Riding in Winter

[aschem]

Decided to ride motorcycle to work (7 miles each direction) in the winter. Was thinking of getting some high quality snowmobile bibs to offset the cold here in Idaho. I was looking at them online and they sure have changed since the 80s and so has the price. Some of them are in the $400-$600 range. Has anyone used them for winter riding?

[fotoguzzi]

your one tough rider, get a Buffalo robe.... don't you have ice in Idaho? do they use salt on the roads? which bike are you going to torture? I hope it's not your Buell..

[Triple Jim]

While you're looking at your options, look at the Joe Rocket "Survivor" suit.  I've used mine for a couple seasons and think it would be fine for short rides in even the coldest weather.  In NC winter, I can normally ride all I want in it.

[aschem]

Was going to pick up a used Japanese bike to ride. It does get very cold and they do use salt. I am in the thinking stage. Not real sure if I will follow through.

[canuguzzi]

Regarding the thinking stage, why? Seems the bike will never get warmed up for such a short ride. When there is ice on the road, bad enough being in a car but a bike? Seems like a lot of risk just to ride a few miles a day.

[ITSec]

Heated grips. Heated seat. Heated vest. Maybe a full set of heated riding gear. Don't try snowmobile boots, they're too bulky and leave you no feel. Instead, consider Sidi or other high quality boots with high-quality socks for mountaineering.

Yes, I live in Las Vegas now, but I lived over 30 years in western Canada, and rode there each year until the ice on the road made it unsafe - and started again as soon as the gravel on the road had been swept in the spring.

[aschem]

I didn't consider the warm up part; good point. How many miles does it take to warm up a bike in freezing temps?

[fotoguzzi]

Was going to pick up a used Japanese bike to ride.Good idea, get one with ABS It does get very cold and they do use salt. I am in the thinking stage. Not real sure if I will follow through.

Go for it if you have a car for backup.

  Seems like a lot of risk just to ride a few miles a day.

Life is a risk.. I wish I could ride a few miles everyday. I do 20 miles commute each day until the snow/ice arrives..
It's good for the soul (I can't spell psyche ) I got wet today both ways..

[Sasquatch Jim]

  Get a good dirt bike like a DR 650.  Put a sidecar on it , and good knobbies.  Fit them with ice studs for the worst of winter.
 A bibbed snowmobile suit is fine.  Sorrel boots and good mittens.  A balklava under the helmet will complete the outfit.
 I used such a rig for 4 winters in Washington  before coming here to paradise.  It went anywhere in any weather and could hold 65 MPH
 all day long without even breathing hard.  It had a Ural sidecar attatched.

[fotoguzzi]

I didn't consider the warm up part; good point. How many miles does it take to warm up a bike in freezing temps?

just warm up your yamahondoozie before you take off but be aware if it's really below freezing you shouldn't be on two wheels, traction is severely restricted..

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CwTIy1lzBn0

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Gx4YNb48PM

[aschem]

Now I'm worried about damaging the air cooled engine by riding only a few miles without properly warming the engine. 

[fotoguzzi]

you could take the long/scenic way in.. who says you must ride the direct route?

[trippah]

when its cold enough for ice, I've had enough.  Falling and breaking body parts just don't add up; either a sidecar unit or perhaps a three wheeler (but really, cars were invented for just this situation.

[Yukonica]

Riding in winter? hah hah haha ahahaha LOL! Isn't going to happen here.  ~ Okay, I'm finished.
I rode through three winters in Calgary (probably a similar climate) on a 550 Suzuki GS (RIP).
The bike would kick-start at -15 C. Used semi studded tires (about 1/5 coverage). Took about 5 minutes for oils to warm up. Used a 'space blanket' draped over the tank and engine to speed the process.
Full-face helmet with balaclava. One size up Motocross boots with 2 pair wool socks. Top-end Alpine ski gloves.
Was willing to accept ridicule in exchange for 'in your face'.
Story ends with a high side because some prick in a 4x4 kept to his rightful lane rather than moving right and granting passage. My choice was to switch from the 18" driver-side tire path to the right-hand patch or meet dick-head's trailer mirror head on. My brother-in-law came; trailered me home, fed me good beer then slapped my head ... several times.

[jas67]

I didn't consider the warm up part; good point. How many miles does it take to warm up a bike in freezing temps?

A water cooled bike will warm up faster, than an air cooled bike.   In fact, at highway speeds, and air cooled bike never really gets to proper operating temps when it is really cold out.

[rodekyll]

I used to run my ambo from Kennewick to Spokane and back every rideable weekend in the winter.  That was generally any weekend with no snow forecast and temps expected above 0f.  Between the highway maintenance/traffic and the desert wind the road surfaces stayed bare and dry most of the time.  I had sorrel boots, mushing gloves, lowers, hippo hands, and a simple windscreen.  This was a while ago -- back when winters were winters and we put barbed wire around the tires for traction so's we could dodge mammoths on the ru-. . .  oh . . .wait.  Wrong ramble.   

