18.5 F Degrees Ride in to Work Today

[badbs101]

18.5 F on the R1200R display this morning. This is the coldest weather I have ever rode in. Previous low was 23 degrees F. It wasn't too bad; windproof overpants, two jackets, long sleeve shirt, gloves (grips on high), and velcro face mask. The trip is only a bit over 4 miles and no freeway. The bike ran flawlessly! Getting in a little late season riding here in MN. The weather forecast looks promising through next week! I plan to ride until the roads are salted, maybe I'll make it in to December this year.

What's your personal cold weather record?

Thanks,

Barry

[mogu83]

14F Degrees. Only 6+ miles to work a very long time ago when my car broke down. High 30s in the AM that dropped when I was in work. The sign on the bank down the street said 14F when I came out at 5pm and I had to use a screwdriver to chip my rear wheel out of the ice that had been a puddle when I parked, rear tire to the curb, in the morning. This was pre electric gear and being a young tough guy I would have looked upon such sissy stuff in distain, even if my old BSA could have generated enough power to work such things.
Going home I followed a bus trying to stay in the exhaust and went through a red light or two because I was just too cold to move. Overall a very ugly ride and one that ranks right on the top of the list of stupid things I've done on two wheels.

[Mister Moo]

...even if my old BSA could have generated enough power

Dag... that looks like my '67 Thunderbolt.

I never went for low/low but I tried low/long. Across Nova Scotia heading to the Cabot Trail - 8 hours in the rain, 35mph sideswinds and a steady 36*. Warm clothes - no electrics. Wife and I holed up in Cheticamp, shy of the goal, a few hours before 8" of snow dumped on the trail. The last two hours were the worst of my motorcycle life.

[dbrick]

Mary (R65) and I (R1100RSL) had a similar experience to Moo's coming back from Death Valley one March in the late 90s. We rode down US395 and CA14 through cold, spitting rain to Mojave, and dripped and warmed about noon in a coffee shop. Then the choice was: hole up in Mojave for the afternoon and night, or drive south and west to LA before turning north and west for home, or continue west on 58 over the Tehachapi Pass and down into the central valley. I'm too much a gentleman to say who voted for what...but we continued on.

It was just below freezing, and snowing, and blowing. There was several inches of slush on the ground, and the road (freeway, 2 lanes each direction) was full of trucks and semitrailers. We both had heated jackets, so were only cold but not freezing. OTOH, visibility was really bad and our chosen speed of about 45 was less than the truckers' preference. We rode in the trucks' tire tracks, and I saw a lot of big grills in the mirrors.

We stopped for gas in Tehachapi, and the gods must have been smiling. Mary was using the heated grips and the Gerbings at the same time, and the revs were too low, and...you know the result. I wasn't carrying jumper cables in those days, and just managed to get her bike started, and we eventually made it down the hill to Arvin.

Continuing on in those conditions was a truly stupid act on my part.

[BoxerSteve]

It was nippy like a hippy out this morning on my way to work on the GS. I thought I was being pretty tough; I didn't see any other motorcycles out this morning.

But after reading these posts, my 12 1/2 mile commute in 25 degree weather seems pretty wimpy.

[MikeVA76]

I commute 70 miles a day total. The record so far is 9 degrees, which was not particularly enjoyable on the fingertips, lol. Everything else was ok. Worst experience ever still goes to my sport bike days. Ninja zx6r, three hours in heavy traffic on I95 to D.C., night time and constant heavy downpour with lightning/thunder. No rain gear, 60 degrees outside. Absolutely miserable and on a black bike, I was almost killed every 20 minutes or so. 24 years old and none too bright. Looking back I should've gotten a hotel and come into work late the following day. We'll see how this winter goes, may have some heated gear before its over.

Mike

[KMalo]

Coldest ever ride for me was 10°F on a Sunday morning, leaving the house for a MC breakfast; about 25 miles or so. A rider friend and I were egging on each other Seemed downright balmy when I rode home in temps in the 20s afterward.

40°F is about the low limit for me. I have the gear and CAN ride in lower temps, but it just doesn't seem like fun to me. Even 40 is pushing it!

Chuck

[angellr]

Coldest ever ride for me was 10°F on a Sunday morning, leaving the house for a MC breakfast; about 25 miles or so. A rider friend and I were egging on each other Seemed downright balmy when I rode home in temps in the 20s afterward.

40°F is about the low limit for me. I have the gear and CAN ride in lower temps, but it just doesn't seem like fun to me. Even 40 is pushing it!

Chuck

I pretty much agree with Chuck ... if there is NO possibility of ice, don't mind colder temps (20's), but really 33 and below the fun factor for me starts to diminish (I dont have heated gear, just layers and good gear) especially at 80+ MPH (wind chill at this speed is approx 0 or lower).

[famousperson]

[/quote]

Great Photo! It takes me back 48 years, to the shiny new 650 Matchless twin that I had while living in Manhattan. The Matchless dealer also carried BSAs. I don't know why I chose the one over the other. I used to make the rounds of the dealers. The other in Manhattan was Butler Bros., the BMW dealer. I would spend my lunch hour in their showroom lusting.

English twins were about $1200 in those days. Today's modern Triumphs are quite the bargain at their current price, taking inflation into account.

OK, nostalgia fart complete. Back to the thread.

Peter

[BLAIR1200R]

What's your personal cold weather record?

I don't know the temp, but I was taking a buddy home at night from an airfield as a cold front came in... remember it like it was yesterday (1982). Just a jacket and jeans, no gloves, no helmet. He was tucked in behind me and missed most of the wind chill. I just remember shaking uncontrollably... not much else.

These days I'll commute down to 32F because I never know if the asphalt has ice on it in the morning.

Still considering hand guards. This evening temp registered 37F... finger tips and knees a bit cold, all else was fine.

[seangd]

I rode on Sunday. High was 81 I think. Really nice. Begin the hatred now...

[deilenberger]

Still considering hand guards. This evening temp registered 37F... finger tips and knees a bit cold, all else was fine.

Blair,

Handguards and the Wunderlich Handle Bar Muffs make for nice warm hands in almost any weather (cold, wet, or cold and wet.) Mine stay warm enough with summer gloves on that I have to turn the grips off even below 40F.. and I've never needed the grip on high heat. The Muffs also block air from going up your sleeve which makes gauntlet type gloves unnecessary. http://www.wunderlichamerica.com/motorc ... 10360.html These are a good thing.

[BLAIR1200R]

Handguards and the Wunderlich ........

Oh man, I can't believe you made me look at the Wunderlich site ! .... I had that addiction beat, but now....