When you ask how you should proceed with winter motorcycle riding, many people will immediately answer; “Park your bike in the garage and wait for spring!”
It’s okay to be a fair weather biker… but just because you don’t have the desire to develop the skills and equipment to devote yourself to winter motorcycle riding, don’t let someone else’s tires run out of air! Park your bike and wait for spring.
The rest of us are going to climb up and split the wind!
The simple truth is; Winter motorcycle riding can be done safely and sensibly…all it takes is a little thought, a few pieces of the right equipment, some common sense, and conscious, deliberate concentration to ride your motorcycle correctly.
The first is the first; Make sure your bike is in top mechanical condition… it’s bad enough to ride a scooter in the summer with worn tires… Do it in the winter and you’ll likely find yourself riding your butt on the tarmac.
Second; Dress for the weather. Dress in layers. You’ve heard it before and it’s just the only way. Multiple lightweight, insulated layers are much warmer and more adaptable to conditions than a single heavy layer.
I ride, from the skin up, and depending on the conditions, cotton underwear, insulated long johns, normal street clothes, wool sweater, ski type, high dungarees, insulated vest, winter jacket, insulated gloves type gauntlet, a fleece. hood, a full face helmet, wool socks and boots lined with gore-tex with Thinsulate insulation.
This gear keeps my winter bike warm down to 20 degrees and below… this winter the coldest I’ve ever ridden, without any considerable distress, has been 10 degrees. I’m talking about a distance of twenty miles and more.
On a longer ride, you’ll have to make more stops than you would in the summer to warm up a bit, but you should still be able to rack up considerable comfortable miles enjoying the bright times of winter motorcycle riding.
One of the critical requirements of your clothing is the outer shell. It has to be well woven and wind resistant. I’ve used the heavy cotton Canvas Carhartt clothing, and just over 50 mph the wind pressure starts to seep in and you get cold. I have found that insulated, light-knit, nylon-faced coats and coveralls are far superior when it comes to turning the wind around.
If you have the alternator to power everything, and you don’t get in your way with all the wires and thermostats…or the price…you can cut the layers…and invest in thermal clothing…but the fact is which…not that many bikes have the power from the alternator to run them…and you end up getting the necessary juice out of your battery…
I found, here in Colorado, that I ran great, with a smile on my face…wrapped in totally ‘energy free’ winter riding gear!
Once your bike is prepped and ready… and once you’re dressed… how do you handle the road?
One word… Carefully and deliberately… Okay… Can’t add real gud… but you get the idea.
First of all, the people who drive those four-wheeled contraptions will start to see a motorcycle rolling down the road when the thermometer is dipping towards the single digits. So you have to be more alert… They will do even dumber things than usual.
Secondly, you need to pay special attention to the pavement. Cold rubber just doesn’t have the traction that it does in the summer. You have to keep your speed down… and drive with precision. Save the hot dogs for California Summers!
You don’t necessarily have to wait until the roads are 100% clear… but if there is a lot of ice or snow, we recommend that you wait until it clears up a bit more. Snow tires and motorcycle chains have yet to be perfected by manufacturers…unless you count those wild men of the north who race their bikes on frozen lakes…
… but racing down the road with those deadly spikes in your tires is my idea of taking a good idea too far!
What you do have to do is consciously pay close attention to the road. The sand will be ejected towards the center of the lane or to either side. Where you need to drive is in “tire tracks” as much as you can, to stay clear of slippery sand and other road debris.
Keep your speed low on the sweepers to make sure you stay on that track and not veer into the sand piled up at the edges of your line.
If you are riding and there, in the shadow of a tree or a building, there is a piece of ice or snow on the other side of the road… Don’t panic! Get off the brakes! Keep the throttle steady. Don’t speed up, don’t slide and slow down. Just keep your hand steady. Watch your weight. Do not lean to one side or the other.
If you’re in a corner, you pretty much have to stand up straight, to cross the bad spot, and then once you’re back on dry pavement, head back around the turn.
My mantra is “soft hands”. Just stay smooth while crossing that usually small and slippery spot. You’ll come out, on the dry side, like a wise biker.
Pay attention to your condition while driving, both mental and physical. If it starts to get too cold, it’s time to stop for a cup of coffee and warm up. Too cold and your reaction time, as well as your basic idea, start to freeze, and that’s not the way to enjoy winter motorcycle riding.
If you make sure your bike is ready; make sure your motorcycle riding gear is up to the task; and make sure your head is in the right place for winter motorcycle riding; you too can enjoy the giggles you will get inside your helmet, while witnessing the surprised looks you will get from the people coming from the opposite direction, in their cars, when they see the crazy, fool, driving a motorcycle in the winter. !