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At what temperature do you stop riding because of the cold?

Year 'round for me here in northeast Ohio. It's supposed to be dry and partly sunny tomorrow, with temperature about 30° F about the time I'll be leaving for work. I'm planning to ride.
 
Roads dry? Yes. Then no limit on temp; but not long rides; an hour or two.

I have heated gear though. Sometimes the heated gear is too hot!
 
I have heated gloves & socks & have rode all day on trips in the single digits Fahrenheit. I just layer up for the rest of me. I'm a size medium & have XL riding gear for those 600 to 800 mile days in the winter. I rode year round in the 1970"s in Michigan on my Yamaha XS 650 & my hands & feet would freeze riding 20 miles to work. Some days my feet would never leave the ground & I'd be in the same gear all the way to work.
 
Owning two naked Airheads limits my cold weather riding. I am fine down to 50°. 40°s requires bundling up and rides are usually not more than a few hours. 30°s means short rides...maybe commuting. The hand guards on the R100R make a huge difference in handling cold weather. Down here it is not unusual to get sunny 40° weather in the winter so there is no need to store the motorcycles for the winter.
 
I went out for a test ride a couple of years ago it was -15ºC. I did an hour long loop with no heated gear and I was a little bummed the only helmet I had around was my open faced MX helmet to keep me cool.:ha
 
I'm glad I live where I do. I grew up in NE Iowa by MN and WI and never again will I live there!

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I spent some of my Navy enlistment in Norfolk/Virginia Beach and never again will I live there! :wave

Black ice on the road and salt is where I draw the line.
 
I spent some of my Navy enlistment in Norfolk/Virginia Beach and never again will I live there! :wave

Black ice on the road and salt is where I draw the line.
I retire from the Navy in March with 25 years. Somehow, it has all been in Norfolk! I did 3 years in RI and chose a destroyer that was slated to be homeported in Mayport after being built in Pascagoula, MS. Before commissioning we received a homeport shift message to guess where? Norfolk! What a disappointment. That was my ticket out and have never been able to leave. I even chose Japan, San Diego, and Everett!

BTW, not saying I won't move to a colder environment. There just has to have mountains involved!

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Florida, ride year around.

We have only two seasons in Florida. Hot and not too hot. So we ride year around. Actually, summer time (hot & humid) is our real enemy. Try riding with a black bike, a black helmet, and a black jacket in August in Florida. You'll have heat stroke within 100 miles.
 
It's not much fun for me anymore if it's below 60, I'll go into the 40's briefly if I have to (caught out, mountain pass, etc.). I have one finger that gets white after an hour or so below 60, and I think I did permanent damage to the nerves in my feet riding nonstop on the slab at 30F 3 winters ago. I debated whether to do it all at once and take 3 hours, or spend 5+ hours stopping frequently and thoroughly thawing out before proceeding. I made the wrong choice.

I'm getting my bike back tomorrow after the driveshaft failed. It's supposed to be upper 50's and I plan to stop midway of my 2 hour ride home to thaw out.

I used to ride as long as the roads were salt free and dry. Once salt was applied, I'd wait for a good spring rainstorm to wash it off. I look forward to riding into my early 70's although I think I realistically I won't get to the mid-70's before I hang it up for good.
 
When I was working in downtown Birmingham, AL, my low-temp "stop-riding" was 18degF. Of course, I have Gerbing heated jacket & gloves and full fairing. And the roads had to be dry and sand free (we don't use salt in B'ham!) Did hit a 20' patch of ice where a pipe had broken/water had frozen. That was a major pucker moment. Fortunately I skated through unscathed, and several of the motorists who witnessed the moment expressed their admiration for my "luck". Ride was about 10 miles one-way, and I had a covered parking deck at the office.
 
For me, temperature would not be the criteria to stop riding. As long as the roads are free of snow, ice and salt, I would consider riding. If temperatures are below freezing I would also limit riding to daylight so I could see road surface to avoid possible ice. The RT has good wind protection so with proper and heated gear, temperature becomes less of a consideration. I never "store my bike away" as with the possibility of weeks of not being able to ride in Chicago, the one day or two that the roads are clear and maybe the temperatures are up gives you that opportunity to get out for a ride after a long absence. In the past 5 years I have been able to ride 12 months of the year at least one day in 3 of those years with the other 2 years requiring a month or 2 of NO riding during the month due to snow or road conditions. I think the coldest I have ridden in was 25 degrees. The days when temps are below freezing aren't the best day to go for an all day ride, but a couple hours out with stop to warm up and a couple hours back is not too bad if you are dressed for it.
 
I left Alamosa CO bound for warmer climes in NM on March 21 this year.
It was 17F when we left but the roads were dry.

Gerbing Jacket and Gloves over a heavyweight Merino wool base layer.
Down Puffer Jacket over the Gerbing
Klim Latitude Outer Layer
Merino wool head/neck tube keeps the head warm and the draft off of my neck.
Merino wool socks under my GTX Baja Boots

Plenty warm.

It is a bitch to stop and pee!
 
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We enjoy ability to ride year round and choose to sit out the few days it is below freezing and wet. We have been caught in that to extremes twice traveling and my Sena was angry in my ear :laugh When in Western open spaces there are not many options to stop and cover.
I have ridden in Levi denim jacket in my younger days in below freezing temps for hours. Was questioning my sanity even then. Great stories now.

One trip to Big Bend was rerouted to Santa Fe due to full on rain forecast rain in November. We had a friends second home offered up so off we went. H parked her bike for an unusual pillion ride up the mountain. Close to summit we hit black ice on east side and had a what are we doing moment... found a turnaround spot and retreated with a let’s don’t do that again! The next morning we turned on the weather to see a rapidly approaching front. Packed up and just made the unplanned Interstate route as hail then snow caught us until we outran it back to TX. Good times... after that!
We both have had times that one was waiting for the other to call a ride and head back to base. On a few recent annual Halloween NW Arkansas trips on naked KTM’s, the daily run stopped within an hour after our gear couldn’t keep up with altitude temps. I stopped and H laughed and asked what was wrong... at same time her teeth were chattering. Low 40’s and lower on naked bikes changes plans :laugh

We were on K1200S’s headed to club meeting and both had failed to plug in. I was following and not knowing she was in same boat. We made the thirty minute trip in below freezing temps and upon arrival got off both holding tail of jacket... big laugh as how stubborn we BOTH were. Dang it was COLD!
 
I have heated gear (including gloves and hand grips) and at least one bike with a full fairing. So, I ride based on the road conditions more than the temperatures. If the roads are clean and dry (no snow, ice, de-icer, sand, etc.) and the day is compelling, I'll likely give it a go.
 
With heated gear, OK but . . .

With heated gear I can comfortably ride down to about 20F in ideal conditions (clear, daylight, no precip, no wind) but it depends on the individual and the weather and you should consider what happens if you have an unscheduled stop beside the road, such as a traffic jam or accident, where you want to shut the bike off--could be a survival situation without real winter clothing. I also have a heated visor which is surprisingly helpful for keeping the visor defogged, and even radiates a little heat.
 
I also have a heated visor

Where did you get that?

FWIW even with heated clothes and grips I don't care for riding much below about 34-36F
Nick
 
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