Joined
·
173 Posts
This is my guide how to ride in exceptionally cold weather.
Firstly I would purchase Freeze-Out Warm'R Gear. The articles I suggest are the socks, pants, half zip shirt, balaclava, neck gaiter, the full suit, the glove liners.
If you don't have good cold weather motorcycle gear I suggest you purchase iLM Madbike winter gloves, Viking Cycle Bloodaxe Leather jacket, Viking Cycle Saxon pants, Bates 8" GTX Ultra Lites Boot.
Optional but highly recommended:
Majestic Fire Apparel Nomex fire hood (great for 50 degree days or used in addition for colder days)
Explore Land 100% cotton Shemagh (incredibly versitile for anything from keeping bugs out with high airflow to preventing all air and keeping you warm) I strong suggest watching a youtube tutorial on the many different methods of wearing a shemagh. A Ninja wrap and a Cowboy wrap are my go-tos for helmet use.
I would like to state that it takes experience and a learning curve how to properly wear a shemagh as well as the neck gaiter. When using and gear with your helmet you need to keep in mind that you need helmet airflow to prevent fogging. The neck gaiter will fall to low to block air if you do not ensure it's location while using a helmet. Harass me all you want and call it common sense, but EVERYONE who uses that neck gaiter says they hate it and it's terrible because of how they can't position it properly. Trust me it's a great product if you learn how to use it.
Alrighty...so now you've got all your gear. Now I insist you start in 50 degree temp and go for short rides around the block experimenting with different gear combinations to get a feel for what makes you comfortably warm. I have a high cold tolerance so I could go out in shorts and short sleeves and be perfectly fine...
Then I say go out in 40 degrees and find your combination again. For me a standard pant and short sleeves under my Bloodaxe jacket and Saxon pant is good. I wear the Majestic Nomex firehood for neck warmth. I wear the iLM gloves for wind/water proofing.
Then I say go out in 30 degrees and find your combination. For me I wear ANY thermal layer, in addition to the above articles. I also wear a full length additional pair of socks.
Be cautious of black ice.
Make sure your tires warm up some before cornering aggressive. I try to do a little side to side slight angles on straights to get the tires warm.
If you have ice or snow on your seat (I leave my bikes uncovered year round) a trick i use is while mounting your bike drag your pantleg across the seat for a quick cleaning and dry seat.
Then go out in 20 degrees. I normally wear my Warm'R gear: pant, sock, half zip shirt, glove liner, balaclava, neck gaiter. I wear regular pant, short sleeve shirt, sometimes an additional thermal layer, all my regular winter gear. The nomex fire hood.
Then 10 degrees...This is when controls freeze up...For your gear you want all the above plus the Warm'R full body thermal outfit over your base Warm'R thermals. You may even get hot wearing this setup...Trust me it works. Hands still might get a chill 30 mins into your ride, but that's a pretty damn good setup.
To address frozen controls you can do a preemptive lever grease, key slot grease, throttle grease, or you CAN dump hot water to thaw out your controls and spray chain lube in all the working parts.
Since we are talking about chain lube, I have tried every brand of chain lube on the market. They all cost the same and none of them work. The ONLY brand I have found that works is Honda Pro Graphite Chain Lube. Highly recommend it.
I take no responsibility for any electrical damage spraying chain lube may cause.
I have had my starter button froze before and I'm not confident enough chain lube is safe to use on that. I probably still will give it a go, but if you called me an idiot you surely aren't the first to do it...
As far as actual riding tips for the cold the only few main points I'd like to make are:
1. If you dont know where the ice is you need to go turtle slow and as upright as possible.
2. If you know you are going to drive over a large sheet of black ice going turtle slow with both feet down sliding is possible but if you lose all momentum you can become stuck with zero traction. Keep in mind that hill also can be icy...i don't recommend riding near/on icy hills.
3. Slush/Hydroplaning is your enemy. You need to hit it at a speed and in a manner that you can predict which way it will push your tire. Riding in tire tracks can be good for semi predictable pathing, but I occasionally find it safer to ride on fresh snow and ice...
4. Other vehicles drive like idiots. This is even more so exaggerated in any bad weather. If you ride in blinding rain make damn sure you don't get rear ended, and be prepared to be stuck in a 65mph zone with idiots traveling 35mph. Be prepared to see some guy in a mustang with racing slicks in the snow drifting from lane.
5. Make sure you have appropriate tires...Road 5 tires from Michelin work great, but can become pact with snow.
6. I can't stress how important experience at different temperatures is.
7. Offroad or any slick surface requires more REAR brake and engine brake for stability purpose whilest sliding. Overusing the front brake is highly dangerous. if you intend to use the front rake on a slick surface be as upright as possible and prepared for it to lock up and slide so you can release the brake. if you lock your front up on a slight angle odds are you are eating pavement.
I hope my guide helps you some. Please try to keep friendly in your discussions. No need for childish name calling...
