Winter…

[chuck peterson]

Stolen from someone on the internet. Don’t tell anyone

[john fish]

[Anomaly]

Two weeks ago, woke up to this




In southern Tuscany!
(thankfully, it didn't stick...)

[JJ]

Stolen from someone on the internet. Don’t tell anyone

Frozen?!?   (Yes....FROZEN!!!)

[Bulldog9]

When I was a kid, we would screw hex head sheet metal screws into the raised lugs of knobby tires and ride with abandon in the snow and ice. Now? I can barely walk outside with ice and snow...... lol.

[blackcat]

And then there is some ice racing on Lake George, NY

[jcctx]

Winter sucks; hard on the old bones!!!!!

[n3303j]

On the way home from work.

[Tkelly]

C coli has a photo from returning to WI from Louisiana one November like these.

[Dirk_S]

On the way home from work.

Ron, you have a camera crew!?

Last night I rode back from a murder mystery party, 40 minutes from home in 28°F. My personal record for +30 minute cold weather riding is an hour’s ride in 24°F on the BMW rig a couple years ago. I can do better. Which reminds me, I need to change out this rear knobby real ‘soon!

[n3303j]

Closed up shop early because of incoming blizzard. We were a copier service company with techs out on the road. Sent them all home and closed up early. Service Manager happened to be following me home. Caught the photo at a Stop light. It's one of my favorite.

But for those who ask; I'm not doing anything beyond what snow mobilers do for recreation. I just dress like they do and have a grand time. Means I get to ride 12 months out of the year!

Actually more pleasant than riding in the rain.

[Bulldog9]

Closed up shop early because of incoming blizzard. We were a copier service company with techs out on the road. Sent them all home and closed up early. Service Manager happened to be following me home. Caught the photo at a Stop light. It's one of my favorite.

But for those who ask; I'm not doing anything beyond what snow mobilers do for recreation. I just dress like they do and have a grand time. Means I get to ride 12 months out of the year!

Actually more pleasant than riding in the rain.

Are those DB bags?

I actually like riding in the rain........... Warm weather of course............. ..

[n3303j]

Are those DB bags?

I actually like riding in the rain........... Warm weather of course............. ..

Best of my knowledge (no internal label) they are Wixom. I made the mounting brackets to put the bag tops lower than the luggage rack.

Warm rain is okay. Especially in the spring when I need to get the salt out of the riding gear. It has to get washed sometime.

Makes vision a bit of a challenge though. Close the shield and it fogs up. Open it a crack and raindrops splatter inside blurring vision. It's a no win situation.

[faffi]

I have ridden my bicycle through 9 winters and motorcycles through 4 winters. I like the challenge of mastering the slick surfaces, but I hate the cold.

[Motormike]

I've never understood how anyone can ride a motorcycle in snow and ice (well, maybe those ice racers with spiked tires!  ) Back when I was in high school in the dark ages I lived in the cold snowy mid-west.  Suffering severe riders withdrawl one cold snow-covered December day, I decided to get my little Suzuki enduro out and give it a go.  After dropping the bike in the snow at least five times in less than a block, I decided then and there that two-wheeled vehicles and low-traction surfaces were mutually incompatible.  I also learned that, while picking up a 200 lb motorcycle in the dirt was relativly easy, it became quite a bit more challenging when your feet kept sliding out from under you!  That was my first and time intentionally trying to ride in the snow.  Notice I said intentionally.  But that's another story. 

[Dirk_S]

Agreed. If I had a motorcycle that weighed less than 400 lb, I’d be more inclined to stud the tires and ride single-track through the winter days when snow/ice is on the road. But all my bikes weigh more than 460 lb., and that’s where the blessings of a sidecar come in.

Skinnier, knobby tires on a motorcycle and sidecar do a much better job in the snow than car tires. Last year during one particular snowstorm, I rode the rig confidently past multiple cars that were stuck at various intersections or facing nearly perpendicular on the uphill streets, trying to regain traction. I shook my fist, yelling at them to stay home and leave the driving to the folks who know how to properly handle the conditions. One of these pics is from that storm, can’t remember which:



Yesterday I rode a mile into the city to grab takeout. 12°F (-11°C). I ran my heated grips, but by the time I got home, my thumbs were pretty frozen, and I had to soak them in cool water. It’s time to bring out the handlebar muffs.

I’d rather deal with freezing temperature and snow than 40°F and rain. Good golly does cold rain suck.

[faffi]

I have never used special tires on snow or ice on two wheels. The least grip came from the semi- knobbies on my 550lbs Virago.

[Dirk_S]

I have never used special tires on snow or ice on two wheels. The least grip came from the semi- knobbies on my 550lbs Virago.

I’d look at rubber compound as the reason for poor grip in that case. A soft compound and a trials type tire are recommended by most who ride and snow, including Ural and sidecar experts.

That’s at least what I’ve read (many accounts) and my own limited experience, but I also know I’m saying this to someone who’s probably got more miles in snow than I might ever reach.

[Ncdan]

When I was a in my late teens and early 20 there were about 20 guys in my neighborhood which did cross country (trail riding) riding gatherings. We would meet every Sunday after church at the leaders house, which we all made him our president. He and his brother had inherited
A 200 acre farm and when snow was on the ground we would hit the pasture.
We all road dirt bikes, mostly Hondas, XL250 or 350s with full blown heavy knobby tires.
Riding two wheels ain’t much different than in a car. It’s still about counter steering and you’ll learn the technique pretty quickly. We ran about as hard in the snow as any other time.
Now riding o the street would be a totally different animal, I’ve never attempted that feat.

[faffi]

I’d look at rubber compound as the reason for poor grip in that case. A soft compound and a trials type tire are recommended by most who ride and snow, including Ural and sidecar experts.

That’s at least what I’ve read (many accounts) and my own limited experience, but I also know I’m saying this to someone who’s probably got more miles in snow than I might ever reach.

It makes sense, but the Heidenau K60 Silica on the rear and the Mitas something up front both offered less grip on both snow and ice compared to what experience would indacte, less than the ordinary street tires I have used on the other bikes.

[faffi]

After doing figure eights on the 550 lbs Virago. Combine poor grip, worse technique and lots of metal and I ended up a very sweaty rider!

[JJ]

I left the dreaded, wet, cold, LONG winters in upstate New York in 1978...

This is the kind of winter I prefer now...