Who's still riding? Fall & Winter 2022 (& 2023!) edition! | Page 20 | GTAMotorcycle.com

Who's still riding? Fall & Winter 2022 (& 2023!) edition!

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Crossed over 5,000 km in 2023 on the way home yesterday.

Didn't ride today. Looked like it could get real sketchy later in the day.

..Tom
 
I'm changing my winter beater setup for winter 2023/2024.

I was considering some street legal light dual sports. New enough to be fuel injected, light enough to be had second hand for not too much, think CRF250, etc.

But now I'm wondering if the more off-road oriented tires wouldn't be more of an issue in the cold weather. Am I better off having more continous contact patch, like with a standard street oriented tire, as opposed to the more off-road oriented treads which would break contact more often?

Can someone school me on this please?
 
adri said:
I'm changing my winter beater setup for winter 2023/2024.

I was considering some street legal light dual sports. New enough to be fuel injected, light enough to be had second hand for not too much, think CRF250, etc.

But now I'm wondering if the more off-road oriented tires wouldn't be more of an issue in the cold weather. Am I better off having more continous contact patch, like with a standard street oriented tire, as opposed to the more off-road oriented treads which would break contact more often?

Can someone school me on this please?
Click to expand...

Depends on the surface. If it's asphalt and not snow/ice, then I think more contact patch is better than knobbies.

However, IMO, rubber compound is the critical factor over tread pattern. Most motorcycle tires turn into hockey pucks in extremely cold temperatures and lose their grip. There are special compounds that retain their grip in the cold (but wear very fast). For snow/ice, I bought a pair of Trelleborg (now owned by Mitas) Winter Friction tires, but they're knobbies for enduros/dual sports.

Here's one that's suitable for street bikes with 17" wheels:

MC-32 Winter | Mitas Moto

For the rider that needs to face the most difficult road conditions for any rider, wet roads at low temperatures. MC 32 WINTER features a special compound which maintains elasticity even at temperatures well below 0°C and the sipes improve traction on snow and/or slush*. For extreme winter...
www.mitas-moto.com www.mitas-moto.com

MC 32 WINTER features a special compound which maintains elasticity even at temperatures well below 0°C and the sipes improve traction on snow and/or slush*.
Click to expand...

My Winter Friction tires seem to have a better compound:

TERRA FORCE-EX HT | Mitas Moto

For the rider who doesn’t want to stop riding even in the harshest winter conditions or the hardest terrains all year round.
www.mitas-moto.com www.mitas-moto.com

The ICE compound, identified by the characteristics winter stripe is designed to be extremely durable for winter riding on partially or fully frozen grounds and remains elastic up to -15°C.
Click to expand...

But only 18/19/21" sizes available.

I did stud them up for snow and ice though, you're probably not going to want to do that (illegal in Ontario?) if you're just street riding on non-snowy days on the street.

Mitas aren't the only players, just the one that I have experience with.

Here's Heidenau's offerings for winter riding:

Snow - Heidenau Tires

www.heidenautires.com www.heidenautires.com

And Anlas also:

anlas.com

WINTER GRIP PLUS

The world’s first and only winter tyre The WINTER GRIP PLUS by ANLAS is developed for bikers with larger bikes who prefer to use their bike in any weather condition. The WINTER GRIP PLUS is designed…
anlas.com anlas.com
 
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I haven't tried them.
anlas.com

WINTER GRIP PLUS

The world’s first and only winter tyre The WINTER GRIP PLUS by ANLAS is developed for bikers with larger bikes who prefer to use their bike in any weather condition. The WINTER GRIP PLUS is designed…
anlas.com anlas.com
 
First season rider noob question.. when do you stop riding for the season? I'm not worried about the cold air as much but I'm curious to know when do you consider the road conditions titling towards"risky" "you're pushing your luck" "not safe" segments? I don't plan on getting winter tires (I know they exist) this year but curious to know when I should consider using the transit.

P.S. Ever since the schools started, I'm seeing a lot more traffic and erratic cager driving on the roads already.
 
hymnz said:
First season rider noob question.. when do you stop riding for the season? I'm not worried about the cold air as much but I'm curious to know when do you consider the road conditions titling towards"risky" "you're pushing your luck" "not safe" segments? I don't plan on getting winter tires (I know they exist) this year but curious to know when I should consider using the transit.

P.S. Ever since the schools started, I'm seeing a lot more traffic and erratic cager driving on the roads already.
Click to expand...

IMO, salt would be the showstopper for me. Unless you give your bike a good wash after a salt-ride, that stuff will eventually eat away at your bike.

When the trucks lay down that stuff, that's when I'd put the bike away.

That said, when I lived in Toronto, I used to sneak a ride out every once in a while during the winter when the roads were clear enough.

