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winter riding


jollyj

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This winter is going to be my first winter riding a motorcycle as my DD. I live in Southern Utah, so rain and snow is hardly ever an issue...
My question is really...What is it like riding in the bitter cold? I know you can prepare and have the essentials. And trust me I am prepared (i hope). But is it dreadful? I love riding, it's a great way to let go of your problems. But is winter going cause me dread jumping on my bike and leave me wishing I had something else?
 
I'm thinking this because I live in a Desert so riding conditions are almost always great. E.g no rain, snow, sleet, fog.... Just clear days. My idea is to wait until January or something to finally make the trip to buy a 07. But for now, I'm stuck on my DR200, haha.
Hell, maybe I'll wait until February and make it a birthday present to myself. ;)
But if (more like When) I get the 07, it's all I'll have to get around. Afterall, they say they are great commuter bikes.
 
What advice, experience, or stories do you guys have to share?

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  • Global Moderator

We have fierce and long winters and dearly miss driving a bike during these months. But like Cruizin says, winter driving simply sucks.
I did use a bike as a dd for one year when I lived in a country with a milder climate.
Not only is it cold, it is usually damp, the road conditions worsen, other drivers don't see you due to fogged up windows ect.. Most things that make riding fun are gone and it becomes a chore to get dressed and ready to go. Using a bike as daily driver also has other limitations. Even doing groceries is a challenge.
 
I compensate with snowmobile in the winter but that is a machine specifically designed to handle winter conditions.

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TwistedTorque

I ride up until it snows. Once I see snow hit the floor I'm done. Potholes, cold tires and cold roads don't make for a good trip for me.
 
Cold weather riding I'm ok with as long as I have my heated gloves on.

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I ride up until it snows. Once I see snow hit the floor I'm done. Potholes, cold tires and cold roads don't make for a good trip for me. 
Cold weather riding I'm ok with as long as I have my heated gloves on.
I'm not concerned about snow or rain simply because it never does here. Well... it might rain a little ;)
it never gets too terribly cold here. hardly ever gets below 20 degrees. It's a desert that every retired person has a house in because they come here for the winter to escape the harshness of other places. :)
over all, i'll just have to see how this winter goes, haha.  Fingers crossed!
 
I know of heated gloves. What kind do you prefer?
 
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Southern Utah eh? Yeah, I would probably ride year round too. And have a decent car or small truck as backup when I need to haul stuff.
Maybe I should consider a house there too. Winters here a fun, but way too long. Last winter was close to 6 months  :-/

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Winter is when I put my bikes in the shop, put em up on the stand and tear them down and relube critical points.
 
Factories hardly ever, or never put enough lube/grease on critical components. Swingarm bearings are usually surprisingly bare from the factories. Winter, to me is maintenance/upgrades time.
 
Swingarms bolts, axles and stearing stem, basically anything that moves needs to be checked and almost always relubed after the first year of ownership and every year after. Heck, I have even replaced many bearings after the first 5000 miles because either the factory used cheap bearings and then they hardly even lubed said bearings. They do this I think because they know most owners don't check their bearings.
 
Yamaha though does use quality bearings. But all the factories skimp on grease and lube.

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TwistedTorque
I ride up until it snows. Once I see snow hit the floor I'm done. Potholes, cold tires and cold roads don't make for a good trip for me. 
Cold weather riding I'm ok with as long as I have my heated gloves on.
I'm not concerned about snow or rain simply because it never does here. Well... it might rain a little ;) it never gets too terribly cold here. hardly ever gets below 20 degrees. It's a desert that every retired person has a house in because they come here for the winter to escape the harshness of other places. :)
over all, i'll just have to see how this winter goes, haha.  Fingers crossed!
 
I know of heated gloves. What kind do you prefer?

I believe I have these: http://www.warmnsafe.com/ultimate-touring-mens-heated-gloves/  as the sport edition was not waterproof/breathable. If you search around advrider there is a discount code for warm and safe.
 
WnS and Gerber are basically the two top companies. I believe tourmaster (might be another company) sells heated gear but it is actually WnS just remarked with their logo. 
 
I was very happy with them last year. I bought the wireless remote with it. http://www.warmnsafe.com/dual-remote-control-heat-troller/   Dual in case I buy another heated item in the future. If you don't have a heated liner, you will also have to buy the aux cables (like ~$10) and run the wires through your jacket yourself which is what I do. Not a big deal.
 
I bought these b/c it was one of the few that actually some kind of protection at the knuckles. I've used them without the heat on in 50 degree weather and they were awesome. I turned on the heat in the 40's and let me tell you, it is freaking hot. There isn't a ton of heat at the fingertips, but with my entire hand warm, I've never had a problem honestly.
 
Heated gear in general is a bit of an investment but if you plan on doing winter riding, I think it is well worth it.
 
 
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