Winter risks

[Wave2k]

Due to my current car woes i find myself on a borrowed sv650s for this winter, its not glam and its not fun but am i the only one who would genuinely risk thier life on a bike in snow than get a bus.

I hate public transportation so much, i choose the bike every time.

£2 single or £1 Oyster, having a laugh.
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Ducati 1299 Panigale
2009 Corvette C6 z51
RS125->CBR400->RXS100->GSXR750K2->Ducati749S->CBR600RR5->TL1000R->DRz400->RSVR1000->Honda VTR SP1->CBR400->GSXR1000K6->Honda H100->CBR600RR3->Ducati1299

[Villers]

Ive been thinking about this more and more.

Many moons ago I would travel on the bike all year round and I would think it was funny that people would lay the bike up for winter and not bother.

Now five or so years on I have a wonderful bike in the garage on an optimate, fully comp insurance, all the gear and quite a lot of riding capability. When the cold weather and bad roads come around I chicken out, I never used to so whats changed?

Its become obvious to me, its the value of the bikes Im riding coupled with bitterness from past experiences that have killed my love for biking. Ive read threads about people riding in snow and ice and all I think is if I had a 125 crosser or something really cheap and shit then I would probably do the same, if a smashed 300 quid helmet was the most I had to lose then as long as I was warm I would be doing it too.

I dont know where you are wave but my road traffic is bad too, so much so that I can do 12 minutes in summer on the bike what would take an hour in the car, even worse in winter. I think next year Im getting some kind of shitter and getting back to basics for the winter, might make me appreciate riding and the hayabusa that little bit more.

P.S I tried the bus and decided it was better to pay the extra to go in the car than freeze my bollox off and sit shoulder to shoulder with some snoring old bugger!
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RS125 > CBR6 > SV650S > ZX636R > GSX1300RZ Hayabusa > 06 RSVR Mille > SV1000S > Street Triple 765 RS

[G]

No, you are not the only one...
https://gees.zenfolio.com/img/v4/p997657825-3.jpg
</picturewhore>

I don't have a problem with public transport*, but I do like getting up later, which precludes that or my own four wheels for getting around.

*Well, ok I do, especially if there's school kids around, but it's not that intolerable for me.

[Wave2k]

I have a car (see sig), but unfortunatly its laid up probably till spring, which leaves me with my first bike winter since i passed my test 3 years ago.

I know what you mean about expensive bikes, although i did used to ride my 749S in the winter sometimes.
Im in SE london, traffic isnt too bad, but as you know get closer to central and its gridlock.

for you G

https://photos-g.ak.fbcdn.net/photos-ak-snc1/v1969/104/57/513334194/n513334194_1241174_9109.jpg
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2009 Corvette C6 z51
RS125->CBR400->RXS100->GSXR750K2->Ducati749S->CBR600RR5->TL1000R->DRz400->RSVR1000->Honda VTR SP1->CBR400->GSXR1000K6->Honda H100->CBR600RR3->Ducati1299

[Villers]

Good picture G!! I thought you had a car Wave but didnt mention it in case you had got rid or whatever
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RS125 > CBR6 > SV650S > ZX636R > GSX1300RZ Hayabusa > 06 RSVR Mille > SV1000S > Street Triple 765 RS

[Wave2k]

it has no engine, which is as good as

But luckily, due to extreme generosity a good friend has lent me his SV650 (which we share).

think i need to get my own bike soon though, wont be anywhere near as flash as me last ones though.
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Ducati 1299 Panigale
2009 Corvette C6 z51
RS125->CBR400->RXS100->GSXR750K2->Ducati749S->CBR600RR5->TL1000R->DRz400->RSVR1000->Honda VTR SP1->CBR400->GSXR1000K6->Honda H100->CBR600RR3->Ducati1299

[Kickstart]

[Wave2k]

after they agreed (in Principal), i believe they discovered how much it costed and basically thought fuck this.

Because i rang up trading standards and they said, forget warrenty unless you can prove its mechanical faliure of the part.

Now Audi say 80k with no time limit, car has FSH so you would think part faliure, then they say it was a Cam tentioner, which to my knowledge isnt even a servicable part, although most will advice to change at the service.

The garage which i bought the car from (remember i had the car for only 3.5 days and 130 miles) said as a 'gesture of good will' will pay half of the 4,000 min it will be to fit a new engine.

I dont have 2k to spend on a car so its already going to court, its just going to take a bloody long time.
Got the car NOV 20th, blew on the the 24th.
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Ducati 1299 Panigale
2009 Corvette C6 z51
RS125->CBR400->RXS100->GSXR750K2->Ducati749S->CBR600RR5->TL1000R->DRz400->RSVR1000->Honda VTR SP1->CBR400->GSXR1000K6->Honda H100->CBR600RR3->Ducati1299

[Ben.]

just buy something shit and do it, something you wont care if the salt corrodes it and you drop it. winter isnt bad as long as you dont have a nice shiney bike.
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follow my racing season
Race bike - R6
Road bike - sv650

[trevoriv]

Nearly ended up on my arse on cold tyres covered in salt on slippy cold road, sliding all over the show trying to aggressively get out of a busy roundabout.
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Past: '96 Thundercat, '02 ZX636R (A1P), '58 KTM 690 SM LC4 Current: '06 ZX636R (C6F)
Mudskipper wrote: Someone just has to sig that...

