each stop to warm it up. For me, I could only fit a couple fingers inside the fairing, lol.
Special gear was rare back in the 1960s so I used construction type leather mitts on my 125 cc UJM Yamaha. When I got to a stop I would reach down and hold onto the exhaust pipe for a bit. One time I held on a bit too long and the leather took a set, curved to fit the exhaust pipe. Fortunately the exhaust pipe was larger in diameter than the handlebar grips and I could plug in.
 
Do the LCD dashes freeze? I've had it happen to electronic instruments.

Mine never have on my V-Stroms, at least down to about -25⁰c on a 20 minute ride back from the dealership with the bike having been outside overnight.

..Tom
 
I expected 90% of votes to be 10ºC. At 53%, I'm surprised I see so few bikes on the road when it drops below that temp.
 
I expected 90% of votes to be 10ºC. At 53%, I'm surprised I see so few bikes on the road when it drops below that temp.

Selection bias.

If you're on a motorcycle forum you're probably predisposed to riding more than the average rider who isn't interested in reading or posting about motorcycles on the Internet.

More die hards online.
 
Selection bias.

If you're on a motorcycle forum you're probably predisposed to riding more than the average rider who isn't interested in reading or posting about motorcycles on the Internet.

More die hards online.
Very good point.
 
Selection bias.

If you're on a motorcycle forum you're probably predisposed to riding more than the average rider who isn't interested in reading or posting about motorcycles on the Internet.

More die hards online.
The other issue is the choice selection. I don't put my bike away ever. Also, I don't ride as often when it's below ten, and not ever when it's below zero.

Be interesting to see how many would ride four hours or mre in the rain.
 
The other issue is the choice selection. I don't put my bike away ever. Also, I don't ride as often when it's below ten, and not ever when it's below zero.

Be interesting to see how many would ride four hours or mre in the rain.
I don't see an issue. Your answer would be 0°C.
That's true about the rain. I think I would take -15°C over pouring rain, but light rain doesn't bother me.
Visibility is my issue with heavy rain.
 
The other issue is the choice selection. I don't put my bike away ever. Also, I don't ride as often when it's below ten, and not ever when it's below zero.

Be interesting to see how many would ride four hours or mre in the rain.
My worst-ever riding experience was in the rain. I left Toronto in 20-degree sunshine with a sunny forecast for my 700km ride. it started raining hard as I headed north on 144, temps dropped to 14c. There's absolutely zero on that highway for hundreds of KM, so after warming a little at the watershed, I hammered along at 140 in the rain toward the 101 (it's a very moosey road at night and I wanted to beat sundown). Got 20km from my destination when I couldn't ride anymore. A friend picked me up, body temp had dropped to 93, it took 2 hours to warm up.
 
I expected 90% of votes to be 10ºC. At 53%, I'm surprised I see so few bikes on the road when it drops below that temp.
FWIW on a sunny day I can practically guarantee a bike will go past my street no matter what the temp is. On a cold one, it's 50/50 whether it's an ADV or a Harley
 

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