Riding in a freezer

[isaac]

I went for a ride tonight on a whim. It was 35F degrees outside. I can't feel my legs.

I'd ridden in gradually colder weather to get used to this I guess. That's the way the seasons work, eh? To think 60 degrees used to feel cold to me on a bike. Well, now I know what cold is.

For some reason I didn't even bundle up much tonight. I put on my sweater, thick leather riding jacket, full face helmet, and thinsulate gloves, and hit the road on the Katana 600 that's in my garage until my friend gets back from Spain. I decided on that bike because it has fairings and a windshield, unlike the other two on which I'd likely die riding in this horrific cold snap (by Florida standards).

So I jumped on board, rolled it out of the garage, and closed the door. It was really on the cold side, but started right up. It didn't want to idle, but boy did it want to fly. Five minutes out of the garage, I was flying south down the main road toward the office.

I passed a few cars on the way there. Then I came up on two that were pacing each other. I knocked it down to third, pulled two lanes left, and nailed it. I didn't let off until 100mph - my first time breaking the ton - effortlessly. It felt like all the other times I'd gone very fast in very little time, just much colder. So much for my South Pole living simulator. I don't think I'm going to move there after all.

Ten minutes into it, I was freezing my ass off. Soon afterward I couldn't feel my legs. I'd worn jeans and running shoes (the vented kind) and had made a big mistake in doing so. The side fairings on a katana do nothing at speed. I was in a full tuck the whole time, just peeking over the windshield. I was flying down the road on my own, like a jet on a mission, yet I was going nowhere.

I now need a scarf for the first time in my life, but I'm glad I know how that feels. That was a thrilling ride.

 

[Anonymous]

Nice story.

I just read this one over on TMW. Nice to see another rider enjoying both forums.

Now try riding when it's a couple degrees below freezing. I've done that on a couple occasions, but I bundled up, plugged in the electric vest, and made sure that my handguards were in the right position. It is a bit of a different experience riding in sub-zero (celsius) temps, but as long as the roads are dry and free of ice, then you should be ok.

 

[Dink]

I used to regularly commute to work at 5 am at temps as low as -7C, I know allabout cold weather riding , that is why I moved North ( I am in Australia, so north equals warmer :wink: ) Here I commuted to work all winter, and didnt even wear gloves, it was only in the depths of winter I needed a summer weight vented leather jacket, unfortunately those days are gone, as I have to use a company car nowadays :roll: .
Dink

 

[Dark Jedi]

You will very likely want to invest in some thinsulate chaps or pants soon.

Once you do a popsicle ride, you'll want more. Realizing you don't have to put the bike away for winter opens up a whole new riding season.

I found that thinsulate pants made for snowboarding are cheap and effective.

 

[argonsagas]

You will very likely want to invest in some thinsulate chaps or pants soon.

Once you do a popsicle ride, you'll want more. Realizing you don't have to put the bike away for winter opens up a whole new riding season.

I found that thinsulate pants made for snowboarding are cheap and effective.

Yes, they are, but you still need to have something substantial underneath. They were built for snow, not roads, and will NOT withstand the torture of sliding on a road surface.

I don't know about your area, but here the biggest problem with winter riding is not ice, or snow, but sand.

It is the most treacherous item you can encounter, as you very often cannot see it. Remember, your tires are also cold, and do not have their summer flexibility or grip, so they tend to slip a bit sooner. Add a few thousand miniature ball bearings to the road surface and..................... 8O 8O 8O

Ahhh....but when you are out enjoying yourself at 20F, and find sand on a nice, easy, curve in the city at 30mph..those 20 foot sideways slides across two other lanes
R E A L L Y wake you up!!
8O 8O 8O 8O 8O 8O 8O 8O 8O

Been there..........done that......

 

[crag antler]

I never looked for these pants when I lived in Florida but now that I live up here, I don't do without.
Carharrtflannel lined denim jeans.
I can ride in almost any weather. too cold and the additional thermals go on 8O :x
Try a windbreaker under your jacket and a turtleneck with the neck tucked under the helmet strap. Anything to stop the wind should help stop the cold.

 

[Hoomgar]

isaac, if you wrap your scarf around your face and then back around your neck and tuck it down into your jacket back around the front. (I can show you a picture if this if you want?) Then pull your helmet over that while making sure you keep the scarf tucked up inside. I have been using this old trick since I was 16 (22+ years ago) and I still have tried and found nothing that works better than this! And, if you bundle up along with your regular safety riding gear, a basic wind breaker over the top of everything works miracles!

If I take the time to bundle up correctly I can ride in the coldest weather for very long periods of time. The only challenge I face is still my hands. I have found many things that work well but the things that I know would fix it I do not like. Like those bar end covers and stuff. Too restrictive to fast safe movement but they from what I hear eliminate the issue. For now, I just use really good gloves. This is the weak point in my insulation.

Ride year round baby!

 

[isaac]

Some of you guys definitely have balls for riding in the cold so much. Yeah, it would appear as if my lack of windbreaking clothing is a major hindrance to cold weather comfort. The leather riding jacket does alright, but I swear the zipper line is like a wind tunnel.

Thanks for the cold weather clothes advice. I asked for a scarf for Christmas. Lets hope I get to try one out. Windbreaker pants are definitely now on the list. I have chaps, but they're ridiculously oversized for being "small." The set of leathers I bought when I got my bike were very oddly sized. The small gloves look like larges, the small chaps look like XXL's, and the medium jacket looks like a small. Thankfully the jacket and gloves still fit, since those are the most important.

