winter riding is it possible i ask as i have a car and a bike and its expensive 4 a college student but i dont want 2 be without my bike, u know because there great but my prob is winters here suck is it possible to winter ride or should i say thesible
thx

It certainly is possible. I (along with many others on here) ride year round, apart from in conditions that are inherently dangerous (eg. very icy) when I will take the car as I am not willing to wreck my bike/kill myself when I have a 'safer' alternative.
It requires more concentration and sometimes slightly different lines to those you may normally take but is just as much fun as any other time of year as long as you have the right kit and take it careful.

You need to look at your route and consider the road conditions. I don't put my bike off the road but I can't use it for work during the winter because my route is on a road liable to icing. I know there will be quite a few mornings where there will be black ice on the road. I'll use the bike on my days off though.

Have a look at your route and try to figure out if there are parts of the route that will have ice. This could be roads over hills over sections of the rode which could be in shade with little traffic that will mean that the icy doesn't melt. Main roads are usually okay because they are gritted regularly but there may be days, when it's just not sensible to take the bike.

Travel from the coast to Newcastle. Last year I think I took alternative transport to work about 10days. This was when it was snowing or definate ice. Not worth the risk. Just make sure you have warm , waterproof kit, and a helmet that doesn't mist up and you will be fine. Wind chill factor is far greater in winter. Riding in the rain can be just as much fun as riding in the dry. Just ride more slowly and observe road surfaces. When the grit wagons are out remember to rinse your bike off as well.It is also good in that some of the winter days are excellant and while others prefer to hibernate their bikes we can enjoy the freshness n freedom of a open rd. Cheers Mally

As above.
I too ride all year round, and last winter we even got proper snow darn sarf, was a weird sensation riding when it was snowing, but fun nonetheless. I had to leave my bike at home about 4 mornings, but got the bus home at lunchtime and retrieved it

Am beggared if it snows this year... mobile hairdresser on the bus?

That's a great point. I quick was with that turtle wax stuff does the job. I let it go on my XBR once and it aged about three years over night..

Possible!?

I never actually considered this question! I ride all year round - its gets very cold and can be damned uncomfortable sometimes.

This year I will be using my no 3 bike (GPZ) for all nasty winter riding as the salt does play havoc with your bike (brakes especially need a good clean after winter).

Look out for ice and avoid riding in heavy snowfall - if only because the idiot car drivers lose the last of their brain cells when it snows.

If you're considering using your pride and joy - you need to weigh up the winter damage it will do, the possibility of an off (just to keep riding) and traffic, it might be worth using your car on the worst days.

For me my max 40 min commute would become 80 mins of torture in a car.

funniest thing i think i ever saw was one winter up in scotland when i was a kid where there was huge snow drifts, 6ft+ with 2-3ft drifts across the road (with constant snow gritters/ploughs etc)

My mum was driving one of the old style land rovers at the time which although bloomin cold had absolutely no problems with the drifts etc, we kept passing cars both abandoned and not abandoned of people completely stuck in the snow, unable to progress, but we came along the road to discover what appeared to be a huge moving mini snow storm.

Curious as to what was going on we slowly came up and alongside it to discover a guy on a tiny little moped, he had both feet down acting as stablisers on the snow, the throttle nailed kicking out a storm of snow behind him speedway style and was merrily tootling along the road going up and over each drift as he reached them.

whoever this guy was i have to say muchos respect to him

But it definately proves that all year biking is possible..

thx this is useful stuff, im 17 and have just passsed full test so my pride and joy is a cg125 at min and hopefully a zz250 soon, my route is out of a tiny village but then onto washington highway over a high bridge down a motorway into another village some ice!

Make sure to leave a good bit earlier.
Factor in the extra time it will take to dress/undress, and that required due to your lower average speed.
You don't want to cutting things so fine that you are rushing and make some poor choices on the road.

I do ride all year round but like most people will say you have to take it day by day.

When you get up in the morning and something inside tells you not to take the bike don't...

Check what the weather forecast says for the retirn trip if you are going to work or something - nothing worse than coming out the office to find three inches of snow.

And you need to keep yourself warm and dry, extra layers (I have a good set of thermal underwear) and good waterproofs, a cold and wet rider will find it harder to concentrate.

Also consider the sun angle, the sun sinks earlier and can be blinding so you may need sun glasses when that happens, but 10 minutes later the sun is almost set and you will need your headlights on and sunglasses off.

I think what I am trying to say is use a bit of common sense, but you can still ride

to be honest... i like winter riding just as much as summer... i have no plans to get a car too coz they just aint fun

winter riding gives new challenges and makes u a whole lot better all year round in every condition- if u get good kit u wnt be too cold and ull have fun

As a new rider I have found winter riding interesting to say the least.

