Got winter on my mind

[Devils Advocate]

As someone who rides almost everyday during the year i`m not looking forward to this winter (if it`s gonna be anything like the last one).
I was on an expensive supersport 6 last year and it was a total nightmare staying on 2 wheels so there`s no way i`m gonna chance it again now that i`ve got an even more expensive litre ape.

I`m thinking of getting myself a cheap 125/250/500...some kind of trials bike with big knobblys on it....but i`m not sure if knobblys are actually any better in the snow/ice than touring tyres or full wets.
anybody know the answer to that?

also can anyone reccomend any bikes that would suit my purpose (riding in the snow/ice?)....cheap and reliable are the key points.Not too bothered about looks coz i wont care if i drop it anyway.

[ncrn]

I rode an ER5 during the winter this year and it was great as it is relatively light, has decent enough power but not tons of it and it tends to feel very planted. It faired ok in the snow but when it got really heavy I didn't bother riding, mostly as the uni had closed and the roads round my house had been closed.

The main benefit of the ER5 I have is there is minimal body work and I've managed to fit some pretty beefy crash bars to it so if I do accidentally the road then there isn't much to get damaged say compared to a fully faired bike.

The main problem with the ER5 is it rusts like nothing I've seen before, so I think you could be better off getting a honda CB500 instead?
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Past: 55 Sym Jet, 91 ZZR250, 03 NSR125R. Present: 97 ER-5.
https://www.nsr125.co.uk - NSR Owners forum.

[KevTM]

The only thing with small trail bikes (I assume you meant trail rather than trial as trial bikes are completely something else) is that they tend to get nicked by wee neds so they can rip up a field in them, poke holes in it, set it alight then dump it in a river.

So I'd (personally) get something super-cheap and small (125cc) or get something a bit bigger (400-650cc). XR's, DR's, KLR's etc. I have noticed trail bikes tend to hold a decent price though (for their age/condition/size).

I know knobblies are good off-road and I know they suck in the wet going over anything slippy (manhole covers, etc).. As tyres should last a long time I'm going for a more road biased tyre (continental escapes).. not sure if it's the best move for winter stuff but I think they'll make more sense more of the time than knobblies.

[neil.]

An experienced guy at work said that a light bike with little power is ideal in the slippery road conditions as you have less chance of losing grip on the back wheel and you can haul the bike up with your feet/legs if it does go unstable. I heeded his advice and did that a lot last winter in the ice and managed not to drop the bike once.

Give the bike a bath of ACF50 after washing once every few weeks to keep it from rotting away and be really strict on your maintenance like regular servicing, keeping the chain lubed and correctly tensioned religiously and watching the tyre pressures. Something like a CG with an enclosed chain guard to keep the crap out. Pirelli City Demon tyres (standard issue on CG's, but not on my YBR) didn't cause me any trouble. A C90 might be good as it has a bit of a fairing to keep the weather off ya but then again it's tyres are really skinny.
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CBT February 2008 | A2 June 2008 | Yamaha YBR125 (written off) | Honda CBF125 (current)

[G]

Knobbly tyres are worse in the wet, ice and snow - you have less contact patch and less grip. Also proper off-road ones tend to flex as you go around corners, leaving a rather weird 'wobbly' feeling.

I rode throughout the winter on my tuned downgeared zx9 and the problems I had were with the slightly iffy ten year old rear tyre. Front race tyre was fine. Proper wets are, well, good... but they'll wear quickly in the dry and do move about a little.

I'm not the best one to speak, but I'd suggest the best way to avoid crashing in these conditions is to ride smoothly; practice good observations and acting on them.

[nick606]

might be easier to just buy a cheap car. Im definately selling up and changing to cars this year i cba with it after 3 winters ive had enough.

[Devils Advocate]

cheers for the replies lads.

i`ve just been looking on biketrader for bikes under 1k and i came across something i hadn`t consider until now.Quad bikes!!!

Most of them seem dirt cheap,would deffo be more stable than 2 wheels and less likely to get damaged,and the wheels/rubber look perfect for winter slush and snow.
I think i`m gonna look into getting one but got some questions first.

1)..Are ALL quad bikes road legal or is it just specific ones?
2) Has anyone got any opinions or advise about wether they really are safer than a bike (in stability terms)
3) can i take one on the motorway (presuming it`s 125cc or above)

Someone mentioned getting a cheap car but tbh i don`t wanna do that coz it`ll cost more in tax/insurance and once winter`s over it`ll just be left to rot in my drive......whereas i can find other uses for a bike or quad all through the following year.

[G]

Eh . Quad bikes tend to be less stable going around corners. Though in winter, they may just slide, rather than flip over and land on your head.

