Ever been caught in a snow storm on a bike?

[Digitdion]

Been a wild few days of weather out there in the south. I live in Queenstown and thank god have 7 weeks off work, some of which will be spent taking the big KTM out for a good ride. First day up to Ohau lodge. Bloody wet. Had to ride thru deep water to escape the next day. All the poor bastards in cages had to wait.
Then up to Hanmer springs thru heavy rain, sun and Wind. Got to love the Hot springs! Today, well thank goodness I got up early. Had a feeling more weather was on its way. Was heading up to . Originally I was going to do the rainbow road if the weather had been a bit more normal. Plan B was the Lewis Pass. Nelson is my old home town, so I know the Lewis pass well. A great ride.
Its a gradual climb heading north , and before I know it it was sleeting. No worries matey, until it got a hell of a lot heavier. No Worries until it began to sit on the road. Deep slush. Oh, bloody good at the top and its all down hill from here. I reckon 20 minutes later I would have had to stop. I have ridden over the crown range before in snow but nothing like this.Over to the North Island tomorrow. At least it will be a tad warmer up North.

Now my Question is , have any of you boys and girls been caught in a snowstorm on your bike before? Will be keen to hear your stories.

Cheers Dion

[madmal64]

Only once have I had the snow experience like you described. Way back in the good old days when the Cold Kiwi was up on army land on the Desert Rd.
They came on site and said they would be closing the road in about 30 mins.
Gear packed and off we headed back to Wellington as I didn't like the idea of getting caught up on the highest point on that part of the road. 10 minutes after leaving the site I could not tell where the verge of the road was, it was just white everywhere. If it wasn't for the road markers reflecting we would have been in the shit. I ended up just following a mates tail light all the way to Taihape. Gets interesting following a red light when everything else is white. I remember how much reflection came off the falling snow too, made it hard to see any great distance.
Not a fun time.

[Big Dave]

Yes - I lived in Hobart for a few years. Rode in snow over Mt Nelson to get to work on quite a few occasions.

It's wet, slippery and not at all pleasant. Particularly in peak hour traffic.

The flurries are also very disconcerting and visually distracting.

The best way around it was I moved to the Gold Coast.

[Skunk]

Yep, Napier-Taupo Road. Couldn't see anything with ice inside the visor and snow on the outside.

[AllanB]

Years ago it started to snow as I rode two-up loaded with gear on the old zig-zag to Arthurs Pass coming over from the West Coast.

Fun times............

[lb99]

brass monkey 96, up on the dunstan trail with a broken front mudguard and bald trials tyres, and a sprained ankle, that was the worst ride home ever (xt400)

somewhere between milton and dunedin, thought my electrics were crapping out, was the build up of snow on the headlight, had to wrap a rope though the spokes on the back wheel to get up saddle hilll.(xj750)

plus numerous whiteouts on the motorway between dunedin and waikouaiti, pretty normal stuff really

[FJRider]

I went over the Lindis pass in '82 I think... Went through the "gate" 10 minutes before they closed the road. Was on a GS1000. Caught up with the Works truck at Dip creek.... followed him out. Was not ...fun and friggen cold.

[Oakie]

Yeah, four or five years back I guess and I'd just left home on the 10 km commute to work. I was about 1km from home when it started to snow. I thought it'd be fine and I'd get to work before it became a problem ... but I was wrong. In short order it was settling and by the time I got half way to work the road was fairly well covered. I was very careful obviously and remember reaching a bit of an 'S' bend where instead of riding around it in one sweet movement, I rode to each apex then stopped the bike, pointed it at the next apex and rode a straight line to the next apex where I stopped and the same thing again. Got to work safely and got some incredulous looks from my workmates.

[gatch]

Yep, making a trip to dunedin from nelson, got stuck just outside of christchurch in snow, was built up on my lap and in the bends of my elbows, visor frozen shut etc.

Then again 2 days later finishing the trip, snowed on after leaving oamaru and going over the kilmog ? Sideways, backwards, on its side.. Had packed toilet paper in my helmet so that when I could lift the visor and pluck a bit out, wipe my glasses, wipe the visor off and have 5 minutes of clear vision till it gummed up again, arrived with no feeling in arms or feet..

[madbikeboy]

Ice in Edinburgh on a scooter (I'm straight!).

Fell on my ass.

Got up, fell on my ass.

Two wheels, two feet. My ass.