I'm lucky in BC, they use sand and gravel, not salt, so I ride year-round.

That way I can ride off-road... even on the street! :D
 
Lightcycle said:
IMO, salt would be the showstopper for me. Unless you give your bike a good wash after a salt-ride, that stuff will eventually eat away at your bike.

When the trucks lay down that stuff, that's when I'd put the bike away.

That said, when I lived in Toronto, I used to sneak a ride out every once in a while during the winter when the roads were clear enough.

I'm lucky in BC, they use sand and gravel, not salt, so I ride year-round.

That way I can ride off-road... even on the street! :D
Click to expand...
Salt is hard on bikes. The first year I had my Vstrom, I rode it every day the roads were clear over the winter. Salt corroded every zinc plated metal part ( fuel and brakes fittings, spokes, and most of the steel fasteners. )

The worst was the SWMotec pannier racks, in one season they were rustier than a 10 year old Pinto.
 
hymnz said:
First season rider noob question.. when do you stop riding for the season? I'm not worried about the cold air as much but I'm curious to know when do you consider the road conditions titling towards"risky" "you're pushing your luck" "not safe" segments? I don't plan on getting winter tires (I know they exist) this year but curious to know when I should consider using the transit.

P.S. Ever since the schools started, I'm seeing a lot more traffic and erratic cager driving on the roads already.
Click to expand...
Aside from the obvious, "Brrrr..too cold!" measuring stick, once they start spraying brine on the road I figure I'm done. As Mad Mike noted, the corrosion damage can be severe and isn't worth it to me.
 
This is why I keep a winter beater bike, so I can ride the little ugly thing all winter long, while the big shiny things stay sexy and clean.
 
Mad Mike said:
Salt is hard on bikes.
Click to expand...
Salt is hard on everything. Salt + water = acid. It kills any vegetation at roadside, FOR YEARS AND YEARS and kills any concrete it gets on, so they avoid using salt whenever they can... OH... and salt is expensive. I think they only use salt when there is already ice formed, to melt the ice.
What they try to do is keep the ice from forming in the first place, and last I heard the tool of choice was turnip juice, which lowers the freezing point to -10.
... no idea what turnip juice will do to a bike.
I've ridden a bike on ice. NO BUENOS. 2 rubber tires on ice and you're going down. No two ways about it.

Enter my idiot brother... he was a Metro motorcycle cop in the '80s and ENJOYED riding a sidecar bike in snowstorms. He says there is nothing like sliding the thing in a "S" (to get the sidecar in the air AND in front of you) to bash through a 3' windrow of snow. I think, maybe, mom dropped him on his head when he was young....
 
bitzz said:
Salt is hard on everything. Salt + water = acid. It kills any vegetation at roadside, FOR YEARS AND YEARS and kills any concrete it gets on, so they avoid using salt whenever they can... OH... and salt is expensive. I think they only use salt when there is already ice formed, to melt the ice.
What they try to do is keep the ice from forming in the first place, and last I heard the tool of choice was turnip juice, which lowers the freezing point to -10.
... no idea what turnip juice will do to a bike.
I've ridden a bike on ice. NO BUENOS. 2 rubber tires on ice and you're going down. No two ways about it.

Enter my idiot brother... he was a Metro motorcycle cop in the '80s and ENJOYED riding a sidecar bike in snowstorms. He says there is nothing like sliding the thing in a "S" (to get the sidecar in the air AND in front of you) to bash through a 3' windrow of snow. I think, maybe, mom dropped him on his head when he was young....
Click to expand...
I'll let you know.
 
Re: Riding on ice... Yeah... I live in Toronto. Aside from the odd laneway or mini plaza, I haven't had to ride over ice in forever in my riding all winter long adventures...

Solution: stick to where the traffic volume is and as long as you aren't leaving early in the morning, odds are you'll be riding on (cold, wet) pavement, no snow/slush/ice for over 80% of the winter. The other 10%-20%? I can just stay home. Others could take the TTC or the cage.

For four wheelers we only have my truck, but sometimes I'll take insurance off it for a month in the winter because I just don't do "truck stuff" that time of year. Two wheels is fine for me.

Fun fact: Workers used to be paid in salt in ancient Rome. Super valuable commodity. Used for cooking, and to preserve food. If you told them we had massive, taxpayer-funded machines, just throwing salt all over the roads, their brains would probably explode.
 
I don't winterize my bike except for a battery tender. I will ride any day that it is not TOO freaking cold AND the roads are bone dry, not even damp. We mostly use pickled sand on the roads up here and if it is completely dry it doesn't really spray up on the bike.
 
whats a good winter bike? Or is any bike ok as long as you have the right tires.. and gear to brave the elements?
 
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