A good bike for winter riding?

J

Jason M

New member
I'm looking to carry on riding through the winter, and possibly snowy days so I have decided to get another bike. (i dont have a car)

what sort of bike would be the best at tackling this? im thinking of some mega light 2 stroke 200cc? enduro/motocross style bike with road legal knobbly tyres should do it

I did want a 400/600 Suzuki bandit but I think practicality will have to come first ( I ride a 650 cruiser currently)

if you think its a stupid idea and you cant ride in snow just say so (ive been riding 2 years)
 
i don't think wanting to ride year round is stupid - but then i live in southern california where you can do that without freezing your @ss off

not going to try to pick a bike for you but knobby tires sounds like a good idea. don't know how useful they will be if you find ice

the important part is finding clothing light enough not to restrict your movement but still keep you warm, and head gear to keep your head warm

good luck, and in snowy or icy conditions slow down like you would if you were riding in the rain
 
Get a car instead.

Motorcycles suck in the snow. Only a couple of inches of snow on the roads can cause some real problems. Slush can be even worse.

Ice can also be a real problem. Hit a small patch of ice in a corner and you are going down. Think about how bad that cold pavement could feel at 60 MPH.

Ice can also be a big problem at intersections. Spinning tires polish the ice. Also, with modern cars the anti-lock brakes polish the ice where you approach an intersection. This is especially a problem on side streets.

When the outside ambient air temperature is 10F and you are traveling at 60 MPH, the wind chill is -19F. If the temperature is 5F and you are going 60 MPH the wind chill is -26F. BRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR. Hypothermia is a real possibility. So is frostbite.

Most northern states use lots of salt on the roads to keep them clear in the winter. This will rot your bike, but this is a minor issue. The big problem comes when the salt starts melting the ice and snow. This will be sucked up into the air by the other vehicles. This salt spray will quickly cover your face shield. You would need to pull over and clear this every few miles. What a pain.
 
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