Ducati Monster Forum

I got my new Monster back in September; as the temperature dropped I added layer after layer of clothing and started avoiding the interstates, but in the last few days with temperatures in the low forties I seem to have hit the lower limit.

I'm curious as to the cold endurance of everybody else here.

Giordy

i ride own to the 20s and a few times ive doen 10-15s. but this si commuting for ~45-90mins only.

ps. i am NOT geared for the 10-15s. that shit was brutal and i will never do it again. doing the 20s,i cant last more than ~90mins. its mostl y knees and hands

Quote from: He Man on December 07, 2008, 03:12:55 PM
i ride own to the 20s and a few times ive doen 10-15s. but this si commuting for ~45-100 mins only.

Wow! I guess I need better gear...

5 years ago it was any thing over 40. Now I can only stand 45+. At the Chicago show, I will be looking for cold weather gear that will make it do-able at 40 again. Riding when you are cold and it is dark out is just not something I am willing to do. espescially with the deer jumpng.

I was out ni 15 degree stuff earlier this year without a problem, but most of my riding is around town with 50/50 interstate/local road riding.  The ONLY thing that keeps me from going farther is my hands.  I've tried a few different pairs of gloves to no avail, they just go numb.  I've been looking into handguards as well as heated grips just in case I want to torture myself and use the Duc for 1 hour+ highway excursions.

I stop doing long/highway rides when it dips down to btw 40-45. 

I rode at 30 a couple weeks ago, but it was just in town for a few miles.  Everything was warm enough execpt my hands. 

With hand guards and proper gloves, I'm sure I could ride comfortably till about 20. 

Heated gear FTW!

I was out in below freezing today and last wednesday.  Electric gear is your friend.

BMW sells some great phase-change cold weather gear.  It works for me down to ~40.

I don't have any "cold weather" gear...just my summer gear with a sweatshirt underneath.  :P

For rides in 35-50° weather I'll make sure not to take my bike anywhere I'll have to go over 40mph.  My ride to work is only 5 miles, and I can almost swear my fingers are frozen after a 10 minute drive at 25-40 mph in 35° weather.  :(

I just got Tour Master "Synergy" heated gloves and jacket liner.  I've ridden for about an hour at 75mph in the high 20s °F/low 30s °F without getting too cold.   That said, I see the heated pant liners in my future.  ;D

It was 20 degrees yesterday morning and my Multistrada almost didn't start, it had been in the teens the night before and the bike really struggled to come to life. Once I got it running it was fine and I did a 100 miles on backroads but at highway speeds  ;D and was ok for the most part. It was so cold I had ice forming in the helmet visor, no kidding. My gear is unheated but I wear a pair of snowmobile gloves, insulated textile jacket with polar fleece jacket under it and the usual thermal underwear. The pants are ballistic nylon and I wear  thermal underwear under them and wear wool hunting socks. I would be lying if I said I was warm and toasty but I tolerated it. Part of riding in the cold is like any other outdoor activity in the cold weather, it is your state of mind. I have hunted since I was a kid sometimes in bitter weather and the number one thing is you want to be out there so you make do.

Quote from: somegirl on December 07, 2008, 04:19:34 PM
Heated gear FTW!

P., it never gets cold ,cold in San Fran !    Dolph

Quote from: pompetta on December 07, 2008, 06:11:00 PM
I just got Tour Master "Synergy" heated gloves and jacket liner.  I've ridden for about an hour at 75mph in the high 20s °F/low 30s °F without getting too cold.   That said, I see the heated pant liners in my future.  ;D

You will want to check the extra wattage your Duc has .  I can't ride my S4Rs w, Gerbings Pant liner, Jacket liner and Gloves on at the same time.

I can get away with Pant liner and Jacket liner but not Gloves also.

I can go w, Gloves and any one of the other liners but not both.

Now my BMW K1200S wii put out enough extra watts to support all 3 on at the same time.    Dolph    :)

Quote from: DoubleEagle on December 07, 2008, 09:15:49 PM
P., it never gets cold ,cold in San Fran !    Dolph

In the mountains it often gets in the 30's in wintertime.  I've seen ice on the ground.

Plus I have ridden elsewhere. ;)

I rode today in Logan, UT and they say the temps just topped the 40's ... It is suppose to snow tomorrow so I had to get a ride in before the white shit :(

... I was COLD ... with long underwear under Levi's , long sleeve thermal shirt under my leather coat (w/ liner), and a "scarf" sorta thing on my neck ....

~DaVe

it was 33* when i rode on friday to work.. my hands were hurting by the time i got to the office.

Do they sell battery powered heated gloves?

