I took my SV650 for a short test spin once, when it was -25°f, only a half mile up the road and back, it was only a short ride, no need to get all my gear on, right
I was working in my nice warm heated shed, just wearing sweats & sneakers, no helmet, no gloves, it wa only a mile that would take 100 seconds/ minute and a half at most
I learnt a lot from that short moment of stupidity, 0-100-0 in that first half mile, I turned around as planned, don't know I made it back, shivering so bad, I had to let go of the bars, then take an extra couple minutes walking it up my drive
I don't consider a ride, a ride, unless I go 100 miles or more, my winter ride is a loop around Lake Winnipesaukee, coldest I have done the complete loop is -12f
I also learned something on that ride. Luckily I didn't gas up till the end of the ride and only had 3 miles home to ride with frozen hands. When you gas up in extremely cold weather, don't pay at pump, go inside, then take gloves off to get credit card out of wallet, and put your gloves back on before you handle the frozen pump handle
don't do what I did, take gloves off at pump like it's summer time. and don't expect heated gloves supplemented with heated grips, to thaw your frozen hands after you pull such a stupid maneuver, as I said, lucky I only had to go 3 miles
coldest I have been out, -52°f a snowshoe hike in silviculture class at Paul Smith's College, and #2, -48°f, out surveying in Shelburne, NH, and it was windy as f*** that day as well, probably colder windchill than the Paul Smith's experience, I was just happy I was at base of Mt Washington that day instead of the top
