winter riding tips please!

Well the cold is fast approaching here in Texas. The XJ is my only source of transportation to and from work. I have A 28 mile commute to work(all highway). I'm a new motorcyclist and have never experienced winter on a bike. i think here in tx we stay mostly above the 20's in the peak, but its relatively mild.

Needlessly to say i,m pretty nervous. spent the whole year explaining to my wife why a bike is a practical choice for commuting to work, and now i'm having doubts.

I'm pretty tolerable to cold, i spent a lot of time working outside up north, and i'm also very hot natured(im still running my a/c in november :roll: ), but I'm not sure if i can handle getting burned and numb. What should i wear? would gloves, double layer jackets and wool socks protect me?

I am also very worried about getting the bike to crank up when its cold. its got a small battery, i get off work around 2am which is usually the coldest time of day, id hate to be stranded at work with a dead battery. It cranks right up now, but im not sure how its gonna do when the temps dip. Can i use starter fluid? does it work? and where would i spray it?

Any tips, advice etc. would be greatly appreciated. I am new at this. I'm also pretty sure there are lots of guys out there wondering the same thing.

 

Since no one else has chimed in I will tell you what I do.
First you are talking F'ing cold,20F.
I wear double layer wool/polypro long underwear top and bottom to start.
Wool socks in water proof boots, they make battery operated heated ones to.
Fleece top zipped all the way up, jeans on the bottom.
Plush lined neoprene balaclava, tucked in above the long underwear but under the fleece.
Leather jacket.
Then a Carhart extreme coverall like this one over the whole thing.
For my hands, leather winter gloves with a decent gauntlet on them.
This has kept me toasty at 38F but 20F is whole different story.

I think a whole heated outfit is in your future, gloves, soxes, vest, pants.

 

+1 on TheHound's comments, except for the 20's.

I road pretty much ever day for years in north Texas.
I have to admit that on a lot, (not ALL) of those in the teens days I did take my car.

First and foremost you need a leather jacket!
Then a full face helmet (didn’t have them in the 70’s).
Keeping your hands warm is probably as important as the jacket! Try for some heated gloves.
I wore good work boots… with two pair of socks when it dropped in to the teens.
I worked outside so I would wear 2 pair of pants on those in the teens days.

Rain will be your biggest problem, get a GOOD slicker suit and wear it when it drops in to the teens.

A last word of caution CRANK it back a couple of notches, you’ll find it harder to keep track of what’s going on around you with all those layers of clothes.

A couple of other thought.
Full heated leathers would be the way to go but would be a real pain getting ready and when you get to work.
ONE BIG PLUS on a lot of those 30* rides to work, the commutes home will be some of the best you’ll ever have.

Enjoy
ab

 

The biggest hazard riding when it's that cold out is that any puddle you might encounter will be frozen, and street bikes and ice don't play well. In Michigan the percentages aren't on our side.

My Tourmaster jacket with the liner in over a flannel shirt; riding boots with wool socks, lined deerskin gloves and my 30 year old "Tour Lion" bib overalls keep me toasty at 37* but I won't ride when it's any colder than that, for the above reason.

 

Iced-over puddles are scary, but don't forget that even on dry, clear roads your tires are not going to be getting up to optimum operating temperature. Motorcycle tires are designed to be used on warm, sunny days and they're about as sticky as a frozen hockey puck when it's cold.

Keep that in mind when you're cornering and braking...

And heed Albran's advice about cranking it back. Living in Canada, I've ridden in some very cold weather and bundled-up appropriately. It's amazing how different everything feels when you're five layers away from the outside world.

Oh yeah... Get a windshield if you don't already have one.

 

do you have any kind of windshield ? consider one
a rain suit over everything is good to keep the drafts out
dirt riders use brush guards to protect the hands, they might keep your hands
out of the wind

 

where can i find a windshield that fits?

 

good question ! i've never investigated them but i'll bet someone here has

 

ok, where i live it gets down in the teens when i got off work around
the same time.
all the above advise is good ,but slightly overkill.

you can fined a full body snow/winter suit, that plus longjohns
will keep you very warm-windproof is the key here.

+1 on the full face helmet and a balacava for exposed skin. your body
becomes acclimated to the cold as you go and you should expose
yourself as much as possible ( walking-not riding )without a bunch of crap on so it can.

hands are the real prob, and in this i suggest doing whatever you can the keep them warm.

as far as the batt...my bike always started, the first time it tried not to
start due to cold i started to go out at lunch and last break and warmed up the bike.
that seemed to help. it does'nt affect the batt but it always started with less effort then if just left to freeze. be sure to keep rpms above 2000
or you will run that batt down. a few minutes is all you need.

 

+1 on the frozen puddle warnings....

My 1 and only laydown was on a patch of black ice at an intersection.
Luckily after a stop sign so I was only going like 5mph when I hit....
Was on my side in the blink of an eye... not even time for an "oh shit" moment

Otherwise cold temp rides are doable, multiple layers work, but try not to get bulky... comfort helps the concentration... Also be extra cautius of the cages, they don't see us as is, really won't be expecting you now (trust me still riding here only had to skip 2 days so far, and some have near the 32F mark)

 

I tried to reply to this post the other day but had no wifi available and my blackberry is almost totally breasts skyward. New one on order.

