Here're my tips:
If you really must ride in cold (for fun or to just warm the bike), do a little recon (using your car) on the road you'll be traveling first. This way, there won't be any surprises. Or you can look around for a nice clean road that way you know where to go when you take the bike out.
Even if the highway is clear, the back (neighborhood) roads sometimes still have slush and ice (e.g., like today in my area). Riding at this time is a little "risky" and if the roads are shaded, you may get a little surprise or two (called black ice).
Avoid said "risky" riding in the dark. If you do try it in the dark and you run over some ice (e.g., because you didn't do any recon work), don't panic and keep going and try to go straight. If you stop and try to put your foot down, your foot will slip.
If you ride in the cold and you use heated gear to keep you warm, make sure you still carry your cell phone in case you break down (because your heated gear only works best on a working motorcycle) and remember to bring non heated gloves to keep your hands warm should you break down and want to try to investigate and fix things (before calling your wife).
Don't lean too much and don't accelerate too hard out of a turn like you would in the warm weather (as you will lose the back end). If you lose the back end, counter steer gently and recover from it and feel good about yourself for rescuing yourself from a bad situation.
Watch out around lakes because it's colder there and there's more ice -- in fact, try to avoid riding next to lakes if at all possible or at least be very mindful of ice surprises.
When you're done riding and it's well above freezing, your bike will get pretty dirty/nasty. When you get home, let the bike cool (it will cool faster in cold weather) and wash it. Use rubber gloves so you don't freeze your hands. Warn your wife about the slippery driveway you created when washing.
If you use a leaf blower to dry the bike and you see the water freezing on your bike as air blows against it, understand that it freezes in the brakes and the brakes no longer work.
The roads are their cleanest right before the next blizzard so that's the best time to ride. If it's nice out and it's 12:00 noon, take the next 4 hours off of work and ride. You can always work early morning or at night when the riding isn't so good anyway.
There's something about cold air on your eyes -- feels very soothing.
Riding pants are the best (even non heated); you lose a ton of heat from your legs and if they're warm, you have a lot easier time staying warm.
If you wear heated gloves, make sure the wire is not on a knuckle as it will cause a 3rd degree burn -- even though it doesn't feel that bad while riding (I still have a small mark on my knuckle and it's been a month now).
Winter riding is kind of nice except when there's snow on the road. I'd love to try riding on the snow but if I fall and injure myself or my bike, I will feel very embarrassed trying to explain why I was riding on snow
.
Dennis
