Makes me very glad I don't ride through the winter. My son does though https://news.sky.com/video/lucky-escape-as-motorcyclist-skids-on-black-ice-11878822 Be careful out there!
I like riding in winter, zero degrees and sunny Sunday morning rides take some beating for me (heated RST gloves are a must though!) I did have a moment last year , the roads were bone dry and I was getting complacent, took a right hand turn onto a side road only to find that the entire road both sides was a sheet of black ice, I gently drifted onto the wrong side of the road and could feel there was no grip whatsoever through the bars, I eventually rolled to a stop, the hardest bit was getting off the ice, my feet had no grip so I had to gradually move in short sections by letting the clutch out on tickover, got away with it but was a stark reminder as to how quickly road conditions can change!
Slidy yesterday and monday......Ass traction control computer can feel when its starts to disjoint from the road.... And when it does, stay bolt upright and make no sudden direction changes...if you can...
Riding in those conditions does make you a better rider. I'm past all that and don't need to take the risk. On the small unsalted rural roads where I live, the tarmac is cracked, pot holed, a patchwork quilt of poor repairs and viscous cambers. Not even good in a car when icy. I'll never forget hitting unexpected ice when I was teenager. I was on the ground before I knew what was happening.
That’s the thing with ice, be it black or other, it simply doesn’t give you a warning. One second you’re on it and the next you’re off. Use the car lads!
I really don’t see the point of riding at all at this time of year unless you have no choice whatsoever. Icy conditions , salt spray everywhere on bike and visor , sun low in sky causing severely limited vision , cold , wet , damp. I’m not a fan The less than average motorist is trying to wipe you out at the best of times , factor in all the other elements at this time of year and odds are really against you.
Still on my bike, was frosty couple of weeks back, salt is a pain, roads are stinking. Ice is not easy on a heavy bike, usually just luck you stay up. Prefer the bike to the car, regardless of the weather. Just bounce her off the verges and keep her pinned.
or your eyelids have frozen togeather. i use to ride all year round when i was an apprentice. never again.
Yep - and diesel....chatting to my mate on my rg250 (25 odd years ago) mid sentence (we were both sliding down the road at 50mph) I can do the cold (only 10 miles from work) but not the rain (in the car today) but the only reason i do the bike in the winter is cos of the shitty traffic (15 mins on the bike 45 in the car)
Made worse when, going up and over Shooters Hill at 3.30 AM, your visor is completely shitted up with dirty freezing fog and, having made it to the top, you flip visor up to see where you're going for the descent and immediately your glasses are frozen up. Instant blackout...
