How cold do you ride?

I was born just north of the Canadian border. Pappy was a Detroit Police Motorcyclist, on his bike eight hours a day, even in winter. Which is *why* I moved to Southern California when I was 18.

Canada is a nice place to visit, but I am not stupid enough to live there.

I believe you are suffering from hypothermia, people that are freezing to death think they are hot and continue to take off more clothes to 'chill'.

Suggest you chill dude and get back on your meds before they come and lock you up.

But to answer your question- When the outside temps are cold enough to freeze moisture I don't ride, got the clothes, got heated grips, got great gloves, good boots and all but for some reason I can never get my tires warm enough to melt the ice 200 feet ahead of the direction I want to go.

That is for street riding, dirt is a different thing as I've ridden at 9 F and had fun even if my tires felt like they were in a Flintstone cartoon.

http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=200701...

Well, that said 8 below F, so I gets that's it. I haven't gotten into the habit of checking the thermometer, I just happened to see it that night. The snow squeaks or it don't. You know what I mean if you really know...

Normally, I'll ride down into the mid to low 20s if the road is clear. However, I've found that HDs arent built for it. Condensation builds in my transmission. Nothing like ice in the gears.

For the past 4 years or so I've restrained my winter riding by actually parking in the driveway.

The added 150 ft. or so of unplowed winter crap tends to be too much to deal with.....

I used to park at the top - Only had to move 10 ft and the snowbank......

I live in California and I ride all year. It gets down into the low 40s here, and I am comfortable down to that temperature. I used to just wear a sweater under my leather jacket, but now I have a nice warm jacket with a thick liner. And, of course, heavy gloves. Having a big fairing with lowers also helps enormously.

A few years ago I got it in my head that I wanted to go over the highest pass over the Sierras (about 10,000 feet). A friend of mine wanted to go too, but he couldn't go this week, or next week, etc. Finally we went in the first week of October. It had snowed in the mountains already but the roads were clear. There was like 2 feet of snow on the ground all along the pass. I'd never ridden in snow (of course there was no snow on the road itself but I worried about 'black ice'). It was scary but I was at least comfortable!

I don't know how people can ride a motorcycle in snow and ice, but they do! I wouldn't.

Not if it is below 45 or above 110.

That sounds chicken, but on the hot side, I can't hold enough water to make riding in full gear practical, and on the cold side, anything below 45 has ground salt and loose sand on the roads, and that makes it dangerous.

Its 32 here and I'm going for an overnight bike-camp about 300 mi round trip, it will be about 10-15f tonight at camp. I don't use heated gear on theses trips because I'm afraid to depend on it. but this is about my cold limit where it is still fun. Less then this is merely survival, and not fun.

Edit weather changed , it's 34 and raining, i won't ride the roads in this weather. trip cancelled

Its 11 degrees here (+ not -) and its freezing my @ss off! Don't be a polar bear and stick with a cager.

Going 60mph @ 5 degrees stings like a honey bee! Talking about -27! LOL.

Good Luck.

I remember riding a road king with a side hack in the snow(effing snowing the whole trip) to Canada. I drew short straw that day. I try not to ride in snow or extreme cold. It sucks after a couple hours.

You are far more ambitious than I can even dream of! Please be careful!

Here in mid America the coldest I have ever witnessed is -27 ...that was inside watching the thermometer!

Well it can only improve in time, when spring comes then summer WILL follow