18°

[woods]

I've ridden in min 20s. Wasn't all that different than snowmobiling.

BikeMaster heated grips
OBV 3/4 Blizzard Handguard Mitts
Heated vest I use for hunting
FirstGear one piece suit- this thing is crazy. No armor, but its the denier material I think? Super, super warm. I bought it used about five years ago, and even then it was something like ten years old.

Its ok riding, but I don't prefer it. I'd rather be in my AlpineStar Drystar Halo, t-shirt, riding jeans, and the sun on my face.

 

[DJ_MI]

Anti-fog insert for your helmet helps with the fogging. What it doesn't do is keep the visor from freezing from within, due to your own breath. The only way to avoid that is to crack it open and let some of that cold air in. Even with the anti-fog inserts on both helmets, the spots where my nostrils are lined up eventually spot freeze. Over time, those spots will expand and I will need to stop and wipe off the visor. You can leave the vents open for better circulation. I tend to leave the bottom open so the air doesn't freeze from the inside so quick. I keep the top vent closed.

Thanks! I was getting some crystals forming inside my visor last night. And it was only 28f by the time I got home. I think I’m going to ask Santa for a new helmet and some visor inserts. 👍

 

[Madmx]

I wrapped hockey stick tape around my levers. It helps a little bit.




I’ve seen those but never in person. I’ve heard good things though.

Well I get caught in brainstorm junk for motos. Wrapping the levers is gold. I feel kinda humbled. There is an element of non stop work commuting. I could almost write a book. I cycled through various bikes and combos.

Modern combo for light ds..maybe klx230l if efi works.
Lighter oil,
aluminum handlebars
hehe wrapped levers...thanx
Everide trash can origami wind deflector
Gen3 klr wind deflectors
Ligh flexible gloves

Anti-fog insert for your helmet helps with the fogging. What it doesn't do is keep the visor from freezing from within, due to your own breath. The only way to avoid that is to crack it open and let some of that cold air in. Even with the anti-fog inserts on both helmets, the spots where my nostrils are lined up eventually spot freeze. Over time, those spots will expand and I will need to stop and wipe off the visor. You can leave the vents open for better circulation. I tend to leave the bottom open so the air doesn't freeze from the inside so quick. I keep the top vent closed.

I could almost hold my breath for any traffic light...also ripped my goggles off

 

[DJ_MI]

hehe wrapped levers...thanx

👍

I've learned so much from everyone here. It's cool to give a little something back.

 

[PineLaneRider]

Commuted on a couple 18F days last week. 50,000 mile Super Tenere lives outside and started with no issue. Heated grips, heated liner under the Stitch Roadcrafter Classic. Olympia Windtex gloves. I guess its time to put on the Tusk bar muffs and the pinlock shield if the temps ever decide to stay cold. With the muffs, I'm good down to 10F or so.

 

[Madmx]

My poor xt225. I rode for 2 years with a new speedo cable on the shelf. I estimate 30k of hell. Lowest temp fired and ridden was negative 10. The salt ruined everything. The frame was painted twice and the forks once. One day I will dig it out of the shed for photos. The 2007 actually looks nice but needs new wheels. The damage is on the inside. My biggest gripe with cheap dualsports is expensive wheel parts! And there is zero compatibility with mx wheels which are stronger and cheaper.

But back to the xt..with a nikisil liner. I fired the bike at work and immediately was almost redline pulling into 55mph traffic on a cold engine...1000s of times. I probably tried 20 bikes for winter. The xt could not break or give up. 8in snow was about the street limit. And 12in in the yard to get to the street. This was very hard on the clutch. I only got caught once over 10miles of 6-8" snow. 13 miles and 2 micro blizzards took an hour and half. No falls or spills just taking my sweet time

The lesson learned was tires are everything. Any trace powder or ice is terrible on 90% of street tires. Old school universal..aka golden boy on classics can be a great mild snow tire. I rode a riva125 with universal tires for a winter when the xt was being painted..ha I move slow on projects.
Light weight is another good thing for snow. You have to be able to pick up the bike on black ice...if needed. Steel rims for spokes will hold up better in the salt. Better yet stamped steel, cast or forged will be tubeless and way less headache. Also calipers take a beating from salt. I rode a cm200 with drums for 3 yrs and zero issues. Xt showed itself 1st winter...the front pads seized in the bracket. On a new bike! The front brake took constant maintenance vs the rear drum one time modifying and grease to cam and pivot points.

My DL1000 checks a few of these boxes. But everyone has preferences. The strom would get me home in snow but dumping that big bike is not an option.

Ha almost 70° today and wet.

 

[Madmx]

I left the bike out too far from any shelter. Frozen everything and 10 layers of clothes trying to roll start the dub. The clutch was frozen. The back tire just slid. I was now over heated and yanked off my helmet and gloves. Another 2 tries. My neighbor with a road king asked if I needed a push...maybe. One last try...I gave it everything...ba ba broom. Yup what good is a kickstart? I smiled and gave the neighbor a thumbs up and minutes late to work. I might get a clone with a kickstart..been there done that..Yami should have left a kickstart on the tw.