First thought -
should we bother riding in winter?

I would say yes simply because i think we should ride our bikes whenever and wherever we get the chance. If riding motorbikes is so brilliant why stop doing it just because it happens to be winter? Having said that this is only what i would answer, after all if someone doesnt want to ride in winter then why should they?
In my opinion there are many days during the winter months where the air is crisp, the roads are dry and the scenery somehow more spectacular ( i suppose this last observation comes from the different light frequencies abounding during winter or maybe the different colours of leaves and grass - whatever the reason, there's no doubting that familliar scenery takes on a whole new and exciting look in winter days.)

What about the cold?

Well duh! Where decent riding gear thats warm and waterproof, good winter gloves, warm boots and use the simple technology of layers to trap warm air between your skin and the outside. What else? well remember if you are riding for the sheer joy of it and it happens to be cold you can take breaks and get cups of tea at caffs etc. Never ride so long that your fingers go numb or you cant feel your feet - that'd be a bit silly really wouldnt it? And if it rains? simple, go to a cheap shop ( every towns got one) and buy some waterproof trousers and overjacket - put them on before you go out and not only will they keep you waterproof but they stave off and cold wind as well so even if it doesnt rain they will aid in keeping you warm.

What about the grip levels on the road surface?

They will decrease in the cold, for two reasons that really is one reason. When things are cold they are hard and brittle. the tyres will grip less because the compounds they are made from wont heat up enough to soften and the road itself will also not heat up enough to be soft and grippy. So what? just ride a bit slower and dont push it round bends - in short adjust your speed and cornering angles to take into account the lessening in grip levels.

What about ice?

Come on, use your loaf. if you think it may be icy simply dont bother riding! If you have to ride and you think it may be icy follow the advice above and look for places where it might be icy such as exposed stretches of road or bends with no trees or hedges that might otherwise stop the wind whipping accros the road surface.

Will my bike rot away due to salt?

yes probably. just buy a hose and rinse it off when you get home. Itll still rust and rot eventually but then when you bought it doid you expect it to last forever? Use it up and wear it out and buy another one! I bought my bike so i could ride it not admire it in the garage still looking in showroom condition. Yes finish is crap on almost every single bike ive ever owned but hey, so long as i enjoy riding i will put up with cleaning and rust.


IM bored now, in typical fashion these have been a few random thoughts that are in no particular order or make no particluar sense. I suppose id like to be saying just get out there, take sensible precautions and carry on enjoying your bike regardless of season. Riding bikes is great, dont stop doing it just because it gets a bit cold or youll miss out on some fantastic riding days.

Can't understand people who talk about being cold, just wear the right clothes! No, NOT expensive clothes!

I wear layers, thermal vest, T shirt, silk shirt, jumper, thick denim jacket (triking not biking) then a waterproof jacket. What kind? I dunno, it cost me about £20 about 5 years ago and it's a yellow thing completely waterproof and windproof but doesn't make me sweat cos it has that kinda netting inside. Got it from a local 'cheap shop'.
Trousers - well I'm toasty warm this winter cos I'm wearing ski salopettes! £30 from Oz Bailey, you could wear them over your leathers! Not cool? What's less cool than staying home in winter cos it's cold?

Thermal socks, cheap as chips, thermal insoles likewise. If your boots aren't waterproof, wear freezer bags inside them, very comfortable, honest - try them!

Gloves? Yep, they're a problem, I'm thinking about getting some of those cheap heated ones from Maplin - only you have to watch they don't overheat!

Take a flask - I got a teeny stainless steel one, a hot drink helps to warm you up, and it's very pleasant to linger in a layby on sunny but cool day! Food too - Choc bars don't melt in cold weather! Tho my favourite travelling food is Eccles cakes!

