Winter Motorcycle Riding - How to Ride Comfortably and Safely in the Cold and Know When to Quit

Great info thx

I live in Michigan and was hesitating to get a bike because I wouldn't be able to use it for 3-5 months out of the year. this helps. Thanks!

Best video on the subject

"season"?

your wrists, your ankles. Just rode in 32 degrees. Couldn’t feel the weather with the right gear, but my hands would occasionally get cold with all season gloves. Pro tip for anyone on a super sport without heated grips/gloves; wave your hand over your muffler as necessary- preferably before early stages of frostbite. The lower the muffler the harder it might be to do on the move… The faster you go the colder it gets, especially if you’re wet- so stay dry. Something’s to mention about road condition: roads were salted 2 days prior. Some roads are completely dry because snowfall was not that bad the other day. Water from streets connected to puddles were tracked on the roads— it’s 7am and I was not the first vehicle on the road but the roads are still pretty fresh. Definitely doable, but be sure to take care of yourself and prepare prepare prepare. This video is extremely comprehensive. Also; biggest issue below 32 is ice. Try to avoid doing anything if the risk is unnecessarily high

When I was working there were days I would have to ride my motorcycle in 32 degree weather at 5 in the morning to the landfill. I bought a snowmobile suit from Dennis Kirk and the lady was your in Florida what do you need a snowmobile suit for in Florida? I would wear my regular riding clothes underneath it it would keep me toasty warm I didn't want to take the streets to the landfill because I just wanted to ride all day but I couldn't turn that 12 bucks an hour down especially in 2004. Now being old in Florida if it gets too cold I simply stay home I rode enough to work in 20 degrees and sleet I would come home and I could not feel my arms from my elbows down. Now let's not forget I would be dressed up nice and warm because I would be hanging on the back of a garbage truck. Best exercise in the world kept me skinny.

I went on a group ride going to Gainesville and it turned cold. I rode my bike to Goodwill and got a nice big heavy jacket for $2. Everybody was going gee I wish I thought of that. Kept me warm. Of course winter in Florida is different compared to up north. The coldest day in Florida would be a nice warm spring day up north. That's how you tell the tourists down here we are all bundled up and they are all walking around in shorts.

Firestone used to make snow tires for motorcycles. My uncle had a set mounted on rims in the basement hanging on the wall of the house in Astoria. When the slope season came he would just swap the wheels out. Him and my other Uncle who were motorcycle cop for the city police Road their Motors all through the winter the city try to make them switch to a car in the winter and they went to the union and the union told the city to go f off.

In the old days when you had steam locomotive the cinders that came out of the locomotive Firebox would be bagged up and the cities would use them to melt the snow because they would be black and they would attract the Sun. That's why cars lasted forever in those days because they did not use salt on the roads. When they killed all the steam locomotives there was no more Cinders available that's when they started to used salt. You can get dressed up or you want it's all the heated gear you could be toasty warm but you're still going to hit that piece of black ice and go sliding down the road on your ass. That's one thing I love about my sidecar rig with 3 wheels it's hard to fall down.

Thank you for the analysis and analytics

I got a universal style, peel and stick on inner visor fog shield that works similar to a pinlock a month or so ago. Made a HUGE improvement in the visor fogging. Only a problem with my glasses now, and even that’s only when I’m not moving. So just have to crack the visor open at stop lights.

I live in Southern Indiana and ride year round. The only time I don't ride is on icy roads. Snow is not a problem. I am 64 yrs old and have never owned a helmet and have been riding since the 70s. I ride a Evo Electraglide and various other FLH's with Metzler triple 8's. You need to closely monitor your air pressure..i run 39 psi front and 38psi rear in the winter. Layer clothing and use rain gear as outer layer and you be fine.

Excellent video 👍

when you start shivering from cold it's time for a glass of brandy.

Ride through some more salt and tell me how that works for you.

Great video! Real sound advice. I guess I’ll do some shopping

S.E. Michigan, I’ll ride in any windchill no problems. Draw the line once the ambient temp gets to freezing. Won’t take the chance of an icy spot. Also won’t ride after salt is put down.

Layering…skip the high priced name brand stuff. Plenty of cheaper options in long underwear, wind blockers, etc.

Skied for years in sub zero temps with ‘the cheap stuff’ and use the same today on the bike. Toasty warm.🎉

Hello great material very nice mounted ;)

So i have thermals and stay moderately warm i was in high 30’s on the freeway doing 65. I have a cruiser. Now i have klim gauntlet gloves but my finger tips get insanely cold. I added in a glove liner but its bulky and helped some but eventually back to frozen hands. Anything that can keep hands warm when its that dang cold?

Must be nice to be seasonal rider.

I’m in New Mexico. Although the state is a mess, the riding is epic…. Year round

When riding in cold weather, box breathing illicit a thermogenic response that will help with temperature regulation.

All good points. One thing that I have to deal with in my area is salt. The DPW crews lay down salt on all the public paved surfaces, they do it as a pretreatment, when there is snow in the forecast. Since I am un able to rinse my bikes off in the winter, riding on salted roads is detrimental to my bikes. I'm lucky to get one or two days of riding during the winter.

If you get caught under dressed on the bike and you are wearing a regular non V neck shirt, you can turn your shirt around ( back towards the front ) and it will give a little better wind protection in a pinch.
Heated grips, heated gloves and hand guards will make the coldest of days doable. Those 3 things used together are a serious game changer. It’s almost distracting to have comfortably warm hands going 70 mph when it’s 50F and the sun is down. Having warm hands when I ride no matter the temperature is like magic. One of my first mods on my 2000 Valkyrie was to install heated grips.

Yesterday I've had my bike exactly 40 months. 42,430 (recreational) miles on the clock now. In the Seattle area I ride year round, have never winterized my bike nor ever had a battery tender. I do short rides in the cold, and it's better than not riding. Brrrrr. 😀 Slick roads, no grip, turtled up, what's not to love.

I live in Missouri. On a Monday it could be negative 6 and that same week Wednesday it could be 50 degrees. Can’t put the helmet up for too long.

In England in the old days before they could afford a car and when gasoline was still rationed for 10 years after World War II your insurance company gave you a discount if you hooked your sidecar onto your bike all winter because that lesson the chance of you falling down and having an accident. Personally I like having the stability of the Sidecar specially if I was in snow and ice like I still lived in New York.

I love watching videos about riding motorcycles in the winter. Then I watch Euro motorcycle videos with them riding in Siberia in the winter. Now that's serious cold.