Well I can tell you that winters stink on a bike. I commute on mine with temps down to the 20's as long as there is no ice. Still, I do not have to go much above 35mph on my commute. No highways. How far is your commute? How fast will you go on this commute. Do you have to run errands and bring things home while on your commute? How much are you willing to spend on gear and weather related apparel? How do you have to dress at work and will your bike gear work with your work clothes? How far away is that public transport and does it work with your schedule? These are all the questions that you need to ask yourself before going to a bike only life.

 

my wife has a car, so any serious errands would be done in her car. I work at a warehouse so clothing is not an issue. I could take highways or can take back roads, time difference between 2 is about 10 minutes, nothing big.

By the time winter comes, i will be able to spend more on warm riding gear.

Biggest hurdle may be public transpo, I am looking for another job but commute is currently about 45 minutes. In public transpo, that could be 2 hours if i am lucky.

I feel it isnt practical and am pursing this because i have never owned a motorcycle. Saving money on gas, insurance and just being on a motorcycle are fueling my hunger.

what do you do when it snows badlands? is there a particular motorcycle that would be better for snow riding or would i be better off not riding in the snow

 

If I were you I'd wait until you know what your commute situation is going to be. Even then, I think it's foolish to sell your car in favor of a bike, even down here in Mississippi.

 

Thee are a couple of Royal Enfield guys who ride all year, but they also keep yaks in the house for heat and never shower because it takes too much dries yak dung to heat a pot of water. Your hands get chapped washing them in snow, let me tell you. I see pictures of these guys riding in the Himalayas and think they are nuts. Aside from great views- is that fun?

This is why God made seperate checking accounts.
In lieu of that, maybe you can buy your way into a different compromise like building a new kitchen. Women always seem to want a new kitchen... Even though I did all the cooking! (OK- that's just me?)

There seems to be a lot of emotional/psychological stuff going on here. Before i make your wife the bad guy here, I think we need to know HER side of the story. Hand the keyboard over to her ~


While you contemplate; You'll need a dual sport for the same reason you need it for off-road use; snow will build up between the fender and tire. You can keep a seperate set of wheels so you can ride on studded tires when need be.
Another point; motorcycles are NOT less expensive than cars. Often times they actually end up costing more money.

 

Biting off more than you can chew?

To put it short

Keeping it short; Yes!

 

I live in maine. I have rode year round once. A few years back we didn't get ANY snow. I rode to work every night (I work third shift).
It can be done. I had to bundle up my hands to the point that it was VERY difficult working the clutch/brake. I am pretty sure that once or twice I arrived home and I am pretty sure I had began to get hypothermia.

It's possible to ride year round in new england but only if mother nature allows it. I couldn't imagine riding in snow. bikes aren't like cars, you need to have friction on your tires or the bike is going to be on top of you.

 

1: Have you ever been on a motorcycle before?

If not, take the MSF and see if you like it before making any decisions.

2: A new job is a life change just like buying a motorcycle.

Figure out the new job commute before you get a motorcycle. You have control over the buy of the bike which is in your favor.

3: Try REAL REAL REAL REAL hard to keep the car and get a bike in addition. If you were in a warm climate area, I wouldn't say otherwise. But living in New England, Mother Nature will bitch slap you before you know it...

 

Personally I think you would regret it .......thats my opinion of riding in cold/wet/snowy conditions. For me it takes the fun out of riding and puts you in more danger than you already encounter on a bike.

 

I have a suggestion, pull that 13 year old out of you and slap the crappola out of him. He is trying to get you killed. If you shut down that impulsive part of your brain that is screaming at you to get a bike, you would realize how silly it is for you to ditch a car for a bike in the New England Area. Ask yourself how many close calls you have had during winter/ice storms in your area while driving your car, any white knuckle moments? Okay now imagine doing the same thing on two wheels while freezing your butt off. As has been mentioned by other posters, "remember a bike's natural position is on it's side." There is no such thing as being competent in riding on the ice, no matter what gear you have, there is only lucky and disaster. The bottom line is that there are very few people who live in the northern states who can ride year round (even most in the southern areas don't). There are just too many variables with the weather and potentially dangerous conditions. Trust me when I say that even with all the best gear (ie heated seats, gloves, etc.) that riding in below freezing temperatures is not fun. So think about how often there is enjoyable fair weather riding in your area. If it is less than 6 months out of the year, is it really practical for you to own a vehicle that you don't really enjoy riding most of the year?

