Driving through the winter

[Guest]

Without boring you to much with details, here's some abbreviated backstory:

Wife has had chronic medical issues since giving birth last year not covered by health insurance.
We have one minivan due to having 2 kids)
I have my 82 gs650l, I've had it for almost 10 years.
We live in western Texas where winters are usually mild, last year being the exception with snowmageddon.

I had planned on putting the bike away for the winter to go through the carbs and do some other maintenance. However it seems that i will have to ride it through the winter.

What if anything can i do to make winter driving safer/more enjoyable?
Fit w context i live about 3 miles from work.

Thanks for any tips!

 

[Maddevill]

I'd just use the minivan. Our furnace guy parks his work truck in the winter and uses a Dodge Caravan to make service calls.
He said because the weight of the engine is right over the drive wheels, it works great in snow.
As for riding your bike in winter, obviously any snow or ice makes that extremely dangerous. Get an electric vest, preferably one
with hookups for electric gloves. Makes a HUGE difference in cold weather. I have a Widder but they're out of business now.

Mad

 

[Redman]

Tell us what temp a typical winter day can be for you. Going in
might be different than return home.

three miles. Might spend more time getting bundled up than riding. But good it’s not 30 miles.

other note: when riding in cold, I have found it is most always warmer at stop signs.

 

[Brendan W]

I lived about that distance from the office.
The bicycle was actually faster than the bike and a much better proposition on snow when you drop it.
Wife might feel happier also?

 

[steve murdoch]

Sympathies on the medical difficulties for your wife.
Obviously less tire grip in the cold temps. Take it easy on the turns.

 

[Big T]

Mountain bike and an electric vest

Think how much healthier you'll be

 

[Guest]

I would be using the minivan, but due to wife's health issues I feel better about her having a vehicle with her in case an emergency pops up. We also have to kiddos, 1 year old, and 4 year old. They are pretty clumsy at times and each one of them needed trips to e.r. for stitches already.
I never heard of electric vests, that may come in really handy, thanks!

 

[Guest]

Currently I work swing shift, meaning I start at 3 pm, and finish around 11 pm.
In a normal year we're lucky (lived in Vermont previously so like to play in snow) to see a week worth of snow throughout the winter.
Typical winter temps usually range from mid 30's to mid 50's.
The real problem tends to be the wind, it's not unusual to have sustained winds of 15 to 20 mph with gusts up to 30 mph for large parts of the day.

 

[Redman]

Currently I work swing shift, meaning I start at 3 pm, and finish around 11 pm.
......
Typical winter temps usually range from mid 30's to mid 50's........

Afternoon shift like that might help you, as afternoon and night temps warmer than early morning temps.

I would say set some limits and try it. Like try riding to work in upper 60s, and then low 60s, and see how you do. THen try upper 50s, then low 50s, then upper 40s which is a big step, then low 40s which is another big step, and 30s is another big step.

Without good riding jacket having a insulated liner and good gloves you probably arent going to get into the low 60s. Without insulated riding pants (over pants) you might be okay in 50s, but not 40s.

Fairing/windscreen will help upper body, but probably not much for knees and leggs.

Many folks say heated vest is the most usefull. I found that heated gloves to be the most usefull for the wattage. I got heated gloves about 10 years ago. The gloves are 24watt so 2amps on full heat, not a big load on bike electrical system. (Vest 48watt, Pants 48watts, Jacket liner 72watt). Back then they were all connected to the bike electrical system with cords and controllers and such. THese days the battery operated type heated gear are more common.

When I was younger, I rode to work regularly, 12 miles, without any heated gear, in low 40s and 30s. Good jacket and insuated over pants and heavy gloves. SOmetimes would arrive cold, and took a while to recover - hopefully didnt need to interact with folks for a while.

 

[Redman]

ANd that is without even concidering rain.

Rain will make it feel colder.

Butr for 3 miles, you can tolerate it. Although you may not want to arrive wett.

But do get some rain gear. If it is predicted that might rain, dont let that make you decide not to ride, just take the rain gear with you, and ride anyway. Probably most times it will not be actaully raining at the time you return.

.

 

[alke46]

My advice would be to invest in some snowmobile gear, preferably a one piece snow suit or ski gear, pants and jacket.
The best gloves I ever bought for winter was purchased at a bicycle shop. Brand was Pearl Izumi. Don't know if they are still made but the pair I bought had a place for your thumb and two separate pockets for two fingers each pocket. Think mittens only with pockets for two fingers.
Hold on and I will post a couple of photos of them.

