What's too cold?

[Pierre]

This is my limit

 

[Crash Cash]

I've ridden as low as 50 degrees with no problem! Ha!
-sunny Savannah GA.............................................(although not today so much)

Yeah, it gets me when it drops to the frigid temps of 65F here (Orlando) and people start going "isn't it too cold to ride a bike?"

I pop back with my best puzzled look and "Why? Is there ice on the road today?" and give them the "I want a serious answer" stare until they mumble something lame out.

 

[Bungie]

My limit is I ride a few miles and then when I stop at a red light, I get off the seat and bounce up and down a few times. If I hear my balls clanking together, it's to cold.

 

[charismaticmegafauna]

My limit is I ride a few miles and then when I stop at a red light, I get off the seat and bounce up and down a few times. If I hear my balls clanking together, it's to cold.

Sometimes referred to (in 'weather parlance') as a: "Brass-Monkey Alert"

 

[Wanderer]

My limit is I ride a few miles and then when I stop at a red light, I get off the seat and bounce up and down a few times. If I hear my balls clanking together, it's to cold.

Well then there is NO limit when riding a gen I. Mine puts out so much heat that my balls and feet are often the warmest part of me. *snicker*

 

[Knifemaker]

My question is how cold can the bike handle before it has problems?

Down to , but not actualy at, 0 degrees Kelvin.

 

[Fred W]

My question is how cold can the bike handle before it has problems?

Down to , but not actualy at, 0 degrees Kelvin.

... actually, at a balmy 60 degrees K air (nitrogen) freezes, which really cuts into the riding fun.

 

[ionbeam]

Excerpted from my October 2008 Covered Bridges ride report, There are a lot of people that ride in the cold up here.

The Yankee Freezer Burn ride went awesome! Thank you FredW for the tour-mister duties. Someone needs to make a Freezer Burn license plate bracket to go with the Butt Burner bracket.
We left home at 7:30 am when it was 31° (Kelvin I believe) and rode ~65 miles to the meeting point at Fiddleheads. Surprisingly, FJR after FJR rolled in. Everyone ordered two cups of coffee -- one hot cup per hand While us FJRheads were kibitzing and waiting for the sun to warm things up the Seacoast Sport Club rolled in on their concurrent Bridges of NH ride. If you ever want to know the difference between a Sport/Touring bike and a pure sport bike you only needed to look at the SSC riders. What a bunch of blue, shivering and shaking riders they were. I absolutely salute their love of riding to have braved and endured the ride they had to start the day :good: While cold, the FJR group was quite ok. My hat is off to the other FJR riders that made a 2+ hr ride just to ride. Dave, Ann you deserve something special for making your long and cold ride today!!!

 

[VT Silver]

My limit is I ride a few miles and then when I stop at a red light, I get off the seat and bounce up and down a few times. If I hear my balls clanking together, it's to cold.

I can't gauge temperature using that method. Mine always "clank".

 

[ShinyPartsUp]

My limit is I ride a few miles and then when I stop at a red light, I get off the seat and bounce up and down a few times. If I hear my balls clanking together, it's to cold.

I can't gauge temperature using that method. Mine always "clank".

If they clank, they're frozen solid and ya can't feel nothin' anyway. Might as well keep riding. I'm jus' sayin'.

 

[VT Silver]

My limit is I ride a few miles and then when I stop at a red light, I get off the seat and bounce up and down a few times. If I hear my balls clanking together, it's to cold.

I can't gauge temperature using that method. Mine always "clank".

If they clank, they're frozen solid and ya can't feel nothin' anyway. Might as well keep riding. I'm jus' sayin'.

No arguments on that! B)

 

[gearman]

The coldest temp I've ridden in was -4F. No carb icing...in fact the Z900 Kaw ran like a scalded dog!

 

[VT Silver]

The coldest temp I've ridden in was -4F. No carb icing...in fact the Z900 Kaw ran like a scalded dog!

The Gen 1 FZ1 I ride has carb heaters... cycles warm coolant through the bodies of the four 37mm Mikunis. It's a little problematic during long hard freeway runs on 95° F summer days. They get so warm that if you stop at a rest area or for fuel they boil the gas out of the bowls. You almost need to choke them to get going again.

But they should never ice up. :blink:

 

[Khunajawdge]

I usually don't hang out much at the AMA website but there was this; Click for Cold Info

copy write says 2001 FYI

 

[mr.paul]

Oh yeah, I bet anyone from my favorite state (MN don't cha know) just chuckles at this thread, as well as our brothers and sisters of the Mapleleaf (at least Manitoba and Ontario).

I cut it off every year when either the ice is on the road or the salt. Air temp you can dress for. Gotta love those heated grips and jacket. But I do chuckle at the riders I know (dressed like a pirate, you know) that won't ride below 60 degrees because it's "too cold" but will spend all weekend riding a snowmobile below zero!

I once heard there is no such thing as bad weather, just bad clothes. Hmmmmmmm

mr.paul from Minnesota

 

[painman]

Out here in good ol' Cali, its too cold when you need heated gear to ride. But really we don't need heated gear. I just put on a bigger windshield when winter hits. Sorry I wasn't much help.....PM. <><

 

[Duff]

It a little slow turning over at -10, but it warms up after a couple minutes. Be gentle when it is cold, dress warm!

 

[dunhamg]

Snowmobiling is a completely different game, think more like motocross, plenty of phyical activity vs. just sitting there and taking it on the bike. I probably wear more clothing on the bike at 40°F than I do at -40°F on a snowmobile.

Grady