How cold is too cold? Poll, sorta.
 

So the mercury says 34 deg F. I have a quick errand to run and I just want to ride.

What is your limit, provided of course the roads are clear of Snow/Ice?


(can't wait for our Canadian Brother to answer this, eh) :hehe:

As long as it's not raining it doesn't matter. Just put layers of clothes on. But then again in south Louisiana we don't see temps in the 30's too much.

After Action Report:

So my round trip was about 7 miles. The helmet that I have is very well ventilated which is appreciated in the summer, no so at 34 deg F. I had a head sock which didn't exactly cover to my nose but when I did manage to stretch it there it just fogged my shield so it was little help. Again my riding jacket is well ventilated, but I had enough layers on that I managed to keep the wind off me.

Gloves did well. I feel I don't have the proper equipment to do a long ride in sub 40 deg temps. Looks like I will be shopping.

Finally my tires are inflated to 30 psi, and I felt that the rear was particularly squirmy so I kept speeds down below 45 mpg.

The coldest I have rode in was 28 degree weather. A misty rain had started to fall. By the time I got home I had a layer of ice on my gloves, clothes and helmet.

Do you change PSI in the tires for colder weather?

I never have. But winters are pretty mild around here.

Minus 18 F one morning when I left for work on my Vespa 200 with sidecar. Wife needed the car so I had no choice. The control cables were all sticking because of the hard grease. I looked like the Michelin man with all the layers of cloths but I made it the 8 miles to work where it was only negative 15. Nowadays 50 is too cold.

it's much easier to ride in the cold when you have a C10 with a big fairing and windshield, and heated grips. :p

As far as snow, etc.....sidecar! :p

"There is no such thing as bad weather, only inappropriate clothing - Alfred Wainwright". I've ridden in ice and snow before. I don't recommend it, however. Cold is just cold, and can be dealt with. However, I got caught in a doozy of a storm ferrying a crotch rocket through the Adirondack Mountains in March. I let some of the air out of the tires, put on every layer of clothing I had with me and tucked as much of my body as I could behind the windscreen. I also found staying tucked in behind big rigs kept the wind from blowing into any gaps in my cloth armor. The downside to that is the trucker can't see you back there, at all. Kind of have to decide if it's better to be seen and safe, or warm.

-15F on a bicycle, but the body is its own mini nuclear reactor on one of those, so proper gear for fingers and toes is more important than core insulation.

18F on the Ural. Heated grips with handlebar mitts/60's Swedish Army winter motorcycle garb/Turtle Fur balaclava/Sorels.

We hit mid to low 40s most of /Late December/January/February/part of March. Sometimes high 30's with a couple high 20's. Layers clothing and nitrile gloves underneath my layers of gloves usually do the trick. :tup: I have noticed the scooter has better wind protection than my TMEC enduros had.

My general rule of thumb is anything below 40 degrees is when I start to put my bikes away. The coldest I have ever ridden in was -4 degrees. No special heated equipment, 3 layers of gloves, 5 layers under my riding jacket - which has a windbreaker liner. And 3 layers of pants under my riding pants. And 3 pairs of socks with my waterproof riding boots.

not the most comfortable I had ever been, but tolerable. Keeping my visor clear was the hardest part, because even with a Pinlock on my visor my breath would freeze to it. I ended up wearing a scarf wrapped around my face and neck under my helmet which helped a ton with keeping my nose and cheeks relatively warm lol.

This is on a bike with no wind protection, because that is all I ever own.

And that’s why I Ride...
 

In Florida! There might be one or two days that I will pass on riding! I’m getting old! I try and avoid rain and temps below 50!:p

50? :lmao: