Winter Weather Riding Tips?

[burkbuilds]

I'm starting this thread because I accidentally "high jacked" Tim's thread and so I apologize to Tim and I'm moving the topic over here.

Well, Winter weather riding seems pretty far away when it's hitting mid 90's around here almost every day but Water Warrior asked me what type of heated gear I had purchased and it made me think that he and some other riders have a LOT more Winter riding experience than I do, so here's my question.
"What Winter Weather riding advice do you have to share?"

I got really cold last Winter riding to school when the temp hit 18 degrees F. Most of me was warm enough but my fingertips were very painful after 15-20 minutes of riding. I recently bought some heated riding gear from "Venture" and wired the harness in to my Vulcan 500 in preparation for the upcoming Winter. I got a heated liner for my jacket and heated gloves that plug into the outlet on the liner sleeves. There's a thermostat that controls the heat settings and the outlet is now just below my seat and easily accessible to plug into.
I'm really hoping this works because this year I've transferred to a school out of town and I'm going to have no other options than the bike for transportation all week. So what have you guys learned that you can pass along about cold weather riding?

[dhgeyer]

Well, so far I have kept at least one motorcycle active during three New Hampshire Winters, and done some pretty long rides in sub-freezing temps. What have I learned, sometimes the hard way?

1. Heated gear is good. It sounds like you have pretty much what I have, and I have ridden down to 20 degrees without discomfort. In addition to what you listed, you will want: a good windshield and a set of lowers for the Vulcan 500 if you don't already have them, good warm boots and heavy wool socks, a good set of riding pants with removable insulated liner, a full face helmet, and a balaclava.

2. Don't ever ride if the roads are not clear of ice, slush, and snow. Not too much of a problem in Georgia I guess.

3. Learn to appreciate the blessings of the electric hand dryers in the men's room. Not a big problem on a 15 or 20 minute ride.

4. Be ever vigilant for unexpected patches of ice if it's below freezing. If water gets on the road for an reason, and the temp drops, you have ice. Sometimes, if the ice is thin,it can be what we call "Black Ice", and can be hard to see. So you need to really watch that road surface. If you need to cross ice, squeeze the clutch, get the bike upright, and coast across the ice with the least possible steering or braking/acceleration inputs. You have very limited traction. If you can see the ice coming and set yourself up to coast across it, you will be fine. This can get tricky on hills and curves, so be especially wary in those situations.

5. Be even more aware of other motorists not seeing you. They don't expect you to be there.

6. If you feel yourself getting really cold, stop and warm up. Hypothermia is dangerous, as it impairs motor skills and judgment.

7. Stay hydrated - cold saps moisture from the body almost as quickly as heat does.

8. The heated jacket liner is particularly important. If you keep "the core" warm, blood will carry the heat to the brain and, to a lesser extent, to the extremities. Don't be afraid to crank the jacket liner up to the point where it feels quite warm.

9. Despite the risks and inconvenience, I find that there's a great satisfaction to riding year round. It's a trip to be the only one with the balls to be out there. You don't see any other bikes, and the riders stuck in their cages envy you, even though they think you must be nuts.

[Sarris]

Floriduh riders wont ride below 55 degrees. Too damn cold.

:lol: :whistle:

[Easy Rider]

Originally Posted by burkbuilds

I'm really hoping this works because this year I've transferred to a school out of town and I'm going to have no other options than the bike for transportation all week. So what have you guys learned that you can pass along about cold weather riding?

Appologies in advance if we have touched on this before but here's what I think:

Having a bike as your ONLY transportation is not a prudent thing to do, IMHO.

Riding in inclement weather is at least 10X more dangerous than when it is clear and dry and warm......even somewhat more if it is clear and dry and COLD.

Resisting the temptation to "preach" like some of the ATGATT folks do, I'll just leave it at that.

[dhgeyer]

Originally Posted by Easy Rider

Riding in inclement weather is at least 10X more dangerous than when it is clear and dry and warm......even somewhat more if it is clear and dry and COLD.

Statistics don't support this claim. To date, the best and most comprehensive study of motorcycle accidents/safety is "The Hurt Report" (AKA "Motorcycle Accident Cause Factors and Identification of Countermeasures"). The report itself is fairly long, but what is easily digestible is the summary of 55 findings. I think everyone who rides ought to be familiar with these. It's published all over the Internet, and googleing "Hurt Report" will get you all the copies you want. There is one located at http://www.clarity.net/~adam/hurt-report.html.

Finding number 11 states: "Weather is not a factor in 98% of motorcycle accidents."

I would tend to agree that relying totally on a motorcycle is not the most desirable state of affairs, but if that's all you can afford, you have to make the best of it. When I had just graduated from college, the only vehicle I had was a Ducati 250. Now that I think of it, that was also the case the Spring of my Senior year. I've known several people who went through various periods of their lives with only a motorcycle or a scooter. As far as I know, they are all still with us.

