When is it too cold to ride?

[Jantar]

Looking at keystone's thread : Riding - Bit cold for ya?, it appears that as Oldrider says, cold is a matter of perception. The only two who have voted that they don't ride when its cold are OldRider and myself, and we live in the part of the country that is hottest in the summer and coldest in the winter.

Everyone will have a point at which it is just too cold to ride, so this thread is to find that point.

[sunhuntin]

i think....too cold to ride would mean a layer of snow on the ground or huge hail stones. i dont have a temp. idea.
for me its ride or walk, lol. snow and hail im happy walking in, but not riding [never tried, and not that willing too, lol.]

[Big Dave]

Never. Just put more gear on.

[Str8 Jacket]

The only time it is too cold to ride is when my damn bike wont start, cause its too cold. Riding my bike is warmer than walking cause it doesnt take as long to get there...

[John Banks]

When the bike doesn't start.

[riffer]

Last Tuesday was -5.5 in Upper Hutt, and there was frost not only over the ground, but visibly all over the road.

I rode to work but didn't really enjoy it. On my bike you can take off easily at 2,000 rpm, but the back was spinning every time I tried to use the accelerator.

I still made it to Wellington though ...

I've ridden in -8, which wasn't much different. So I guess, it would depend on road conditions. If you could actually navigate the bike, then there's no such thing as too cold. Just wear more layers!

[Jantar]

When the bike doesn't start.

Mmmm, Maybe that is a good limit. My choice of -6 is'nt because the bike won't start at lower temperatures, but because it won't idle, and dies at every intersection. Obviously there are some who have managed to overcome carb air icing and do still ride at even lower temperatures.

[idb]

Same as above really.
It's all more to do with the state of the roads.

Ice, snow, grit are the main considerations for me.

[sAsLEX]

Mmmm, Maybe that is a good limit. My choice of -6 is'nt because the bike won't start at lower temperatures, but because it won't idle, and dies at every intersection. Obviously there are some who have managed to overcome carb air icing and do still ride at even lower temperatures.

its called efi

[Ixion]

It's road temperature that matters, not air temperature. Cold air, just layer up, stop often, light fires etc.

But sub zero road temperatures means ice, maybe black ice. Not so nice.

And road temperatures depends on a lot of stuff. You can have really cold air, but if there's lots of trucks pounding the road and keeping it warm , good as. Just keep in their wheel traks. Or in the mornings, the air temp may be well up, but still road surfaces sub zero on sheltered bits of road.

Incidentally, we had a couple of crashes up here this week on black ice, so it's not just a SI thing.

[Skunk]

I don't ride when I can't get the bike up the drive because of ice. Usually at around 0°C here.

[frogfeaturesFZR]

I don't ride when it's too cold because I'm a wuss.......and the cars got a heater ! Hell if it's to cold you can't enjoy the ride anyway

[skelstar]

Cold in welly/aucks/elsewhere aint the same as cold in Alex/CHCH/Dunners.

["D" FZ1]

Not worried about the cold. Just not to keen on ice on the road.

[Freakshow]

It's road temperature that matters, not air temperature. Cold air, just layer up, stop often, light fires etc.

But sub zero road temperatures means ice, maybe black ice. Not so nice.

And road temperatures depends on a lot of stuff. You can have really cold air, but if there's lots of trucks pounding the road and keeping it warm , good as. Just keep in their wheel traks. Or in the mornings, the air temp may be well up, but still road surfaces sub zero on sheltered bits of road.

Incidentally, we had a couple of crashes up here this week on black ice, so it's not just a SI thing.

Im with Ixion on this one at 2c the guys up the mountain are still making snow. I was up the mountain yesterday and the road had a light dusting and lots of grit etc but it was still very slippery. Great day though!!

On the way back it was a lot warmer but the roads still icey!

Any way who in Welly keen to go skiing!

[buellbabe]

Wouldn't have a clue temp wise, the other morning it was only 3ºC riding in from Sth Auck to the city and that was sweet...( you folks down Sth would call that tropical! ) but I think the only thing that would put me off would be road conditions, not keen on ice at all...

[Pwalo]

It's only too cold if there's ice around. You can always wear gear to keep you warm, but it's no bl$#%y fun slipping off on black ice.

As has been said previously ambient temperature isn't the problem. The real decider is ground temerature.

Not really a problem in Wheelytown, as it's usually not still enough for a real nasty frost (although today seems very non windy).

[John]

when the engine is encased in a block of ice.

[miSTa]

Don't care so much about the temperature just the road conditions.

[number33]

Beware bridges on frosty mornings. Wise up and get a cage for winter.

[Oakie]

It's never been too cold for me. It's just the slipperiness of the road I take notice of.

