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What's The Coldest We Go Out On Our Bikes

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GettinBetter
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PostPosted: 21:32 - 24 Nov 2021    Post subject: What's The Coldest We Go Out On Our Bikes Reply with quote

When the temp gets around the 4 degrees mark I shirk at the thought of venturing out for fear of black ice... so are peeps still out at these temps?
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P.
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PostPosted: 21:49 - 24 Nov 2021    Post subject: Reply with quote

I have a car, would rather not.
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ThunderGuts
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PostPosted: 21:55 - 24 Nov 2021    Post subject: Reply with quote

I have ridden in sub zero temperatures but I’m more put off by the thought of salt being caked all over the bike to be honest.
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stinkwheel
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PostPosted: 22:17 - 24 Nov 2021    Post subject: Reply with quote

Coldest I've been out in was -18C. That was nippy! Not as nippy as you'd imagine though, very strange to see your breath freezing. Visor practically useless at that temperature.
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doggone
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PostPosted: 22:27 - 24 Nov 2021    Post subject: Reply with quote

Been over the moors a few times with snow at the sides several feet deep and about freezing point, later in the winter roads can be clear and dry if it's cold but sunny for a day or two it's not as bad as you would think.
More than once been caught out by significant snow riding home in the middle of the night (we live inland and higher up than favourite places to visit)
Once there was most of a foot of dry powder down the last hill home I put both feet down like outriggers and stayed in second gear without touching brakes.
Not sure what people made of those tracks next morning.
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The Shaggy D.A.
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PostPosted: 22:29 - 24 Nov 2021    Post subject: Reply with quote

Once it gets to single digits I have to have a bloody good reason to go out on the bike.

A Double Sossidgeanegg McMoFo is a good enough reason, sometimes.
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Vracktal
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PostPosted: 22:48 - 24 Nov 2021    Post subject: Reply with quote

i think -12c is the coldest i've ever ridden and I hated every second of it. If i'd had any other choice at the time i'd 100% have left the bike at home.
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Howling Terror
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PostPosted: 23:33 - 24 Nov 2021    Post subject: Reply with quote

So cold my hands couldn't operate the controls with much accuracy.
Enough to make me pull over every 30 miles to wrap hands around the cans and do starjumps when nobody was looking.
Plus not possible to pee. A) Couldn't operate zip B) Penis hibernated to rear of a pathetic cave.

Iridescent ice dust on the roads, windy, iced up mirrors and screen.

Bike was full-faired, rider was a bellend to contemplate riding +100 miles for a photo tag.
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chickenstrip
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PostPosted: 00:40 - 25 Nov 2021    Post subject: Reply with quote

Risk of ice used to be what made me become circumspect about riding. I had kit down to coping with just about any temperature though, that was never what put me off.
In the old days when my kit wasn't up to it, it didn't even have to be freezing to end up with hot aches in my hands when thawing at journey's end. Just soaked through in cold-ish temperatures.
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Bhud
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PostPosted: 00:43 - 25 Nov 2021    Post subject: Reply with quote

I find it invigorating to ride in this sort of weather. The cold is like refrigerated lemonade, while the roads are (mostly) not icy around here in the afternoon/early evening. However, my rides tend to be shorter at this time of the year. Multilayered clothing plus a neck warmer really works, while you can still lift your visor and demist at low speeds or at the lights.

It will get a bit risky over the next couple of weeks. The little dips in the road, especially if the road isn't busy, will hide ice, black or not.
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Lord Percy
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PostPosted: 03:40 - 25 Nov 2021    Post subject: Reply with quote

My coldest experience was -2, where I did 1 hour on the motorway and it left me cold to the bone. I guess I wasn't in warm enough gear.

I also remember going to work in winter fog and ended up covered in frost, because the fog had frozen onto me.

I have ridden in snow multiple times, on 'safe' roads and in the middle of nowhere. I think snow is more comfortable than ice because at least you can see the risk very clearly.