This was a while ago, before some of the modern fabrics and insulation.  I've got respect for this newest generation of cold weather textiles (we need a get-off-my-lawn smarm).  I'd pull into Spokane with the temps in single digits and permanent brain and foot damage.  Idaho will be more the same than different I suspect, except Idahoans don't need to worry about the brain damage part.  But at the time I preferred one-piece snowmobile suits to anything made for motorcycles, and I've always preferred the fewer seams and leak points of one-piece foul weather gear v 2-pc.  Today I've got respect for this newest generation of cold weather textiles (we need a get-off-my-lawn smarm). 




Tips: 

Motorcycle gear isn't really designed for what you want on account of nobody except me and maybe you cares.  I'd look at snowmachine and marine stuff, too.  Those industries have some serious gear for serious environments.

Get something that either doesn't have the opening forward or has a really good storm flap.

Watch the flap seals.  Imagine being stupid-cold and having to get out of the gear in a ***HURRY*** with numb fingers and perhaps gloves on after an hour at speed/winter temps.  If you can't imagine prying the Velcro or whatever open to get at the zipper under those conditions, you're setting yourself up for a problem on the road.

Consider the 'overwear' concept where the final gear is roomy enough to layer up underneath.  The downside is maneuverability.  I feel like a medieval knight in Michelin-man armor or that kid who's gonna put an eye out when I'm ready for winter battle.  The good news is that you're armoring while you layer.  The bad news is that all those layers trap every bit of moisture you can possibly sweat off.  I've pulled off my overwear and had my clothes underneath freeze solid.

Two-piece gear is more convenient, but one-pc is more functional at 60mph.  I have both.  For short runs like yours, my two-piece First Gear stuff is adequate, but for anything over an hour or possible heavy weather I'll hide in my marine survival (mustang) suit.  It's like a snowmachine suit but with floatation and a helicopter lift harness.  I'll also use the one-piece if I'm wearing office clothes (jacket and tie) under my riding gear.

The collar design is an overlooked and critical feature.  Ideally you should be able to use the collar, not just look at it.  Same with cuffs.  Make sure they work for you.  I really like a fur collar.  I've had them made to slip over regular collars and snap/zip in place.

Again, with stupid-cold/frozen fingers in mind, qualify the pockets for what you intend to carry.

I use long gauntlet snowmachine gloves and hippo hands in the winter.  I don't use heated anything.



That's all I've got.

[rodekyll]

By "snow"  I'm assuming you mean some sort of drug? 

[Kiwi_Roy]

Ride in the winter, what  Crazy idea.

[twhitaker]

My First Gear Thermo suit keeps me nice and toasty down to 20 degrees.

[Mike Tashjian]

Snowmobiles and dirt bikes used to be 2 stroke and had no trouble with the cold weather.  The new generation is seeing four stoke motors and I would assume that will be no problem for them in the coldest of weather.  You on the other may have issues.  I used to take the dirt bike to the beach in the coldest part of Winter and ride 10 or so miles.  It was always a great ride and one of the most memorable of the year.  On the negative side was even with the high tech snowmobile gear of the day I was so cold by the end of the ride that, I would have to sit in the truck and warm up before I could load the bike to take it back home.   Second big negative will be the ice that forms on warm parts, melts and refreezes to make the bike inoperable until you defrost it.  So you may need a heated garage at both home and work.  Heated snowmobile face shields work pretty well, and another vote for the Hippo hands if you decide to ride.   Mike

[biking sailor]

I ride all year round.  Only in Oklahoma only have to experience 20's F in the AM and usually warms to 40's in the afternoons.  Any signs of ice and it's take the truck! My commute consists of a lot of highway at 70 to 80 MPH.  I tried it on a couple of Guzzi's, but unfortunately, as Pete has pointed out in the past, they over cool and I could never get rid of the formation of mayo in the oil, even with a oil cooler cover on the Stelvio.  Hello Honda, Kawasaki, and now Yamaha for that duty (and last winter BMW GS with a std oil thermostat that got up to temp really pretty well).  They can handle low temps much better, just like a car really.

I've tried a lot of different gear and what works best for me is my Tourmaster Synergy heated jacket liner and heated leather gloves, worn under good leather riding over-pants and leather jacket.  Just used std MC boots, a neck gator, and rode with good wind protection (windshield and hand guards). 

[tazio]

Sorry, always considered commute miles "garbage" miles.
Some of the riskiest riding you'll do, dicing it out with half asleep cagers running late for work(at times, in the dark).
For the most part it's the same old ride back and forth, day in day out.
For the going price of a set of bike tires, let me wear them out on day trips in the mountains or other such enjoyable putt-abouts.
7 miles isn't worth gearing up for, just to end up at work. Just sayin'.
But mostly, as it applies to very cold weather commuting, nobody in their heated and comfortable 4 wheeled behemoth
is expecting a bike to occupy the lane their fixing to jump into..