[yungatart]

I feel the cold really bad, doesn't seem to matter how many layers I put on I just freeze, even going pillion on Mstrs' bike at 10 degrees is almost too cold for me! The colder it gets, the less control I have over my brain - reaction time, responses etc all go out the window. I'm a danger to myself and anyone else on the road when its cold, so I don't ride during the winter! Mstrs says that I must be reptilian!!
And for those smart arses comments that I just know are coming, rest assured, I can be just like a crocodile - hard shell and sharp teeth!

[paturoa]

zero - below that is ice :nono:

[Jantar]

zero - below that is ice :nono:
No. For ice to form there must be moisture either in the air or on the ground. Dry roads and dry air and the temperature can go down to extreme cold, but no ice.

[fishb8nz]

We've had -3 & -4 for the last 5 days. the army has an expression "There's no such thing as too cold (substitute wet, etc), just inadequate dress.
One of my mates on another shift, on his way home from Huntly to Ngaruawahia came off on an icy bend and ended up in hospital. I came in the next day and there were large warning signs and grit on the road. An obvious reaction to the fall. Now, a couple of days later, all the water has evaporated and the fine grit is almost as bad as the icy. I had a major shimmy on my way to work, tonight.
Until we have a good day's solid rain, I'm staying off River Road until the sand and grit has been washed away. Definitely, it's road conditions that make the call, not the temperature.

[fishb8nz]

When I got my shimmy, I was doing less than 60 km. Taking it very easy.
Just 10 minutes earlier, I got pulled over by a Traffic cop for doing 70kph in a 50 limit in Ngaruawahia - AND he let me go with a caution. Never had my licence on me either. Ridden my luck tonight!
To finish the night, I hope both Argentina and Germany lose. A difficult result as they play each other!

[Highlander]

Never. Just put more gear on.

I'm with Dave, but then I moved to the winterless north before buying my bike.

[Jantar]

I'm with Dave, but then I moved to the winterless north before buying my bike.
-7 when I left home for work this morning. Our back patio was so icy it was difficult to walk on, so the bike stayed in he shed, and I took the cage. Sure enough, Brandy Hill (half way to work) was covered in black ice.

Overall I agree with the comments about road conditions being more important than a simple temperature as a decision point, but at low temperatures you often don't know what the road conditions are until you are already out there. I have learnt from experience, that in Central Otago, light frosts are usually associated with dry roads and good grip, but very low temperatures are caused by a high pressure system following a moist cold front, and that means ice.

[Highlander]

:blip: Good to know who the opposition is.

Road conditions are the key. Went through Pyes Pa rd about mid day yesterday (because I could) and there was still frosty bits on some of the corners, and grit on some others so I nana'd more than normal.

[thehollowmen]

It is never too cold.
That minus four morning we had the other week when it was snowing.. I went to work on the motorcycle.

And I've seen people race on lakes overseas. Ice racing used to be a big thing on frozen lakes. If they can do 200+km/h I don't see why I shouldn't be able to tootle off to work.

On saying that, if all my gear is wet from the day before I might not head in. If you've got the gear you can do 200km/h on ice, otherwise play it safe people.

[scumdog]

It is never too cold.
That minus four morning we had the other week when it was snowing.. I went to work on the motorcycle.

And I've seen people race on lakes overseas. Ice racing used to be a big thing on frozen lakes. If they can do 200+km/h I don't see why I shouldn't be able to tootle off to work.

On saying that, if all my gear is wet from the day before I might not head in. If you've got the gear you can do 200km/h on ice, otherwise play it safe people.

There IS the aspect of tungsten studded tyres used by the 'ice-racers' to be considered of course....

[Highlander]

Minor technicality.

[Indiana_Jones]

When Hell freezes over.

-Indy

[marty]

a combination of sub zero (was -4 at the airport last night) and large amount of flushed seal on my trip home, plus knowing that the civil whey trucks are probably spilling their slippery load on my route home precludes me from riding - i have 2 or 3 big gullys to drop into, depending on what way i go, and there is almost always ice in the bottom of them.

[pritch]

Had a new experience this morning on the sheepfeast run. Heading north through the Ureti Gorge, there was a totally white landscape with some cold mist. After a while the outside of the visor strted to accumulate moisture but I didn't want to wipe it in case I just made it worse. When it got so bad I couldn't see properly I thought I had better give it a wipe. Nothing happened. Again (with more vigour but not a lot more success). The outside of the visor was completely covered in ice.

Interesting, but I'm in no hurry to repeat the experience.

[buellbabe]

Until we have a good day's solid rain, I'm staying off River Road until the sand and grit has been washed away. Definitely, it's road conditions that make the call, not the temperature.
I took #1 down to HamilVegas on sat then returned via the River Rd so know EXACTLY what yr talking about! All I can say is thank-god i was following a cop and therefore modifying my speed somewhat cos I also had a very interesting "shimmy"... sod that!

