Its getting cold!


cbzdel

cbzdel

New Member
So its been pretty cold out, in the low teens here! and I am still riding :D

Calculated it with the windchill factor for when I am on the freeway, it says its like riding in -18* weather :steve:

Its not as bad as you think, I am just wearing jean, (3) jackets a fleece helmet liner, and thick gloves :D

The only problem is the cold seems to be taking a toll on my battery, the cranking time is really starting to increase, 1-2 second of cranking before starting.. I might have to get a stronger batter for the cold!!
 
9

99vengeur

Administrator
Staff member
Yay for the Polar Bear Club!! :rockon:

I have been riding as well. Temps near or below freezing and wind chill in the 20's. I am wearing my Cortech jacket with thermal liner, Tour Master Caliber textile overpants (no thermal liner) and my Scorpion Recon gloves. I wear a scarf that I picked up at Old Navy to keep my neck warm. By time I get to work, I have sweat behind my knees and under my arms. :rolleyes: The only parts that get cold are my face from good ventilation in my helmet and my feet because the riding boots I have are not meant for cold weather. Other than that, I still love riding, even in the cold and rain. People think I'm crazy and constantly tell me to be careful. :rof:
 
J

JonKerr

Senior Member
Elite Member
It's even cold as hell out in our mountains. This is my first winter riding so I'm still figuring out what to expect. Went out on Saturday to try and get one last mountain ride in for the year. (Especially since we're getting pummeled with rain and, in the mountains, snow this week. Because we're so dry most of the year, we get a lot of run off on the roads when we get rain like this and it's not uncommon to be on 2 inches of dirt for a few miles on back roads after rain like this. Not safe on a bike.) On Saturday I only got about 20 miles east and up to about 2500 ft elevation (it's about 600ft where I live) before I had to turn around. I stopped at a little burger shop and asked a guy what his car said for the temp there. It was 28ºF! For a San Diego boy that's freaking cold! I don't know how to figure wind chill factor, but at 60mph I'd have to imagine it was in the low teens to single digits. I was wearing my riding jeans with thermals, long motocross socks and knee shin guards, my riding jacket with the liner in it and a hoodie under, glove liners, a Turtle Fur muffler for my neck and a balaclava over my head. And I still was frozen to my bike.
 
D

dart1963

Super Moderator
Elite Member
been off the bike for a couple of days because of snow/ice on roads (plus that nasty sand that get puts down), looking good for tomorrow though, I think the high is supposed to be 38, starting at around 21.... can't wait!
 
C

Craxican

New Member
Lowest ive ridden in around here is about 30...not calculating humidity and all that stuff...but that wasn't bad....although its back up to 70 here:D
 
F

FZ6Rgurl

I've been in the single digits and in the negatives for the past couple days. My poor bike. I hooked the tender up to it yesterday and it really didn't want to start yesterday. When I went outside to work on it, it was currently 1 degree outside. I let it run for about 15 minutes just to get it nice and warm before I put the battery tender on it. Sad day. No riding for me. We've already got a wind chill outside without riding.
 
T

toastmaster

New Member
Man, you guys are crazy :) I'm also in the Puget Sound, but even with heated grips and thick clothing all around, these temps are too cold for me. Plus, I'd rather not find out the hard way about unexpected black ice.

Stay safe out there troopers.
 
cbzdel

cbzdel

New Member
with as dry as it has been the past few days there is no chance of ice in my area.. the rain will return soon though and that will raise the temps back up into the 40's

I am debating heated grips as well.. any input on if they are worth it?? actually debating butt heat as well and using a snow mobile butt heater, and even give one to the passenger :)
 
T

toastmaster

New Member
There may not be any water from the sky that freezes, but sprinklers may go off overnight, or peoples' cars may leak fluids, etc. Some guys at my work have hit a few ice patches on the Eastside these past few days.

Heated grips: the right set will make a world of difference. On my first bike, the Ninja250, I bought and installed the kit that just comes with the heating sheets. I have an EE background, so soldering stuff was no biggie for me. That kit put out a lot of heat, so my hands were nice and warm. They were totally worth it.

For this bike, I was lazy and found a costlier kit, but it had the grips already wired up. Much less work to install, but I get the feeling it doesn't put out as much heat. Since heat is sort of the point of getting the grips, I'd recommend against this kit (name forgotten) if you are comfortable with soldering and wiring diagrams.

That being said, highway riding still brings fast winds over your fingers, so that's why I'm still looking into hand guards. I hear it makes a world of difference.
 
J

JonKerr

Senior Member
Elite Member
Yeah but we're not crazy living in freaking Alaska! :justkidding:
 
R

Roaddawg

New Member
vitrox said:
wtf, its supposed to be -30F this weekend. its 0 out right now. :)
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Well, you are in the middle of Alaska almost!! :D I picked up an airplane in Fairbanks about 9-10 years ago and it was -27 without the wind chill factor. That was toooooo damn cold for me. It took 8 hours to defrost the jet. I like it up there much better in the summer. Beautiful.
 
D

dart1963

Super Moderator
Elite Member
cbzdel said:
I am debating heated grips as well.. any input on if they are worth it?? actually debating butt heat as well and using a snow mobile butt heater, and even give one to the passenger :)
Click to expand...
I have yet to do them, but everyone says they are the best $40 you can put into your bike if you riding in the cold. Jspansel did them here in VA before he left, even in the 50s, he said they were great.
 
llervero

llervero

New Member
is in the 40's her in northwest FL. 30's last weekend still riding. is FL you would think it will be a litle warm, but nooooo.
 
J

JonKerr

Senior Member
Elite Member
Unfortunately it's still raining here and like I mentioned, we get a lot of bad run off when it rains because our ground gets so little water. It's not so cold, only in the high 50's or low 60's. But the road conditions are crap. 100 yards down the hill from my house the whole road is covered in about an inch of mud and rocks. I haven't ridden in over a week. Longest stretch since I got the bike. And even if the rain goes away like it's supposed to after today, it'll be a week or two until the roads clear up enough to have any real fun on. It's killing me. :banghead: :rant:
 
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9

99vengeur

Administrator
Staff member
Take a collapsible shovel with you and make your own path!! :thumbup::thumbup:
 

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