Firstly I would purchase Freeze-Out Warm'R Gear. The articles I suggest are the socks, pants, half zip shirt, balaclava, neck gaiter, the full suit, the glove liners.
If you don't have good cold weather motorcycle gear I suggest you purchase iLM Madbike winter gloves, Viking Cycle Bloodaxe Leather jacket, Viking Cycle Saxon pants, Bates 8" GTX Ultra Lites Boot.
Optional but highly recommended:
Majestic Fire Apparel Nomex fire hood (great for 50 degree days or used in addition for colder days)
Explore Land 100% cotton Shemagh (incredibly versitile for anything from keeping bugs out with high airflow to preventing all air and keeping you warm) I strong suggest watching a youtube tutorial on the many different methods of wearing a shemagh. A Ninja wrap and a Cowboy wrap are my go-tos for helmet use.
I would like to state that it takes experience and a learning curve how to properly wear a shemagh as well as the neck gaiter. When using and gear with your helmet you need to keep in mind that you need helmet airflow to prevent fogging. The neck gaiter will fall to low to block air if you do not ensure it's location while using a helmet. Harass me all you want and call it common sense, but EVERYONE who uses that neck gaiter says they hate it and it's terrible because of how they can't position it properly. Trust me it's a great product if you learn how to use it.
Alrighty...so now you've got all your gear. Now I insist you start in 50 degree temp and go for short rides around the block experimenting with different gear combinations to get a feel for what makes you comfortably warm. I have a high cold tolerance so I could go out in shorts and short sleeves and be perfectly fine...
Then I say go out in 40 degrees and find your combination again. For me a standard pant and short sleeves under my Bloodaxe jacket and Saxon pant is good. I wear the Majestic Nomex firehood for neck warmth. I wear the iLM gloves for wind/water proofing.
Then I say go out in 30 degrees and find your combination. For me I wear ANY thermal layer, in addition to the above articles. I also wear a full length additional pair of socks.
Be cautious of black ice.
Make sure your tires warm up some before cornering aggressive. I try to do a little side to side slight angles on straights to get the tires warm.
If you have ice or snow on your seat (I leave my bikes uncovered year round) a trick i use is while mounting your bike drag your pantleg across the seat for a quick cleaning and dry seat.
Then go out in 20 degrees. I normally wear my Warm'R gear: pant, sock, half zip shirt, glove liner, balaclava, neck gaiter. I wear regular pant, short sleeve shirt, sometimes an additional thermal layer, all my regular winter gear. The nomex fire hood.
Then 10 degrees...This is when controls freeze up...For your gear you want all the above plus the Warm'R full body thermal outfit over your base Warm'R thermals. You may even get hot wearing this setup...Trust me it works. Hands still might get a chill 30 mins into your ride, but that's a pretty damn good setup.
To address frozen controls you can do a preemptive lever grease, key slot grease, throttle grease, or you CAN dump hot water to thaw out your controls and spray chain lube in all the working parts.
Since we are talking about chain lube, I have tried every brand of chain lube on the market. They all cost the same and none of them work. The ONLY brand I have found that works is Honda Pro Graphite Chain Lube. Highly recommend it.
I take no responsibility for any electrical damage spraying chain lube may cause.
I have had my starter button froze before and I'm not confident enough chain lube is safe to use on that. I probably still will give it a go, but if you called me an idiot you surely aren't the first to do it...
As far as actual riding tips for the cold the only few main points I'd like to make are:
1. If you dont know where the ice is you need to go turtle slow and as upright as possible.
2. If you know you are going to drive over a large sheet of black ice going turtle slow with both feet down sliding is possible but if you lose all momentum you can become stuck with zero traction. Keep in mind that hill also can be icy...i don't recommend riding near/on icy hills.
3. Slush/Hydroplaning is your enemy. You need to hit it at a speed and in a manner that you can predict which way it will push your tire. Riding in tire tracks can be good for semi predictable pathing, but I occasionally find it safer to ride on fresh snow and ice...
4. Other vehicles drive like idiots. This is even more so exaggerated in any bad weather. If you ride in blinding rain make damn sure you don't get rear ended, and be prepared to be stuck in a 65mph zone with idiots traveling 35mph. Be prepared to see some guy in a mustang with racing slicks in the snow drifting from lane.
5. Make sure you have appropriate tires...Road 5 tires from Michelin work great, but can become pact with snow.
6. I can't stress how important experience at different temperatures is.
7. Offroad or any slick surface requires more REAR brake and engine brake for stability purpose whilest sliding. Overusing the front brake is highly dangerous. if you intend to use the front rake on a slick surface be as upright as possible and prepared for it to lock up and slide so you can release the brake. if you lock your front up on a slight angle odds are you are eating pavement.
I hope my guide helps you some. Please try to keep friendly in your discussions. No need for childish name calling...