Convinced? I am! Only trouble is, I'm stuck with 7 days of 7-3 shifts - and it's starting to get really cold soon after 3! That's the other thing - time your riding, go out about 10 and aim to get back by 4, maybe you'll be a bit longer if it's a really good day but the light's going thenm anyway, personally I don't find it any fun riding in the dark cos my night vision is cr*p!

Have fun out there peeps!


Oh, this is me lingering in a layby..........

I often get out on the crisp sunny winter days, but even togged up find that I get horribly cold after a couple of hours so I tend not to go too far. On the whole though, I find riding in the winter pretty awful. Each to their own.

Nice sunny winter days.....I love it. The roads are quiet, the scenery is great.

I ride in all weathers- even the grotty windy&rainy night-times.

But I ride as my primary form of transport to and from work- so not much choice when I get to ride


But I wouldn't swap it for the world"!!!

I ride all year round but will admit to being a dry-road biker at this time of year. Don't mind the cold or dark, but too much horsepower on slippery roads is a recipe for an accident even at low speeds.

well,,,,, I must say I ride less in the winter,,,,


but I don't stop riding,,,,,, Ride most days to work

yes, if it is, wet, dark , cold I am not going for a ride for the joy of it,, bcos it most likely it won't be any fun...


but if it is nice and sunny,,, oh yes...... even if a short ride,,,,, on a leasure pace just to appreciate the scenery......

And as Zombie said,,,,, take more breaks,,, a few more coffees etc.....

I'm lucky enough to have the choice of going to work in my 10 year-old Peugeot diesel that does 55mpg on the motorway. I don't see the point in doing a 106 mile mostly motorway round trip each day on a bike when the weather is crap, especially when my alternative gets the same or slightly better fuel mileage.

I'm with you on the other winter days, though. No way am I 'winterising' the bike. On those crisp dry days you get in winter I want the option of taking the cover off, firing her up and getting out on two wheels. Nice tip on the thermos BG. I usually go out with a rucksack cargo netted to the back anyway, so I'll pre-plan those winter trips with a wee cuppa in future. I like stopping at the laybys in the Peak District - some lovely views from various stops up there. And of course there's always a big mug of coffee available at the Cat & Fiddle or the Ponderosa

You really do have to think once... think twice... think ICE in winter though.

Maybe i'm perverse, but I actually quite enjoy riding in the dark, the only thing is I only enjoy it when there is no oncoming traffic! I do hate bright car headlights (even on dip I still find car headlights dazzling but I have reasonably good night vision). However absolutely empty roads where I am the only vehicle and a clear starlit sky and I love it. Infact with a full moon I usually find I can see almost as much as in daylight!

As to not riding the bike in winter, for me its either the bike or the train and it hasnt got cold enough to force me onto the train yet!

I ride all year. I hate public transport and i dont drive. I'm doing alot of travelling up to teeside at the moment so it does get a bit nippy on the motorway. I've just purchased heated grips though and i wrap up warm. a balaclava makes a huge difference. As BG said put bags on your feet and another tip is pastic gloves (from petrol stations) for your hands.

some of these placed round your body (a good place is where your armor fits in your textiles) makes a great difference especially if you have poor circulation. Keep them dry though.

I've never been able to make a proper comparison but I have always felt that my bikes (whether carb or injector) perform better with the cleaner, crisper air - but I await being proved wrong (or right)

Hopefully we all ride to the conditions, its not any more dangerous realistically, some statistics would suggest that summer is worst where more vehicles on the road, at higher speeds and more riskier manouevres seem to claim more lives.

A generation or so back the motorcycle was a common method of transport and now we have better kit, tyres, frames, suspension, brakes etc its seen as more dangerous

fair enough but maybe thats where we differ. I look for reasons ''to'' ride - as opposed to reasons ''not'' to ride. fuel economy, pah, couldnt care less about that to be honest.



i dont see how mate, you'd have to rev a blade quite high to make the power and that would not be a smooth way of riding anyway? given that an rr1 is a very smooth bike i cant see how riding it during rainy times and cold days would be a problem at all let alone a recipe for an accident.

