Re: cold weather riding

[Bob_Roller]

What  kind of temperatures are you talking about ?

You would need to go to a lighter weight engine oil, exactly what weight, you're going to have to experiment with that to suit your own situation.

A proper engine warm-up is going to be needed before you ride, as I would guess the bike is going to be left outside while you're at work.

A battery in good condition is also needed. Putting it on charge at night probably wouldn't be a bad idea.

Not knowing the temperature range you expect to ride in, the transmission, shaft and final drive oil may need to go to a lighter weight as well.

Tires and traction could be an issue, cold tires don't grip real well, and with your short ride, might not warm them up, so you could have tires that won't act like they do in warmer temps.

If your exhaust system doesn't get hot enough to get all the moisture evaporated, you could see an earlier demise of your mufflers, from rust out from the inside.

I had this problem when I lived in Chicago, I rode my R65 until salt was put out on the streets, and I had a 5 mile ride to work, it started rusting through in 7 years.

If it hadn't been for the fact that I moved to Phoenix 14 years ago, I would have need a set of replacement mufflers long before now.

You're probably going to find the 'weak spots' in your ignition and starting systems.

All in all, it will be a bit of an 'adventure' every day !!

[suecanada]

The salt on the roads will corrode the aluminum that's for sure. I put something like grease over what ever you can....that stuff called Fluid Film can safely be used on painted parts too. If I were you I'd get me a pair of "Hippo hands" or those big mitts for snowmobiles that go over the hand controls. They are excellent and allow one to wear summer gloves for good tactile feel. Sorta good to having a good feel for the controls in slippery situations! I rode up in Ottawa one winter on a Can-Am and the bike got pretty spotted with corroded white spots! I did use a knobby tire on the rear with self-tapping sheet metal screws. That was against the law but....it worked. If snow levels are that little you may be in business. Seems quite a few ride all winter in Toronto. At my age I think the fear of black ice would be a big deterrent.  30 years ago they didn't have the specialized clothing they do today for dealing with the cold. I wore goose down jacket and I guess if I'd crashed there would've been feathers everywhere! [smiley=ROTFLMAO.gif]  Give it a go! It'll always make a good story later in life! Oh yeah.....there's a club called the "rounders" that ride all year....google it maybe.

[suecanada]

http://www.yearroundriders.com/  That's the right name for those guys riding all year round. Might have some helpful hints too!

[nhmaf]

suchdune -

You'll definitely want to be switching to 10W-40 or 10W-30 (If they even make that now) motor oil and give the bike
an extra couple minutes to warm up if riding in New England winters.  

Wind chill is a significant problem so if you don't have a windshield or fairing on the bike, you're going to need either an
electric suit (which will not coexist well with your charging system) or a real snowmobile type suit to deal with it, I think,
depending on how long your ride is.   I've ridden up until about November 25 or so when the roads have been clear, and the
temps have been at or above 32F, but any ride more than about 20 miles can become pure agony if not extremely well covered
from wind intrusions/wind chill.

[Chris_in_BC]

10 mile trip will average 15-20 minutes of riding. If you have good clothing you should be able to stay comfortably warm for that period.

But to make life really nice get an electric vest (not suit). Your bike's charging system can handle it without a problem. If you had a longer trip, I would suggest heated hand grips but for 15 minutes riding they normally don't warm things up fast enough and can be a big current draw. Sue's recommendation of hippo hands is a good one. Or make your own, like I had on my bike for years. Made up from closed cell camping mat and some contact cement.. Ugly but worked great. Anything to break the wind on your hands. A small fairing or windshield to break the wind on the chest doesn't hurt either.

The suggestion to put your bike on a charger each night is a good one because with 2 - 15 minute trips a day, your battery isn't going to keep fully charged. 10 -40W oil is good for winter, but see your manual for viscosity related to your specific temps.
I disagree with some on bike warm up, as leaving a bike idling is one of the hardest things on an engine. Start the bike, and go, but just take it slow and easy for the first couple of minutes.
Bob's comment re tire grip is very, very valid, Don't try to be boy racer in really cold weather.

