You may ride your motorbike during the winter instead of storing it if you don’t live in Miami or Phoenix. However, if you continue to ride during cold weather, you will encounter difficulties even if you aren’t touring the ice roads of northern Canada. There are certain expectations placed on us when riding in cold weather to ensure our comfort and safety. Perhaps you are the sort who is going to remark, “Riding in the winter is no fun, which is why I have a $30,000 pickup truck with a nice warm heater and a roof.” That’s alright. Although I won’t consider you a less skilled rider, I will acknowledge that some of us genuinely enjoy the challenge of winter riding and would prefer not to take a multi-month break from it.
Just be considerate of one another’s risk appetites and inclinations. Even short rides brighten my day, and I prefer not being completely rusty on the first beautiful spring ride. Winter riding is when I don’t bike as much or as regularly. There are other factors to take into account and extra caution when riding in cold weather if like me, you want to ride your motorcycle in the winter rather than winterize it. These may be separated into three categories: the environment around you, your equipment and your body. These are some points to consider.
Winter riding: The difficult conditions
Because the world is a harsh and chilly place, keep these risks in mind.
1. Anticipated decrease in traction:
ice and snow. First, let’s address the obvious. Fortunately, both times I was caught out in the snow on my motorbike while commuting about 25 years apart, I was less than two miles from my destination. I made it through, but I’ll never do it on purpose. A snowy field may be a great place to ride a dirt bike and learn new skills; ice racing is also reportedly a lot of fun. However, riding on the street in snowy or icy weather exposes you to traffic hazards that you might not be able to handle safely.
As I have said before I believe there is a line that has to be set when it comes to ice or snow but ultimately each of us must determine how much danger we can tolerate. Your choices in life are your responsibility. If you decide to ride in the snow on purpose, you’ll require studded tires (check local regulations since they vary widely).
2. Unexpected traction loss:
concealed ice. You must be more vigilant even if you never purposefully venture outside in freezing weather. Imagine that at lunchtime, the weather is dry, bright, and in the 40s. In places that are dark or low to the ground, residual frost or ice may still be present, so be cautious in those circumstances. It’s never a good idea to ride a motorbike carelessly down the street with your thoughts racing, but in the winter, you need to be much more alert, continually looking for and assessing possible risks.
3. Unexpected loss of traction:
damage, cinders, spots, and salt. Road salt causes corrosion damage to motorbikes, which is a common complaint and deterrent for many riders. (If so, go to recommendation number one in the section below on equipment.) However, you might lose traction while using salt. It’s like dust after a thousand passing cars have crushed it into dust and like gravel when it’s first scattered across the pavement. Yes, even a light sprinkling of salt can lessen the traction on your tire. To make matters worse, other jurisdictions scatter cinders (a regular practice in the Hocking Hills, a favorite riding region near me, creating a wintertime springtime danger).
4. Anticipated decrease in traction:
cold tires. I’ve had two minor street wrecks in the eighteen years since I relocated back to 39.96 degrees north latitude from the tropics. Both occurred at a very low pace, on particularly chilly April mornings, and were within a mile of my house. It should come as no surprise that cold tires had a role in both incidents. Probably just about everyone understands that cold tires give less traction, but as I showed a few years back, information is meaningless if you don’t act on it. To account for cold tires, leaning, braking, and acceleration must all be adjusted, especially in the early stages of the journey.
Winter riding: Operator feeding and care
Brandon has previously offered some advice on clothing and items that will keep you warm (and thus safer) when riding in cold weather in his Common Tread essay and video. In addition to possessing the appropriate equipment, you also need to maintain good physical health.
5. You’re exhausted by the cold.
My longest ride in frigid weather was in February when I went to ZLA HQ. I didn’t have to worry about ice or snow because it was bright and in the 40s. In any weather, a 500-mile day is exhausting, but in the cold, your body has to work more to produce heat. Frequent and healthy meals, along with extended periods of relaxation, are crucial.
Don’t assume that dehydration is limited to hot temperatures either. You don’t realize how much moisture the dry winter air drains from you. Consider it while planning your journey because the days are shorter and the temperature might drop quickly after nightfall. My trips in the winter are almost always short ones, but if you must travel a certain distance, think about what is reasonable.
6. Cold makes you less dexterous.
When a car turns left in front of you on a road covered in salt, you have to brake at the boundaries of decreased adhesion to prevent crashing, even though your tires are cold and your gloves are insulated. When things get tight, can you still flex your fingers that much? My goal while selecting winter clothing is to keep my hands warm (heated gloves, heated grips, handguards, and high-quality gloves are all used in different combinations). When driving in the winter, you have to pull over if you shiver (which indicates that your core is getting cold) or if your hands go stiff. My metacarpals’ blo-od flow is restored with a little warm water and some time spent using the air hand dryer in the rest area washroom.
7. Cold impairs one’s ability to concentrate.
It’s not only your ice-cold fingertips. Gradually, hypothermia sets in and damages your brain, the most important organ in your body. My buddy Eric Trow, the principal of Stayin’ Safe Motorcycle Training, has cautionary words to share: “We often identify hypothermia with physical symptoms like numbness, stiffness, or pain in the hands and feet. However, the effect that cold can have on mental clarity poses possibly the biggest risk to the rider.
Our ability to actively monitor for and anticipate possible hazards decreases, our thinking frequently slows down, and our judgment might be gravely weakened. As a result, negative circumstances appear to arise more frequently and faster. And when they do, reacting to a threat becomes much less effective due to the physical constraints of numb and stiff hands and feet. Considering the possible outcomes, that combo is very chilling.” You may prevent yourself from reaching that dangerous point by taking breaks to warm up or by ending the day early.
Winter riding: What you wear counts.
The crucial third component of the equation is your motorcycle; without it, there can be no ride.
8. Invest in a winter beater.
Here’s a terrific reason to get a second motorcycle. Purchase a low-cost dual-sport bike if you’re one of those riders who stores away your fancy bike for four months of the year to avoid exposing it to salt or trying your throttle-control abilities on a powerful machine in questionable weather. I used to ride my modest Honda NX250 to work every winter for a few years, after purchasing it for $1,100, back when I had a normal Monday through Friday commute to an office job.
The small weight and low power of the dual-sport tires made it simple to manage in less than ideal traction conditions, and they performed well in the cold. However, the brake caliper broke due to corrosion from salt, and I had to pay an outrageous $30 on eBay for a replacement. I didn’t feel sorry for it since I had already purchased a beater, so I wasn’t bothered by its difficult life. Slow down and try something new on a motorcycle during the winter.
9. Do not skimp on upkeep.
Days are not long. You take a ride from work and get there at night. It sounds about as tempting to do maintenance outside as it does to slug a staple gun across your forehead. However, the salt is working on parts (maybe essential ones, like the only front brake caliper on my former NX250 commuter). In a lower temperature, sticky wires are unlikely to move more readily. Set aside some time to monitor the condition of your bike (this will be simpler if you’ve stowed your nice bike and are only dealing with your winter beater).
10. Again, tires.
It seems reasonable to take all-around performance into account when selecting tires, even if we’re probably not going to be like the driver of a car who converts to snow tires for the season. Sport-touring tires sometimes have materials that work well across a larger temperature range and greater siping to transport water. Today’s 50-50 adventure tires are fantastic street tires in wet weather and might save your life if you get stuck in some sloppy snow if you’re riding that dual-sport that I suggested.