The cold is an important factor. I recently had a spill on the bike due to lack of concentration and weather conditions. The road was frosty and my fingers were numb from wearing the wrong gloves. Compounded with my urgency to get to work I nearly didnt make it at all! I ended up with a bruised arm, a bruised ego and a bruised wallet .

I think as others have mentioned, most important is if you think it might not be a good idea that day then it isnt a good idea. You wont be riding confidently and could have an accident.

Keep warm get the right equipment!

Winter riding is no different to summer riding, You still have to be aware of the road conditions, other road users, drive to you own ability and concentrate.

Stay safe!

I'm planning on keeping my old XJ for winter riding, but I want to take out the CBR too, which doesn't have any fur or a scratch on it. Someone mentioned to me a spray by Scotoiler to protact from the salt? Just spray it on, but remember to hose the bike off when back home, then re-apply the Scotoiler spray? Does anyone know about this? Does it really work?

Being a Scot, the rain and cold etc doesn't bother me, so I reckon I'll be one of the only people in the area out on the bike in the winter. But I find the Dutch car drivers don't know how to drive in winter conditions here. They use brakes excessively even on the snow, and drive much too close together.

So always be careful of the car drivers who don't realise you're much more vulnerable behind them, and keep extra distance.

This thread mentions most of them
HTH

Thnx Fazerstun.
being in Holland for 5 years and away from biking for a few before I moved here, I'm not really up to date with a lot of the stuff around in the UK.

Will pick some stuff up when home for Crimbo. Now I know what I'm looking for.

Probably all already been covered but here goes with my personal winter checklist...

Get some decent warm winter kit, being cold = less concentration = great danger Jacket and trousers should have thermal lining no question and the best waterproofing you can afford, I wear waterproof overtrousers over my winter trousers if its raining makes a huge difference when its cold.

The weatherman is your friend keep a good eye on what is coming I try to avoid going out when the temperature gets near freezing especialy overnight as thats when you find the ice patches. if there is even a chance of snow bike stays in the garage !!

Always make sure your visor is clean it'll shed water easier and make sure your gloves have a fabric squeegy type fingers for clearing your view on the move (small damp chamy bar in a plastic bag tucked somewhere on the bike can be useful too for a quick stop and visor clean up)

get a snood / thermal head thingie with wind protection you will need it on colder days.

Gloves with cuffs that extend over sleeves and drawstrings to cut out drafts are a must.

I now install FogCity Anti Fog on all my visors.

Wear 2 pairs of socks !!

Always try and carry a spare pair of dry glooves !! Quick strategic stop and swap into dry gloves can be a godsend !

weirdly I always try and make sure I enjoy my winter rides I talk to myself a lot more about what I'm doing and what is going on around me. This works for me but its not for everyone. (am now certain of being earmarked for the men in white coats) Keeping positive instead of slipping into I'm cold and miserable mode is important.

Salt is evil and eats bike finish unbelievably quickly, rinse bike as often as possible after clean a wipe over with WD40 on a rag on metal bits will help protect them a little. (Forks, swingarm, wheel rims, casings)

If you can carry a spare layer of clothing in case you need it.

Being down South I can probably get away with more all year round riding but its true that its very good at teaching you restraint and better forward planning !!

keep everything you do smoother and slower than usual and cornering will be slower and more upright than in the dry and the lines you take will be different.

Make sure you have some Hi Vis / reflective stuff on your kit if its really bad you really want to give the best chance of being seen possible.

Hope some of that helps happy and safe all year riding to you.

JB

I used to have two bikes a few years ago: I would use my pride & joy for about 9 months of the year, but as soon as the real bad weather arrived I'd resort an old AR125 knacker. Don't get me wrong, there was nothing wrong with it mechanically or anything, and I looked after it the best I could. But I bought it really cheap just for the winter months.

But even then there were mornings where you just knew any form of biking was out of the question so I'd hop on the bus.

So if you can afford a cheapo second bike for winter then I'd certainly consider it.

some of my best riding days have been in winter - on those (admittedly rare) cold but sunny days you get. Full kit - and not even sweating! - great biking weather!

I also ride all year round, I dont have a car (wife uses it) to be honest if the weather is so bad that I cant get the bike to work, then I go in late and get my wife to drop me off. at the end of the day if I cant get to work then the chances are most other people in the area arent going to work either. (I work at a builders merchant) builders dont tend to work when it snows.

I have some pictures of my cbr600 at work in 3" of snow

Just a quick question - do any of you all weather types use different tyres for winter riding - are there such things?

I rode through last winter on Pilot Powers, but when I need to replace them will probably swap to Pilot Road 2's as a lot more tread. Have to admit I did miss about 8 days when there was actual snow on the road and living in Northumberland didn't want to risk that.