IMG_20211030_212638097 by Larry Alkire, on Flickr

IMG_20211030_212643936 by Larry Alkire, on Flickr

IMG_20211030_212717856 by Larry Alkire, on Flickr

 

[Guest]

Thanks for the tips on the cold weather gear and the idea of slowly but steadily getting used to colder temperatures. I knew a guy that worked at a ski resort in Vermont many years ago who rode his motorcycle to work everyday during ski season. But he had an Enduro with a few modifications, he even had studded tires!

I am used to layering up on the ride because my usual riding season lasted until November when I lived up north, as long as there was no snow.
At that time I had a 20 mile commute to work (mainly interstate) and would usually leave for work, and get back home when it was dark and frigid.

I'm looking into getting a windscreen that I can throw on the bike, and some saddlebags. I had both when I originally bought the bike almost 10 years ago, but the windscreen cracked during my drive from Vermont to Boston so it had to go. The noise of the plastic rubbing against each other was driving me nuts on the interstate. Unfortunately the saddlebags didn't last to long either. But I think a new pair may come in real handy for putting all the extra clothes I can wear.

My current setup for cold weather riding is my 8 inch work boots, 2 pairs of pants(one is a dedicated motorcycle pant with padding), a long sleeve waffle weave with a motorcycle jacket, and winter gloves. I will probably add a scarf or neck gator to it if it becomes to cold.

 

[Maddevill]

Trust me on this. Once you try a heated vest and possibly gloves, you'll wonder how you ever rode without them. On warmer days
I'd still wear the vest and just not plug it in. The vest keeps your core warm so I found I had much less trouble with my toes and
fingers getting cold.

Mad

 

[Gorminrider]

I made this yesterday. I've had these nice mitts for so long but no good on a bike so, hey! a Hippo hand, since I think it's just the right hand where I want the split.

 

[GS1150Pilot]

Three miles? That is nothing if you aren't riding through snow or sleet or torrential rain. Gear up and do it. Your carbs will thank you.

 

[mikerophone]

Those split mittens are pretty great, nice mod as well.

As others have said, bundle up, but you still need to move, and yes rain gear is an essential, nice thing you have a short ride. I swear by good quality wool thermal long underwear and the frog toggs brand rain gear, and I got some cheap rain covers for my boots that worked a treat.

A windshield makes a big difference too, and be careful of cross draft side winds and painted lines, especially on corners when wet - same as when it rains.

Now that I live in San Diego it?s not a problem and I ride every day but when I spent two winters in Chicago I still tried to ride every day it wasn?t snowing (35 miles, mostly freeway) and I switched to my other GS (f800gs adventure) for winter riding and am fortunate to have heated grips, big block tires, ABS and traction control. I added some burly brush guards to block the wind and eventually some bare muffs that I had to modify a bit. Was nice because then I could wear a smaller glove, which was needed because the controls were a bit tight inside those mitts!

A mild December day:

 

[Kiwi Canuck]

Someone else mentioned Hippo hands, I'm going to get some for my new DR650, even with heated grips my hands get cold, so I'm going to try them out.

https://www.hippohands.com/

 

[xkaes]

A lot depends on if you live closer to Alpine or El Paso.

In either case, NOAA (NOT the Farmer's Almanac) predicts a La Nina Winter with very little precipitation in the SW US -- and warmer that average temperatures.

The worst you will have to deal with is the cold, but like I said, a lot depends on if you live closer to Alpine or El Paso.

 

[Guest]

Someone else mentioned Hippo hands, I'm going to get some for my new DR650, even with heated grips my hands get cold, so I'm going to try them out.

https://www.hippohands.com/

I ride with some off brand hippo hands. They work pretty well. Took some time to get used to, and it makes it hard to wave at other riders, so you have to do the head nod instead. Mine is probably less sturdy than the hippo hands, but easier because mirrors get in the way.

 

[RichDesmond]

Without boring you to much with details, here's some abbreviated backstory:

Wife has had chronic medical issues since giving birth last year not covered by health insurance.
We have one minivan due to having 2 kids)
I have my 82 gs650l, I've had it for almost 10 years.
We live in western Texas where winters are usually mild, last year being the exception with snowmageddon.

I had planned on putting the bike away for the winter to go through the carbs and do some other maintenance. However it seems that i will have to ride it through the winter.

What if anything can i do to make winter driving safer/more enjoyable?
Fit w context i live about 3 miles from work.

Thanks for any tips!

3 miles shouldn't be much of a problem.
I spent 4 years with only a bike in Albuquerque back in the 80's. Part of that time I lived about 3 miles from work. Mostly just rode in, didn't have any special gear other than some insulated Caster gloves. A set of coveralls is helpful, just wear layers under that. Good waterproof insulated boots. Neck gaiter is a good idea. Have a good rainsuit. If there was snow or ice I walked, took less than an hour each way.
I worked in sales at the time, so I was in a suit and tie. Put dress shoes in backpack, swapped when I got to work.