Quads can be fun, but for the road they seem to be the worst mixture of a car and a bike. Off-road bikes still seem more fun, on road quads seem totally pointless really.

Yes, you can take them on the motorway, just hope you don't have to swerve suddenly!

[colin1]

quad bikes only make sense if you want a bike and havnt got a bike license
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colin1 is officially faster than god

[craigs23]

My CG repeatedly tried to kill me last year, my CBR didn't, so I sold my CBR.

The XR125 I use now's okay - lots of the charm that my CG had, with arguably more durability. "Interesting" handling in the wet, even in this supposed summer we're apparently having.

I'm not sure how much longer I'll have it though. Got a Superfour which will soon be used everyday.

[baldy]

I found knobbly tyres to be fairly good in the snow. Never spun or slid, even on the ice. Plus they cost nothing to replace.

I would go for something like a xr250/400, Fairly light and simple, air cooled and next to no electrics. I've now done 4 winters on my xr400 and it's still going strong.

[Devils Advocate]

[Mord]

I'll get a cheap car for this winter. Last winter I was on my RS125.. I'm not going to do it again.. It's not the low temperature or slippery road what makes me think about getting a car for next winter though. It's the salt. It slowly eats the bike.

I'd rather have a shitter car for winter. Eventually under a grand 250-400cc bike.

[G]

A trial bike - as suggested before, no, a trail bike is probably what you're thinking. Even then, not really - personally I don't think trail bikes offer any advantages over a light weight bike that's less high, while they have several disadvantages.

I think the best bet is a normal bike and learning not to crash .
Get a cheap car and monthly insurance if you think you will only use it in winter if you're stuck on four wheels - a lot more sense than a quad.

If you lose the front or rear on quad, you won't fall over. But you may spin out, which could still lead to some nastiness. Ice is best avoided in all vehicles without sharply studded tyres really.

For the one week we've had snow this year, I don't think it's worth buying a separate vehicle at all. I certainly wouldn't be buying one that'd be getting stuck in traffic jams and leaving me exposed at the same time.

[bazza]

https://forbesontech.typepad.com/.a/6a00d83451ba0169e20115700f25d7970b-500wi

You know you want to.
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"That's it. You people have stood in my way long enough. I'm going to clown college."
'98 Ducati 750SS, '08 Suzuki GSX650F ©2004-2014, Bazza's Harmless Banter

[LeeR]

I rode my DL1000 through the winter on all but 2 days this/last year.

I rode it on ice and snow, but when the snow got to 3-4" deep that's when I stayed home.

tbh unless you live somewhere that has regular and persistent snowfalls coupled with sub-zero temperatures you're best off getting the bike that does the job most of the time. (it's the 80-20 principle)

It's similar to buying two sets of gear summer and winter, we have so few really hot days that it's just not worth the expense to have a set of summer gear that hangs in the garage 360 days of the year.

Questions I'd be asking myself are:

How far is the journey? (5 miles or 50 miles, comfort can be an issue)
What type of roads are they? (town, country, m-way)
What is the traffic density? (heavy requiring filtering, or light)
What is the local weather like? (windswept moors, rain-soaked valleys, misty mountain passes...)

Based on this I'd go for a bike that suited me and did the job the majority of the time.
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My claim to fame: Austin Vince nicked my pen...

[Devils Advocate]

Cheers again for the replies i`m gonna have to give this some serious thought.I`m 99% sold on the idea of the quad (coz my girl can use it on the farm too)...but it`s just a question of looking at the bad points for on-road use and deciding if i`m prepared to deal with them.
The main problem i suppose is getting stuck in traffic jams...and also how much motorway riding i`ll be doing.Apart from that it all looks tikkety boo
One thing i know for sure though is i will not take the rsvr out when the weather turns.No way,no how,no chance!

[G]

Note the motorway comment applies to anywhere that you may need to swerve suddenly while at speed. Quads aren't very good at this generally.

[Devils Advocate]

Point taken.
if i get one i`ll certainly be extra cautious and ride accordingly.

[craigs23]

I do prefer the upright, slightly higher stance that my XR has to offer - but not solely attributed to winter riding. Enables me to see over the tops of cars a little easier, and I don't tend to get so much glare from passing car headlights - I guess the beam of light doesn't strike me to directly in the eyes.

As mentioned earlier, the amount of grip and superior chassis was advantageous on my CBR - especially when those grip levels decrease in the middle of winter. However, I was happier on the CG - I guess I didn't care if I chucked in down the road quite so much. I dared the odd pretend 'power' slide every now and again too, thanks to the Indian made nylon tyres.