SWriverstone Posted November 20, 2005 Report Share Posted November 20, 2005 I'd be going stark raving mad by now if it weren't for my transformation into a sportbiker---man, what a blast! Holly—who is living in New Jersey right now—had no place to keep her bike up there, so naturally I volunteered to keep it, and ride it! Took an MSF course, got my license, and now I'm shlicin' and dicin the local roads! LOL (Well, not totally, but I'm getting there.) I'm definitely hooked---it won't be long before I get my own bike (so Holly and I can ride together). In the meantime, I'm doing the hardcore thing and riding all winter! Yesterday was the first experiment: a friend (who just got a brand-new Triumph Sprint ST) and I went out at about 8am, when it was 26 degrees! I was happy to be tolerably warm, except for my hands. YIKES! Bigtime numb fingers (until it warmed up to about 40). Anyone have a recommendation for gloves that will keep your fingers warm in sub-freezing weather at 60mph? :) Scott Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris Houghton Posted November 20, 2005 Report Share Posted November 20, 2005 Used to do it a lot, below 45 or so you'll need a snowmobile neck cover or equivalent. Winter gloves will help with cold wind, make sure they are not tight or they will get cold quickly. Maybe snowmobile gloves would work, but the thicker gloves will not give you the feeling you need to ride properly. You will need to experiment. Oh, and some thin snowboard underwear works very well under the leathers. Also, below 35 Fahrenheit you will lose a lot of grip, so tiptoe around carefully, especially going from sunlight into the shade later in the day, cold asphalt is a real surprise after being on the warmer stuff. If that's Holly's 748, you'd better stay in the family and get yourself a 999! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Neil Gendzwill Posted November 20, 2005 Report Share Posted November 20, 2005 Seems like heated grips are a common solution. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jon Dahl Posted November 20, 2005 Report Share Posted November 20, 2005 I was out yesterday afternoon w/ the wife for a short ride(20 miles). You will loose some of your feel for the controls with heavier gloves. Also your mantra needs to be cold tires/cold pavement=less grip, so be careful! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Randy S. Posted November 20, 2005 Report Share Posted November 20, 2005 You need to move to the Bay Area. It was 75 degrees here yesterday. Its kinda freaky to have weather this warm, this late in the season. Bikes were everywhere. Get full leathers. Jeans won't help much if you go down. Good boots too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bobdea Posted November 20, 2005 Report Share Posted November 20, 2005 as chris said cold tar can put you on the ground easily, a friend of mine just did 6 grand worth of damage on a bike that was about two months old. the funny part is that he was in 1st. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SWriverstone Posted November 21, 2005 Author Report Share Posted November 21, 2005 Good advice all---just got back from the movies, about a 30-mile ride in the dark, and it was cold! (About 42 degrees.) Actually, my body's been fine---I do need to get some leather pants, but for now I'm using my Mountain Hardwear snowboarding pants, which work beautifully---legs were toasty! Hands are definitely the weak link! If someone knows of some gloves that keep your hands warm while riding in the 30s-40s, let me know. As said earlier, the catch-22 is the more insulation, the less feel. :( (Anyone ever tried riding with mittens? I'm guessing it would feel pretty lame, though warm!) As for traction on cold pavement, that's not much of an issue for me---I'm still such a "noob" rider that I'm not leaning more than 20-30 degrees (max) on curves (e.g. I'm riding way conservatively and on the slow side for now). Today was awesome though---a friend and I rode for a couple hours at midday and the weather was perfect---mid-50s and sunny. :) Scott Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mellowjonny Posted November 21, 2005 Report Share Posted November 21, 2005 My salvation 'til carving starts! It's already started baby--we didn't have much last year so its my time to gloat. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tilledog Posted November 21, 2005 Report Share Posted November 21, 2005 Are the conditions great? Worth the drive from SLC? Email me, Jeff!! Dave Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jon Dahl Posted November 21, 2005 Report Share Posted November 21, 2005 Snowmobile gloves are probably the best bet for warmth, or go to a motorcycle shop and look for some cold weather gear. Also, you could get some Icon Timax pants. They won't be as warm as leather pants, but are versitle enough for 3 season riding, and I'm confident enough about 'em to not worry about hitting the ground in them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trailertrash Posted November 21, 2005 Report Share Posted November 21, 2005 Go with the heated grips. They allow you more dexterity by not having to wear a big bulky glove. One Option I have commuted to work all but one day since September 1st. I have heated grips and a heated jacket. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cliffh Posted November 21, 2005 Report Share Posted November 21, 2005 Gerbing heated jacket liner and gloves. Heated grips are amazing. You can ride down into the 40's with regular gloves. I find mid-40's or below though the electrics rule. www.gerbing.com Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jack M Posted November 21, 2005 Report Share Posted November 21, 2005 The 748 is one of my top lust bikes. It's good for you to be cautious in the corners - tires don't have as much grip when they're cold (I found out the hard way) and in this cold weather they probably never get up to optimum temp. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RDY_2_Carve Posted November 21, 2005 Report Share Posted November 21, 2005 I usually scrub my tires for the first mile or so everywhere I go. Never have any problems with cold tires and it gets pretty chilly here at 5,000 feet. Have fun with that puppy! