Photo: Airman 1st Class Isaiah Soliz
The warm sunny days are much closer, as March has arrived, but some motorcycle riders cannot wait anymore to ride their own pride and joy, even though weather conditions are not yet optimal. This is why we decided to put together some cold-weather riding tips and tricks.
This time of the year, in the temperate regions of the planet, mornings are still rather cold, with temperatures ranging under 10-15°C – 50-59°F). During the day they rise to around 15-25°C (59-77°F), but going through the evening it gets chilly again. This makes morning and evening bike rides a little tricky, as the pavement has a cold temperature and motorcycle tires are not as sticky to the ground as in the summer.
This hurdle can be overcome by either riding slower (but we do not really that, eh?), or by equipping your motorcycle with some special winter tires. A company called Anlas has managed to develop special winter tires made for the colder days and some of them are even suited for light snow. The tread pattern is similar to a car winter tire, made for snow riding and faster water-repelling.
On top of it, the compound of this tire is made of a softer rubber that makes it more flexible when temperatures are below 7°C (44.6°F), in order to be more adherent to the road then a summer tire, which can become hard as a hockey puck in the cold.
You should also get yourself a pair of good gloves, as the hands are the most exposed parts of the human body when it comes to riding in the cold. I use waterproof gloves to be ready anytime for random rains (happens a lot in temperate climate regions), but some of the glove manufacturers manage to put some electric magic in them to warm up using your bike battery to power them.
This sounds great as the heat emanates directly from the gloves, but I hate having cables running over me and the bike, as I will surely tangle them up. The heated grips are by far the best solution to keep your hands warm during the cold days, they are not so expensive and are relatively easy to install.
Another top tip for this time of the year is to make yourself visible. The sun doesn't stay up as long as in the summer so choose gear that has reflective bands or bright colors if you ride while the sun is not yet fully up. It is way easier to see a black jacket with neon green accents that a full black jacket. I know the all-black is way cooler, but way cooler than that is to not being crashed into by some sleepyhead going to work in a car because he didn't see you.
This hurdle can be overcome by either riding slower (but we do not really that, eh?), or by equipping your motorcycle with some special winter tires. A company called Anlas has managed to develop special winter tires made for the colder days and some of them are even suited for light snow. The tread pattern is similar to a car winter tire, made for snow riding and faster water-repelling.
On top of it, the compound of this tire is made of a softer rubber that makes it more flexible when temperatures are below 7°C (44.6°F), in order to be more adherent to the road then a summer tire, which can become hard as a hockey puck in the cold.
You should also get yourself a pair of good gloves, as the hands are the most exposed parts of the human body when it comes to riding in the cold. I use waterproof gloves to be ready anytime for random rains (happens a lot in temperate climate regions), but some of the glove manufacturers manage to put some electric magic in them to warm up using your bike battery to power them.
This sounds great as the heat emanates directly from the gloves, but I hate having cables running over me and the bike, as I will surely tangle them up. The heated grips are by far the best solution to keep your hands warm during the cold days, they are not so expensive and are relatively easy to install.
Another top tip for this time of the year is to make yourself visible. The sun doesn't stay up as long as in the summer so choose gear that has reflective bands or bright colors if you ride while the sun is not yet fully up. It is way easier to see a black jacket with neon green accents that a full black jacket. I know the all-black is way cooler, but way cooler than that is to not being crashed into by some sleepyhead going to work in a car because he didn't see you.
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