| Author | Message | ||
     Wardog3187 |
Since winter is here for some of us, I just want to get a general consensus of what was the coldest temperature you have ridden in? It's going to be 27 and clear tonight here at Radcliff/Ft. Knox, Kentucky when I go home at 2 a.m. | ||
| Buells Rule! (Dyna in disguise)  |
Ridden in the upper 20's low 30's many times. But the absolute coldest was Jan 1st 1999, I know the date because its on a polar bear certificate. 7 degrees outside & I rode down to lake michigan along with 6 other riders. Snow was 18" deep & we had our feet down like outriggers. I never turned the bike off because I was afraid it wouldnt restart. Stripped down to my swim trunks, waited for everyone else to get in the water & jumped in with them. Spent about 30 seconds in it, came out then went back in for about another 30 seconds then ran to my van which the wife had brought down & changed into some dry clothes, then rode the bike to a local restaurant where we had a buffet breakfast with friends. PS..........I will never ever do that again. | ||
| New12r  |
14 degrees F. It was cold as can be. I have "rode" in colder weather but not on a bike, I was on a snowmobile in Michigan. | ||
| Lovematt  |
The coldest was 19 degrees up in Willits in Northern California around this time of year...whew...pretty frieking cold! I was riding back home...about 450 miles south of there. Thankfully it warmed up to about 50 about 100 miles south of Willits and then up to about 60 by the time I got home. | ||
| M1combat  |
I used to ride my dirt bike through the winter in Alaska. I would imagine about -10F to -20F. | ||
| Wyckedflesh  |
-5F on a 71 CB350. Was riding back to Ogden Utah through the mountains when an unexpected snow front rolled in. On the way up the Northern face it was just cold and getting colder. At the top I had to wait it out a bit as visibility hit non-existant. After a 2 hour wait I managed to head down the south face. As I had been riding on my way back from JAcksonhole Wyoming and Flaming Gorge I had the camping and cold weather gear to manage it, but my hands suffered badly. Amazed I didn't end up with frostbite. When I hit the base of the mountain on the way up I remember a bank listing it around 40F. I found out that Nordic Valley had dropped to -5 when I pulled into the motel for the night. | ||
| Jarhead |
Back home in Idaho, we used to pull the bikes out of the barn as soon as possible . Usually March, riding up the road to put a fresh tank of gas in with snow in the ditches at about 20 to 25F. It was a spring ritual ride 32 miles round trip. I have ridden in colder weather and in snow, but the spring ritual rides are the most memorable. | ||
| Buells Rule! (Dyna in disguise) |
1 other ride I feel like metioning since we have the topic up. April 1st I went for a ride & it was 34 degrees outside. Big hairy deal you say? It was aboard my 91 Yamaha waverunner out on Lake Michigan, had my diving suit on and an old pair of tennies along with my winter gloves. We still had icebergs on the shore & floating in the harbor. Only about a 30 minute ride but it was a fun one. | ||
| Brucelee |
Years back in Amherst, MA I rode to work (about 7 miles) in 5 below weather. I had a Suzuki Dirt bike (2 stroke) that was set up for the street. Air Cooled. I had this snow suit that was really thick, full of down. I froze my A.. off. The motor never really got warm and it was very unhappy with me. My first wife had the car and wasn't willing to take me to work. What a turd she was (is!). Anyway, now that I live in San Diego, I balk at anything less than 60 degrees. What a wuss I have become! | ||
| Buells Rule! (Dyna in disguise) |
Anyway, now that I live in San Diego, I balk at anything less than 60 degrees. What a wuss I have become! I think its the older you get that perhaps you tend to get a little smarter. I know I have wussed out a lot over the last few years, now I see 55 degrees & its take the truck to work day. | ||
| Swampy  |
Dirt bikes on the frozen lake, nothing hits as hard as falling on a frozen lake! Probably 30 years ago I saw a guy riding a Kawasaki in 8 inches of slushy snow in Cadillac, MI. The guy had his feet up and seemed to be doing alright. Me? Snowmobiling in Newberry, MI, -18. On a bike? Last April 3, the Big Kid and I rode our bikes back from visiting my dad in the hospital. I don't know how cold it was but the snow was blowing horizontal! | ||
| Crusty |
I go out every New Years Day, regardless of the weather. The coldest New Years ride was 12 Degrees F in 1997. The all time coldest temperature I rode in was -7 F in 1974 in Colorado Springs on my Moto Guzzi Sport. To get the bike to start, I had to pull the spark plugs, then spin it over to get everything moving. Then I put the plugs in and it fired up and ran. The coldest I've ridden my Buell was 8 Degrees F in February of 2001. I had a hell of a time getting the transmission to shift for the first few miles. If you're going to ride in the cold, remember that even on clear dry pavement, your tires won't stick worth a damn. | ||
| Josh_  |
