Who rides out in low temps

[seeyalater]

Im new to passing my test, learned out in wet and rain so the weather doesnt phase me, but the low temps do.

I was hoping to ride today for the first proper outing on my new bike but its freezing, tomorrow is around 3-5 degrees here.

So how low do you guys avoid, i know it may vary on experience and need etc.

cheers

[Kentol750]

I pick my morning commute route along busier roads when it's dark and freezing. Once the sun is up and ground frost is fading I'm much happier to travel country roads.
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Some bikes.

[seeyalater]

makes sense buddy. the route i was planning should be busy, but temps as low as 3degrees. curious about shaded corners.
I dont need to ride so its only a pleasure thing

[Howling Terror]

Always the extra risk with ice in low lying and/or shaded corners. You can sometimes simply keep in the wheel tracks of our 4 wheeled friends but that is no cast iron guarantee of grip. Even the inbetween bit that often offers more grip in certain conditions can be a grit filled twitch fest.

You don't win any medals for riding in near to freezing temperatures but for me I did find it useful when there were times when a bike was my only way (liar...could've used buses..taxis...cadge a lift) to get where I needed.

Treat it like you do in the rain or down a muddy track. Loose on the bars, smooth on the brakes before the turn and a throttle just about pulling you through the corner...any twitching...ignore (actually you do get a medal if you can ignore your first twitch). Keep your head up and continually take in your surroundings, looking for patches of wet ...hillside side water...blocked grids and topless models from Gateshead.
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Diabolical homemade music Bandcamp and Soundcloud
Singer songwriter, Artist and allround good bloke Listen to Andrew Susan Johnston here
The Harry Turner Project

[seeyalater]

[Howling Terror]

It's some advice.
There are plenty of people here who have to ride through winter and if you hang around they may give some of the good stuff.

It's not always so much the actual temperature as I've ridden in minus whatevers... it's the moisture content. A bone dry road on a clear day posed no problem on my trip up the M6 but the windchill of -30 did. Visor fogging on the inside and even with double gloves I admitted defeat and turned back after a thaw out.

Few of us hardy northern scum would have a meetup during the winters.
Now I have a car (plus bikes) and the 'scumbags' rarely post on here. So I call that a win-win.
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Diabolical homemade music Bandcamp and Soundcloud
Singer songwriter, Artist and allround good bloke Listen to Andrew Susan Johnston here
The Harry Turner Project

[Easy-X]

I don't mind it cold and I don't mind it wet... riding through sleet is where I draw the line!
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Husqvarna Vitpilen 401, Yamaha XSR700, Honda Rebel, Yamaha DT175, Suzuki SV650 (loan) Fazer 600, Keeway Superlight 125, 50cc turd scooter

[WreckTangle]

Make sure as well you have some proper thick biking gloves. If it gets to cold (especially if you are travelling at speed, as you will be buffeted with high cold wind) , your fingers will go number, stop working and control of clutch and break will become harder.
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My wife asked me to get her something that goes from 0-100 in under 5 seconds for her birthday. ......................I got her a bathroom scale.

[seeyalater]

Yes im a northerner, i dont mind wet etc, and so far only really been in bad cold, although training and test week was around 4 degrees and wet.
my hands are the only part to get cold, the gloves are ok but not full winter, i need to try a few as some offline were too tight so a shop visit is needed, do have heated grips but they wont warm my knuckles lol. (not even tested them yet)

might venture out tomorrow across lincolnshire, Tuesday is warmer so defo one of the 2.

Im Doncaster area based if anyone knows any good haunts

[ThatDippyTwat]

I was out today on the VFR for a couple of hours - ice on seat, frosty all over the place etc. TL;DR - It's fine, if you're careful.

