Weather impact on motorbiking

[BikerResearch...]

Hi everyone!

Some friends and I are thinking about buying a motorcycle but with the latest trends of higher temperature, we are hesitating a bit. This summer it was so hot, I wasn't sure if biking would have been enjoyable in those days..

That's why I wanted to ask your opinion: does weather play a big role in your driving frequency? Yes, are you impacted by extreme heat? Or more the rain?

Thanks for helping me out!

Also very interested in your insights!

[to v or not to v]

i have a car so yes i can afford to be choosy.
its much nicer being sat in an air conditioned cabin in the heat that on a bike decked out in protective gear, especially if i decide to stop and go for a walk.
____________________
current bike Yamaha Thunderace.
its old and fat, but its a damned good ride. the bikes not bad either.

[Tierbirdy]

Absolutely a fair weather biker here, and no shame I've done my time as an all year round biker when it was the only mode of transport I could afford and it was fucking shit. It killed my love for biking. Anyone who spouts any nonsense about how biking when its pissing down or getting up to a frozen saddle in sub zero winter temperatures "makes you feel more alive" or proves your well 'ard or something along those lines is just lying It doesn't matter how good your kit is, sooner or later the cold & wet will get in through nooks and crannies with wind blast helping it find its way.

As for "extreme heat" depends on the trip, done a few long blasts along the Mediterranean coast of France and Italy in 30C+ weather and its glorious. Thoroughly enjoyed squidding through Monaco in shorts & T-shirt like the locals. But if its a 10 min trip into town its a bit unpleasant to be sweating your nuts off in stop start traffic, as long as you can keep moving its ok.

[Easy-X]

Most motorbikes have built-in air conditioning. It's operated from the right side of the handlebars and you just twist to increase air flow
____________________
Husqvarna Vitpilen 401, Yamaha XSR700, Honda Rebel, Yamaha DT175, Suzuki SV650 (loan) Fazer 600, Keeway Superlight 125, 50cc turd scooter

[Grubscrew]

Black helmets, black jackets and trousers are not the sort of thing to be wearing in hot sunny conditions.
Adopt the light colour ( white is best, obviously) for the lid, stops ya head overheating, and there’s plenty of light grey jackets available
(Revit), and trousers ( Trillobyte), has a huge effect on the overall heat your body absorbs.
____________________
FJR1300/CBR1000F

[Keithy]

Riding, not driving.

For me it’s recreational, so I choose when to got out. 40 degrees and no, I won’t bother. Ditto snow/heavy rain/freezing.

Not really seeing the point of the question. Do you have break-even number of days that makes it worth investing in a lessons/licence/kit?

You only have to wear a helmet by law so if it’s hot and you are that way inclined you can ride in flip flops and a thong if you think you ain’t getting your money’s worth.

[Freddyfruitba...]

[MarJay]

I'll ride any time unless it's raining or snowing, but I used to ride in the wet all the time when the bike was my only transport.

However, I take 'drive' to mean a car, so I'll drive a car in all weathers. So your poll is misleading.
____________________
British beauty: Triumph Street Triple R; Loony stroker: KR1S; Track fun: GSXR750 L1; Commuter Missile: GSX-S1000F
Remember kids, bikes aren't like lego. You can't easily take a part from one bike and then fit it to another.

[xX-Alex-Xx]

Weather plays literally no part in how often I drive.

Riding however....
____________________
DILLIGAF

[gbrand42]

Can I ask a counter question? Is there any link between extremes of weather and the frequency of bloody stupid sodding polls on forums?
____________________
Yamaha RD50M, Honda C90, Yamaha RS100, Yamaha RD125LC, Honda XL125 V9 Varadero, Honda NT700VA, Honda VFR800X, Honda CRF1000L, Honda ST1300 Pan European

[t121anf]

It’s not been hot enough in my riding time (2006 onwards) to be too hot to ride, ever.

Might be different in traffic in London, but up here with the countryside as my playground, it’s not been an issue.

[Abaaba]

get that motorbike man, you have easily 6 to 8 months where the weather isn't that extreme unless you waiting the perfect weather (which doesn't exist)

[Bhud]

Autumn has always been my preferred season of the year for riding. However, until this year, I've generally ridden several times a week right through summer. This year, I took my longest break so far from riding, because the heat just did me in. I know you get a breeze on you, and it's not the end of the world, but nevertheless I felt it disincentivised me. The heat made me generally irritable and I just looked forward to the evenings. When evening arrived, I preferred cycling just because I didn't want to put on a helmet. I actually did a lot of cycling and got a lot fitter, but I would say that overall I'm not as happy as I would have been if I'd been riding a motorbike for fun, instead. I am looking forward to much cooler weather and the return of some rain. I've got good rainy weather gear. I want to hear the rain, smell it and feel it. I want to see the prism effect of car lights and traffic lights through the visor again. I want the scrunch of wet gravel in the car park.

[doggone]

In the UK even the blesséd south probably only has a week or so when might be bordering on too hot to go anywhere if you didn't have too.
Even then the actual travelling is not much of an issue just keep hydrated.

[chickenstrip]

The only time hot weather proved to be too much for me on a bike was a European tour down through Spain, Pyrenees, across France and up through the French Alps. I had planned to go a lot further, but after a bit over two weeks, even in the Alps the heatwave hadn't subsided and my last hotel room had no air conditioning. That's what finally finished me. After a sleepless night, I couldn't wait to get moving on the bike again, rode nearly 1000 miles home in one hit with the intention of sleeping for a month
Up until that last night, I'd been coping pretty well with the heat and was having a great time.
We don't get long enough periods of such hot weather here in the UK to let it put you off biking.
____________________
Chickenystripgeezer's Biking Life (Latest update 19/10/18) Belgium, France, Italy, Austria tour 2016 Picos de Europa, Pyrenees and French Alps tour 2017 Scotland Trip 1, now with BONUS FEATURE edit, 5/10/19, on page 2 Scotland Trip 2 Luxembourg, Black Forest, Switzerland, Vosges Trip 2017
THERE'S MILLIONS OF CHICKENSTRIPS OUT THERE!

[Freddyfruitba...]

[Kawasaki Jimbo]

[Fat Angry Scotsman]

I think you soft cunts need to ride more
____________________
PRESENT: 2018 BMW S1000XR SE Sport.
PAST: 2009 Kawasaki ER-6F. 2021 Zontes ZT-125U.

[chickenstrip]

[bhinso]

Rain = If only there was a product to enable safe riding

Sun = Blast laughing

[Fat Angry Scotsman]

[PotatoHead202...]

If it's not snowing or sheet ice then I ride year round. Which bike I choose may be a deciding factor however - a CBF500 is much cheaper to rebuild if dropped than a VFR.
____________________
Honda VFR1200F, Honda CBF500 ABS, CZ125 now CZ175

[trevor saxe-coburg-gotha]