Personal cold WX riding record

[skreemer]

I'd have been out alot this witner because it's so temperate for here this time of year... Low 40's mid-30's most the time? Heck I'd almost not need the liner... But unfortunately my get off before the toys for tots ride broke the clutch lever and I just this week got a replacement. That and the fact that my rear tire is absoloutly bald has kept me in the cage this winter...

Though I can say that I've ridden in 26F degrees to work... it's almost an hour commute with speeds ranging from 35mph to 55mph... Every stoplight I got I hugged the tank and stuck my hands where my airbox used to be just below the carbs...

I swear it was the only time I ever cursed getting a string of green lights...

Also that day I found out that leather gloves do nothing to keep the heat in..

[scotty]

this year i drove for 6 miles in 64 degree temp.Never again

[8trackmind]

this year i drove for 6 miles in 64 degree temp.Never again

[Hoomgar]

Re: Personal cold WX riding record

Well, I made a colossal mistake in my transportation planning on Friday and ended having to take the bike to make my afternoon appointment. Having been busy lately, I've not had a chance to swap out my cafe fairing, so there was little I could do to keep from eating some cold air for lunch.

By the time I left the house, it was about 32 degrees out and I was stunned to hear the GS fire up after only to hits on the starter. She likes cold weather too!

So I don everything I have to keep me warm. Calf-high boots, First Gear overpants, Gericke tour jacket, spandex balaclava, a scarf to fill in the gap over the neck, my neoprene face mask, helmet, and gauntlet gloves. I felt like the little kid in the snowsuit in the "Christmas Story!"

I have to ride about 10 miles that takes about 20-25 minutes. I brace myself for the cold blast, only to find out that I was indeed very well wrapped up. I never got a chill because nothing snuck in. I got to my destination with only cold fingers since no pair of non-electric gloves can ever keep my digits warm. All the while I was thinking about all the topics on the GSR about fitting heated grips on my bike!

Ok, so I made it in the 30's. But then I had to come home around 5:00. The sun was near down and after I got home, the temp was reported at 27 degrees. Still I only had the same problem of cold fingers while everything else stayed warm. My wife told me I was crazy and I knew all was well.

Winterization? Who needs it?

Jon

Man, I completely missed this story?! Good show Jon I tell people all the time that winterization is for the birds

Here is a tip to keep your hands warm that I found works very well.

http://www.thegsresources.com/_forum/viewtopic.php?t=45195

Question, what does "WX" stand for?

[Jethro]

Don't understand it, but WX=weather. That part you probably knew already...

[themess]

cold weather riding

About 25 years ago I rode my GT550 from Des Moines, IA to Cedar Rapids for Thanksgiving, 120 miles. I think that the high for the day was about 20F. I wore thermal underwear, jeans, sweatshirt, boots, snowmobile bib overalls, leather motorcycle jacket, snowmobile gloves and helmet. Stopped halfway to get coffee and warm up. Worked out OK.

Tom

[scotty]

Today Earl fornes rode Dave Plats kawabunga for about 1/4 mile around my mobile home park and the temperature was lower than 85F

[Nerobro]

cold? What cold? TFT was what? 28degrees this year? cold? Sure.

Bundle up, and all is ok with the world.

However.. that salt... *twitches*

[argonsagas]

What is cold? It is probably fair to say that the term is relative to whatever
is applicable where you live, as well as your lifestyle.

Steve Rivett rode his GS450 around Ottawa during winter, and temperatures there certainly do get more chilly than southern Florida.

I used to ride a Moto Guzzi year-round, with no regard for temperature.

The coldest I ever felt on it was on a 150 mile ride home at about 40F, wearing an unlined jacket and T-shirt, with some newspaper across the chest.

It had been sunny and in mid-50s when I left home near noon, and I forgot to allow for night-time temperature drop, and my being tired.

It was neither comfortable nor safe.

Simply wearing better clothing would have made it both comfortable and safe, something I now practice all the time.





While my body was not cold when it happened, I once had my cheeks frozen while on a 50 mile ride, running about 80mph, and temperature about 0-F.