So, what's the best thing you can do for riding in cold weather? The obvious answer is to move to Miami or San Diego. If you can't move you might want to try the following.

Gloves: Your fingers will quickly become the coldest part of your body. Being an extremity they also have less blood flow than your core which means they get colder faster than your core. Y
our feet are the same way.

Buy snowmobile gloves. They are warmer than M/C gloves. A size larger is better than a bit too small. You can also get silk glove liners (about $10). They will add another 10 to 20 degrees to your comfort range. If your hands are still cold you can put a disposable heat pack in your palm between the silk liners and the glove.

Feet: You can buy battery operated electric socks for about $30. They have a D cell that is located at the top of the sock. They work well. You can also invest in a pair of silk socks for low bulk warmth.

Core: The best thing you can wear under street clothes is silk long underwear. They are awesome. Warm, durable, and oh so silky soft!!!
My riding gear is 2 piece mesh with insulated waterproof liners. Below 40* F the coat is not warm enough. I specifically bought the coat one size large so I can wear a Polar Fleece jacket under it. I'm good to about 20* F with the above gear.

A one piece suit is warmer and can be found for good prices on occasion but the downside is that they are so darned hard to put on and take off. I used them for a while but got tired of the hassle.

Now, you should know that I cheat a little as my touring bike has full fairing, upper and lowers, adjust on the fly windscreen, grip and seat/backrest heaters. I am, however, old so I need the additional comforts.

In all honesty I would rather ride in 30* F weather than 90* F weather. I hate the friggin heat!

Loren

 

I used to ride my XJ year round up here in Vancouver when I was a student.

Frozen puddles are at least visible to the eye. Sometimes, black ice is not. Just thinking about black ice makes me uncomfortable. Anticipate those corners/parts of the road that don't get any sun. Especially at intersections early in the morning.

albran is right, dial it back a bunch. You never know if there is a pile of wet leaves coming up....they are slick!

 

Any advice for visibilty, as in being able to see in the rain through your visor?

Just had a bad experience here in my traverse of France yesterday (Geneve to Bordeaux) where predicted good weather turned very very wet and cold but luckily not freezing.

My 10 hour trip turned into 16 from trying to warm up at each servo every hour.

I ended up using my down sleeping bag stuffed down each leg of my leggings and the middle covering my chest. Worked damn well actually.

And on an end note of that: I have never ridden a bike that I can spend around 12 riding hours on and be so comfortable (as in butt and legs)

 

This may be blasphemy, but for all the money you'll be spending on gear you could buy and tag a beater. Just an option to keep in mind. Riding in cold weather is one thing, but below freezing after 2am is a little nuts.

 

thanks for tips guys, just rode to work yesterday(36 miles one way).on the way there it was 52 out(froze my ass off) On the way home it was 41 degrees, and raining. it was not too bad surprisingly, the being colder and wetter. i went numb after about 20 minutes or so. NO rain gear only a poncho. I do have a full face helm with rain x treatment and that helps.
I think i might be able to do this.

 

synthetic oil will help with the cold crank.

wind is your enemy stay out of it

20 degrees - God knows what wind chill = extremly *^&^#@&% cold!

hypothermia will make your reactions sluggish

be careful stop and warm up

don't try to make it " just a little farther"

 

Running over an ice patch would be bad. I limit my winter riding to this.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kWo3EtsAl-Y

 

What part of TX. are you in?
It snowed (didn't stick) in the DFW area today.

Good gloves are not cheep BUT are worth it. :wink:
A CHEEP slicker suit will last for several trips. 8O

ab

 

I live in Arlington, and i work out near the speedway. I get off around 2am, luckily i made it home before the snow.

 

Forgot one last piece of essential gear. I have a balaclava that tucks into your jacket front and back and covers your head completely. It fits easily under your helmet and the only discomfort I felt was that I couldn't seem to get enough air so I cut a slit in front of my mouth and it helped.

Or you can get a polar fleece neck condom that just covers your neck/chin. I find this more comfortable than the balaclava. Mine is made by a company called "Turtle Fur" and I wear it every trip when the temp is below 45* F.

Someone suggested you buy a beater cage for those cold days. Certainly an option but a good part of he fun of winter riding is spending as much time as you want on your bike and arriving warm and toasty and looking forward to the return trip.

 

I ride year round too and sometimes it gets in to the 20s here in Baltimore. Definitely get a neck gator. I think mine is called turtle fur? It's amazing how much difference they can make. Maybe a breath guard for your helmet too to direct your nose breath down away from your faceshield. Once it gets in to the 30s, my faceshield fogs up when I stop at lights but I'm too lazy to get a breath guard.

Last winter when I left my volunteer shift at Shock Trauma, it started to sleet on the way home. I had a riding jacket and winter gloves but I left my scrubs on. Sleet was hitting my tank, then sliding down in to my crotch. I basically had a pile of ice piling up on top of my boy on the way home. Going down to St. Paul St near Mercy I'm headed down a hill that has a red light at the bottom of it. I pulled the brakes so lightly but my front wheel locked up and I slid to an icy stop RIGHT on the white line. That was the LONGEST 3 mile ride home ever.