Riding below freezing: do-able or suicidal...?

[MThomas]

I always figured if there's a slick spot on the road and if I couldn't avoid it the bike would slide out and the rest probably isn't good.
Lately it's been well below freezing and I've seen bikes out.
Are these guys extremely experienced riders or is it just not a smart thing to do?
If you live in an area where things get freezing or below, which do you do, and why

[eburr]

Well, here are my thoughts; if it is cold enough for there to be any ice on the roads, the bike stays in the garage. I live in NE Ohio (USA) and the issue here in the winter isn't just the cold and ice, but road salt. Once the salt is on the road, the bike stays garaged until the spring rains. Road salt wrecks bikes almost faster than dumping them, and I refuse to accelerate the process by riding in less than enjoyable weather through the stuff. That said, I saw a Harley trike rider out today immediately after our freezing rain and thaw this morning. and could only think to myself; idiot. No respect for the machine, less respect for yourself.

If you do decide to ride with salt on the roads, please be sure to clean the bike thoroughly and oil it down. Still very not recommended though. I buy and sell about 25 bikes a year and once they have experienced road salt I am no longer an interested buyer. It truly f's bikes up in a big way.

[skylarmav1]

Agreed. I live in PA and the winter mix we put on our roads may be good for traction, but my bike isn't typically out until March. If I had the time to throughly clean it after each ride during winter, it may be a different story, but...

[MThomas]

if it is cold enough for there to be any ice on the roads, the bike stays in the garage.

Road salt wrecks bikes almost faster than dumping them

I'll stick to my (personal) "no riding <=32F" rule then.

In the DC area, until nearly April, there's either going to be new salt or old salt on the road. For me, even though I've only been riding since the beginning of the summer, I can barely stay off the bike for more than a few days much less until April so it's unrealistic that I could put the bike away that long.

If I just hosed the bike down after each ride would that suffice?

Maybe it's just because this is a new joy for me, in months to come the desire to ride this often will lessen and I'll eventually be mentally able to stow away the bike for a winter

[riceburner]

I've done it in the past, but then I generally am happy to ride all year round anyway.





as in all things, the key is to reach your objective, so that is the priority - I only go as fast as is sensible.

[cgguy09]

I ride all year round. Your biggest enemy is ice, black ice in particular. But, so long as that is not present, it's perfectly fine & safe. Your second concern is comfort. The heated grips start to become worthless below 40* F when you're going about 35 mph. A heated vest/jacket is a must below 30, and heated gloves are preferred if you're going on highways, or just faster. I've never needed heated pants.

If you're new to this, try out a venture heated vest, it's relatively cheap and really warm. Work your way up from there.

Oh, and safety Third...always safety third

[AZBMWRIDER]

I moved from the Chicago area to Phoenix 24 years ago, so I didn't have to put up with snow, ice, salted roads, etc .

One thing to think about, if you ride on salt covered roads, most of the bike is aluminum, with steel threaded fasteners, salt will cause corrosion quite quickly and you'll be hating life when you have seized fasteners, or stripped out threads when you start do maintenance .

[peels]

do able. via layering. jeans under riding pants, boots, boot covers sweatshirt, riding jacket and a scarf(neck gaiter) and really good set of gloves. But I cant ride for as long as I normally would, the cold gets through.

but i have minimums I adhere to: no precip previous night, or expected when Im coming home... IE: no snow... and need sunlight in the morning. problem with that is, its dark after work, and i Hate night riding this time of year. I just watch the weather. I like the temps to be trending UP before I get the bike out. that way no suprises

I worry very much about a few things:

-ice on the road from condensation in the morning, and evening.
-sand left from street dept. our area LOVES sand. drives me nuts.
-other drivers DEFINITELY not looking for motorcyclists this time of year, at least HERE.

good luck, and stay warm!

[lcarlson]

I also ride year-round, mostly when it's above freezing and the roads aren't too messy. I don't worry too much about salt; after all, the machine is there to serve me, not vice versa. If I want to ride it, I do. Just hose it off when you can. After 14 years, my (always garaged) Beemer has very little corrosion.

[trickytree]

Yup, another all year rider. I've got a long journey to do Saturday so will put the handlebar muffs on for that. Must say I do feel the cold nowadays, more so than just a few years ago. Seriously considering a heated liner.
As for the bike, I'm not that big on keeping them pristine...quite happy for Bob to wear his corrosion with pride

[eburr]

As I mentioned above, it is totally personal preference whether to ride your bike in the winter, and especially in road salt. As far as safety, as long as you are certain there is no snow or ice on the road or in the forecast, you should be OK. For me, I try to avoid it on my own, but do work on many customer bikes and need to road test them almost weekly. I am diligent about thoroughly cleaning and oiling them afterwards though, as salt certainly does wreck fasteners and makes working on the bike in the future a bitch,obviously accelerating depreciation. But I totally hate rust and won't even buy used cars, trucks or bikes if they have been used in the winter in our area. NE Ohio uses brine and abundant salt on the roads all winter. Count me against winter riding in our area, but I'm not against trailering to South Carolina though!

[sjbmw]

Back in the 1980's, I was young and financially challenged, my engine in my auto blew up, had to ride the winter on my Suzuki till I scrapped up the cash for repairs.
I had a Army issue coat, and long johns, and froze my butt off.
Luckily it one of those less snow years in the NE. I remember begging for few rides to work due to snow.

It is doable, and it is suicidal, and I had to do it. And would never do it again by choice.

If it's icy, get an Uber.

[wncbmw]

I ride year round in the NC mountains. Temps aren't the problem (electric jacket and gloves!) but if there has been precipitation the night before of any kind, I wait until it warms ups. Even then, broken water lines and shady spots in the mountains require constant vigilance. Of course, cold pavement and tires don't grip as well, so some restraint is a good thing.

I have ridden in snow but never on purpose. I seem to recall a Beakster Bash is WV where quite a few of us had to ride in the snow meeting at Seneca Rocks! I can't find my pictures of that but is was memorable!

[towerworker]

As Vann just mentioned cold tires and cold asphalt is a very bad combination. Heated gear can lull you into thinking conditions aren't as bad as they actually are. I have a very nice and very expensive titanium rod in my left leg from my knee to my ankle that came as a result of riding in January when I should have left the bike parked at home. This was 1/08. I still ride year round but I no longer ride below freezing. I've ridden in 7° but that when I was a bit younger and stupid. Today I'm older and still not real sharp but sharp enough to know when to keep the bike parked.

[peels]

blew out one the front cv joints in my truck this weekend and HAD to. was 31F on the way home. I under dressed for my feet. It was VERY cold, but id do it again tomorrow LOL

[Biff's R]

I recall Vann saying he thought I had hypothermia during that Bash. Weather channel said it would be 60 degrees, but somehow I rode through several inches of snow up and down the mountains of WV.

I will ride bellow freezing, but I try to do it when it is dry.

[wncbmw]

Jeff - there was no doubt you were suffering from hypothermia when you showed up for lunch! Been there myself and know the symptoms well. Fortunately, nothing hot coffee and soup couldn't fix!

[Biff's R]

Here is a pic.

[peels]

I did it yesterday and this morning!

hittin' 50 today, and full sun for a change, so I braved the 29 on the way to work.

no problem.

[swamper]

No sub freezing riding unless accidentally caught out and have to get home. 35 degrees or it stays on the stand. Use the electric jacket and gloves 35-50, works out great.