[sAsLEX]

I took #1 down to HamilVegas on sat then returned via the River Rd so know EXACTLY what yr talking about! All I can say is thank-god i was following a cop and therefore modifying my speed somewhat cos I also had a very interesting "shimmy"... sod that!


There was only one little patch of crap on river road when I went through sat morn, and it was well signposted, didnt stop me putting the gas on too early and having the back end slide

[Kjell]

When the bike doesn't start.

Aye or when I hop on the bike, and the contact of a certain part of the body with the gas tank causes lumps in my throat and tears in my eyes. :sick:

[Macktheknife]

Don't care so much about the temperature just the road conditions.
Me too, I got good gear for all weather conditions but black ice and such... no thanks

[jord]

its not so much the temperature but the condition of the roads. eg. snow would probably not be the best thing to ride on...-20 would be all good provided there was no ice or snow

[Finn]

Woops, left it outside last night.

[kiwisfly]

For me temperature guage for coldness is when you've had the morning coffee, get out on the bike & the coffee runs through you quicker than dodgy curry. You pull over, undo the layers, try to find the old fella only to discover a piece of flabby skin cause the rest of it's retracted at a rapid rate of knots!
About then it's time to go home.

[Finn]

For me temperature guage for coldness is when you've had the morning coffee, get out on the bike & the coffee runs through you quicker than dodgy curry. You pull over, undo the layers, try to find the old fella only to discover a piece of flabby skin cause the rest of it's retracted at a rapid rate of knots!
About then it's time to go home.

The medical term is Cold Diuresis - A condition where the surface blood vessels constrict in response to cold. This constriction causes greater volume pressure in the bloodstream which is detected by the kidneys. The kidneys will "pull off" the excess fluid to reduce the pressure. The kidneys then excrete the fluid, causing the bladder to fill. This is one way in which the body protects the amount of heat lost at the surface.

I knew my PhD would come in handy one day.

[kiwisfly]

The medical term is Cold Diuresis - A condition where the surface blood vessels constrict in response to cold. This constriction causes greater volume pressure in the bloodstream which is detected by the kidneys. The kidneys will "pull off" the excess fluid to reduce the pressure. The kidneys then excrete the fluid, causing the bladder to fill. This is one way in which the body protects the amount of heat lost at the surface.

I knew my PhD would come in handy one day.
Faaark...you're good
Cheers Finn!

[Wolf]

No idea of temperature: when the ice is on enough of the road to make riding too hazardous - which is enough to make driving too hazardous as well (sure, you can't just slip and fall over but the car has a higher inertia to overcome than a motorbike - a bastard to stop or change direction once underway) and that just leaves walking and risking slipping on the ice and breaking my bloody neck. Sounds like "I can't come to work today, I can't get to work safely" weather.

Like St8 Jacket, I am warmer going by bike as I get there sooner. I also can wear more stuff on the bike than I can actually walk in - screw trying to walk to work in my bulky lined riding leggings. I have a motorbike to transport my warm clothing to work with little effort on my own part! If I can't ride because the weather is too foul, I probably wouldn't be able to walk there either.

So long as the road is negotiable, I'll ride. And I've ridden in some pretty crap conditions - bloody terrifying ones when the road is awash with a torrent, rain is making visibilty difficult, high winds are throwing the bike around and you can see the power wires whipping in the wind and you think "FUCK! If they cut loose I'm screwed." A matter of having to - ride in the storm or leave the bike in an unsafe place and try to find another means of getting home which may not be any safer. You arrive shaken and saturated having spent almost as much time as it would have taken to walk home as you were reduced to a crawl and the fact that you didn't walk doesn't mean you're fine because fighting the winds all the way has expended about the same amount of energy as you would have by walking.

I've spent time on really icy roads and they weren't fun. Reduced to a crawl, slithering and skating, terrrified the bike's going to go out from under me any second, not trusting my ability to brake. Sleet on Desert Road is also not fun at around 2am when you're frozen to the core, unable to see for the sleety crap sticking to your visor, scarcely able to operate the controls because fingers and ankles are seizing up and the road feels like it's been oiled. Once again: I'd arrived into the midst of it and it's "press on because you can't turn back but it's got to be better once you get out of the Gods-forsaken Hellhole" (and it was: once I got to Taihape, got some hot food in me and hit warmer, dry roads I was fine).

Never ridden in snow so I can't comment on it. I'd defer to the wisdom of those experienced in it - if they said "you can't go out in that", I wouldn't (I suspect I wouldn't handle snow as well as those who are experienced in it, so I certainly wouldn't take on anything they were not prepared to).

As Ixion said, theres a big difference between air temperature and road temperature. I've ridden to work over long distances in intense pain from the cold but the road has been perfectly safe to ride on.