I would counsel strongly against riding if the roads are not clear. Other than that, if you're prepared with the proper gear, a lot of caution, and some experience, it's not that bad.

[Easy Rider]

Originally Posted by dhgeyer

Statistics don't support this claim.

Finding number 11 states: "Weather is not a factor in 98% of motorcycle accidents."

I would tend to agree that relying totally on a motorcycle is not the most desirable state of affairs, but if that's all you can afford, you have to make the best of it.

I would counsel strongly against riding if the roads are not clear.

OK, so I exagerated the numbers a bit... :whistle: ....poetic license.

How old is the Hurt Report ??
Finding 11 then would also mean that weather WAS a factor in 2% of REPORTED accidents. The fact that a reportable accident did not happen in a given circumstance does NOT also mean that the riding was not inherently more dangerous.

My wild speculation is that at least half of those who claim that they can't afford a cage type of transportation are either just outright fudging the facts or are just not being realistic about the relative costs. A LOT of cars can be had for the price of a $4K bike and, say, $500 worth of extra riding gear.

[dhgeyer]

Well, I think maybe we can draw a line under this, as I'm not sure we're all that far apart. I agree, and have said (actually in this thread) that there is increased risk to riding in rain, excess heat, cold, etc. I've also said that, if you are properly equipped and have some experience, the added risk is not huge, and I think that the best information we have bears that out. To put it in perspective, look at the Hurt Report findings and see all the other factors that increase risk by a lot more than 2%, and a lot of people here accept those increased risks because they feel it is worth the increased enjoyment, comfort, thrills, etc.

In the end, it comes down to how much risk you are willing to accept in order to do something you enjoy doing in the way you enjoy doing it.

In answer to your question, the Hurt Report is fairly ancient. The data came from several thousand accidents that occurred in the Los Angeles area in the late 70's. I would never claim that the Hurt Report (named for its lead researcher, Harry Hurt) is perfect by any means. It is flawed, not only by being pretty out of date, but also by the fact that most (although not all) of the data came from an urban area. Some of the accidents did happen in the outlying communities, so it wasn't 100% urban. Still, I suspect the low percentage of animal strikes, for example, would not reflect rural New Hampshire.

Still, the Hurt Report remains the largest, most comprehensive, and most thorough piece of research done on the subject in this country to date, and most authorities rely on it primarily. There is another study under way right now which, when completed will no doubt supplant The Hurt Report. The new study is funded from several sources, only one of which is the government. It is years from completion, and it will be very interesting to see what conclusions are different, and what remains the same.

[music man]

Originally Posted by Easy Rider

A LOT of cars can be had for the price of a $4K bike and, say, $500 worth of extra riding gear.

But how nice of a car can you have in comparision to a 4k bike. Almost exclusively, if you buy a car for 4K and under, you are looking at a car with at least 100K miles on it, and as you probably already know your average car isn't going too far past 100k without having costly issues. While on the other hand, I could go on Craigslist right now and find probably 20 bikes within a 30 mile radius of my house for sale, that are 4K or less, that will be rock solid dependable for years with little or no costly issues whatsoever AND get 50+ miles to the gallon to boot, and one more very important one, cheaper insurance than your average car.


And if you are poor enough that you can't afford to drive a car, you are probably not going to spend 500 bucks on gear either, I know I don't have 500 dollars worth of gear.

[Water Warrior 2]

BB, found your new thread so will ask the same question here. Do you know the power draw in watts for the heated gear and how much excess the bike will put out to power the heated gear ?

Riding is Squamish is almost a year round treat for some of the hardy riders. It is generally wet but normally does not freeze up for more than a few days each winter. Quite a change from the Canadian Prairies where I spent my first 60 years of life. I did ride one winter there in temps well below "O" F but it was a warm prairie winter and I did it out of desperation rather than pleasure. This was on main streets with ice all the way. Not a great deal of snow after the plows had been out. Most intersections with traffic lights had been sanded for better traction.

Just for added interest. Way back when on the prairies in Edmonton Alberta one winter I regularly saw a real diehard on a British twin at -40 (40 below F). He must have parked it in a heated garage just so it would start.

[Easy Rider]

Originally Posted by music man

But how nice of a car can you have in comparision to a 4k bike.

that will be rock solid dependable for years with little or no costly issues whatsoever

And if you are poor enough that you can't afford to drive a car, you are probably not going to spend 500 bucks on gear either, I know I don't have 500 dollars worth of gear.

If it is 18F and spitting freezing rain, ANY car is better than a bike......or raining buckets and a 40 mph wind. That WAS my point.

As for going years with little maintenance cost, that probably means you will be putting on a lot of miles and tires alone for a bike (2) often cost as much as a set for a car (4) and only get half the mileage (typically).

Price of gear: Maybe my figure was a little high but we are kind of talking about heated riding gear and that stuff ain't cheap.

So..........my contribution to the original question: SLOW DOWN. Rain, wind and cold are worse the faster you go.