What Temps Start Your Riding Season?

[Guest Popeye]

Not counting to work & back, just pleasure riding.

 

For day trips 200+ miles,

we start riding on days that begin at ~47* & get warmer...with nav, for pleasure rides. Assuming dry weather, of course, with high temp heading toward 60*. Quite comfortable.

 

High temp tolerance for us is around 98* if sunny, unless we're on a real trip & don't have to stop much.

 

However, we stay away from any 'stop & go' cities with all their traffic.

 

Also, we'll ride in a downpour/soaker rain if we're heading to a certain destination on a time frame, but try to keep speed down to ~65.

We can be soaked for about an hour, but then the pelting gets tiresome.

 

Then are the winds. A constant 35-40 mph wind wears me out, but a continuous 40 mph crosswind makes a much shorter day trip, for me.

 

I could do hotter, colder, windier, & longer in rain [if I need to], but this is my comfort zone for a Day Trip.

 

I try to avoid any rain, if possible.

[bongobobny]

For pleasure rides, temps hitting around 60 will start us off providing there has been at least 2 or 3 good rainstorms to wash the salt off the roadways first. I will ride in the 40's but prefer warmer temps.

[1BigDog]

Since I live in Florida and am a NYC transplant whose blood has thinned to the consistency of water I find myself freezing at anything below 50 deg. Not to mention my frequent bouts with Arthur....So to be comfy I need about 60.

[Tnventurer]

50 or above....fred

[BobanVal]

Plus 10C which is 50F. This pic is from 16 March 05, lets see what spring brings this year.

[Al Bates]

Temps- Around 60 degrees

 

Rain- We stop if all possible and only ride in downpours if we absolutely have to.

 

High temp- Not to much of a big deal. We try to work around high temps with full over head sun.

 

Crosswind -35-40 mph most of the time it’s only for a short time.

 

Cities and traffic- We always take the back roads if possible. Allot of times we will take the freeways just to get out of dodge.

 

We do around 12,000 to 15,000 miles per year on the bike:7_2_104[1]:

[Freebird]

It's not really about the temps for me. It's about getting the salt washed off the roads. It's really a pain to have to detail the bike to get all the salt off it after every single ride. I don't mind riding down in the low 40s otherwise.

[ahoutzer]

Can't say about pleasure-only rides. Having work, church and family, there is no such thing. My riding is always related to something that needs to be done, whether work or a class down-state or visiting parents in Florida, etc.

 

That said, the temperature has dropped down to 12*F here this year. Riding season, which goes from Jan. 1 to Dec. 31, has not been interrupted.

[E-Fishin-C]

We are tough Canadians here we ride in-40 F:rotfl::rotfl:

[Missionary Rider]

Will leave home at 25 degrees F if the promise is at least 35 during the "heat" of the day. Thank you Mr. Gerbing.

[midnightventure]

If the temp is above 38 and its going to warm up I will ride to work. A just for fun ride needs to be above 40. A salty road draws moisture and can be slick. My bike has some salt on it now,guess I need to wash it instead of ride the next nice day.

[Gene-b]

35 or above if the wife is going! I don't care about temp. Really, take a look at my pictures, over 10,000 feet at 0 degrees,on the ice!

 

Just got to love it! Top of the world, in the winter, on a motorcycle!

[pegscraper]

Cold temperatures don't stop me. I start riding as soon as the salt has been washed off of the roads.

[wolfman1]

To work: Upper 20's. Pleasure trips with my navigator, my wife: Mid 40's and up. Like Don, I don't like riding in the salt spray or in cinders.

Like to wait till the rain washes the road some. I don't ride with snow on the roads.

We seem to ride a lot in rain, (too much in my humble opinion) but have seldom started off in the rain.

It usually happens while we're on the road ... lol ...

[Pecker]

Here in lovely SC, I ride pretty much all year. The only thing that limits my riding is rain on colder days, the wife limits riding sometimes also. Seems that honey-do list gets longer all the time. So I try to work off things on the list when the forecast calls for rain, kind of hard to rake the yard though.

[sleadhed]

any time it will be dry no matter the temp. Or above 34 when it's going to rain.

but of course I'm still young enough to be stupid. at least thats what the boss says.

[sarges46]

It's not really about the temps for me. It's about getting the salt washed off the roads. It's really a pain to have to detail the bike to get all the salt off it after every single ride. I don't mind riding down in the low 40s otherwise.

 

 

Exactly! Its the stuff on the roads...either salt, sand or ice and snow...it has to be gone before I will ride. The cold is not so bad.

[Guest tx2sturgis]

If the beer at the local tavern is chilled to around 35 or so, THAT will start me riding! Got to get me some of that!

 

[Squidley]

Above freezing and no salt on the road

[CrazyHorse]

About 36 degrees as long as there is no snow on the ground. Too much black ice in the area I live.

[royalstarjac]

Rode to work last SAt morning 27 degrees. Hit a small patch of ice at about 50 mph, that was interesting!-Jack

[Guest KitCarson]

This little plastic piece fell off my new bike........should I say this....is it onery........yep:rotfl::stirthepot: 12:30 p.m. It is 80 degrees, turned off my phone, put on my leathers and jacket and went to get that little valve stem brace......took me 204 miles to find my house again.......Temps are just fine down here in the South.......

[MILLMAN37]

I ride pretty much year round. Most of the time I avoid riding when there might be ice. Hit a couple of patches saturday, made for an interesting ride. I've gone to work when it was 19 degrees (25 miles one way). for pleasure riding, i like it around 40 or 50. That way I have a better chance of finding someone to ride with me. The wife won't even look at the bike if it's below 70.

[Pilot]

Any time I ride it's a pleasure. Here in South West Texas I'll ride if the temp is 40 F and it's not raining. It doesn't rain much so that usually is not a factor. Back in the St. louis area I rode in 40 degree weather, but had to dress for it. In NY if there was no snow on the roads and the salt was washed off and the temp was at least 40 I would ride but usually less then 100 miles. So I would have to say 40 is the magic number. I will also ride in the rain if I have to in order to get to my destination. I will pull over if it's so bad that I can't see and wait it out.

[Mariner Fan]

Anything over 40 & dry and I'm good to go. Yea, we get a lot of salt left over on the roads and that's a pain. Looks like the rain took care of that though!