Gloves. You want decent winter ones (Spada Enforcers, RST Ti Outlast etc) . Silks/inner gloves also help, especially if you're on a budget (£70+ for above gloves). If your hands are numb, you're going to have a bad time, even if you don't bin it. Ideally, you want a tiny airgap between your fingertips and the gloves. Too much and you lack control, but pushed up against them will transmit the cold far more quickly. Good winter gloves are bulky. Heated handgrips help, but only to a point. Heated gloves are great, but expensive (£150+) and you need to make sure your bikes electrical system is up to powering anything heated as well. Cheap Chinese/Korean 125's usually struggle, being built to a price.

Snow is fine if you're *smooth*. Much emphasis on smooth, dont get grabby on the throttle, clutch or brakes. Things you'll get away with in the dry will absolutely have you off in reduced grip situations. If there's ice/black ice on the road itself not just pavements and puddles? Get the car out, or take the fucking bus - You get to claim if the driver stuffs it into the hedge.

Leave a bigger gap - Not just because of your stopping distance, but also the muppet behind you. Lots of car drivers fail to comprehend how much grip is reduced, and how much stopping distance is increased.
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'98 VFR800 (touring) - '12 VFR800 Crosrunner (Commuting) - '01 KDX220 (Big Green Antisocial Machine)

[seeyalater]

[Hong Kong Phooey]

Anything below 5c I don't bother these days, actually of late I've not used the cbr since mid November.

Before now I've ridden in snow and slush, by staying on main roads and riding in the patches of tarmac exposed by cars.

I can envisage the cbr only getting our once or twice before Feb, mainly to stop it getting very grumpy, as it misfires a bit if left for months without fresh fuel.

I'm getting old and can't be arsed, bikes are for fun and naughty commuting for me these days.
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'81 CG125, '97 FZS600 : '99 CBR600F4, '09 KTM RC8

[seeyalater]

[thx1138]

I crashed, well I fell over in a layby cos of mud, cos I was too cold and inattentive to deal with an easy hazard, in Jan this year. It was about 1 or 2 degrees, but I'd ridden too far and too long without stopping for a warm up and a break.

But yeah, often do ride in cold, but try and keep the distances shorter, and keep an eye on forecasts.

[linuxyeti]

[Kawasaki Jimbo]

[seeyalater]

[chickenstrip]

[trevor saxe-coburg-gotha]

[Hawkeye1250FA]

Good tyres designed for cold weather - everyone has their own opinions from their own experience, I prefer PR3s or PR4s.
Silk inner gloves for any type of hardy thick winter gloves
Handlebar muffs, yes they look shite but are amazing for low temp riding
Heated grips - dead easy to install and work ace - especially with muffs


Agree with above comment - around 50-60 miles Id want to have a coffee / warmup break.
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1993 RF400R - 2002 Bandit 1200 - 2012 1250 FA

[chickenstrip]

[barrkel]

I don't ride if it's below zero unless it's bone dry. Normally that's in places like alpine passes in spring, where the roads are cleared and the sun heats the road surface enough to dry them out.

The roads around here are usually salted when it's below freezing, and the salt sucks moisture out of the air, so the roads stay wet. That salty muck is then sucked off the road by your tyres and deposited on your radiator, swingarm, shocks, etc., accelerating corrosion. Not weather for a bike you value highly.

ABS and traction control helps in this weather. The main thing to avoid is jerk (sudden changes in acceleration); smoothly and gradually all the things. If you want to accelerate hard (e.g. to overtake), pull out then accelerate in a straight line, or get up to speed then drift out and back in again, don't combine large changes in direction and speed.
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Bikes: S1000R, SH350; Exes: Vity 125, PS125, YBR125, ER6f, VFR800, Brutale 920, CB600F, SH300x4
Best road ever ridden: www.youtube.com/watch?v=s2MhNxUEYtQ

[Evil Hans]

[seeyalater]

[seeyalater]

just checked the tyres, Pilot Road 4, did think i was taking corners better than on the triumph i trained on. just thought it was different bike feeling. only been out in wet/damp roads but noticed i took bends with a bit more confidence.