Well today was a remarkable day. I went and got my hair trimmed as I usually do at the beginning of the year. As soon as I turn on to Winston Churchill Blvd, what do I see? A guy that has enough balls (and probably no brains) to ride his old Honda (I think it was a Honda, as I am still suffering from the whiplash). Today was about -2 Celcius and the roads still have a lot of damp spots. Those spots can be treturous if he has to get on the binders a little harder than he would like to. Also I don't think any motorcycle tyres are made to run in this cold weather like car winter/snow tires are able to. He was layered on pretty thick but I guess (or hope) he just wanted to give his old bike a little leg stretching.
Anyone else seen another rider out today in weather like this.
I just turned around and looked out my familyroom door and the weather is coming down nicely with the white stuff.
I tend to see only BMW riders out here in Denver in the winter. A good sport tour tire will hold up as well as any automotive all season. Neither will remain as pliable as a new snow tire though.
Just gotta make those bike runs during the day where you can see the best and be seen the best....
Hats off to any rider that wants it that bad.
what sucks about riding around here in the winter months is the salt. even if the roads appear to be dry, you can get a dusting of road salt on your bike...
salt + moisture in the air = corrosion
the areas that don't use salt around here use copious amounts of sand.... that's even worse for riding
no thanks, I'll wait for some spring rains and warmer weather.....
that's what's nice about where I live.... the sun doesn't shine a lot and I can't ride year 'round.... If it did and I could, I would probably get bored
I got caught out about 30 yrs ago on my RD400. It was clear and 20F when I left for work. started snowind around 1 and I got to ride home in over 4" of snow. It was packed on the freeway but I made it ok. Poor visibility was my biggest problem, didn't have time to worry about traction.
Around here, it's not that cold, only low 30's. I do see quite a few guy riding their Harley's. The other morning, it was very foggy, and wasn't light yet, I could only roll about 35 mph, remember, it's not how far you can see to go, it's if you need to stop, with-out crashing, that's what counts. I seen a guy going the other way, hanging on to those ape hanger bars! You know that sucker was freezzing with his arms stretched high in the air, and of course, only the smallest helmut to look cool. Probably making payments on the bike, no doubt
a few years ago all i had was the vision after rolling my truck. so i didnt have a choice i had to ride the bike. i just dressed really warm. one night i had to make a 70 mile trip to my parents house and it was 30 F. out. snow was starting to come down but wasent sticking yet. it was freezing to my visior though. when i showed up my dad took pitty on me and finally sold me his old truck that i had been trying to buy for the last 5 years. i still have the truck and will never get rid of it. now i keep it as a backup.
but right now my truck is back home in indiana and im here in NC (well on my way right now) with just the vision. so i guess if it gets really cold down here then ill be ridding in the cold again. heated hand grips comes in handy. you would be really suprised what your willing to do when you dont have a choice. when im forced to ride in the cold i just remember that a cold day riding beats a hot day driving anytime.
I've got the heavy fog here a lot, but riding to/from work in the mornings for shifts it's typically high 30s/low 40s. Not quite as cold as that guy but with the wind chill it can feel down a bit. Knock on wood I'll be back to doing it in a couple weeks, insurance company finally got off their keisters. :)
Yesterday I was leaving for the shop, a 120 mile drive. It's 24F here. I almost got all the way on the bike, before deciding to put it on the trailer and take it out that way...