I just got back from a rally in Copper Canyon , Mexico and the temps as I got closer to Canada were 50°F (10°10C) during the day and  down near freezing late in the day. I was comfortable except for toes and fingertips, and even they weren't bad, but that was after 9 hours of riding..

[tagordon]

There is a product called Marvel Mystery Oil that I use. I use 8 oz. to top off, but not over fill the engine oil when I change oil. It lowers the viscosity of the oil for easier starting. Make sure the valves are adjusted properly. I also use it in the gas sparingly (2 oz per tank full)Some folks are dead against any additives, so you choose. Use or not @ your own risk.

[Bob_Roller]

Regarding the engine warm-up, I have a temperature indicating dipstick, and I usually wait until the oil temp gets to about 60 F.

Usually only takes 2 minutes , and it normally takes me that amount of time to put my gear on, and do the normal checks on the bike.

I don't recommend a extended warm up either.

I remember seeing an article in the BMW MOA magazine Owners News, that oil pressures in the airhead bikes can get up to 150 psi on a cold start, and that the low oil pressure light goes out, but you have minimal oil flow through the engine due to the oil pressure relief valve, opening up to relieve the pressure.

Now I don't remember the particulars, what the temp was, and what weight oil was being used.

These might be conditions that are well below what a sane person would consider to ride in.

I guess this is just one of those things that I learned from aircraft mechanic training, that I carried over to motorcycles.

[Ed Miller]

If you can stand the looks, get a Windjammer.  With the liner in my jacket and wearing a sweatshirt, I'm good to the high teens which is as cold as it gets here.  Well, and fleece sweat pants under the leather pants.  That's for a 1 hour one way commute.  I think problems like trying to see in the dark/rain/fog are worse than the temperature so I spent my watts on extra lights instead of heated clothing or grips.  It works for me, anyway.


My car gets just as good of mileage as the R65, so I do if for your second reason.  

[nhmaf]

All this reminds me of a very strange character who lived near my hometown of Newport, Vermont back in the late 70's.
He worked at a top secret, government subsidized lab out in the middle of the woods, surrounded by electrified barbed wire
and lots of people in jumpsuits and M-16 rifles.  He was quite literally, a rocket scientist.   He didn't own a car.   Our winters
in that part of the country would usually last from Halloween (I spent more times trick or treating in a snow suit to get through
the snowdrifts than not) until early April.   That rocket scientist rode a /2 BMW.  A black, Earles-fork BMW, which had been refitted with
a sidecar and 2WD.   He rode that bike through snowstorms, through foot-deep slush, through anything, and his lab was a
good 25 miles of backroads from his home.   He had no fairing on the bike, and I think that he wrapped himself in every piece
of clothing that he owned on some of his trips.   He definitely was a bit "odd".  He claimed that he had excellent traction with that bike, and
that he hardly ever went off the road or got stuck...

After a big conspiracy investigation involving high tech 105mm ammunition being sold to south africa,
 the lab was closed down and we never saw that fellow again.   I wonder what happened to him...

[nhmaf]

The oil temp gauge dipstick is the key thing in cold weather riding - you'll do your engine absolutely no good if you take off and start revving it up while it still has a crankcase of molasses !

[Ed Miller]

...what happened to the first post in this thread?

[Bob_Roller]

I'll go out on a limb here, and say the delete icon was pushed instead of possibly the quote icon.

[Semper Gumby]

<snip>
After a big conspiracy investigation involving high tech 105mm ammunition being sold to south africa,
 the lab was closed down and we never saw that fellow again.   I wonder what happened to him...

He probably worked for George Bull who the Isralies had killed in 1990.  (They warned him first) After he got done doubling the range of South African artillery, your friend might have been helping build a supergun* for Saddam Hussein.

*Large smooth bore cannon with multiple charges timed to fire allong the length of an extremely long barrel as the projectile passed.  Able to achieve sub orbital velocity and 5000 nm range - in theory.  It would have been the biggest artillery piece ever built.  The contruction site was taken out by George Bush the Elder in Gulf War I.   8-)

Ref: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gerald_Bull

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Supergun

http://www.fas.org/nuke/guide/iraq/other/supergun.htm

http://www.globalsecurity.org/wmd/world/iraq/supergun.htm