Your coldest ride?

[Stig / Major Tom]

Wandering around in my old pix....
Went looking for proof of my record cold commute to work. Found it.
Radio said, and the bank sign downtown agreed that it was 3°F
("5°F" 30 miles away in Dayton)


When I got to work I climbed off, turned around and pulled out my cell for a snap, at "5:51AM".


I was a little concerned about the panels …..and my corneas*.

Did not want to wake the Mrs. for a car ride - plus the road was clear of snow. Mostly.

Stig
* this was before my Pinlock, so I rode with the visor open.

[TBR125]

My physically coldest ride was a sunny 84 miles with a morning low of -1F and a high of 10. That was the only time I wore ski gloves on the bike. What felt the coldest, however, was a 236 mile ride at 14 degrees and it drizzled for the entire hour prior the setting of the sun.

My two wheel commute is year round.

[CROSSBOLT]

I know this ride was not as cold as yours. I did not know the temperature but it had snow on the highway from Vancouver, BC to Seattle, WA. The ship had a port visit to Vancouver and I brought my motorcycle. My folks were across the Lake Washington from Seattle and I rode to visit them. The stress of riding in the snow for over five hours got to me. Could not go much over 35 mph so length of exposure was severe. I could not wait for that ride to end! I was shivering uncontrollably by the time Seattle appeared.

[randyo]

-12°f on my SV650, a 100 mile loop around Lake Winnipesaukee

I did take her for a spin up to the corner ½mile, and back 1 mile once. When it was 25 below, yes, fahrenheit, not dressed properly, after all, it was just a quick 1 minute ride. I zipped up to 80mph± and when I got to the corner to turn around it hit me, almost didn't make it back, I was working in my heated shed, just wearing sweats and sneakers, no gloves, no helmet.
 I lernt a lot about how quick you can get frostbite.... another 30 seconds would have been very bad

another thing I learned on my Winnipesaukee ride,  I was properly dressed and quite comfortable till the end of my ride I stopped for gas, removed my gloves to get my credit card out, and never put em back on till after I pumped gas,  heated gloves will keep your hands warm, but they won't warm cold hands back up. glad it was only 3 more miles home

the only reason I haven't been out colder, is cause we haven't had colder weather since
I have been preparing my V-Strom for a winter to Deadhorse AK ride (a bucket list ride)

[Iahawk]

wow...you guys are hard core! I've ridden in the 30's but that's nothing compared to your rides. Makes me cold just reading about 'em!

[john grinsel]

-16F-----freak cold winter of '59-69, Germany.  BMW R51/3-Steib S350 sidecar, Heinrich Fairing (uppers and lowers), Lacrosse overshoes----cold but liveable, right clothes helped----distance that day about 300 miles, Zweibrucken to Garmisch.   For the next winter I bought a new Messerschmitt KR200---it had heater and by removal of front seat you could sleep in it....nice when you are poor.

[Viper254]

New Year's Day 2016 - 111 miles on a 125cc in sleet. The cold wasn't so bad, it was more the appalling lights on that thing.

[Neil955i]

Mine was back in the late 80's with a Kawa GPz750 air cooled bike.  At the time it was my only form of transport and my year round ride to work hack.  Finishing a shift at about 5:30 pm I went out to the bike under a 4" fall of snow and it wouldn't start.  Long story short it was arcing along the plug leads (common apparently) and it was about 7 pm by the time I got rolling into the darkness with a blizzard blowing and temperatures about mid-30's before any wind chill.  Ahead of me was a 30-odd mile ride home on unlit (for the most part)  roads.

I lost count of the number of times I stopped to wrap my gloved hands around the cyclinder heads to restore circulation - oh the exquisite pain as the blood began to restore feeling...  Finally reached home about 7:30 pm and headed straight for a warm bath.

Do I miss year-round biking?  Not a bit of it.  Give me dry roads and sunshine any day, I reckon I've nothing left to prove to anyone, least of all myself.

[randyo]

I have never ridden in cold weather cause I had to, I have a cage.  my cold weather riding has always been a choice and a pleasure ride rather than a commute

[Viper254]

Do I miss year-round biking?  Not a bit of it.  Give me dry roads and sunshine any day, I reckon I've nothing left to prove to anyone, least of all myself.

Yep +1