[Finn]

Wolf, does Yongle Dadian ring any bells?

[Wolf]

Had a new experience this morning on the sheepfeast run. ... The outside of the visor was completely covered in ice.

Used to get that frequently commuting from Hamilton to Te Awamutu on frosty mornings, especially if there was a fog accompanying the frost. Sub-zero air temps and a 100km/h wind (or more if riding into the wind but usually there was no wind save for that caused by my speed). I looked up the wind-chill factor on the web and the results were terrifying.

I used to have to scrape my visor frequently so the ice would not get too thick and I had a layer of ice all over my front - shins/knees, gloves, jacket, helmet and visor. I also used to have the visor open enough that I could tilt my head to see out - the cold wind on my face was nowhere near as bad as the cold wind accross my knuckles, though, and my gloves are Thinsulate lined.

[Wolf]

Wolf, does Yongle Dadian ring any bells?
None whatsoever :innocent:

Does "smart-arse" ring any for you? :devil2:






And the writers of the Yongle Dadian were amateurs!

[Roj]

Having riden through fog, ice and sleet, I would say that if you get to cold to be relaxed and able to control the bike then that is when it becomes dangerous. It is always possible to be able to have good warm gear, heated handle grips etc that will allow you to travel in cold weather. It then comes down to road conditions and the rider.

[Forest]

I only care about the condition of the road surface. Ice, snow, gravel/grit are the real problem - not the clothing.

When I was a student in Dunedin, I dropped both my DT175 and my GSX1100EZ on black ice. Neither experience was fun.

Edit - Now I ride a bike with heated drips and a heated seat. :rockon:

[Lil_Byte]

It is only too cold to ride when the ice is on the ground - it makes it a bit tricky to stay upright on the Dunedin hills when the arse end of the bike tries to pass the back end

[SARGE]

only time its too cold to ride is when the snow is up to your axles.. then you just get the shovel out ..


in Cleveland ..it got -40F with the wind chill..needless to say ... adding another 60 mph on top of that and it was a no-ride day ..we put our bikes up in late October and they didnt see daylight until mid April ( a few of us had our stuff out on Xmas and new Years..)


nothing in NZ is TOO cold

[McJim]

There's no temperature too cold to be outside if you have the equipment - I've climbed mountains in temperatures of -30 and lower no probs. I have also low sided on black ice in Scotland and it fucken hurts when your hip hits the deck 3 times in one day. So for me it's when the lateral traction is nil that it's too cold to ride.

[Insanity_rules]

Theres a reason I call my home town Rimutex coldville. Its always 2 degrees colder than Welly vegas city in winter. Great frosts and such.
Once on my way to work I dropped her a cog to slow up for the lights at Trentham and the VTZ of doom did a great little shuffle on some road ice, almost a biker down story. I put both my feet down and my boots didn't bite in either but merrily slid along at the same forward velocity as the bike, but that did keep me upright. Wierd sensation.

[Wolf]

Once on my way to work I dropped her a cog to slow up for the lights at Trentham and the VTZ of doom did a great little shuffle on some road ice, almost a biker down story. I put both my feet down and my boots didn't bite in either but merrily slid along at the same forward velocity as the bike, but that did keep me upright. Wierd sensation.
Had a similar experience on my old TS125 with knobbly tyres on a wet road - except it was the rear brake that caused the rear to skate sideways. Slid through an intersection on the soles of my boots holding the bike upright. Fortunately I wasn't hit by traffic coming through the intersection.

[placidfemme]

the only time its too cold to ride is when the bloody ZXR refuses to start lol

[Wolf]

the only time its too cold to ride is when the bloody ZXR refuses to start lol
Hehe. Had a couple of bikes like that but most of my bikes have started better than I do of a morning...

[Biff]

It's too cold to ride when.........

...........................................you sneeze and it snows snot inside your helmet ?

[Insanity_rules]

It's too cold to ride when.........

...........................................you sneeze and it snows snot inside your helmet ?

Ewwwww!!!! Although how many of us have actually sneezed inside a closed visor? More than would admit I bet!

PS: BTW love this weeks international insult, keep em coming.

[petesmeats]

Personally I wont go out in snow/icy conditions... Its slippery enough on the paint in the dry let alone the slushy/icy conditions... Just wouldn't risk dropping th bike. On real cold days the only other option available to me is to take the bus...:sick: But you end up sitting at the damn bus stop for half an hour anyhoo so i just bite the bullet and ride... Character building stuff as my old man would say.:shutup:

The cold/wet always makes me feel better about speeding/lane splitting/riding up the centre line etc... I can feel the cages sympathy when i go past... The only thing i hate is having a a wet crotch for the first few hours at uni where the cordura has failed to function...

[ManDownUnder]

You can get an idea it's cooling down when the ladies turn their boobs onto full beam.

'tis nice