How cold do you go?

[tedsalt]

35 mins each way, morning is all that matters where I am. If its really cold its not raining and its dry. If its raining its not that cold. 35 to 40f is as cold as it gets at 0630. The heated seat and grips are a must have and even then the hands are cold when I get to work. Hunting for heat with the grips means not covering the front brake when in cruise mode. It bothers me. I need heated gloves this winter. Rest is ok. R1100rt. If I was all day on the bike in 35f I would need different gear and for sure a heated vest and gloves.

I use Klim gauntlet style gloves and some liner gloves and they work great along with the heated grips. Klim's Forecast Split Finger gloves also look great for this.

I've been riding this week and today was 44, Sunday was 37 feels like 33 not including wind chill.

[junkjohn]

You can dress for the cold ask the snowmobile riders, for me it’s the salt and the traction thing, lots of salt on roads draws water soon it’s like riding on snot, than the spray from other vehicles trying to remove that while riding and not destroy the visor, than the bike cleanup after you get home, one can ride in the winter but activity is low on fun scale.
Now the question if you look at snowmobile gear you see lots of helmets with heated visor, anyone try one on motorcycle?

I have two for an HJC helmet. One is vented one is not. I do not use the vented one any more. It is great, no more breath box needed. It does not heat your helmet just the face shield. No more opening the face shield for fog.

[PoorUB]

-20F, but just for a few miles. Heated jacket, ski bibs, insulated boots and gloves, still froze my butt off!

I have done a few hundred miles around 20F. Even with good boots my feet get cold. Chemical packs in my boots and gloves help a bunch.

[2wheeltraveler]

We rarely see negative digits in York Pennsylvania, but single digits are a bit more common come January-February. These temps are pretty easy on the K16 with all that wind protection, but a bit more planning is required whilst on the GS. The goal for this winter is to wire the GS for my heated insoles and gloves in the hopes of being more comfortable during those single digits temps for my 45 minute commute to work.

Yesterday was 31F when I left the house, but reached 38F by the time I arrived to work.
This morning was in the low 40's.

At this point I'm quite comfortable with the exception of cold fingers...even with heated grips.

How cold do you go?

Rick

[akbeemer]

My, admittly limited, experience in Pennsylvania in the winter would lead me to being much more concerned about ice and salt on the roadway than the cold temperatures.

[Lee]

I use Klim gauntlet style gloves and some liner gloves and they work great along with the heated grips. .

I have Klim Element Long gloves.
Last week when we left on a trip it was 32 F and I wore these with silk glove liners.
With the heated grips on my hands were comfortable. It was a sunny day.
I ride a R1200RS with a stock shield.

A couple days ago it was 29 when I headed out on the 175 mile ride to the shop.
At 29 my hands were a little cool until the sun was up.

I have Gerbing electric gloves I purchased in 2003 but I only use them if it's colder the 20 F because they are too bulky.
Same for my wife, she will only wear the Gerbing gloves when it's really cold.

[Lee]

My, admittly limited, experience in Pennsylvania in the winter would lead me to being much more concerned about ice and salt on the roadway than the cold temperatures.

Once the DOT starts using salt and brine I stop riding for the season.
It's not easy to wash a bike in the winter and leaving the salt residue on for long periods is a bad idea.

[braddog]

The coldest I've commuted in was 28 degrees. Properly dressed, no electric anything, I was riding my '77 RRS. At stoplights, I'd put the bike in neutral and warm my hands on the valve covers. I decided right then and there that I either needed to get some proper electric clothing/gloves, or just ride in warmer weather.

[gagnello]

My Harley Low Rider has been under the covers since last month, it may come out today. Ive been riding my 99 r1100rs i bought two months ago to supplement my riding season which I believe will add 3 months of motorcycling for me. For the past 2 years April and May have pretty much been a washout for my Low Rider. I will no longer have this problem on questionable riding days on the BMW. Ive already had numerous 30 degree morning commuting to work. Only my knees have been a bit cold.

[soocom1]

So last night (10-31-2018) we had a freeze warning and the temps dropped before sunset to below 37F.