It was the strangest feeling, as my mouth felt only cool, but when I got off the bike I could not talk and, while I was thirsty at the time, I had to wait at least 5 minutes for the inner mouth temperature to warm the outer skin enough to permit it to flex.

The problem was not entirely ambient temperature, I rode through the winter anyway, but the safety equipment. That was during my days with an open-face helmet, and on that morning I had put a bubble-type visor on it, and the visor caused a LOT of wind swirl around my face.

[wharrah]

35F on a gloomy Saturday

if you go to my website (in the signature) and check out my 'Life's accomplishments' page, the very top left photo is of me in a ride a couple years back... Took a ride to a (get this) a HARLEY gathering at the Harley Dealership in Clinton, about 90 miles away...

I dress up like a biker/nomad (no professional warm-stuff), temp around 35... I make this trip, and after 1/5 hours in 55-60mph winds, I get there...

NOT A BIKE TO BE SEEN!!! I got off the bike in the middle of the parking lot and yelled "WHERE ARE ALL THE HARLEY RIDERS BIKES???"

Nobody said a word. So, I walked in, looked around for 20 minutes (to warm up) and then drove home again... Hi temp that day?

37F at high noon.

BRRRRRRRRrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr.... But I found out I'm as tough as any damned Harley rider.


That isn't the coldest I've ridden, as I get out my bikes every couple of weeks and let em idle for 20 minutes and then ride them about 5 miles every two weeks, whether school keeps or not.

Geez, i LOVE my bikes.

[Ghostgs1]

Just to show you how though I am, I took the GS for a spin today. Wanted to check out the new Dyna S, which is great, and I wasn't about to let the weather stand in my way. I was anxious to see how it would run, so I jumped on and rolled out of the garage for a spin around the neighborhood. Didn't take time to put on a jacket but it was running so well I didn't care. There is still a lot of sand in places on the roads, but no problems. Oh, the temperature? Must have been almost 70 today and supposed to be the same tomorrow. Unbelievable. Ray

[omaharj]

I rode to work Friday,about twenty miles. Temp28,Top speed was 55,most riding at 45-50. I was geared up well except for my hands,Just lined leather gloves. They work fine down to forty. I found myself hoping to hit red lights to beat them against my sides. Looking back at other posts,warming them on the bike was brilliant-my brain must've froze. Someone started a thread about a month or so ago about who rode in the winter. I guess I allowed that to push my previous limits. What's the best pair of snowmobile gloves for bike riding? I kinda enjoy being that crazy guy who rides his bike in the winter.:-D Oh yeah,that LOngmont weather is heading this way-woohoo!

[DanTheMan]

Yesterday I put on 90 miles in two seperate trips. When I started in the afternoon (around 1:30pm), it was 32 deg, got home it was 28 around 3 pm. Trip mileage then was 45 miles.
Then I left for a meeting at 6:50 pm and the temp was still hovering around 28 with a 7-10mph north wind blowing. I went south, on the return, the north wind was still blowing (around 8:15 pm), got home around 8:45 pm, looked at the temp, it was 25 deg with the wind chill as well.
I had dressed in layers and was reasonably warm, even my hands since I was wearing military issue cold weather mittens and leather gloves under those. Everybody at my meeting thought I was crazy (but they already knew that), including another guy that was prompted to take out his Honda 'Wing after seeing me on the highway earlier inn the day. He only rode 10 mileas and wimped out, went home.
I was the only bike on the road, it was pretty cool, the only slippery spots were in my driveway, it's only 21 deg. today, so it's back to the Jeep again until the next warm day.
Top speed for these trips was 75 mph. I've got an oil leak though, and it smells like 90 weight gear grease on the exhaust. Is there a seal on the shaft drive that could have started leaking?

[speedy400]

I went 20 min ride in 15 degrees, with my 145lbs, and no body fat, needless to say it was a bit nippy.-darren

[omaharj]

Top speed for these trips was 75 mph. I've got an oil leak though, and it smells like 90 weight gear grease on the exhaust. Is there a seal on the shaft drive that could have started leaking?

Dan-post that little gem in the tech forum-there's a group of guys waiting to share their knowledge. The cumulative knowledge there is incredible. Answers won't take five minutes.(and you can time it):-D