Recipe for an accident at low speeds?? baffled.

A mate of mine has a turbo busa. better tell him to stop riding it until you give us the all clear.

Its been years since ive had to bike a full winter, but back then it was a necessity. isnt now as im lucky enough to own a car and a bike...how things change eh, i can remember times when i didnt even have a pot to piss in, anyway thats another story..Even during the summer i dont ride everyday, but thats my choice, and when i do crack the bike out and head off for an epic adventure (cos i very rarely have a set destination) then i enjoy it emensly. funnily enought thinkin about some of the ride's ive been on this season, and i have done quite a few. the only ones that i didnt much enjoy were the group rideouts we took part in..so for me, roll on the summer till i get back to rallying and beer drinkin

Winter riding- it's not big an it's not clever.
I did it for about 10 years, cos I had to, now I don't.
It was sh!t, getting to work with icicles hanging from your nostrils, unable to feel your fingers for 20 minutes after you got off your bike, no fun at all!
If you have to do it, then do it, if you don't, then don't.
I'll take my bike out on a nice dry winter day and have a good time, but when I'm on earlies, the idea of getting up at 5 o'clock riding 16 miles to work in the sleet an snow doesn't hold any appeal at all for me.
Maybe I'm gettin old, or maybe I'm gettin wise.......

due to my recent change of carreer i ride 6 days a week in all weathers.
the 12R is still taxed but i use a school 500 most of the time. the 500 is plenty fast enough & has the added advantage of crashbars for black ice days. the 12 isnt suited to slow riding in the wet, the fuel injection set up is a bit brutal with the power delivery.
if its a dry day though(he says waiting for the rain to stop)i like to get out on it with a mate of simmilar riding ability.
winter riding doesnt faze me-i have all the decent gear, so why not?
having said that, i've done it long enough to appreciate a car with a decent heater, its down to choice isnt it?

i dont look for reasons to ride either way, i make a choice at the moment, because i can.
i've been around long enough to know its bollocks, all this im-a-hard-biker-cos-i-ride-in-winter , some poor sods dont have any choice.

Nothing to do with winter, but I've always found I didn't enjoy group riding if it was a fast ride - too much thinking about what the people in front and behind are doing, where's the leader gone, and what's that twit doing up my arris! Group rides I did enjoy were some of my clubs runs back a few years ago, when the Sunday run was just a pootle round the countryside and stops for coffee and lunch, not trying go as far as you can as fast as you can. Thinking about it we used to get a bigger turnout for the club runs back then!

But when I'm travelling I like to do it on my own mostly, maybe joining up with others when we get near the destination - I do like the 'look at me' factor of the big group of bikes! (never been shy and retiring, me!)

I like to ride in winter but preferably in good weather - but I like my warm car too! A girl at work was almost aplogising cos she wasn't using the bike for work - my answer is always - it's supposed to be fun, if it's not fun, don't do it! But it's a lot more fun if you're well prepared for the weather be it cold or wet, and if you tailor your ride to allow for the conditions. One of the best days out I had on the bike was a club run where only about 6 bikes turned out, it rained so we didn't go where we had planned, we stopped at a pub and had a great lunch, going back we got so wet (we were't expecting the rain) that it took about a week for the leathers to dry out!

I have just passed my test & bought a bright shiny CBR 600 F Sport so I should wait for a nice dry day with good visibility to hone my new found skills especially having to ride through a slime covered forest road to get out of my village but damn, I cant stay off of the thing. I have sensibaly bought all of the right gear which gives alot of confidence but I just love riding. I think the trick is that if you feel comfortable, ride. But if you dont push yourself a bit you will not improve. But when I eventially get a dry day, its not dark or foggy or windy some fun will be had. But for now I will be the one happy to clean his bike twice a week as driving a car has suddenly become the most boaring thing in life.