A "winter" bike

[DrSnoosnoo]

I just want to be told if I'm just being stupid with my thinking, or whether it makes sense to the BCF lot.

I ride a ZZR6 to work everyday, no problems, 6 miles in and out. NOW, the winter is upon us and I'm considering getting a smaller bike.

Smaller in the aspect of weight, at 200kg the Z is no lightweight and is a f*ck3r to pick up when it's down. And also the plastics get broken very easily, footpegs are renowned for simply snapping off, etc etc.

I was thinking of getting a bike with a more upright seating position, the Z is by no means a lay down bike, and obviously a smaller engine so it should be lighter.

I know of the usual suspects of a cg 125 etc, but I've been wondering whether an "off road style" bike might be good for those winter months? Think along the lines of Honda XR, MTX, Yam Xts obviously with suitable tyres, not knobblies and not "sumo", probably a more trail oriented tyre.

My thinking is that these bikes have been designed with off trail riding in mind which means these bikes will get dropped sometimes (or often) meaning a low speed slip of the rear wheel won't break a hundred parts off the bike so I could brush my broken hand off and ride away?

TLDR : Are off road style bikes better for winter than a ZZR6?

Thanks for your opinions guys (and gals)
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I'm Sam; Northern, Ginger, Lover
Did have: '95 ZZR600 '83 CG125 '97 ZZR1100 '15 Hypermotard 821 SP Do Have: '10 ZX10R

[G]

Off road also means higher ground clearance so it doesn't ground out on rocks etc. This makes it harder to keep upright on slippery surfaces with your feet down and harder to pick up.

Crashing off road is often 'softer' (though I ripped the bars off my Husaberg after going in to a tank slapper on fairly some mud once).

[Matt B]

If you want a winter hack that can take a drop then maybe you should look at a GS500 with some engine bars fitted. If they can/could stand up to students binning them on DAS courses then you should be fine.
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stinkwheel: He had an animated .gif of a cat performing fellatio. It's not socially acceptable. It can have real life adverse effects on other people.

[DrSnoosnoo]

[stinkwheel]

MZ 2-strokes are great in winter conditions. They have torque but not a lot of power and aren't too heavy on the engine braking if you hit snow/ice. Easier to keep them coasting on a neutral throttle if you hit ice.

Single cylinder bikes seen best for getting traction. I suspect it's because they kind of jerk the wheel round rather than smoothly turning it.
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“Rule one: Always stick around for one more drink. That's when things happen. That's when you find out everything you want to know.”
I did the 2010 Round Britain Rally on my 350 Bullet. 89 landmarks, 3 months, 9,500 miles.

[G]

[Matt B]

No your not being an idiot in your thinking regarding something for the winter due to the weight of the ZZR. I know exactly where you are coming from because my Pan weighs in at around 300kg and when it starts to slip and slide it is not a nice experience. Your theory is sound but I think your choice of an offroad bike is flawed.

EDIT - just had a thought... how about a brand new C90 copy for £600. Surely that would make an excellent winter hack?

See here on Garth's post https://www.bikechatforums.com/viewtopic.php?t=279960
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stinkwheel: He had an animated .gif of a cat performing fellatio. It's not socially acceptable. It can have real life adverse effects on other people.

[stinkwheel]

[Jefr0]

I'm in quite a similar position to you.

I use my CBR 600 (91') for work and if it snows/ice then I get my Honda XR 125 out.

It's lightweight, wide bars to counter any drifting, good tyres for snow, if I drop it, it's easy to pick up and won't leave any real damage.
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Rides: Honda XR 125 ('03) Honda CBR 600F ('91), Ducati 916 Biposto ('95)

[DrSnoosnoo]

I've seen a few MZs going recently. Never had a 2 smoker though, might be a good reason to try one ...
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I'm Sam; Northern, Ginger, Lover
Did have: '95 ZZR600 '83 CG125 '97 ZZR1100 '15 Hypermotard 821 SP Do Have: '10 ZX10R

[chris-red]

It's 6 miles, get a push bike, they are much easier to pick up.
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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.
Skudd:- Perhaps she just thinks you are a window licker and is being nice just in case she becomes another Jill Dando.
WANTED:- Fujinon (Fuji) M42 (Screw on) lenses, let me know if you have anything.

