Quote:
Originally Posted by IArider
Just wondering how cold it has to be before people stop riding. I try to ride if the streets are clear and the high for the day is going to be above freezing. I rode in to work this morning at about 38 degrees. I live in Iowa BTW
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It's not the cold so much as the condition of the roads, if you have the right gear to keep you warm. I live in western NC, just north and west of Charlotte. The road conditions there are pretty good almost all winter, especially if you stay on the main roads. Even in the mountains, riding on sunny roads is safe unless there has been recent precipitation.
Even on a sunny 55 degree day, you have to be cautious of shaded sections of road where ice might not melt for days. In the mountains, this is very common where direct sunlight never reaches some sections of road.
Whenever the is snow and ice on the ground you are at risk of it melting in the sun, running on shaded sections of road, then freezing again. Driveways on the high side a mountain road where the sun melts the ice and snow and lets it drain onto the road to freeze are real threats.
In the winter I try to take routes that are more southern and at lower elevations than during the winter for most of my trips. But I can't resist heading to the mountains on dry winter days. What is the most spooky is when you have been riding for five hours and you have not seen another motorcycle. At that point you have to figure that your common sense is in need of a tune-up.
I generally leave once the sun has been up enough to melt any ice on the roads and I get home before the sun sets and everything starts to freeze again.
Keeping warm in the winter is fairly simple if you wear heated liners, have a windshield on your bike, and a full face helmet.
But I do have plans for later in the year...
"Official "Herd" Booze Taster" and Pole Dancer 
MOOOOOOOO!!!!!!
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