Quote from: ghosthound on December 08, 2008, 12:16:28 AM
it was 33* when i rode on friday to work.. my hands were hurting by the time i got to the office.

Do they sell battery powered heated gloves?

I have seen battery powered gloves before, but they were expensive.  I actually installed a set of Powermadd handguards and they really help (and are not as ugly as most handguards).  www.roxspeedfx.com (http://www.roxspeedfx.com)
Rox has machined mounting brackets that look much better and clear your controls really well.  The set up does look a little doofy, but at 30 degrees, I could give a crap.

It's not uncommon for me to head into work on Molly in the teens ~

JM

I don't own any heated gear and don't own any of the fancy cold-weather gear like long-johns nor Under Armor......The lowest I've commuted at was 28-degrees.....Back in December of 2001, I rode 500 miles from South Carolina to Daytona Beach. I left the house and it was 29 and the highest it got that day was 54....It was snowing at the Grand Canyon when I went there in 2004. I have no idea how cold it was during any part of that trip to Cali and back. Hindsight tells me I should have scheduled the trip in April or May instead of late March.

Quote from: Desmo Demon on December 08, 2008, 05:34:04 PM
I don't own any heated gear and don't own any of the fancy cold-weather gear like long-johns nor Under Armor......The lowest I've commuted at was 28-degrees.....Back in December of 2001, I rode 500 miles from South Carolina to Daytona Beach. I left the house and it was 29 and the highest it got that day was 54....It was snowing at the Grand Canyon when I went there in 2004. I have no idea how cold it was during any part of that trip to Cali and back. Hindsight tells me I should have scheduled the trip in April or May instead of late March.

So what do you wear?  Sheep skin chaps and a mammoth hide 8)

Quote from: BastrdHK on December 08, 2008, 07:47:04 PM
So what do you wear?  Sheep skin chaps and a mammoth hide 8)

When I commute (26 miles that takesw 35-45 minutes depending on traffic), I wear steel-toed work boots, jeans, a sweatshirt over my shirt, jacket, gauntlet gloves and full-face helmet. On my long-distance trips, I wore the same thing, but when I got tired of the cold, I would put my rain gear on because it works great as a wind-breaker. I actually have not replaced my rain gear since the California ride when the shoulder busted out of the rain jacket.

These days, it is not uncommon for my wife and I to leave the house when it is 30-40 degrees for pleasurable day rides on the weekends. We wear one-piece leathers, though, which are a lot warmed than what I've worn in the past. If I was to do a distance ride in the cold, these days, I'd probably wear my leathers.....these are the same unperforated leathers I wear when it is 105 degrees.   ;)

The coldest day last year was about 25 when I left the house.  I had to stop about 5 minutes from work (20 minutes, half highway, into the commute) because my hands were getting cold enough that I didn't know if I'd be able to operate the clutch/brake much longer.  I just hugged the engine till the tingling/burning sensation stopped.  Gloves are really the only thing I would upgrade if it was cold more often. 

40* is my temperature floor.  Any colder than that, and it just isn't safe (without proper gear).

That being said, I think I got stuck out a few times and it was probably 35* coming home.  Too cold for me, as my fingers go numb fairly quickly.  I'm also one of those skinny suckers that doesn't have much natural body insulation.

Rode when it was about 30 degrees about 30 minutes each way.  Did ok except for my hands.  If I was going to ride w/ it that cold I'd have to get better gloves.  And I learned how cold tires do NOT stick to the rode because when I turned off of my friends street after the bike being parked outside for a few hours and hit the gas a little harder then I should have the rear broke loose and slid around and went down.  Luckily all I did was snap the end off the brake lever, crushed the bar end mirror and bend the bar a little.  Couldn't believe the tank made it w/o a scratch or dent.  Already found a new bar from someone here.

I commute every day on the scoot, many days in the winter are sub freezing. I found that my rain suit makes a big difference, as it stops the cold air from penetrating my warmer inner layers.  I also wear snowboarding gloves over my riding gloves.

Your main enemy is the cold wind (generated by riding,) it draws your body's heat away from you. Wind chill factor at 55mph at 20 degrees is about -15  :o

I also wear a two valve breather mask (from a gas mask) under my helmet, it vents your breath out under your helmet, and keeps your visor from fogging up.

Well, it's starting to look like I'm on the wimpy side of the scale!

I'm not really having problems with my head, body and legs, but my hands (especially the right one for some reason) kill me whenever it gets below 45. I tried with thick liner gloves but it doesn't help much. The only thing that works is putting my hand on the exhaust while stopped at traffic lights... one of these days the glove is going to catch fire!

i rode to work the other day when it was 30 degrees out and still dark, alot of fog as well. Not fun.  it was about a 45 minute commute to work, hit top speed around 55mph. Hands were frozen solid when i got to where i was going.....two words for riding a MC going over 55mph in 30 degree cold fog.....make the beast with two backs THAT.

