Riding in the snow

[Alexio]

I didn't stop riding this winter and as such I've now fallen off of my bike three times. How about you? Will be interesting to see just how many people are fair weather riders
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will never give up his CG. I look at my fuel gauge more as a progress bar than a fuel gauge.
G: With my GSXR I do often effectively use it as a scooter with a clutch in town.
ms51ves3: why does it need 500 miles? Are you teaching it how to be a piston?

[chris-red]

I did ride in it, but I also got the train a few times because I couldn't be arseholed with it.


It's not fun, it's not clever and usually leads to pain and/or damage.

I've ridden in some of the heaviest snow I have ever seen over the past 2 winters. I can't be bothered with it now.
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[Redoko]

I've ridden pretty much every day...

It's been spill free (so far...) couple of almosts... But on the whole it's been alright.



I don't really enjoy it because I enjoy snow and riding, but not together. It's just more hassel and everytime I go out I'm risking my bike... Which if you're in my situation in life it's not a good thing. And it's the last thing I need at the moment.

I will say I can't wait for dry roads and going over 50...
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[MarkJ]

Same as Chris really, done it all before and don't see the point - if I go on the bike it either means leaving a car on the road while I'm at work (our road is a hill that gets icy, don't fancy someone ploughing into the back of the car) or parking the bike up somewhere once out of the drive and reversing the car back in, running back into the house and putting the car keys away, same procedure when I get home. The time I save going on the bike is all lost with the extra faffing around putting the car back in the drive etc. Then when I get to work the road is also steep and ungritted, and I dropped it there the first Monday back after Christmas. The bike's a long way from immaculate though so no biggy.

Bike will be back out when the road at work stops being an ice rink - tomorrow or next week hopefully.

[R6_Rider]

I guess I am the typical fair weather rider, I enjoy riding my bike but it's only a hobby for me and I use the car for the winter. Understand it's some people's form of transport and wish them all the best throughout the winter!

Si
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2000 Blue R6 - 2002 Rear undertray - Tail Tidy - Akrapovic Can - Tinted Black Screen - Datatool Gear Indicator - Full Plastic Re Spray 03-02-09 - Datatool Veto/Evo Alarm - Rear Hugger

[Feasty]

I've ridden in the snow the past couple of winters and it's great fun, I like the fishtailing and haven't hit the deck yet!
However once the ice started to set in that is an entirely different matter, things get a lot more dangerous and so because I've been able to borrow a family car I haven't used my bike for the past couple of weeks. I'm hoping it'll thaw out next week for the bike though as I can't keep affording the insurance costs of £50 a week! Never mind the fuel costs...
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Previous: Aprilia Habana Retro 50cc (beauty), Yamaha SR125 (fell apart), Honda XR125 (nippy little commuter), Honda SLR650 (Geewhizz), Yamaha Diversion 900S (Smoooooth) written off courtesy of a stupid escaped horse.
(7 year gap), BMW F650 (Relaxing ride). Aprilia Caponord ETV1000 (Big and bold). Yamaha FZS600 (got me in trouble too quick!).
Current: Yamaha TDM 900 (Comfy, light but big, power when needed).

[Flip]

[Bubbs]

I rode out in the snow and it's just plain stupid. I suppose if you have a bike with decent tires then it could be fun but not when your in London rush hour on a shitty YBR, and your slipping and sliding all over the shop. Got shunted from behind by a car which dropped me onto my face (only 5-7mph). Then snaked my way back to Surrey at very slow speeds.

I think it's the slush I found worse though. Snow gave me slightly more traction
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Life begins at the end of your comfort zone.