I was testing the clutch cable and put on a pair of $30 windproof pants. They worked just dandy!

The only cold part I felt was at my ankles.

me thinks one does not have to spend huge sums on gear to stay warm. IMO.

[Paul_F]

I don't mind riding in the 20s (with electric gloves and grips plus electric jacket) in the fall so long as there has been no reason to place snow/ice destroying chemicals on the road. Once even rode for a couple of hours in a snow storm on my way to the Branson Blitz. (The snow was melting as soon as it hit the road.)

In the past few years, in the spring, even when it has begun to warm up into the 40s, I hold back from taking the bikes out for their first rides. Three years ago on a day that was 46F and my garage in the mid-fifties, I took the K out for the first ride of the season. Total ride was 2 kilometres. One km from home, made slow left turn, not leaned over too far, from and onto a road that appeared to be clean when both wheels slid out from under me, as if I had hit a patch of ice.

Upon examination, the road looked and felt clean and dry. Returned home missing the left footpeg as well as damage to the fairing and engine guard. Early the next morning (in the car), driving into the rising sun to the spot where I had wiped out, I could see a sheen covering the road. Parked the car, tested the road grip and found nothing slippery but I am certain that that sheen was stuff leftover from winter salting.

Where we live, there is a lot of stuff dumped on our winter roads. Hence, I now wait for a few rains and temperatures into the 50s for spring riding.

[PoorUB]

A few years back I headed over to a HOG meeting. At the meeting one of the guys at the table was talking about the temps, high of 34F, and jokingly asked if anyone had gone for a ride. I said that I had and he said, "what, to the dealership and back?" Nope! I had gotten up that morning and run about 350 miles, just for the H of it. I got the deer in the head lights look! Highs were 34F, and I rode on roads that had some snow and ice and temperatures as low as 26F.

[Realshelby]

I will add that riding to work, 30-45 minutes or so, is altogether different from riding hours on end in sub 40F weather. I have ridden 17 miles to town to get parts for my Bronco and the bank clock said 4 degrees. I would not want to ride very long in that.

Heated gear can keep you from looking like the Michelin man in layers and layers of clothing. That keeps you feeling more in control. Good. But there is a limit to that electric comfort. While it can keep body temps up there comes a point where it seems to hit a plateau. Keep the controller cranked up and you can get into some "hot spots".

The biggest problem with heated gear and cold weather riding that I face is keeping warm when I want to take a break. If you are honest you would probably admit that after 3 hours at 36 degrees even with heated gear you may not be toasty warm. Then you pull into a rest area and.....you get colder because your electric gear isn't running!

I am heading to the west coast next week. Probably going to see some 30's and lower 40's on the northern part of the trip. While I will have my heated insoles, heated pants, heated jacket, heated gloves with me I am going to try to run the Olympia liners as long as I can. This stuff seems amazingly warm for no thicker and bulkier than it is. May or may not have to run heat under it. But my thought is that when I stop I will actually get warmer instead of colder in the thermal gear vs electric.

[Lee]

Once the DOT starts using salt and brine I stop riding for the season.
It's not easy to wash a bike in the winter and leaving the salt residue on for long periods is a bad idea.

The DOT was out yesterday spraying brine on the highways

[shortythorne]

As long as there is no ice and the temp is above 0 degrees, I'll ride. Of course, it is rare when it gets into the single digits in Mississippi but I have been caught in other places when it was COLD, and I HAD to get home. I would not attempt to ride in ice, as I have no experience doing this. I have good gear (heated jacket liner & gloves), and I can stay comfortable with this. For me, I do not like the bundled up feeling, and I feel unsafe with handling the bike. When I can't easily turn my head or reach my controls it seems sketchy. Once in the mountains of Georgia, the temps dipped to 16 degrees and the face shield frosted up on the inside....not good, but only lasted until I rode out of the higher elevation. Generally, I won't head up nawth in the wintertime . Cold weather is a PITA in more ways than one. I have ridden in snow, which isn't a big deal as long as it isn't sticking or there is poor visibility, although you will get a few odd looks from folks.