when is it too cold to ride

[Sandbagger]

I know the obvious answer is when it is wet and below 32 degrees. From a safety stand point, when do you consider it too cold to ride. I am not looking at hypothermia impact. I am trying to figure out tire traction impact.

Thanks,

Bob

[friesman]

As long as its dry and sunny, its never too cold to ride. Ive seen a guy out last winter in -35c (prolly about -30F) . Just be aware that the tires are hard and take it easy in the corners and youll be fine.

 

Brian

[silverdeer0454]

My tires feel squirrely around the low 40's. It gets that way at night around here. I ride almost every day to work. I work from 3pm to 11pm.

 

silverdeer

[BuddyRich]

Amount of moisture on the road will determine that. Bridges always freeze first so if you think the bridges maybe freezing then don't ride.

[loehring]

Anything below 32 can make the tires harder than normal. Just be careful for the first few miles until they warm up. I ride into single digits every winter. I will call it quits below zero but that's incredibly rare here in GA.

[Caveman]

Amount of moisture on the road will determine that. Bridges always freeze first so if you think the bridges maybe freezing then don't ride.

 

:sign yeah that:Good rule to follow. I personally don't notice a difference w/ cold weather handling. I ride year-round, of-course I live deep south but it still freezes here, don't stop me though.

[ddoggma]

I put 3,000 miles on hy bike last winter. Just make sure theres no H2O/ice on the road. Shady low lying road will have old patches on ice that didn't melt awau. So, watch out for that. Even if the temp is in the fortys. I would not ride at night in the winter unless its been dry for weeks and you know there's no 'black ice" on the roads:080402gudl_prv:

[Yammer Dan]

I rode with 6 inches of new snow on the road ONCE!! Will not do it again!!

[BoomerCPO]

For Winter riding you have to factor in more than tire traction. Personal comfort/safety as well as road conditions should be considered too! If your hands are too cold to function properly you are asking for something bad to happen.....and frost bite to the feet can cost you a few toes as well!

 

 

Boomer.......who knows some bikers don't have enough common sense to heed any warnings.....and that's why there are Scrap Yards for motorcycles.....and Graveyards.

[KiteSquid]

I knew a guy who would ride his Goldwing to work every day of the year, no matter what the weather was in Salt Lake City Utah.

 

It was his only vehicle.

 

About 45 miles each way.

 

Rain, sleet, snow, cold, whatever.......... he rode....

 

 

 

 

I stop riding when it is no longer fun for me....

[Flyinfool]

I used to ride all winter till I had to ride home from work in several inches of white fluffy "partly cloudy" a few times. If you dress the same as for snowmobiling, then the cold is not an issue for your body.

 

Also, If you live in snow country where they use salt on the roads then you may not want to ride till you get a couple of good hard rains in the spring so that the road salt does not eat your bike for lunch. Unless of course you have the ability to thoroughly wash and rinse your bike as soon as you get home from each ride or don't care about the looks of pitted corroded aluminum.

[PBJ]

I wasn't sure if this was a question about when each of us decides to ride or not. I used to ride an open Honda Sabre with just a small windshield. 27 miles one way. Even with lined jeans, chaps, sweater etc. My limit was 45 degrees. anything lower and my hands would go completely numb. Not fun when you can't feel the throttle. I learned the hard way when I thought its was in the 40's one morning and it was only 33 degrees. i took me 20 minutes to get the feeling back in my fingers after I got to work.

[SilvrT]

For me, the older I get, the warmer and nicer the weather has to be ..

 

I generally look for temps to be about 10 celcius (appx 50f) or better. Can't stand cold no more.

[davecb]

A snowmobile suit and elecric gloves....What cold weather????

[Evan]

All this reminds me of one of my own cold day riding experiences. I rode back to the college I was attending many years ago in cold weather. As I gor closer, the temp fell below freezing. The ride itself was not bad. However, when I arived and dismounted, to my sudden surprise my legs were so cold that I didn't have the strength to hold up the bike. Like mmost others (and as I have aged), I now don't like to ride in weather below around 40".

[a1bummer]

I figure that if it takes me longer to get ready than it takes for trip, I'll take the cage.

[Gray Ghost]

I thought I was tough about cold weather riding. And then while I was up at Ft Lewis WA, I saw a guy come out of the shop after dark and brush the snow off his seat for his ride home. Cold is OK, cold and wet is a deal breaker.

[saddlebum]

I have ridden my canam 250 TNT enduro through some pretty good snow in winter. The worst was right after they plowed the road and left that nice flat white glaze for me to ride on. I don't think I would do it with a bike as heavy as the venture though

[1sttenor]

If its sunny, I'll ride down to about 38-40. Usually after a cold wet spell I'm looking for the first day of dry weather and pavement to get my "fix".

[Thom]

OK , here is my feeling on cold weather riding ! if you are riding below 55 % your nuts !!!

i wear a jacket at 75f, leather at 65f, neo face mask at 55f 4 coats and 4 pants , heavy boots and elec. gloves and don't ride over 25 mph at 46f AND if it colder than 46f , that is colder than BEER !

Thom --------- if it get down to freezing here i am going to start speaking Spanish

[Snaggletooth]

Been out at 17F. Sunny day, dry roads and clean streets. Long johns and jeans, long sleeve tee shirt under a knit hensley and a leather jacket. Full face helmet and snowmobile gloves with insulated boots. Pretty comfortable.

 

In my younger days I rode a CB 750 everywhere all year round. I wore a thermal wetsuit under jeans and leather jacket. Got a lot of odd looks when it was snowing like crazy and I'd be passing stuck cars.

 

But then again....back then the LEOs didn't say squat about SS screws in the tires either. LOL!

 

Would I want to do that again.......more than likely. I guess that was why most of my friends called me the "Awfuler Knofler".

[fishrepair]

I did'nt think that it got too cold to ride. I was riding one winter when it was down around 20% when a beagle dog crossed in front of me. I had to stop for him and I noticed several round, clear balls in the road. I picked them up and took them home where I placed them on the mantle until I could warm up some. Forgot about them for about 30 minutes. Went into the living room, looked up on the mantle and all of them had disappeared but one which was really small by this time. Suddenly it thawed out all of the way and made a sound that went POOT. Yea it was cole that day.

[LilBeaver]

Have not had my venture out in the winter yet, since I picked it up this spring... But as long as there is not ice on the ground and the roads have not been sanded/salted; I'm on a bike. I have ridden in the snow a few times (not by choice - I was out and far away from home and it started on me... Thanks a lot to the Upper Peninsula Michigan weather...)

 

I don't have heated gear. I have a nice winter jacket that got me through a couple winters living just off of Lake Superior (in da U.P., eh?) That keeps my upper body plenty warm on the bike. For my legs I go with a pair of non-insulated wind pants (water-proof and block the wind quite well); they also pack real small and get stowed in my bike and used for the rain. Nothing special on my feet; good pair of winter gloves for my hands and a 1/2 ski-mask for my mouth and nose (when it gets below 30 F or so) and stick with the open face helmet for my head.

[raceman62race]

I don't worry about cold in GA. I just make sure it isn't wet & below freezing. Another thing I do is see what the chance of rain is. I wouldn't like to drive to work in the dry and be caught in rain and cold even if it is in the 40's for the ride home. the coldest I have ridden is mid 20's with a scorpion riding suit and didn't get cold. Many have ridden much colder than that but in GA, that is about as cold as we see most of the time. Occasionally it will drop in the single digits but that is very rare.

[a1bummer]

If someone has to help chisel you off the seat... it might me a wee bit to cold out!