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GeoffV Posted November 21, 2005 Report Share Posted November 21, 2005 Scott, The link to the heated grips from TrailerTrash is the way to go. Bob Jenney, myself and TrailerTrash are all using the grips and they work great. At 40 degrees I can use regular gloves and my fingers are nice and toasty :D. In the low 30's like today (rode into work today) I use Touring Master winter gloves and I can ride for about 45 mins in at 30 degrees before my fingers start to go. It takes a bit longer to have the heat from the grips pass through to your hands on the thicker gloves and not as much passes through, but you hands still get warmed up pretty good. The heated grips have extented my riding season.... but as posted already, be careful in the twisties in the cold. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SWriverstone Posted November 21, 2005 Author Report Share Posted November 21, 2005 I usually scrub my tires for the first mile or so everywhere I go. Never have any problems with cold tires and it gets pretty chilly here at 5,000 feet. Uuh...okay, sorry---newbie biker question: how exactly do you scrub the tires? Scott Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SWriverstone Posted November 21, 2005 Author Report Share Posted November 21, 2005 The link to the heated grips from TrailerTrash is the way to go. Bob Jenney, myself and TrailerTrash are all using the grips and they work great. At 40 degrees I can use regular gloves and my fingers are nice and toasty :D. In the low 30's like today (rode into work today) I use Touring Master winter gloves and I can ride for about 45 mins in at 30 degrees before my fingers start to go. It takes a bit longer to have the heat from the grips pass through to your hands on the thicker gloves and not as much passes through, but you hands still get warmed up pretty good. The heated grips have extented my riding season.... but as posted already, be careful in the twisties in the cold. Have you guys ever heard of the Oxford Hot Hands? They're heated grips that velcro around the outside of your existing grips---I was thinking of getting these 'cause they don't involve any mods to the bike and look pretty easy to put on (and take off when it gets warmer). Reviews claim if anything they're almost too hot! Only other issue with these is they increase your grip diameter a bit...but that's probably not a big deal. Scott Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RDY_2_Carve Posted November 21, 2005 Report Share Posted November 21, 2005 Uuh...okay, sorry---newbie biker question: how exactly do you scrub the tires? Scott Scrubbing is just weaving left and right to get some heat on the tires. Same thing you see in car racing before the start of the races. Those guys are just getting their tires warm. I'm just anal; your tires will heat themselves pretty quick by just riding. But if I know I'm about to be laying it down for the next 10 miles on some twisties I usually scrub a mile or so before just to be sure they are ready for the beating that I'm about to put on them ;) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RDY_2_Carve Posted November 21, 2005 Report Share Posted November 21, 2005 1) Contrary to popular belief, swerving does not get as much heat into the tire as Accelerating/hard braking does. So to get the tires up to temperature, roll on the throttle and then squeeze the brakes. Don’t whack the throttle and then slam on the brakes. You’ll find yourself on the ground in no time. Just do it gently for the 1st 10 minutes or so of your ride. I was wondering if that was the way it worked. My tires heat up so quick it all seems kinda silly to do. But I always thought the weaving motion would get the sidewalls heated up quicker...Learn something new everyday! Thanks Bob! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SWriverstone Posted November 21, 2005 Author Report Share Posted November 21, 2005 Okay---thanks for the illumination on scrubbing. :) And as it turns out, I've made a commitment to find a safe spot and practice quick stops---at progressively higher speeds (as I improve)---every time I go out. So that ought to help scrub the tires a bit. Keep in mind, the rear brake on a sport bike does less than 10 percent of the work. It becomes almost useless when it gets cold and will lock up before you know it. If it does lock, you are far better leaving it locked until to the bike comes to a stop or you at least straighten it out. Otherwise, if you lock it up, slide sideways a bit, and then let off the brake, you are in danger of getting flicked off the bike when the tire gets traction. Oh yeah---I know all about that. And in fact, my 748 doesn't even have a rear brake (air in the line), and I've been riding without it for a couple weeks now! I'm taking the bike in for a 24k service over Thanksgiving, and they'll get the rear brake back into shape...but I'd have to train myself into using it. (I know theoretically you stop faster by adding a little bit of rear to mostly front.) So, be careful and GET SOME FRAME SLIDERS ON THAT 748. If you drop it, even in a parking lot, the plastics are super expensive to replace. Interesting you mentioned frame sliders---I've been wondering about those. There was actually some debate over on the Ducati.ms forum about them---some guys claimed they weren't good because the sliders sometimes caught on something and threw the bike, causing more damage. But other guys said they save more than they harm! Still other guys were terrified of cutting into the original body work to mount them. And yet other guys used solid-mount (non-folding) foot pegs. Scott Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RDY_2_Carve Posted November 22, 2005 Report Share Posted November 22, 2005 Get sliders! They will save you money big time on the low speed stuff. For high speeds there's no telling but honestly not much matters at high speeds anyways. Best you can do is pray there... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Justin A. Posted November 22, 2005 Report Share Posted November 22, 2005 As far as the cold weather gloves go, go with the Reuch leather padded GS gloves. They are warm when they need to be and not quite as warm when they dont need to be. It is all I wear when it gets really cold out, and the quality is top notch. Check your local ski shop, if you order online, they run a bit small, but then the leather stretches quite a bit. ________ Buy Easy Vape Vaporizer Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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