Well it was 37 and raining last night and 35 and sunny this morning. Coldest I've been out it was 20deg, coldest I've been out 2-up it was ~28 (and she still doesn't have heated gear). Worst was 30 and sleeting. You know you might be in trouble when ice is building up on your windshield and visor. | ||
| Buellnuts  |
Deb and I rode in a toy run a few years back and it was 16 degrees. 56 painfull miles and not one I'll ever do again!! Bob | ||
| Sfarson  |
35 mile nightime ride down a Colorado highway to a C-Store at 60mph. Thought it was kinda nippy and noticed a bank thermometer at 17 degrees. | ||
| Chainsaw  |
11 Degrees at the Eisenhower Tunnel, I-70 westbound in Colorado headed to Laughlin, NV April 2002 on my Sportster. Froze my tail off! I came through AZ and NM on the return leg. I will typically ride down in the 20's if the roads are clear (I have a 5 mile commute). Anything above 40 is easily warm enough for me. Maybe Santa will bring me some heated gear.  | ||
| Wyckedflesh |
It was 38F the other morning here in Phoenix when I rode into work. Got some damn strange looks from my coworkers also. | ||
| Mbsween  |
When I was stationed at Ft Hood (Killeen TX), I left to visit my sister in Kansas City, Kansas. It was around the first of December. The only cold weather gear I had was what the Army gave me. It started snowing in northern Oklahoma around Oklahoma City, and being a young, less than smart person (hey I was infantry ), I continued on anyway. I ended up taking 4 socks , cutting a hole for the thumb and using that to keep the gas hand working. I was riding a then new unfaired Kawasaki 750. I ended up doing 300+ miles in 20 - 30 degree weather. I learned my lesson about how much warmer it is in TX! Since then I routinely ride in the winter (upstate NY) when the roads are dry and its a sunny day. I've had to clear a couple inches of snow off the bike before heading home from work. SO an X1 seems to work fine in anything from 0 - high 20s. An electric vest sure makes it easier tho, now if I could just keep the damn faceshield from freezing up | ||
| Dsergison  |
probably in the 20's actually the first and only time I dropped my X1 was when I got home and into my carport and my legs were to cold to hold the bike up and over I went. | ||
| Bluzm2  |
On the street, about 10-15 or so for a 20 mile ride to work (did that for about a week while the car was in the shop). On my old dirt bike, about -10. Did a lot of riding around on frozen lakes. | ||
| Careyj  |
17 degrees, riding to Danbury CT. to go a Battletraxx there, hit black ice outside of Stafford Springs, that was FUN!!! | ||
| Firemanjim  |
Hey,Bob,how frikkin' cold was it on the ride to Colorado Rocky Mt National Park at Aarons??? | ||
| Sooner |
I think the coldest ride I ever had was when I told my wife I was going to buy a buell instead of a new bedroom suit. It was so cold in that car you could freeze hot chocolate. Quiet too. lol | ||
| Crazyhorse  |
January 1999 I was 300 miles from home when I found a cherry 1989 VMAX with only 7k miles and couldn't pass it up it was 33F before dark and I rode back in the dark. don't know what the chill factor was but it took two days before I could feel my toes. | ||
| Honu  |
Dyna, Jumping in Lake Michigan when it is 7 degrees outside, 18 inches of snow on the ground. We need to move you down here to Texas where my freezer don't even get to 7 degrees!  | ||
| Cataract2 |
32 degrees. It was at night last year here in Florida. We were getting crazy lows. I remember that temp because I checked it on my GPS, not moving, to see how cold it was. I had my chaps on along with my leather jacket, scarf and gloves. I was freezing still. | ||
| Newfie_buell  |
Not even going there!!!! | ||
| Jpl9sx |
I flew back to Indiana to pick up my bike while working a job in central Florida. The weather called for 50s so naturally when I arrived in Indiana it was snowing. I said to myself if the roads are clear in the morning I am taking off. It was 18 degrees and a blizzard was a few hours away when I left. My first stop was about sixty miles south of Indy and I was frozen even though I was bundled up. As I was stomping in a rest area a guy came up to me and said you are crazy. When I got back on the road I saw a Harley going North and said to myself now that guy is crazy heading into a winter storm. I kept saying to myself that it would be warm in Kentucky. It was 28 when I hit Lexington. In the 30s through Tennessee and 40s and heavy rain by the time I hit Georgia. After a night of thawing out I started out again in with the weather in the 40s and steady rain. When I stopped at a plaza near Orlando I realized it was actually warm and dry and here I was still bundled up and in a rain suit, that explained the odd looks. It was great to be back in Florida. | ||
| Tom_b  |
Last winter I went on several rides of 100 miles plus where the temp was never above 20 degrees on my buell. Cold doesn't bother me, just dress for it. Rain is a different story, I will ride in, but I don't like it. | ||
| Jarhead |
It was frickin 34 degrees this morning! I live in Georgia, 50 miles from Florida, it isn't supposed to be this cold! Had to scrape frost of the seat! |