Still, YMMV and all power to those who do here, of which there are many.

[Yukonica]

Sorry, always considered commute miles "garbage" miles.
Some of the riskiest riding you'll do, dicing it out with half asleep cagers running late for work(at times, in the dark).
For the most part it's the same old ride back and forth, day in day out.
For the going price of a set of bike tires, let me wear them out on day trips in the mountains or other such enjoyable putt-abouts.
7 miles isn't worth gearing up for, just to end up at work. Just sayin'.
But mostly, as it applies to very cold weather commuting, nobody in their heated and comfortable 4 wheeled behemoth
is expecting a bike to occupy the lane their fixing to jump into..

Still, YMMV and all power to those who do here, of which there are many.

I'm on the other end of the spectrum: any miles put on are good miles. Life is short: ride it as much as you can. I've known plenty of people who won't go for a ride if it is raining let alone snowing. Those are people I consider hobbyists even when dressed head to toe in Davidson's finest lifestyle gear. But that's just me. Seven miles is short if you have to dress up and dress down for 5 minutes at either end. I'd buy an Aerostich.

[Wayne Orwig]

I rode year round in Ohio, and still do here in Georgia.
I do avoid ice though.
Aerostitch and electric vest. Fog city shield.

They may not be 'quality' miles, but I just don't like the 'cage'. I tried the car once, but it just filled with snow.

[toolittletime]

Decided to ride motorcycle to work (7 miles each direction) in the winter. Was thinking of getting some high quality snowmobile bibs to offset the cold here in Idaho. I was looking at them online and they sure have changed since the 80s and so has the price. Some of them are in the $400-$600 range. Has anyone used them for winter riding?

What part of Idaho??  Here in the northern panhandle.......30 miles to Canada.......I ride until the first snow, which is usually mid November and then on an occasional day when there is no snow on the road throughout the winter....start back with regular riding in mid March. Heated jacket, pants, grips, heaver than summer weight gloves to keep the front of your hands warm, full coverage helmet, gerbing outer pants and heavy first gear jacket with liner. I am warm down to about 20 or so. Below that temp I just don't ride.
Some parts of Idaho in the southern part have a lot less winter. The coldest I've had here is -35 F.

Tim

[normzone]

" Mumble "

That's what John Varley's bird race say in the final novel of the Titan/Wizard/Demon trilogy, when they have nothing to add to the conversation but want to participate anyways.

I figure any complaint I make from San Diego won't add value to this thread. But you guys pictures will be in my rotating desktop.

 

[davedel44]

Well , there was plenty of that around also 

 During the time I lived there we had a couple of good snows , 10 inches or more , and one winter , '82-'83 maybe , record cold. The ponds all froze solid , even the bay in Houston had ice in it . The locals were freaked 

  Dusty

Nothing more dangerous than a Texan on ice!

Winter of '83 Galveston Bay froze at its edges after a quick moving cold front dropped temps into the teens overnight.  Bay was littered with cold stunned fish.

Another Arctic blast in late Feb.  during Mardi Gras festivities.  Got slapped in the face by some beads thrown from a float.  Hurt like heck.

Didn't ride at the time but wouldn't have considered it anyway. Can't imagine it now.  Hate the cold!

Dave
Galveston

[tazio]

Going out for a ride or a trip, weather happens. Brang it on!
Gearing up for a 7 mile commute to work in the winter(the O.P's intent), not my idea of fun...

 

[Wayne Orwig]

Gearing up for a 7 mile commute to work in the winter(the O.P's intent), not my idea of fun...

That is why I like the Aerostitch. Pull it on. Slip on the helmet & gloves. Go to work.

[charlie b]

OK, so first off, I have commuted on my bikes, that's the main reason I had one, cheap transportation.

Most of my commutes were short, less than 10 mi.  The current commute is 30mi.

I used to use a snowmobile suit over my business attire.  Easy to get on/off and was warm.  Biggest issue is faceshield fogging up.

On short commutes I found that you don't need a ton of cold weather gear.  In the short time you will be in the cold just about anything will work.  Yes, you'll be a little 'cold' when you get to work but no big deal.  My current commute taks about 35min (most is at highway speeds).  I wear kevlar jeans.  No overpants.  Yes, even when it is only 23F outside.  In those 35 min my knees will just start to get cold by the time I get to work.  Heated gloves are a must for me.  Jacket is leather or fabric with a fleece hoodie underneath.

So, the bad part.  On my short commutes I could count on replacing my mufflers every other year (no stainless).  The time running was just barely enough to get the engine heated.  Water vapor in exhaust would condense in the cold muffler and it would never get warm enough to evaporate.  Rust.  In the old days I had a Honda so the transmission oil heated up well.  With the Guzzi I keep a close watch on the transmission and final drive fluids.  They don't get that warm so make sure to check for water when you change them.

The biggest issue is ice.  Back east especially.  Wet cold usually means black ice in the mornings.  The other is when daytime temps thaw out snow, water runs across road and freezes at night.