How cold is too cold to ride?

Cold may mean something different for this Canadian, described on the Versys board:




So...awesome or crazy?

Both...



Or. how about "broke and stir crazy" or "dedicated.


Na, he aint got a car and he had no choice but to go to town is my vote.

We have a 20-year-old kid at work who thought having a motorcycle as his primary transportation would be a good idea. Last Friday, when we'd had a week below freezing, he attempted to ride into work. Around the corner from his house, he fall down go boom.

The Big Gulp rule is in effect 'til further notice.

--Mark

For me there are different levels of "too cold to ride". Too cold to run the 10 miles to town and back? I haven't found that point yet. Good cold weather gear makes all the difference, and a short ride means you get to the destination before the cold really gets to you. I was on the Coldest Ride with a -14f reading...and just lost first place with a -18 by The Dan!

How about commuting? I had a 35 mile one-way commute, and have left home at 19 degrees. That was getting to my limit, as after 45 minutes the cold is working its way in, and my boots sure weren't up for the task. I still did it, every day the road conditions allowed.

Long trips? If I were doing several hundred miles, I would try to limit my temps to above freezing. I have gone below freezing, and rode all night with temps in the 20s before. With better gear it would have been easier...I didn't pack the super-cold-weather stuff for that trip (snowmobile pants).

The biggest limiting factor for me are road conditions. Ice, packed snow, or even a thick slush with lots of salt keep me home. If I had a light weight bike, such as my old KLR, I would be much more daring. I hate the thought of crashing the ST, and cringe at the thought of rust.

Unless there is ice on the road, it's really no different than riding a snowmoble? People ride snowmobile's in temps way below zero.

st11ray said:

Unless there is ice on the road, it's really no different than riding a snowmoble? People ride snowmobile's in temps way below zero.

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I've done both, and I have to say it feels much colder on a bike. I think a snowmobile keeps you moving a lot more and helps keep the blood flowing better. I've done a 300 mile day at between -20f and 0 on my snowmobile...that would be asking a lot on the ST.

For me, traction IS the main concern. If I really NEED to go by bike, well.... otherwise I will not risk my skin on icy road. (well, years ago I did it but too old now...)

BigH said:

For me, traction IS the main concern.

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Well, it is now...
On that 50cc scrambler I had as a teenager I didn't give anything about winter conditions... and hit the ground often enough ;-)

On the ST I can deal with a sudden short snowfall in the mountains, which happens now and then, or in late fall as the road temperatures are still above freezing then.

But once winter realy strikes, I've way to much respect over sudden ice spots lingering...

I have to go along with "too broke".
I can remember the days when the Honda 350 was all I could afford. And for me, below zero degrees F was my limit.
The wallet couldn't support much gear either, so I would bundle up as best I could and throw on my rainsuit over that.
But riding for even just a half hour at one or two degrees below zero would chill me thru the bone!
My knees would still feel cold sometimes 10 hours after a ride like that.
I get a chill just thinking about it some 40.. err, ahh, oops I meant 25 years later!

Road conditions would be my turning point. Or too cold to start. Either/or...

A woman whom I didn't know came riding with us in cold weather one time. We came in to a town where she sailed right through the only traffic light they had and got hit by what was probably the only municipal vehicle they had. I heard later that she was so cold that she couldn't move her fingers fast enough to pull the brake lever in time. EMS said it was actually common for people not to realize how cold they are and to only become aware of it when they actually try to move. Hypothermia doesn't always anounce itself in discernable ways. Add in the risk of unexpected ice and at a certain point it is not worth it. That point is when you can no longer be sure that the blind curves are ice free.

As the person in Sask. demonstrates you can ride in brutally cold weather, but is it enjoyable or an ordeal. I ride my ST for pleasure, not pain. I also run winter tires on both car and van because at low temps all season rubber looses grip, snow and ice capability aside. I'd assume a bike tire responds the same way. Coldest I've done so far was a 7 hour 450km run on dry back roads April 2012 at about 2 or 3C using heated gloves, jacket and socks. Was warm as toast with a dual Troller.

Coucours Grad said:

Na, he aint got a car and he had no choice but to go to town is my vote.

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This.

After wrecking my car in the Winter when I lived in Duluth Minnesota I rode my CB400f daily to work & back for a couple weeks. I was a broke 19 year old at the time.

-20 f was normal for Duluth in the Winter but, if I recall, mother nature did me a favor and kept the temps closer to a balmy zero proper.

I don't think heated gear was available back in 1979 & if it was, I surely couldn't afford it.

Karen said:

When you can't get your bike to start because the oil is thicker than tar.... its too cold to ride.

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I switched to synthetic and it really helped with that. As long as my junk battery is charged, it cranks great at any temp. Traction is my main limiting factor.

Honestly I would love the ability to have to become acclimated to warmer temps, and its amazing how fast our bodies adjust. Come the end of summer and into fall, the heated jacket often gets put on, and TURNED ON, when temps drop much below 70...even very close to 70 on a damp day. Come spring, 50 degrees means stripping down to the minimum...LOL. I did a ride last week in the 40's, about 60 miles, and only turned on the jacket for the last 10 miles.

I'll do the cold when I have to...but that is only because my love of riding overpowers my hatred of the cold. Warm, cold, wet...I would still rather be on the bike than watching it out the window.

For the past seven years I have not found the weather to be too cold for riding, since I winter in Florida. However, in my younger days, I rode a 305 Honda Dream from Berlin to Keene, NH in a snow storm. I don't know why I didn't fall, because my hands were so numb that I couldn't grasp the zipper of my leather jacket to remove it. In the 80s I rode my TS-400 Suzuki for two winters, including a 15 mile ride to work in -10 degrees. So the central west coast Florida winters are no problem.

Yaesu said:

I rode a 305 Honda Dream from Berlin to Keene, NH in a snow storm.

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Lets see...since I have lived on the outskirts of both places...I'm guessing you were a student at KSC?

I buy the best ice tires on my car and yet at -30 they feel like they are made of hard plastic, like the little plastic farm tractor I had when I was a kid. Even on dry asphalt, the traction is less than optimal on four wheels at that temperature. You won't see me on two wheels at -30, that's for sure. Below -5 Celsius is the coldest I ever rode, and I was constantly afraid of hitting a patch of ice in a curve.

My first consideration is traction . . . can the bike stay on the road? Ice does not reduce traction it ELIMINATES it! Ice tires might be good for local area riding, but I've not heard of anyone using them for long distance rides which include non-iced roads. Anyway, I don't have them, so . . . no riding on ice.

My second consideration is gear and clothing . . . can I remain warm, comfortable, not be at risk for frostbite and maintain control of the bike?

Note: as you add more heated gear for comfort in colder temps, does the bike have enough power to support it all? At 0 degrees, Gerbing jacket, pants, gloves, and socks coupled with heated grips overwhelm the STock ST power supply. Time to rewire the alternator OR quit riding in extreme temps that require ALL the gear at once.

Shuey

There is no rubber tire that will get traction on pure ice, period, without the use of studs. Whether its a slick or an aggressive snow tire, once it hits glare ice, all bets are off. Snow tires do help a LOT for...well...SNOW because they have something to grip. Like Shuey, I'm scared of ice on my bike even though I spent my life driving on snow.

Even for snow its tricky to read it. When you see snow on the road, and black shiny tire tracks...is that snow that melted snow, giving good traction; or packed ice, which looks the same, and has NO traction? Those are the challenges we face when riding in snow. My hat comes off to Shuey and anyone else who has ridden any distance in it.