When the weather is even remotely cold, or even just wet, I become an absolute pansy anyway. I ride very defensively most of the time, specially concerning weather.
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trevor saxe-coburg-gotha
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PostPosted: 08:06 - 25 Nov 2021    Post subject: Re: What's The Coldest We Go Out On Our Bikes Reply with quote

GettinBetter wrote:
When the temp gets around the 4 degrees mark I shirk at the thought of venturing out for fear of black ice... so are peeps still out at these temps?


Yeah - 4 is the absolute minimum afaic, primarily because there'll be some microclimate under trees or in dells etc. where it could be quite a bit colder. Which of course means ground frost, or worse still - yeah - black ice.

But if it's a dry, cold sort of day with a clear sky and lots of sun, and I haven't ridden for a week or three, I'd definitely be up for a late morning blast. We were out on Saturday and it was cold up here on the wolds, but heading back to Squires late dinner time, the worst of it for me was the low sun. Absolutely dazzling, and my visor is kind of shagged now - probably has about 50k on it. So I was trying to ride with it open, but up around 60 it was coming down again (when new it was good for 80 - really good!).

Temperature-wise though, my linings have been back in for a good few weeks now - and I've got some loose moreno under layers on as well. With all this and more, I'm fine for a few hours at 6-7 degrees. Even my hands are okay (no grips), in summer gloves with good feel.
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BanditsHigh
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PostPosted: 08:07 - 25 Nov 2021    Post subject: Reply with quote

Rode year round for the last 30 years ... -18c was the coldest (in Glasgow) I've ever ridden in.

Luckily been working from home since last year so missed last winter ... will be retiring soon so won't need to go out on the bike every day for work again ... oh happy days Smile

I prefer snow to ice as I can see it ... got caught on the M80 one year in heavy snow ... single lane, 5mph, with artics passing by a few feet away .... very, very dodgy!!

All the best ... Barry
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davebike
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PostPosted: 08:11 - 25 Nov 2021    Post subject: Reply with quote

Ride to work every morning unless the A22 is impossible snow or ice covered !
Avoid my favourite lanes route if the temperature at home is below 2c
Otherwise, no issues commuting handguards heated gloves and good ish kit OK up to an hour
Pleasuere riding better kit RST pro heated jacket better heated gloves etc etc
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Old Git Racing
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PostPosted: 08:37 - 25 Nov 2021    Post subject: Reply with quote

Like it to be in double digits nowadays although I will venture out on the odd nice day like yesterday. The Goldwing has pretty good weather protection, heated grips and gear now is so good compared to years ago. The ballache is cleaning the cruddy salty shit off afterwards, and the roads being a slimey lottery.
Back in the 70's I rode to work every day on a DT125 yam. coldest I saw was -18 on the Yorkshire Post building in Leeds, had about a 10 mile commute and was sometimes nearly crying with the cold.

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Feasty
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PostPosted: 09:46 - 25 Nov 2021    Post subject: Reply with quote

I've been sliding down the M1 on a Divvy 900 from Wakefield in minus conditions with snow around in the past. It's no fun having the choice of sitting in standing traffic freezing your nuts off, or filtering through slushy snow in-between the traffic.

I've come in on my Caponord ETV1000 this morning at 4C, the roads look nice and dry for a great ride, but then the chuffing gritters have been out and spoilt it all - they never seem to get it right! No rain forecast, no minus temp's forecast (for my area) so why!!??
Which means the roads have been slimey on corners and roundabouts and slow me right down. I'm not hugely trustful of the Caponord anyway due to it being top heavy, let alone on slippy corners.

Soon as it starts getting wet and icy, that's me in the car - I don't like being a dry weather biker, but no point risking a slide when I don't have to.
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Prawny
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PostPosted: 10:21 - 25 Nov 2021    Post subject: Reply with quote

I pretty much only ride for work so all year round, this is my first winter on a real bike though.

Was ok this morning, not sure what the temp was but frost everywhere, mine is only a short commute too (20-30mins) so don’t have chance to get too cold. Thumbs were the only problem today, need to sort something to keep the wind off because the heated grips don’t help my thumbs.

Will be wfh if it snows though, it’s only a short ride but it’s across Cannock chase so if it does snow it won’t be cleared well
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blurredman
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PostPosted: 10:53 - 25 Nov 2021    Post subject: Reply with quote

All year every year. I haven't really had the opportunity to ride in colder weathers than just a few degrees below freezing though.

