Foolish newby considering riding in winter...list of practical questions.

[Juanderer]

Fellow riders,
Now having thoughts of re-organizing garage to make room for bike and van (van lives outside since I got the CBR250-RA 2 months ago). I'm in Wisconsin, and I haven't been able to find answers to the following questions...
-How often would the bike need to be riden to avoid storage concerns...once a week, twice a month?
-Does anyone actually ride on snow with the stock tires? Seems scary.
-Do folks use lower tire pressures (like 28 psi) to improve traction on cold roads?
-If road is fairly dry but salted, do folks wash the bike after each ride? each week?
-Manual says to wash with cold water. Should I use a spray bottle (low volume), or hose connected to utility tub? My luck, I'll make a ice slick going down the driveway. Any point in using soap?
-Wash whole bike, or muffler, wheels, chain? I'm guessing I need to wait til bike cools.
-Any tricks for surviving bridges that have ice / snow left on them ? I imagine go slow, don't shift or brake, try to go straight across...
-Any way to make "cheap" heated grips? Seems you just need some velcro and some sort of low voltage heating element. Budget doesn't allow for the "real thing" right now.
-If I use synthetic oil, do I need to wait til the engine temp is 3 bars before riding at highway speeds?
Sorry for the laundry list, any and all help appreciated... Having trouble doing without my new addiction for several months.

[pooder7]

Originally Posted by Juanderer

Fellow riders,
Now having thoughts of re-organizing garage to make room for bike and van (van lives outside since I got the CBR250-RA 2 months ago). I'm in Wisconsin, and I haven't been able to find answers to the following questions....

You're in Wisconsin? Put it into storage in November and take it out in March. There is toooo much snow where you live to be able to ride year 'round. You need to put Stabil in a full tank of gasoline and fresh oil in the sump and then forget about it until the roads are clear again.

-Don in Minnesota

[KRA5H185]

Originally Posted by Juanderer

-How often would the bike need to be riden to avoid storage concerns...once a week, twice a month?
-Does anyone actually ride on snow with the stock tires? Seems scary.
-Do folks use lower tire pressures (like 28 psi) to improve traction on cold roads?
-If road is fairly dry but salted, do folks wash the bike after each ride? each week?
-Manual says to wash with cold water. Should I use a spray bottle (low volume), or hose connected to utility tub? My luck, I'll make a ice slick going down the driveway. Any point in using soap?
-Wash whole bike, or muffler, wheels, chain? I'm guessing I need to wait til bike cools.
-Any tricks for surviving bridges that have ice / snow left on them ? I imagine go slow, don't shift or brake, try to go straight across...
-Any way to make "cheap" heated grips? Seems you just need some velcro and some sort of low voltage heating element. Budget doesn't allow for the "real thing" right now.
-If I use synthetic oil, do I need to wait til the engine temp is 3 bars before riding at highway speeds?
Sorry for the laundry list, any and all help appreciated... Having trouble doing without my new addiction for several months.

1. Depends on the weather and road conditions and temperature. dont ride if there has been any type of snowfall or moisture on the road. black ice = death. In short, there's a reason why most riders store their bikes during the winter season.
2. If they did, they're probably dead.
3. I don't know.
4. As a new rider myself, I wouldn't take the chance riding on a salted road. Salt mixed with moisture corrodes very quickly so you would have to wash your bike pretty much every time you took it out to avoid rust. And thats just for the parts that you can reach.
5. Another reason why people store their bike for the winter season. But if I had to clean it, maybe the wash rack at your local car wash. But then you better dry off the entire bike including your hoses and clutch lines. you wouldn't want ice forming in those.
6. Everything that has a chance of corroding or fouling sir.
7. You've never driven on ice with anything have you?
8. Hand warmer packets. Or you can do what TheGardenSnake did for halloween and use pumpkins.
9. I dont know.

The gist of what I'm saying is if you live in that area where snow if prevalent, its best for you and your bike if you hang your jacket up for a few months. You already risk enough just getting on the thing why risk more especially if you have a working van. It would be a shame if something happened to you or your bike after having it for a few months. Trust me I know how you feel. My bike is still in the shop after an accident I had a lil while back and its killing me but not literally "killing" me thank god.

Just be patient, you'll live longer and be able to ride more.

[MotoMike]

^ x2... best thing to do is store it.

[Torchsport]

I've ridden in the snow a few times. It ain't fun. I don't recommend it.
As was mentioned...put it away in november, put Sea-Foam in the tank, fill with premium fuel, and run it for awhile. Done.
And put pieces of plywood under the tires, to prevent flat spots on the tires, from the frozen concrete floor of your garage.
I do the same for my Corvette.

[jsonder]

Store it!

I had to ride a bike one winter in Evanston, IL, and there were a few oopsies in the course of that winter. Expect to fall. I was riding an un-faired scrambler in 1969-70 when traffic on the streets to Northwestern wasn't too bad.

Of course, I rode my wife to work a couple of days when the plows "icewalled" my wife's car. Riding double, with her sidesaddle because she had to "dress" for work, was a tad tricky in the snow. I do not recommend it.

[shisoshin]

listen carefully to that soft insistent inner voice
other animals and birds hear, saying softly;
migrate,, migrate,, migrate...

[don'tpanic]

You really need a 3rd wheel to have any fun at all. And you can drop a car battery in the sidecar to handle to electrical loads to keep you warm.
Make sure you have a high front fender because when the space between the tire & the fender fills with slush
(and it will), you will no longer have steering control!
But they are a blast on the slick stuff - especially if you haven't driven a rear-wheel drive car in a while. (Hint - the way to have fun in the winter in your front-wheel drive car is to drive in reverse...)

Yeah - I'm thinking of mothballing my brand new bike, too. :'(

And the salt makes a real mess of your bike, and the sand is just plain treacherous.

Check out the Johnson City, TN area. Nice topography and mild winters, too!

[Joeboo]

Do yourself a favor & pack it away, next year isn't that far away & you'll get to see it this way. Who wants to ride in sub zero temps, snow, ice etc... Not me, I won't even ride in the rain.

[TrueFaith]

I read an article in one of the bike magazines a while back that stayed with me.
One of the editors decided to take a late-season ride even though there was a possibility of snow. He got caught in a flurry and waited under a bridge for a bit waiting for it to stop. When it didn't he decided the dusting of snow wasn't that intimidating and got back on the bike to head home.
Several hundred yards after leaving the spot under the bridge one of his wheels went sideways in the snow and he went down, breaking his ankle in the process.
This was an increadibly seasoned rider with much track experience and decades riding bikes. His advice for riding in snow? DON'T DO IT!

You may be able to ride on days the roads are totally dry and free of snow, but it doesn't take much more than a little fog and humidity to cause black ice. They call it "black" because there's no way you're going to see it or be prepared for it when it happens. Not worth the risk at all.