How cold is too cold to ride?

[maximNikenGT]

Took a look at the outdoor temperature and it's showing 32 degrees F / 0 degrees Celsius. 

It's at least for me, officially too cold to be riding since I'm more concerned with ice on the roads vs how cold it is (I've got electric vest which makes a world of difference when temperatures drop). I've had two instances in my driving experience where I've gone offroad in cars due to black ice in otherwise safe conditions (daytime, full visibility, speeds under 35 mph / 56 kph) and even with the additional front-end confidence of the Niken it's a line I wouldn't normally cross. 

How cold does it have to be for you in order to winterize your bike for the season?

 

 

 

[johnmark101]

I am a wimp when it comes to cold weather and deeply despise winter.  Once the temperatures are regularly below 55 degrees I am done until the arrival of Spring.

[sirepair]

My coldest ride was several years ago.  I left home on my ST1100 in 13.5deg F, rode about 250 miles, saw a high temp of about 30F.  'Letrics (jacket liner and gloves) made it bearable, barely!  It was for an "Endurance" Ride that has been done by a Harley Davidson dealer.

I couldn't believe the lack of gear some of the participants rode in!  Guess I'm not tough enough to ride a Harley.  Most of the bikes had little or no wind coverage and a 50-60mph wind chill at under 30F is brutal. I'm not sure how some of those riders were able to ride like that.

I tried to ride in their "parade", but after nearly running up the back of the bike in front of me that slowed 15mph at the slightest kink in the road I decided to split off from the group and ride my own ride.

If the road conditions are good (no moisture/ice) its not too bad on the ST, with 'letrics, down under the 30s.  The Tracer punches a smaller hole in the air, but better than a naked bike.  

[Great Gonzo]

I commute most of the year round, but anything below 3 degrees celsius and I get the train. 
 

gonz. 

[texscottyd]

Maybe it's my middle-old age (57 this time around), but I'm now far less tolerant of cold than I was in my younger years.   Admittedly, I ride less frequently now, so perhaps it's just conditioning.   Somewhere around 40 degrees F is where I make the 'nope, not fun' decision, especially if it's overcast and/or threatening to rain.   Being in Houston, I haven't ever invested in electric gear, but I can still ride close to 12 months a year.  

[enx]

About a month and a half ago. My helmet visor froze, but it was ok.

[texscottyd]

1 hour ago, sirepair said:

after nearly running up the back of the bike in front of me that slowed 15mph at the slightest kink in the road I decided to split off from the group and ride my own ride

Literally the only part of your entire post that I can actually relate to...    

[micah2074]

I've ridden at 8F. It sucked. With heated gear I'll ride down into the 20's.

[angrygirafe]

I think it depends. Coldest I’ve ridden was 11F. Coldest I’ve been riding was 200 miles in a 38F rain doing 80mph in Wyoming, so I don’t even know how windy it was. The temp then dropped to 28F and snowed on me for another 30 miles. 

[1moreroad]

Depends on what the weather will do. I've ridden down into the mid-20s but only if the temps will warm up later in the ride or the trip. 

Also any chance of precipitation and those temps are nope, nuh-uh, 'nother time. I've hit black ice on the motorcycle and the bicycle. Neither one was fun, but the moto incident was more expensive.

[duhg]

When my jacket freezes stiff, I'm unhappy.  I've ridden briefly in single digits Fahrenheit.  That was damn cold.  I commuted on the bike all but three days one mild winter.  Since then I have acquired electric gloves, jacket liner and socks.  The gloves are warm all over.  The jacket liner has a heated collar that frees my neck from bulky layers.  The socks are least effective, but they're the best solution I've found  for cold feet.  Add a balaclava under the helmet, watch for ice on the road and it's a ride. 

I hate road salt, so when that stuff goes down I'm done until it has washed away.

[duhg]

5 hours ago, sirepair said:

I couldn't believe the lack of gear some of the participants rode in!  Guess I'm not tough enough to ride a Harley.  Most of the bikes had little or no wind coverage and a 50-60mph wind chill at under 30F is brutal. I'm not sure how some of those riders were able to ride like that.

I tried to ride in their "parade", but after nearly running up the back of the bike in front of me that slowed 15mph at the slightest kink in the road I decided to split off from the group and ride my own ride.

I once went on a memorial ride for a fallen BMW rider in Fort Wayne in November.  I rode from Columbus, another BMW guy rode in from Chicago.  All the others were local Harley riders with no electrics.  We stopped so often to warm them up, that we only did 28 miles in 4 hours.

[philipcd3]

Not on the FJ, but I rode last winter down to 20F. That cold I make sure the roads stay clean. Normally, as long as it doesn't rain on me towards my destination, I will ride back no matter what. I have clothes for that. I mostly commute, and prefer to ride the bike in most conditions, than to spend the gas the truck takes. 

Edited December 20, 2021 by philipcd3

[TennesseeSmith]

I rode my 2013 Triumph Trophy SE at minus 1 F (-17 C). I had heated gear and it was just a 10 mile ride to work. The cold was not bad at all. The slick parking lot at work was nearly a disaster. 

I rode my 2017 Indian Scout over Jellico Mountain for the initial service. It was 15 F when I started in the morning and 30 F when I got home in the afternoon. It was about 100 miles down and 100 miles back. Heated clothing made the difference.

This morning I started the trip to work in the dark at 24 F. It's about 22 miles. I rode the CTX1300 with the large windshield. Tomorrow I'll be doing the same trip in similar temperatures on the Niken. I don't usually break out the electrics until it's below 20 F or if I'm making a long trip. A fleece jacket under a leather jacket is really nice.

It's not bad as long as you are careful. Ice and darkness are far more dangerous than the cold. I'm familiar with the road to work well enough to know where the likely spots are for ice. Going to work and coming home in the dark are not great. This morning I rode between two halves of a deer carcass on a two-lane road. I'm glad I wasn't the one that hit him.

The scariest part of Winter riding now is that if you fall down on the ice and break your leg, you have to wait for hours to get into the hospital. Then they just patch you up quickly and send you home with a permanent limp. And you are hanging out with all the COVID patients while you're there. 

[Warchild]

Cold temps are not really the issue, by themselves.

It's cold temps and high humidity levels, that is where I draw the line. Even on a cloudless night, if the relative humidity is high and temps below freezing, you only have to ride over black ice once to fully appreciate the terror it causes.