The bottom line is that a motorcycle is practical only as a cheap alternative to an RV/Hot Rod. That is really the only way 90% of the riders can justify the purchase. There are a select few who can ride year round, and of those select few most of them live in warmer climates (ie So Cal, Southern Arizona, New Mexico).

 

You got closer to the point than I had the guts to go.
Very good stuff there.

 

 

Sounds like a motorcycle is not for you yet.

 

You must be crazy to think you can ride all winter. The temperature on you bike is at least 10 degrees colder than just standing there. That said you can purchase electric clothing that really keeps you warm. All you need to do is put a power outlet on your bike and plug in your clothes

 

HAHAHA sorry, they only reason I don't ride year round is traction.. I've been out in -45F, where the effective windchill due to the speed I was going on my snowmobile (no electric/heated gear) was -97F.. I was fine, and I was just wearing snowmobile boots, jeans and snow bibs, a T-shirt and a Parka. Then I had a neck dickie, a no fog and my MX style helmet with goggles.. no balaclava... oh and gloves.. my snow gear was the cheap stuff too no Klim...

 

NE is not the place I would live and would ever consider giving up a car for a bike. It is not just that it is cold. Do you know how much colder it feels on a bike? I rode in 55 degree weather, fully clothed and felt "cold" on the bike. It was fine when I was not moving. The wind chill adds so much more to this scenario.

The next issue you're going to have is the location. I wanted a bike real bad while living in apartment. I simply could not talk myself out of it for a long time. Lucky, I have friends who did. "Get the garage before you get the bike". I did not have a garage at my place and keeping a nice bike outside in the rain, even covered, makes many people cringe. I took the money I was about to spend on a fancy new bike and bought the house. I paid far less for my first bike, it's not as fancy but then again I cannot see buying the bike I originally wanted as a first bike any longer.

The point being is I think giving up your car for the bike in NE is a really bad idea. How much are you looking to spend? Is there a compromise? Can you spend less and keep the car? That's what I did. Paid cash, under $2k, got a 2001 bike with 8k miles and no payments. That is key for me.

 

Even living in the desert of SE New Mexico I didn't sell my truck when I bought my bike last month. I could have 1 hell of a bike if I did. Would you ride during non-winter months when it rains? I won't. Heck, when I see water at the next corner I find my way around it. I never see riders when its raining. Granted it hasn't rained around here for over 4 months. You read that right. Nothing, nada.

 

Ahhh fair weather riders... I've riden over 200 miles in the rain and ambiant temp was 35-39 degrees out but I'm fairly hardcore.

 

Ahhh fair weather riders... I've riden over 200 miles in the rain and ambiant temp was 35-39 degrees out

Yup, with proper gear, temperature is not the problem... traction is.

You can get studded motorcycle tires, but I don't think they will save you if you hit ice. I could be wrong, but the idea scares me.

You might consider adding a sidecar for winter travel, at least those will stay up if you start sliding. Unfortunately, precious few motorcycles are suitable for use with a sidecar (and the few that are, are going to be expensive to buy and/or maintain).

Other options include the Can-Am Spyder (expensive but cool) and the Piaggio MP3. The MP3 has a pretty narrow track though, so may still be tippy in slick conditions.

I suppose you can also get trike kits for many motorcycles, but meh, I'm just not a fan of the trike.

How about a compromise for your wife. In the spring, cancel the insurance on your car and park it for the summer. In the fall, cancel the insurance on the motorcycle and park it for winter (many insurance companies have a specific deal for doing this so it's not a hassle). If her objections to having both are based on cost, that should help. Also remind her that 2/3 wheeled vehicles get excellent fuel mileage!

 

You can't actually cancel your insurance on your car or motorcycle as long as you own it, however, provided the vehicles are paid for you can put them in storage status which means you pay next to nothing for them. As for the Can-Am Spyder, as cool as they look and everything, you can buy a brand new econocar for the price of a used one. The Piaggio MP3 would be more practical (purchase price-wise) but would probably not help much in the ice due to the narrow track of the front two wheels.

 

depends where you live I owned a car for 3.5-5 years after I removed insurance from it... just couldn't drive it... legally.

