Year 'Round Commuters

[Lauren_TK]

I'm curiious, how many of us use our bikes to commute through the entire year?

Ice and snow are the only things that stop me. Am I an insane loner, or are there others out there who share my "afliction?"

 

[ionbeam]

Ice & S3 stop me from being a year round rider. Yesterday it was 22ºF when left for work. Today it is 34º with rain and flurries; I'm on my way out to wipe the water off my seat so I will have an enjoyable ride home.

 

[RossKean]

I would like to but the weather makes it difficult, at best. Lots of ice/snow and quite a few days with temperatures well below 0 °F. Not to mention kilotons of salt which does no favors for the metal bits. I usually park it sometime in the first two weeks of December and it doesn't usually see the road again until mid-March or so. I'm OK to ride down to freezing temperatures and a bit lower if pavement is dry but those days are few and far between during the winter around here.

 

[Mihalis fjr]

The solution for the ice & snow,from MV Motorrad..:

https://www.mv-motorrad.de/en/Snow+Claws+Set+and+for+Xtrem+Driver+Snow+Chains+for+Motorcycles+fro+MV+Set+with+5+Pieces.htm

 

[bajaleo]

Here in SoCal, I ride the bike to work everyday that it doesn't rain. Not that I mind riding in the rain, but it makes such a mess of the bike. My commute is about 14 miles each way, about 11 which are freeway.

 

[JSTAM03]

Same here, in Houston. And rain just makes things more interesting! I've been doing the commute for several years - 28 miles each way. Highway traffic is a bear, so riding the bike in the HOV lane is a no-brainer. It adds up quickly, though, and the longer trips don't help matters -- 24K miles and not even a year old yet. But I love every minute of it - not sure I'd go to work if I couldn't ride - ha ha.

 

[luvtoride]

The solution for the ice & snow,from MV Motorrad..:

https://www.mv-motorrad.de/en/Snow+Claws+Set+and+for+Xtrem+Driver+Snow+Chains+for+Motorcycles+fro+MV+Set+with+5+Pieces.htm

lol! So, the only "suck your seat & pants up your ***" moments are the 6"-8" between the tread/crampons.

 

[luvtoride]

& I forgot to add: no commuting here at all. My bike is for recreation only. I decided that awhile back because of the traffic around here. The bike is strictly for play. (& the times when my car breaks down)

 

[Niehart]

What is this work you folks are talking about? Sorry, had to toss that in.

There a few more here locally that do. I know that Harald (Bonney Lake) does every day, it has to be nasty nasty before his pickup comes out of hibernation.

 

[ahchiu]

Riding around the PNW can be sketchy, in one neighborhood would be fine go 5-10 miles and it can be totally different, freezing fog and black ice in the shady areas, inversion zone up North.

 

[blufjr]

Back in 05-06 I had a job in Bandon, Or which is about 250 miles away that I had to visit about every two weeks. I would ride if at least one way was going to be dry. That way I could get at least one fun ride.

 

[BkerChuck]

I'll try to keep riding to work as long as the roads are clear. Here in central PA they salt and cinder at the first sign of a flurry. Once that crap is on the roads, I'll switch to 4 wheels just cause I hate having my bike that hogged up.

 

[FJRay]

My commute is only about 50' so it really isn't worth starting the bike.

When I did have a job I rode daily but it was still only three miles. Can't get to far on an island.

 

[RichDoyle]

Generally I ride year round. I no longer "commute" to work in any sense, but our normal winter wether has never stopped me when I did. And still doesn't. This is because below-freezing is not a common occurrence here, nor is snow.

But when it hits freezing, black ice can materialize right out of the air in various spots, so freezing temps are a no-go.

 

[RadioHowie]

Frankenbike has been resurrected now for exactly 4 years (time flies!

) and the Del Sol hasn't left the garage, not even once, in 4 years. Tried to crank her up a couple of weeks ago....battery deader than Kelsey's nuts. Haven't missed driving it one single time, so "year 'round commute" is S.O.P. here in Central Florida.

 

[Panman]

i did for five or six years back in the seventy's and after a while I found I was going out and riding as much just to ride. That and one day myself and some guy on a Norton was doing a speed check up Boeing Hill in the rain by the time we hit the top of the hill that rain was two inches of snow!

Now days I drive a fifteen passenger commuter van, the company gives everyone in the van $60 a month commuting allowance to help parking mitigation. My sixty mile round trip is free & no wear and tear on anything I ride or drive.

I do ride when I have Doctors appointment or something else to do after work as parking is horrible at my place of employment.

 

[Lauren_TK]

Wow! I'm blown away by the number of responses so quickly, and by so many from different parts of the country. If I had know, I would have posted this in one of the general forums.

Let me redirect the focus here a little bit, what are people's favorte wet weather riding strategies? I'll accept answers from aparel to special techniques.

 

[08FJR4ME]

I have been riding year round since I bought the Feej. If I can get to the road and there is no snow on the road its off to work I go. I have ridden home in snow a few times. Usually not more that a couple of inches fortunately. One of the reasons I do 12 to 15K a year. Funny thing is I don't ride much on weekends anymore. I Have ridden most the local roads so unless its a road trip the bike stays inside for the weekend.

Dave

 

[Harald]

I'm south of you and only head as far north as SEATAC airport, which is why you never see me on the road. I'm one of those crazies

that rides all year long on my daily 50+ roundtrip commute (distance varies depending on what backroads I take to avoid traffic on the way home and also to try and eliminate the chicken strips on those curvy roads

).

The only thing that stops me is actual ice or snow on the road, although I've ridden home plenty of times where slush was on side streets or snow/hail was falling. I love those days when it's snowing on my ride because it looks so cool with the snow streaking by the faceshield and it gives you serious "tough guy" cred with the cage drivers.

A nice thing about the weather patterns here is that generally when it drops below freezing, the rain has stopped for a couple days and we've had sun to dry roads. My record cold commute was 17 degrees a few years ago. I would have beat that the next day, but had to take the kid to the dentist that morning which required driving the gas guzzling pickup.

This morning saw 34 degrees on the FJR temp readout as I headed out at 4:50am tucked in behind my Vstream barn door windshield while bundled in my Roadcrafter suit. The heated liner was plugged in and my hands were toasty in their heated gloves hiding behind the Vstrom handguards (wind guards actually). Not much hot-rodding going on due to cold roads and the fact that my PR2 rear tire is just below the wear bars (worn tire requires even more caution when the roads are wet).

On those days when conditions really are marginal due to ice or snow, I go into "Grandma" mode. This entails very gentle throttle application, very slow corners to keep the bike as upright as possible and cautious braking. Yea, it would be easier to take the truck but I like the challenge as long as it's not a suicide mission.