I can't imagine what it must be like to be a Harley rider with no helmet on. I mean damn!

 

[vwbeatle1214]

the one thing i miss about my zx-6r was that wide aluminum frame that absorbs all the heat from the motor, i rode it year round in cleveland ohio! i had to take the front fendert off to run studded tires but i rode it for 3 seasons(60 miles each way)to work year round, it was like riding a giant space heater, but now that i'm in tennessee with barely any snow my gs's stay parked in the winter, they seem alot colder than the liquid cooled bikes in the winter.

 

[Anonymous]

The weather in Orange County has been running in the mid 70's. Went for a ride in the local mountains. At 6500 feet, ran into snow and ice. Don't park a 600 lb bike on wet ice, even for picture. It was hell getting off! The air temps were in the 50's- not bad.
I ride an '80 GS1000G. It's a work in progress. Bought it with 22,000 miles from the previous owner's widow. I've put about 4,500 miles on it. Great bike. Needs a few things looked after (suspension- front and rear), but has been a reliable ride.

 

[bwringer]

Some of you guys definitely have balls for riding in the cold so much.

Ever experience the shrinky-dinky effect in the cold? 8O 8O

Sorry. Now back to your regularly scheduled civilized discourse.


I rode to work once a few years ago when it was -5 degrees Fahrenheit. Of course, at the time, I lived about five miles from work, not 65 miles as I do now.

I don't know what inspired me, but as I trudged past my old GS400 on the way to my old Datsun, I decided to clean off the snow and give it a maximum of five kicks.

It started on the first kick! The poor lil' feller was so eager to go for a ride, it almost broke my heart. So I went back in, bundled up even more, and rode to work.

Ice on the inside of the faceshield is a real pain. I wished for a snowmobile helmet...

 

[crag antler]

The only challenge I face is still my hands. I have found many things that work well but the things that I know would fix it I do not like. Like those bar end covers and stuff. Too restrictive to fast safe movement but they from what I hear eliminate the issue. For now, I just use really good gloves. This is the weak point in my insulation.Ride year round baby!

I hear you there Mark and have the same issues.
I can bundle up and get the whole body warm but the first thing to get cold is my hands. Once cold, I'm shot 8O 8O 8O :x :x
Tried Hippo Hands, ski gloves..... 8O 8O :x :x
Once they get cold, I call off the riding :evil: :x

 

[wrench]

isaac, if you wrap your scarf around your face and then back around your neck and tuck it down into your jacket back around the front. (I can show you a picture if this if you want?) Then pull your helmet over that while making sure you keep the scarf tucked up inside. I have been using this old trick since I was 16 (22+ years ago) and I still have tried and found nothing that works better than this!

Thats funny, i do the exact same thing 8)

When my Grandad passed away 30 years ago, i was given one of his scarves, i still use it to this day

 

[Hoomgar]

isaac, if you wrap your scarf around your face and then back around your neck and tuck it down into your jacket back around the front. (I can show you a picture if this if you want?) Then pull your helmet over that while making sure you keep the scarf tucked up inside. I have been using this old trick since I was 16 (22+ years ago) and I still have tried and found nothing that works better than this!

Thats funny, i do the exact same thing 8)

When my Grandad passed away 30 years ago, i was given one of his scarves, i still use it to this day

Rock on

That makes it all the more special. Mine is still my original scarf from when I was 16 too :lol:

Yes, I do wash it

 

[wrench]

isaac, if you wrap your scarf around your face and then back around your neck and tuck it down into your jacket back around the front. (I can show you a picture if this if you want?) Then pull your helmet over that while making sure you keep the scarf tucked up inside. I have been using this old trick since I was 16 (22+ years ago) and I still have tried and found nothing that works better than this!

Thats funny, i do the exact same thing 8)

When my Grandad passed away 30 years ago, i was given one of his scarves, i still use it to this day

Yes, I do wash it

8O 8O 8O 8O

Just kidding :lol:

 

[ZacharyB]

What happens when nature stops you from riding??

I went out at 3AM to ride to my Mom's house for a piece of computer hardware (about 2 miles away) in 11 degree weather. My 250 started didn't want to start up too easily, the clutch was squawking and the choke did only a smidgen of good! It started on the third try. Then I found out 90% of my throttle travel had frozen solid! I went anyway, I knew I wouldn't be going too fast. Max speed was about 30 mph downhill! Now I know what a 3 horsepower motorcycle feels like! Had to stop a couple of times to use the engine as a radiator for my poor hands

 

[RobGS850L]

Scarf around neck and down front is one my mandatory things to do and another is ,which I feel is of upmost importance is the "old wrap the scarf around the waist before I put on my jacket trick". It really prevents the wind blowing up the back and or front. I have an elastic waist on my jacket but it never has stopped the cool breeze from getting in. The scarf does. Plus it keeps other areas in the local area warmer. :wink:

 

[Anonymous]

Scarfs

Scarfs

Make sure the scarf is in place and cannot shift out of place. If it exposes your skin to.....lets say -30*F worth of wind chill it burns like s***!
Had it happen to me in the mid teens worth of temp & about thirty-five MPH. A wobbly fast dash to the shoulder of the road is what will happen!
-----------------------------Rick.......