[Muscle Bike Rider]

Bikes all tucked up safely in the garage till things improve. As I've not long returned to bikes I dont feel confident enough yet to ride in bad weather and would much rather improve my skills before attempting the more challenging aspects of riding a bike. Plus I'm a lot older now and dont bounce as well as I used to
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Previously Known As A5tra_G
Old Bikes :2010 Kawasaki ER6 F & 2000 Honda VTR Firestorm
Current Bike : XJR1300

[Serendipity]

Yes I was forced to ride in the snow on the first day, and no I didn’t enjoy it. If you ride in snow it’s only a matter of time until you fall off. Ride for long enough in proper snow and ice it’s inevitable, no matter how good you are, and my bike is simply not prepared for it.

A FireBlade with limited crash protection is going to get expensive pretty quickly. Plus possible damage to me and my kit. My other bikes that may be more appropriate for the conditions are both laid up for repairs.

I’ve not crashed in snow, but I have come damn close. I’ve crashed on ice before where I knew it was going to be icy, I was going quite slow, I felt the steering go light and pulled the clutch in to try and coast over it, then WHAM! I was sliding down the road on my arse. I didn’t touch the brakes or make any steering input, but nevertheless it still went down. The patch of ice was so extensive that the car behind me nearly span out and it took ages to pick the bike up because we were skating all over the place.

I’m lucky that I’m close enough to work that I have alternative options. Since the snow in December I’ve driven two borrowed cars and when they weren’t available I used bus, bicycle or walked. I’ve only used the Blade a couple of times in nearly a month.

This period of winter weather has been quite exceptional in my 17 years biking experience. Normally in the UK when it snows you take the bus on day one. By day two the main roads are open and you’re back on the bike. On day three the rain comes and the snow disappears for another year.

If this pattern of weather is going to be the norm then I will give serious consideration to buying a car or small van for next winter. If the ice doesn’t disappear pretty soon I will be buying a four wheeled vehicle now.

I say four wheeled vehicle because a road legal 4WD quad is not out of the question…..
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2016 CBF1000F - Commuter heaven | 1994 CBR600FR - Awaiting defibrillation

[locked]

I rode in the snow a few times during this big freeze but i don't enjoy it, its more hassle than its worth. Just too worried about dropping my bike.

And when I get home i've gotta wash the salt and shit off as i haven't got ACF50 applied yet.
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on the look out for my next bike....
CBT Passed - 13/09/09 Theroy Passed - 19/12/09 Mod 1 Passed 04/05/10 Mod 2 Passed 14/05/10 - Free to ride ANYTHING!
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[G]

Perhaps you should clarify if we’re talking in ‘snowy conditions’, minor snowy roads, or in continuous settling snow .

I choose the bike for transport, not for ‘blagging rights’, as some suggest, but because it best fits my ‘needs’ - to get from A to B as quickly as possible with as little hassle as possible.
It does require some adjustments to riding and kit, but so far I seem to have fallen over and damaged my vehicles a lot less than those using cars or walking.
I do have a working car which I could and have used (big shopping trip, going sledding etc) as appropriate. Being a fairly powerful rear wheel drive, it’s not ideal, but I found it performed better than many lighter front wheel drive cars when I let the tyres down (as with the bikes, some changes need to be made to kit, vehicle and driving style too.)

To be fair, I’ve realised having some off-road experience probably does give me a bit of extra confidence with bikes sliding around. However, a lot of it is that, I suspect, I’ve just slowed down more than others.
Sure, in some cases I’ve even being slower than the cars, but still the vast majority of the time I get to my destination quicker than I would in a car.

Spinning 1.5t of metal worries me more than 140-200kg of bike for the possible consequences.

[Flip]

[nasty]

I rode through last winters snow which was fun until I came off

This time around I put the bike away in the garage as it would cost more to fix the bike if it broke than it does to take my car to work.

Gonna try and put some cash away this year to get a winter hack though because I hate not riding my bike
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ZX6R F3

[G]

Can probably get a tatty ZX6R F model for not too much - then you've got lots of spares if you have issues with either.

[The Shaggy D.A.]

I'll ride in anything if it's a return journey. Given the choice, I've been taking the car.
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[ms51ves3]

My bike was tucked up at the beginning of December.

