Winter’s here

[Neil955i]

Yup, it’s arrived here in the UK with our first sub zero (c) temperatures of the season. It struggled up to 3c by late morning here so I decided to take the DTX for a run to test my new Oxford heated grips.

20 miles later and setting 4 of 12 served me well keeping the frozen fingers at bay. Not toasty, but tolerable with my summer weight gloves.

I’ve found adding the heated grips has extended my riding season from 9 to probably 11 months of the year. There are still times when I choose not to ride because it’s too cold, but not nearly so many.

[CROSSBOLT]

You, Stig and a few others are hard core inspiration for the rest of us! Ride on!

[rjs987]

We've had several weeks now with temps below 0C. Last night and this morning we had some snowfall resulting in about 2+ inches (5+ cm) of the white stuff. Only about 1 inch (about 2.5 cm) was on the driveway and sidewalks due to the ground being a bit warm yet but the deck and grass stayed cold enough for all of it to be there. Got to use my Ego Snowblower for the first time since I bought it on sale 3 months ago. Worked great but it was not really a "test" of the unit.

I did get to ride the AK last week in this cooler weather but it was a few deg above freezing at the time. I have not yet turned on the grip heaters nor have I put on the KemiMoto handlebar muffs yet. The muffs make a HUGE difference. That will be put on this week however since the temps are expected to stay cold now for many many months.

[randyo]

we've had 2 snowfalls here, but with drier wind and a little warmup, only an hour or 2 each day above freezing, snow is patchy, 3-4 inches deep out of the sun, and bare where it gets full sun. IMHO warmer Thanksgiving than years past, maybe there is something to this global warming

[Stig / Major Tom]

Goodness knows I tried to ride well into the cold months when I fist bought my LIKE200i......but I was always limited by my hands!
I could ride with silk, wool, leather layers as we were taught in he Army -- but that cold wind just cut right through!
So, I parked and baked my gloves on the muffler - to get in another half hour of riding!

Then I bought a pair of battery heated glove liners to wear under my heavy leather gauntlets - and bingo! I could ride miles - far enough to go for coffee!
Legs, feet, face - no problem with the cold. But my hands were my weak link to riding!

I use 2 pair of battery heated gloves or liners - rechargeable batteries contained in the cuff. No wires to attach or disconnect when I stop for photos - and no drain on my scooter's battery or charging system. The latter is very important to me - as I do not ride larger scooters, and I ride miles from home on very cold days, in the boonies - and I want my scooter to start when it is time to go home and get warm again!!

Heated grips would be nice, but again - I prefer not to challenge my small scooter's electrical systems.

Stig

[randyo]

a folded newspaper under your jacket, is a good windbreaker in a pinch. I have varying amounts of layering and electricity for as cold as I wanna.   My coldest ride (100 mile loop around Lake Winnipesaukee) was at a high temperature of minus 12°f. If you count just going down to the corner and back for a test ride, I went out at minus 25°f, ½mile each way.

COLD AIR = FREE HORSEPOWER   puts helium in your front wheel

[klaviator]

It's still fall here in Alabama.  I went for a 200 mile ride Saturday.  It was 45 degrees at the start but warmed up to around 60 by afternoon.  We still have some fall colors here.



The group I rode with.

[rjs987]

I think I'll get around to putting on the KemiMoto bar muffs today in preparation for possibly going riding in the morning. No 200 mile ride planned but likely a lot shorter than that just to get out on 2 wheels. This morning was 15F (9.5C) and will be up to 31F (-.6C) and tomorrow morning will be about 10F (-12C) but will get up to a balmy 34F (1C) in the afternoon.

The grassy areas are all still mostly white with what fell Saturday into Sunday but all the streets are clear and dry. There was no road treatment put down for this snow event so no worries there. I'll still likely be treating the underside of my AK with the ACF50 solution I bought last year. It really does mitigate the corrosion.

My front tire looks like it has enough tread to last through the winter months if I don't ride more than 1000 miles. I change my own tires and doing that in the cold in an unheated garage is not something I look forward to.

[Stig / Major Tom]

My winter glove liner. Cold enough on the Group W to keep them on!



On these kind of pre-sunrise rides.



Stig

[Neil955i]

Snow and ice warnings here for the next few days.  Not too concerned as we're off to the coast tomorrow to celebrate my wife's birthday.  (No scootering for me until next week!)