The winter months...what do you do?

[Swoop]

Geeze, make friends with a pair of thermals.

I play in -20 degrees in winter, and 1 set of thermals does the trick. Thermal glove liners are great also - especially for those of us who bite fingernails!

[Pixie]

Love riding on a cold winter's day,all warm in my winter gear and the motor breathing rich, dense air.

[Lazy7]

As Ixion mentioned, anyone who doesn't ride during this time in my opinion isn't exactly a true rider, just another poser.

bullshit.

be honest everybody - if its pissing down with rain, cold and shitty outside and you had the option of a car or bike what would you take?

are you guys seriously saying you would ride in weather that would have your car window wipers on full?

how is that fun?

[Ixion]

Yep. I'll ride in any weather. Why wouldn't you?

Granted, in winter I'm less likely to wake up , look outside and say "What a simply glorious day. 'Twould be criminal to stay indoors today". But same goes for the car.

In fact, ratio of car use to bike use probably skews toward bike in winter. cos in summer Mrs Ixion will say "It's such a nice day, why don't we go to xxx". Which means a trip in the cage. In winter she doesn't want to go anywhere, which means I am more at liberty to take off on the bike.

Nothing wrong with a bit of rain. Modern electrics don't seem to be affected, waterproof gear is more or less waterproof, and I am not made of sugar.

I will admit to taking Der Uberfarter out more often in winter. Getting soft in my old age.

EDIT: I think riding in rain is just as much fun as riding at any other time. Still the same experience. What's the difference?

[Lazy7]

because its just not fun.

apart from being wet and miserable. you have to add a whole bunch more awareness to your riding (on top of the way you already have to watch for every bloody thing on the bike as it is)

so as well as watching all the cagers and the stupid shit they do - you have to start watching the road more as well, painted lines, steel man hole covers, leaves and debris that turn to slimely slick stuff. It all adds to one big headache that removes that feeling of freedom you get from riding in more or less a carefree way.

[Big Dave]

Lay in bed and root like rabbits.....oh sorry that was 20 years ago...

?!!? - 20 MINUTES baby

[Big Dave]

bullshit.

be honest everybody - if its pissing down with rain, cold and shitty outside and you had the option of a car or bike what would you take?

are you guys seriously saying you would ride in weather that would have your car window wipers on full?

how is that fun?

Absolutely,
If you have good gear on it's some of the best fun.
I don't HAVE a car and don't ever want one again.

(my mrs does - but it is rarely at my disposal and even when it is - fark that.)

[Ixion]

because its just not fun.

apart from being wet and miserable. you have to add a whole bunch more awareness to your riding (on top of the way you already have to watch for every bloody thing on the bike as it is)

so as well as watching all the cagers and the stupid shit they do - you have to start watching the road more as well, painted lines, steel man hole covers, leaves and debris that turn to slimely slick stuff. It all adds to one big headache that removes that feeling of freedom you get from riding in more or less a carefree way.

Ah , see , but I do that all the time. Don't ever ride in a "carefree" way. Wet or dry, white lines, man holes covers, best to avoid, and even on a fine morning, leaves on the road , in the shadow of trees or banks, can still be wet and slippery.

I may be wet riding in rain, but I won't be miserable, and I will be having fun. (Only exception is heavy gridlock traffic in heavy rain - but that's no fun even in the dry).

Riding in rain is no problem. Just slow down a bit and take care. And nothing beats the pleasure of getting home after a few hundred k through the rain and thinking "Well, that was fun - weather did it's worst and I won". Good thing is too, in bad weather you are much more likely to have the road to yoursel. Very pleasant it is riding along with the wheels swishing away the water and the rain beating on your visor.

I'd go so far as to say that anyone who doesn't feel confident riding in rain on the open road needs to seriouslly examine their roadcraft in general.

[beyond]

The one thing I don't like about riding in the rain, especially the motorway, is the crap you get all over your bike. Man they get dirty real quick on the motorway and are a pain to clean when they get like that.

I rode to Napier and back in one day when 80% of the trip was in torrential rain. A few cagers had slid of corners on greasy tar patches. Wasn't mucking around myself but yeah, you gotta be more careful and watch the throttle hand in corners.

It's a hoot pulling out to overtake a cager and you open the bike up and wonder why you are still alongside them until you notice the back end fishtailing and ya rev counter in the higher levels. Can't hear much except the heavy rain drumming on you helmet. Get a real good full body massage in the heavy stuff too.

[Paul in NZ]

Lay in bed and root like rabbits.....oh sorry that was 20 years ago...

Yes and our house is still infested with the results of that little effort 20 years on.. aarrgghh.. Get qualified and move out you wretches!

[Toast]

The one thing I don't like about riding in the rain, especially the motorway, is the crap you get all over your bike. Man they get dirty real quick on the motorway and are a pain to clean when they get like that.

Bonus being that the same crap stick to your number plate

I actually quite liked riding in the rain on my old bike, 'cos I had no issues with my feet sliding off of the pegs. Current one may be different, 'cos it's got rubber jobs. So long as it's been pissing down for at least a day, then I'm confident that there won't be too much oil or cowshit on the road.

[Dodgyiti]

Winter brings those crisp clear nights when you bundle up in everything you can get under the safety gear and head in a northerly direction for unclutterd roads, and it is a treat to see another bike rider as all the softies have their bikes tucked up at home under a blankie

[Jantar]

Geeze, make friends with a pair of thermals.

I play in -20 degrees in winter, and 1 set of thermals does the trick. Thermal glove liners are great also - especially for those of us who bite fingernails!

Is that skiing? or motorcycling? The only place I know of with public roads where it can get as low as -20 is just up the road from here at Ophir. They hold the New Zealand record at -21.2.

I reckon I do some pretty hard winter riding, but at anything less than -6 the bike stays in the shed until it warms slightly. Of course there are times that I'll head to work at -5, but when I return home it has cooled to -8 or there abouts.

[SwanTiger]

Peoples dislike of riding in the rain really perplexes me.

I just rode all of 2 kilometers to the dairy, in this shitty weather we are having, to get a couple of cans of soup and a drink. The rain didn't put me off at all. Infact, I took the long way home just to drag the journey out a bit.

I even saw another biker with a pillion heading out towards Whangaparoa as I came back. Good to see there are other "real" motorcyclist about!

[kickingzebra]

The onyl pain in the backside about riding in the rain, is when you have to put on wet leathers again. That can suck. But riding in the rain in general, it cleans the grit off the chain, and if you are quick, all of the bugs splattered on the bike, are nicely softened for easy removal!!
Plus the upping your skill level, and general awareness, and how else can you tell whether your tyres are any good in the wet, but ride in the rain???