[truslack]

Best winter bikes I've ever ridden, were Honda H100s, or if you need a bit more power then a 2 stroke MZ.

Jawa sidecar was amazing in the snow and ice, if a bit hard to control!


For me, this year the beast is coming back out of hibernation:
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Current: Suzuki RG 125 Gamma, Honda H100, Triumph Tiger 800XC, Suzuki SV650 (minitwin)

[G]

For the really nasty stuff - spare set of wheels with studs in the tyres.
It is going to cost, unless you bodge the studs, but if they're dirt tyres you can run at low pressure (rim locks please), should give you a pretty good chance of not dropping it any conditions the UK can throw at you.
Still won't be good in fresh snow, but normal bike tyres are too thin for that. On that, you could consider something like a van van, but I don't know if they are as usable as the bikes who's style they are aping.

[DrSnoosnoo]

Get a pedal bike? I did enough of that when I worked in Huddersfield. Really can't be hooped and can afford the petrol.

I've looked at the likes of a Yam TW and Suzi Van Van, not bothered about top end, there's one section of national speed limit for about half a mile, the rest is 40. Which may or may not be abided by on the Z
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I'm Sam; Northern, Ginger, Lover
Did have: '95 ZZR600 '83 CG125 '97 ZZR1100 '15 Hypermotard 821 SP Do Have: '10 ZX10R

[fozzym]

Get one with 4 wheels and a good heater!

[G]

[truslack]

[Cheeseybeaner]

If you want something which doesn't damage easily and can be readily dropped and picked up MZ ETZ250s are pretty much ideal. Fixing after a spill is really just a case of hammering back or bending the footrest bar back into shape! They're very easy to ride on loose surfaces up to a bit of snow and slush without worrying about losing grip whatsoever. They tend to be appreciating in price now however for their status as iron curtain oddities....
I don't know how bad the conditions you're expecting there are going to be but I haven't really felt the need to have a separate bike purely for winter though my Diversion will be far more useful than the ZRX1200 once it sets in. Though heavy that's a bike which is very stable on all kinds of surfaces, no fairing lowers to break and didn't have much trouble riding it through several winters, very difficult to come off them!
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My bikes: 2003 KAWASAKI ZRX1200R, 1996 YAMAHA DIVERSION XJ900S

[G]

I reckon I got them from here - https://www.supatracks.com/best-grip-screw-in-ice-studs.html - I was very pleasently surprised with their performance.
They are expensive, but hardly wore down for the limited use they did get (which included plenty of riding on dry tarmac).

[c-m]

[DrSnoosnoo]

[truslack]

Honda H100, buy it for £200, use it, crash it, sell it for £200.

Weighs 90kg, and will do 60-65.
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Current: Suzuki RG 125 Gamma, Honda H100, Triumph Tiger 800XC, Suzuki SV650 (minitwin)

[karoshi]

KL600 or KLR650 with decent tyres for winter, the 600 even has a kick-starter. Having dropped a klr650 4 times in a day last winter I can confirm that they're fairly resilient.. mostly because the single cylinder engine is thin enough that it didn't even hit the floor

Kawasaki gt550 or Honda cb500, full engine cage style crash bars are available for either one, especially with the cb500 thousands of them were used at bike training centres for that reason.


edit: what about an old Honda XL125 or similar for some lovely John Conner themed commuting? monosyllabic austrian ex-body builder on Harley chasing you would of course be optional?
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Well, I've wrestled with reality for 35 years, Doctor, and I'm happy to state I finally won out over it. - Elwood P. Dowd

[BravoCharlie]

If you're tall enough and think you could save an off roader hitting the deck (but I assume you're considering them so it DOESN'T hit the deck) then go for it

I wish I'd have bought a naked bike or kept my marauder for the winter last year!

As for the GT550, they weigh a ton if it does go over (forgot to put my sidestand down once) but i felt sturdy enough on mine, and they sell reasonably cheap
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Current: Kawasaki ZL600 Eliminator
Past: Suzuki GZ125, Kawasaki GT550, Kawasaki GPX600R, Honda vrx400,Kawasaki Zephyr 750, Suzuki SV650 K5
Dream as if you'll live forever, live as if you'll die today.

[karoshi]