Though, my commute used to be through the city. Lots of stop and start and slower speeds meant not much of an opportunity to get too cold.

Now that i've moved, I have access immediately to dual carriageways and a constantly moving traffic means getting a chilly willy is mostly due to 'wind chill'. Still, our climate doesn't really get very cold so if you can get to work okay at 32 then you'll be fine all year. I've only just started to tuck my jumper in.


One reason for continuing to use the bike in winter (I purposely ride the crappy one for the salt), is not because I don't have a car.. I have three, but parking at my place of work!?? Forget about it! You have to be in 2 hours early or park it outside the hospital grounds half a mile away, and have to keep moving it every 2 hours because of parking time limitations! The bike is free to park, and gaurenteed space in a secure compound too!

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Last edited by blurredman on 16:18 - 25 Nov 2021; edited 5 times in total
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yen_powell
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PostPosted: 12:22 - 25 Nov 2021    Post subject: Reply with quote

This was quite cold, the trick is to clench everything in fear, none of this relax bollocks.
https://images.versys1000.com/iceme2511e944b55aee82c.jpg
And I'm not in this picture, I was taking it and that was my old CX on the left. To be fair, it wasn't snowing when we left home, it started after we got to the rally field, probably wouldn't have left home if we'd known. Everyone was tougher then, waiting for the invention of Goretex etc.
https://images.versys1000.com/winterrally.jpg
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A100man
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PostPosted: 13:09 - 25 Nov 2021    Post subject: Reply with quote

yen_powell wrote:
This was quite cold, the trick is to clench everything in fear, none of this relax bollocks.

And I'm not in this picture, I was taking it and that was my old CX on the left. To be fair, it wasn't snowing when we left home, it started after we got to the rally field, probably wouldn't have left home if we'd known. Everyone was tougher then, waiting for the invention of Goretex etc.
https://images.versys1000.com/winterrally.jpg


Lol quite right. loving the leather and jeans look. I was lucky enoughto have soem Belstaff wax over-trousers in those days - in fact I still have set I loaned to my little bro recently!
I remember going out on my RS200 to take a bird to the pub (L-plates up the jumper time) in 1982 - by the time we arrived having picked out way through teh snow/ice wheel ruts for 5 miles I had icicles on my eye-lashes... Brr..
Won't do it now, unless there was still a bird involved maybe Wink
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Diggs
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PostPosted: 13:19 - 25 Nov 2021    Post subject: Reply with quote

I used to commute all year round until one winter I slid off three times in a month, with the last one grinding through the cover and taking out the alternator. Having the bike off the road forced me to look at alternatives and I discovered the train, which took longer but was warmer and had totty... I have only ridden in sub-zero temperatures on my terms since, and not for a few years now.
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pepperami
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PostPosted: 13:22 - 25 Nov 2021    Post subject: Reply with quote

Done my stint riding in all weathers years ago when the bike was my only form of transport .
These days I don’t need to ride my bike in crappy/cold/wet weather.

I can and still would ride my bike in shite weather IF I had to (emergency).
The biggest ball-ache of winter riding is cleaning all the crap off the bike to prevent corrosion setting in.

Fair weather rider and proud of it !
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ThatDippyTwat
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PostPosted: 13:28 - 25 Nov 2021    Post subject: Reply with quote

https://i.imgur.com/0bAfT7Dl.jpg
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pepperami
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PostPosted: 15:43 - 25 Nov 2021    Post subject: Reply with quote

ThatDippyTwat wrote:
https://i.imgur.com/0bAfT7Dl.jpg

Shocked Shocked you’re mad in yer heed!

It would have to be one hell of a motherfugger emergency for me to get my bike out in that Laughing .

Did it years ago on a Honda XL250 and a variety of trials styled 125’s , never again, fug that sh*t! Hand
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Skudd
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PostPosted: 16:08 - 25 Nov 2021    Post subject: Reply with quote

I don't know how cold it has been when I've ridden my bike, but I ride all year round no matter what the weather, some out of need, mostly out of a perverse pleasure.
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