If I had a job to get to I would be riding in it, but I don't so there is no need to ride.

[BlackStallion]

I have no choice, but to ride in all weathers, because my bike is my only transport.

I've ridden to college 3 days a week, every week, since the first snowfall. I've also travelled 70 miles to a mates house in Norfolk, done that same journey about 3 - 4 times in all the horrible weather.

Luckily i haven't had a spill, had quite a lot of scary moments, like my back wheel slipping away from me, my front wheel nearly went from underneath me when i hit some black ice, and i thought i was going to come off when i came round a bend and hit a manhole cover, which was literally a covered in a sheet of ice, it was a death trap.

Apart from the ice, it's when the snow turns to slush, that's when it becomes deadly. I was going to college at 20 with my feet down the whole way, when the weather was at it's worst, but it seems like it's slowly clearing up, and today was much milder, it wasn't bitterly cold like it has been, but there's still some slush lying about.

If i can afford it, i'm not going to sell my 125 i have now, to get myself a Bandit, i'm thinking of keeping it for next winter, because i think it handled well, and even in the worst of weathers, it's still a thrill to ride. Be nice to keep as a winter hack

Just have to see

Can anyone reccomend some bikes as winter hacks? Some good cheap bargains, something for about £400 max?

[The Artist]

It is fun and it is clever.

My bike has been broken for the past week so I missed out on a large chunk of "ice riding," but today was the first proper day I have been out riding and my god it is so fun.

My bike is rusty, covered in shit and not really been looked after this winter. Various things need doing but it doesn't stop me having a brilliant time.

There is a back lane near me, today it wasn't sheet ice but a cross between compressed snow and ice. Still white but flat and really slippy. I went round it at about 25 and it was brilliant, loved it. I felt awesome and even though in reality it wasn't a huge slide it was fun. Setting off in 2nd or even 3rd to maintain wheelspin to the end of lanes etc. Then hitting a bit of clean tarmac and suddenly pulling forward.

Best fun evar.

[ncrn]

I got caught in the snow the last Tuesday, I binned it twice on the A40, eventually slid down a banked corner because I couldn't get any grip at all and had to ditch my bike; recovered it on Thursday finding it like this;

https://i55.photobucket.com/albums/g123/ncrn/bikeinsnow.jpg

Started up first time on the button so I'm quite impressed with it .

I've done a fair amount of riding on the ice and snow, and it was hard work I didn't really enjoy it as I had to get to Cheltenham from Bristol daily, I resorted to getting a lift with someone I work with though I still had to ride to his in the mornings which was entertaining some days to say the least .

If I had a lighter bike I think it would have been a lot easier..
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[Irn-Bru]

Rode my scooter all through the winter last year, hated it, but it wasn't too bad at all. This year since I've got a bike I actually value I haven't taken it out in over a month (since I passed my test basically). Can't wait for decent weather now though, really miss riding
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KTM 990 SMT & Suzuki DR-Z 400 SM

[J D]

Rode a Gsxr 1000 back from work at 6 in the morning took me 3 hours to do 3 miles to my mates house
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m0l0t0v wrote: Chris, just so you know, JD is a nutter

[andyscooter]

rode the last few years and wrote off two bikes

this year the company has moved so only takes thirty minutes to walk so i do ather then risking my bikes
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gilera runner vxr200 (chavped)
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[Nb]

Put mine away for the snow, im not keen on dropping my pride and joy and fucking it up, which would happen cos i have short legs . Its a no brainer when i have a car to use while my wife is on maternity leave. Snow sucks.
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[27cows]

I rode in it but I'm not sure 'enjoy' is the right word to use I had a few near misses and slithered around a lot, but I managed to stay upright, mostly without riding feet down. Then again I've had 20 years of practice on the bike I was on through the bad weather. Did four miles on the Bandit and came within two inches of a serious crunch

The snow has all gone now, thank feck.
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