[Pickledswede]

I still ride my ped to college- determined to prove to myself that 2 wheels is a practical method of transport al year round.

I refuse to spend £5 for an hour on a shitty bus which makes me feel ill with a load of people I've had enough of after 5 years of school.

I much prefer to spend half an hour freezing every part of my body off and probably sliding down the road frequently than get on the bus!

Besides I can leave after the bus and get there before it

I love my 2 wheels.

[Kickstart]

[Wafer_Thin_Ham]

Did you used to commute down Pentonville road past Angel Wave?

I used to see a 749S/R, then an 08 mille on my commute to uni every day.

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[neil.]

I absolutely detest public transport and extortionate fares I'd have to pay (over £3000 per year) so I'll be hacking through many winters to come on my economical 125 which costs barely half that to keep going.
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CBT February 2008 | A2 June 2008 | Yamaha YBR125 (written off) | Honda CBF125 (current)

[instigator]

I don't 'do' buses.

But I do like the tube because I do a very quiet journey, despite being in the rush hour. Can usually get a seat everytime. Same commuting to and from work. Guess I'm one of the lucky ones.

Just sold my srad today so I have no other way of getting to work now anyway!

[Wave2k]

The tube is about the only form of public transport i can bare, even then its grim, smelly and full to the brim of misery.
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Ducati 1299 Panigale
2009 Corvette C6 z51
RS125->CBR400->RXS100->GSXR750K2->Ducati749S->CBR600RR5->TL1000R->DRz400->RSVR1000->Honda VTR SP1->CBR400->GSXR1000K6->Honda H100->CBR600RR3->Ducati1299

[pyx_e]

I had to go from the southern edge of Bristol the the northen edge this morning in the rush hour. Frosty, bit of snow roads = shitty and damp. I had to be there by 10.00. I would have had to leave by 8.45 in a car, left at 9.30 on the bike. Good gear made it not unpleasent (the ride back an hour later was even nice). I just can't do sitting in a box getting my tits off any longer. Longing for warmer weather though, mostly because it make biking more fun.
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Shiney!
Kawasaki: ER5, Versys, VN900.

[instigator]

[chris-red]

I hate public transport too, I fine riding through winter makes my fast road riding so much poorer and it takes till July till I have my confidence back up again to really push it.
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Well, you know what they say. If you want to save the world, you have to push a few old ladies down the stairs.
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[vt6]

I must be the only one that thinks f**k it and gets a taxi? No chance of riding in these conditions, already ended up on my arse once lol.
Only downer is taxi fairs are daylight robbery I really need to crack on and get something with 4 wheels.

[TechJinx]

[spike_Alike]

I'd rather use the bike to go into town in the snow than pay £4.50 for a 12 mile round trip on the bus.

I really hate waiting around for ages just to sit next to a smelly old person whilst some chav plays awful music on their phone, and getting shafted by the bus fair.
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Bandit 600

[colin1]

I reckon most people on here live in places with traffic. A bit of snow on the ground, and traffic is even worse as all the cars go slower than normal. It will always be easier for me to commute by bicycle or motorbike compared with commuting by car. Obviously commuting by bus is far worse.

As stinkwheel is fond of saying, there is no such thing as bad weather, only the wrong clothes.

For commuting on a bike in winter, i'd recommend ski trousers over bike trousers, and a feather puffer jacket under bike textile jacket. If you keep your core body temperature up, you can even ride without a visor to avoid visibilty problems due to misting up.

If I had a long commute with no traffic, I could consider commuting by car, but I doubt that I ever will.

I havnt got a problem with using a car at weekends or evenings when there is no traffic, but I'm not a fan of sitting in standing traffic when i could be filtering past it all.
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colin1 is officially faster than god

[Deano]

i dont ride my r1 if the weather isnt rite for it as I simple wont enjoy it, not that im scared of it but it just seems pointless adding miles and devalueing it even more than i have to. would you buy a r1 with 80k on the clock and how much less than a bike with less than 30k?

i have a 2 stroke ped at the moment and it is absolutely hating the cold at the moment with the carb icing making the bike just cut out and stall all the time which is quite frankly pissing me rite off. its getting quicker to cycle the 7 miles on my pushbike at the moment which i normally do when there is snow or when i have the energy to do it.

[Villers]

Sounds like some of you get royally shafted when it comes to public transport. Its a pound each way for me to the 12 miles to work and back each day.
Im just watching the news now and they are pulling a car out of a ditch after its hit some ice, that coupled with the amount of salt on the roads is enough to make me want to start the warmer weather without a smashed bike

The physical cold of it all isnt really a bother to me, its the damaged bike that worries me
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RS125 > CBR6 > SV650S > ZX636R > GSX1300RZ Hayabusa > 06 RSVR Mille > SV1000S > Street Triple 765 RS