lol, come north to edmonton......
we get 2 months of riding in GREAT weather
then we get 2 months on either side of that with medium-goodish weather
then we get 2 months on either side of that with our average temperatures being about 30-35 celcius.
then if we are LUCKY we get 2 months on top of that (end of september into october into november)......and a lot of people put their bikes away but many of us dont.
it is very common to be riding in down to 20 farenheit (for me anyways).
past 20 farenheit ( minus 6-7 celcius) I get in a heated four wheeler. when its down to 20 farenheit the dangers are many......your visor will be permanently fogged and usually ice will form. you will need to keep it cracked pretty wide open and wear some kind of yellow sunglasses or something. you will need to take great care in dressing in layers, and pay special attention to your hands. best case scenario your hands will retain some level of feeling for 15-25 minutes. Past 25 minutes you WILL need to pull over.
Not to mention the terrible traction you will have......keep the bike near perpendicular to the ground. Get your weight wayyy off even for gradual corners. I usually ride medium compound touring tires year round. They are hard as stone and never warm up.....though no tires will warm up in those circumstances before your hands need to be warmed up....
And every chance you get warm your hands off your engine at lights. That is a great trick that will extend your range another 10 minutes or so. If it is early morning, seriously consider walking around in front of your house to gauge the amount of dew that has frozen to frost. Assume many places will have more dew/frost than in front of your house.
Even if temperatures rise over freezing over the next few hours keep in mind that many places can have 2-3 degree variations. Elevation drops, places with shadows, etc etc. These can cause a nasty tire slide. Slow down and stay as vertical as possible with your bike using your weight off the bike to turn.
All of that is assuming speeds commonly over 80kph but averaging 60kph for much of it in traffic. Slow down for corners.
Well, thats just some random tidbits of info. Hope you found some handy tips in there.
P.S. just checked local forecast for next week. We range from plus 2 celcius to minus 8 celcius as day-time HIGHs.
Vroom Vroom.
After a short 15 minute ride to work, my neck was frozen and hands were a little numb. My friend tells me its 37 degrees and I'm crazy for riding to work. He was half right, I do have warmer riding gear, just didn't wear it.:spank: But it was worth it in the afternoon, took the long way home, about 50 extra miles.:rockon::rockon:
