0
How will you fair on the roads this winter?
The Motorcycle is our baby, our friend, our machine, or whatever else you might call it. It is most likely the first thing on our minds when we think, "What will I do today." First impressions of the words motorcycle and winter used in the same sentence are usually met with, "Your crazy" , "That is impossible" , and the like. The motorcycle doesn't care if its 80 degrees or 30 degrees, its a freakin' motorcycle, not your girlfriend, mother, or significant other. Albeit the motorcycle can act in different ways depending on many different things. These things are easily translated into logical, scientifically proven facts. There should be little doubt your motorcycle does what is does when you least expect it. Its your fault for not knowing it could do what it just did, plain and simple.
The Bike
Now I might have been born in the 90's but I sure as hell know my way around an engine. Engines make the bike move, and wheels keep it moving. Great. There is so much more I could go into about the motorcycle and the effects of every single piece of engineering on the thing, but I digress. I don't have the patience or mental organization to do that shit now. Here are some good Basics tips all motorcyclists should pay attention to when riding in the winter.
Coolant
DO NOT USE WATER! You will eventually blow a coolant line or crack a radiator when the water decides to freeze causing expansion or blocked passage ways. Your engine can and will overheat. Also, tap water can contain many corrosive elements like calcium, iron, and more. This can take your brand new S1000RR cooling system out of commission quick. Get the proper coolant and do your due diligence and research.
Oil
DON NOT USE THE SAME OIL FOR WINTER AND SUMMER! Or do, I don't care about your brand new 60,000 dollar piece of look at my wallet. All oil is not created equal. In the winter your bike will have a tougher time starting with a heavier weight summer oil. This will cause excess bearing wear and could possibly toast your motor in a season. Read in your motorcycle owners manual about oil and operating temperatures. If you do not have a motorcycle owners manual look at your cars owners manual. If you do not have a car, use Google search for, "SAE Oil Ratings". If you don't have a compu... wait, never mind.
Gasoline
ALWAYS GET THE HIGHEST OCTANE! Especially in the winter the reservoir tanks of many gas stations can have high levels of water in them compared to summer. This can be caused by the air temperature changing quickly and in turn causing condensation to accumulate in the gas stations underground steel tanks. The higher the octane the better the engine runs. The less knock you will have, the longer it will last. just get the highest octane, its like 50 cents more. Or buy a candy bar, Fatty.
Tires
OLD TIRES BAD, AIR PRESSURE IS YOUR FRIEND! Rubber is a compound that is highly sensitive to temperature. Summer riding is great, you will get all the traction you pretty much could want. Now winter comes and its cold as balls. Your tires do not have balls, but they are cold. It wont be until you ride on them for a good distance, they will heat up via the friction created between the tire and the road. A good practice is to lower your tires pressure in the winter as to make the tires heat up faster. This practice can be debated. But the fact is in the winter your tires will grip significantly less for a longer period of time compared to the summer.
STUDS. This topic needs its own thread.
Gaskets
OLD GASKETS WILL MAKE YOU SLOW AND/OR CRAZY! Gaskets are all over the place on motorcycles. Mostly made from rubber or cork. They tend to shrink when it gets really cold. Causing leaks of all sorts. make sure your gaskets are in good shape and the bolts that hold them are properly tightened down. Use Loctite if required.
Suspension
SHOCKS USE OIL AND GAS UNLESS YOU RIDE A MOPED, DUMMY! The viscosity of the oil/and or gas within shocks change with temperature. Your bike will most likely ride differently in the winter compared to summer. Learn to tune your suspension for the best ride.
Bolts and nuts
THEY WILL FALL OFF IF NOT TIGHTENED PROPERLY. Pretty simple, Tighten those things with the tool and your good. As mentioned before, Loctite is a good thing.
The Rider
You are the rider and you have or are getting a motorcycle. You have blonde hair and blue eyes and all the chicks go for crazy for you. No, That's probably not you. But you are a human, and us humans invented these things called motorcycles. So we are inclined to ride them, sometimes disregarding weather and other variables of life. Winter riding can require extra reflexes that summer riding might not need. The most important reflex is the one that tells you when you are going to loose traction and everything about traction. Learn how you grip your bike and that can lead to being a better rider.
The rider usually wears clothes unless a certain ritualistic occurrence is happening. For the winter you need to be warm. You most likely know how to stay warm. If you don't, think about layers and water/wind proof materials like synthetic textiles/fabrics.
The Road
Roads can get slippery, very much so when wet, ever more so with things like oil, sand, leaves, ice and snow. Know your road conditions. Plan ahead. Learn the threshold of your bikes grip on these ever varying conditions.
The Other Vehicles
They will slip and slide and sometimes drive even more reckless during the winter. Just watch out. Pay attention. Keep your distance.
Reply With Quote
Originally Posted by Stoneman