Up here most ins companies pro-rate bike/snowmobile insurance so you're only paying for the time when you can ride it.. my Ins company also only has be paying March-Oct... but if a day is really good in Dec, I could legally pull it out and ride.

 

Soul means of transport

A motorcycle was my soul means of transport for several years in Virginia and Pittsburgh, PA. I am not sure if you get any snow, ice or freezing weather in Mass, but, ugh. I bet you do. Very warm clothing and very dry rain gear will be needed! Can we put studs in our tires? Do they make snow chains for bikes?

It was a pain trying to do things without a car. But you do have your wife's car. But will she be willing to give it up often when you need it to get to from work?

 

Studded tires yes, they use them in ice racing.

Chains... not so much.. clearances are probably to tight.

 

To put it short, my wife said I can get a motorcycle if I sell my car. This wouldnt be a problem but I live in New England.

Two problems.....

One being the New England location. Its not PRACTICAL to commute on a bike in that weather. Can it be done.....sure. Just cause it can....doesnt mean it should.

The second being that your wife would put you in that position....or condone it. There is no reason, except being flat broke, that you couldnt afford a cheaper motorcycle along with your car.......and if you cant, then dont start motorcycling.

Gear, repairs, maintenance, tires, etc.....you dont SAVE any money riding a bike.

 

Yup, the "saving money on gas" is all a marketing ploy. There are a few people that can actually save money but they are far and few in between. My co-worker is one of them. He bought an '82 Yamaha Maxim (650) which averages 50MPG for $850. His primary vehicle is a truck that averages 17MPG. He had riding gear from when he used to own a bike years ago, so all he really needed to purchase was a helmet. It will take him about 3-4 years but provided he doesn't need any crazy expensive maintenance (and he can do most of the basic maintenance himself) he will probably come out on top. He rides the thing as a daily rider during fair weather.

 

Exactly.....and even at that little of investment it will take him 3 to 4 years.....all these people out here dropping $10K on a bike to "save gas money" are idiots.

......but it cause you want it.....cause its fun.....no need to make it anything else.

I know Im wasting money....but damn Im having fun doing it.

 

Guys! You're not helping him! I know the other stuff costs money, but he doesn't have to tell his wife that! :tongue:

 

You guys are interesting you know that.

Last summer I bought my first bike, an 88 yamaha Virago 1100, I bought a Jacket, riding pants, gloves, my helmet I had from snowmobiling. I also took a course.

So bike $2200
Gear: $400
MSF: $560
Insurance: $34/mo for 7mo/year = $238
Total cost of getting into riding: $3398

I ride every day I can, rain or shine. In my first 3 weeks of riding I saved about $500 in fuel compared to had I driven my suv... now one was a special trip I do once a summer, so lets remove that and say I saved $400 in fuel which equates to $133/week in fuel savings

Sooo $3398 would take 25.5 weeks, and say 4.5 weeks/mo on average that's 5.68 months.

So for me had I stuck with the Virago, one full riding season and the bike would be saving me money.

With my new bike slightly different story....if I can squeek out 8 month/year of riding, it'll pay for itself (insurance and payments) with the savings in fuel over my truck.

Of course that's not factoring in oil changes and maintenance.. but most I can do myself asside from tires.

Last year I rode til Nov, and started riding in April so that would be 7-8month riding season so it's do-able.

Also it feels good when I go to the pumps and a fillup with premium for my bike is $30 vs $140-$150 with my SUV on mid-grade feels good :thumbsup: 2 - 2.5 bike tanks = same miles covered in the suv on 1 tank depending on driving.

 

Uh yeah, but you might also want to mention that you live in Canada, where you guys pay European prices for gas. You guys are paying about $4.95USD a gallon for gas right now if my conversion figures are correct. I don't live in California but my state certainly isn't among the cheapest for gas and we are currently paying about $3.83USD for a gallon of gas, so that can make a huge difference. The point is that the higher the gas prices and depending on what vehicle you drive, it will either make it quicker or longer to recover your investment. It also depends on how far you go each day.

 

Here for Regular it's $4.69/CAD for a US Gallon of regular fuel, which is $4.85USD/US Gal

Premium.... $5.42USD/US Gal

And we even make the darn stuff like 100miles south from where I am.. and the pull it from the ground 200miles north of me...