[vifferman]

Now my Question is , have any of you boys and girls been caught in a snowstorm on your bike before?
I've ridden while it's been snowing twice, when I lived in Christchurch. It was actually rather conducive to communtering, as the cars were tootling along very slowly, so I just rode up the middle in the slush.
The only real issue I had was visibility: I found that snow doesn't readily slide off the visor like rain does, so I was alternating between riding with the visor open (and my helmet filling with snow!) or riding with it nearly closed, and having to swish the snow build-up off every few seconds.
Riding with an open-faced helmet (and no gloves!) in a heavy hailstorm was far more problematic...
There was only one day when I deliberately didn't ride on account of the weather. I thought, "Damn it's cold! Wonder why there's no frost?!?" Set off, and got all of 10m before I realised there was black ice everywhere, then very gingerly u-turned with both feet down, parked the bike, and took the 4WD. Even that was sliding everywhere, but at least I didn't end up lying on the road....

[jim.cox]

A bike on fresh snow is great fun - the deeper the better :)

I used to work ski patrol, and my transport was an XL600

They work REALLY well.

But it does help to have good tyres you trust - icy downhill corners can be very very scary

[skidMark]

I went over the Lindis pass in '82 I think... Went through the "gate" 10 minutes before they closed the road. Was on a GS1000. Caught up with the Works truck at Dip creek.... followed him out. Was not ...fun and friggen cold.


Now now... how can thier be any ride you cannot enjoy on a gs1000....

[Eddieb]

A bike on fresh snow is great fun - the deeper the better :)

I used to work ski patrol, and my transport was an XL600

They work REALLY well.

But it does help to have good tyres you trust - icy downhill corners can be very very scary

2 winters as a m/c in London riding in snow 10 or more hours a day for up to several months means you get used to it pretty quick.

[jim.cox]

2 winters as a m/c in London riding in snow 10 or more hours a day for up to several months means you get used to it pretty quick.

10 or more hours - By which stage it isn't snow any more

Grey gritty wet slush more likely - sort of jellified road crud

Yum !

[longwayfromhome]

Yes, a few years ago in Raleigh, North Carolina, when riding back from Texas on the LT. Woke up and looked out of the hotel and the carpark, cars and my bike were all white.

Went downstairs and the cars leaving had cut it up into slush, temperature rising slightly. Got going gingerly. Heading for Richmond, there were cars off the road and a semi on its side, but they had done the job of slushifying the snow. Still snowing but the good LT windshield (electrically adjustable), though covered, kept a lot off me. Roads/snow had cleared by the time I got to Richmond, made Philly that evening.

Keys to success were:
a. Riding when slushy, not dry. If dry, then compressed snow slowly becomes ice and is unrideable on a large bike like the LT.
b. Waiting until the traffic had cut up the covering properly.
c. Not exactly leaning the bike into bends....

[MSTRS]

National Park to Ohakune around 1975. On a T500. With the standard ribbed front tyre. *shudder*

[jim.cox]

a. Riding when slushy, not dry. If dry, then compressed snow slowly becomes

Its ok dry, light and fluffy

But its when it has been compressed to ice

and then as it goes slushy that's the problem.

But by then its not snow anymore anyway...

[FJRider]

Now now... how can thier be any ride you cannot enjoy on a gs1000....

Geraldine to Alexandra on a later occasion, one o'clock in the morning, with an ever-ready torch for a headlight... Blown bulb, and I had to go home. I did NOT enjoy that ride...

[martybabe]

Only transport I had way back when. Had a very strange experience going up a snowy hill, started to lose traction so put both my feet down and slid backwards down hill brake on for 30 or 40 metres. I stayed on amazingly but it's an experience I don't wish to repeat any time soon thank you.

[BMWST?]

yep mid eighties on my k100rs wellington to tauraunga...started sleeting about Hunterville,but no real snow on road till desert road...it wasnt really that bad,the tyres seemed to cut through the snow...and so i kept going.There was still snow coating the front of my fairing when i stopped at Turangi.Was fine from there though

[Emmanuel89]

I've had some pretty strong winds (60km/h) blow sidways, and make my steering move a bit, but never so strong that I got out of my path. With the weight of my bike (and myself on it), I always seem to be able to handle the bike well, and compensate for strong shifts in the winds.

I would imagine weighing over 220 pounds + all the winter gear on the heavy bike have something to do with it?
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[cheshirecat]

2 winters as a m/c in London riding in snow 10 or more hours a day for up to several months means you get used to it pretty quick.

Ditto for me when I was one.
Who were you with and when

[Shadowjack]

Winter (well, it would be, wouldn't it...) 1979, much younger and bulletproof, heading from Winchester to Tarras for work, via the Lindis. The Lindis was still 3-track gravel in parts, and covered in ice/snow. Inevitably slid the bike down the road - all was OK, the cutdown plastic 20l Roundup containers/panniers took the hit, no scratches to me or the bike. I think it scared the occupants of the oncoming Holden 1-tonne campervan, though. Never had the necessity to be that adventurous since.