Temp wise I'll rise in anything. Most weather too, blizzards are out though.... I will ride after one though. Not my Monster though.

Living in Alaska I do a lot of cold weather riding, but my lower limit is 32 F.  Ice on the road is to be expected here any time the temp drops below freezing.  My bikes are all equipped with heated grips and plug-ins for heated clothing.  I also have a closet full of cold weather gear.  I have a friend that has studded tires on his KLR and rides in the winter.  Frankly I'd rather ski when it is cold enough to need studs, but heated: clothing, gloves, socks, and face shield makes it possible to ride in negative temps.   

Just put my bike up for the winter today. It's 55 and raining hard but yesterday it was 23* and windy. I don't think I have enough cloths for that temp but I ride in the mid 30"s. I layer up and wear my powder pants over my jeans. They break the wind really well. I wear the Olympia gortex gloves with large gauntlets and they are hit or miss. Seems once my hands freeze then thaw I'm ok for the afternoon.

This is my first season riding, but I invested well in gear.  WarmnSafe Jacket and gloves, Scorpion mesh jacket with liner, Hot Chilis, jeans, and leather pants.  I've ridden at highway speeds down to 35 degrees with only cold toes.

Any colder, and I fear black ice.  I feel like I'd be comfortable down to 25 or 30, but I'm trying to keep safety ahead of everything else.

It's been in the upper 30's-40's during my a.m. commute here in the SF bay area the last week or so and some days really foggy.  I just hung up my leather A-stars jacket and put on my Frank Thomas textile jacket w/ a full liner.  What a difference in warmth.  Turtlefur neck liner and my Icon jeans over my work jeans and I'm pretty much ready to ride for a long while.  I do need to do something about my paws.  They are pretty frigid after a quick 20 minute commute.  Christmas is coming.... [thumbsup].   

p.s.   Turtlefur neck warmer has been the best $12.99 I've spent in a long time.  Highly suggest one.

Later

I finally broke down after reading many threads on it and bought some Gerbing classic heated gloves.  All I can say is man, what a difference!  It was 22* this AM when I started to ride to work and for the first time, my hands didn't once get cold.  I didn't have them on high either (close though) , as the light was still blinking a little bit on the temp controller.  I have Tourmaster Caliber lined pants, freeze alert balaclava and currently just my Horizon Dainese jacket (which let some cold in) so I'm going to be ordering the heated liner today.  I only have a 10 mile city ride, but with my old gloves and liners, my finger tips were very cold and uncomfortable by the time I got to work.  I can't imagine riding without them now in the cold.  Be safe and enjoy...

I will ride when it is in the mid 30's, anything above freezing. I sport a Widder vest, Rev'it windproof layer on that and a Joe Rocket leather jacket, Rev'it Unix H20 winter gloves (very warm), double thick denim jeans with a Thinsulate layer, lined with flannel. Keeps you toasty.  [thumbsup] The thing I bear in mind is that the tires are not as warm as they should be so i try to be smooth on the brake and throttle.

My problem isn't the cold so much but it's the damn rain.  I live in Vancouver, BC (similar climate to Seattle) and it rains all winter long here.  My morning ride would usually be between 40 and 50F which isn't that cold but it's the rain.

I think I'm going to try riding in my street clothes with a heated vest and a full, one piece rain suit.

Quote from: DoubleEagle on December 07, 2008, 09:24:05 PM
  You will want to check the extra wattage your Duc has .  I can't ride my S4Rs w, Gerbings Pant liner, Jacket liner and Gloves on at the same time.

I can get away with Pant liner and Jacket liner but not Gloves also.

I can go w, Gloves and any one of the other liners but not both.

Now my BMW K1200S wii put out enough extra watts to support all 3 on at the same time.    Dolph    :)

Double Eagle,

What symptoms does your RS exhibit when you have all three items cranked up. I have the jacket liner and the gloves and all seems to be OK. The other day my inner thighs started to get cold after 90 min. or so in the low 30s. It made me think about getting the pant liners.
A couple of times when I had the gloves cranked all the way up and the jacket at about 85% the bike seemed to stumble a bit off idle every once and a while. I wrote this off as a lean condition but maybe the bike was running low on juice.

thanks
Mike

Quote from: Desmo Demon on December 09, 2008, 03:05:25 AM
When I commute (26 miles that takesw 35-45 minutes depending on traffic), I wear steel-toed work boots, jeans, a sweatshirt over my shirt, jacket, gauntlet gloves and full-face helmet. On my long-distance trips, I wore the same thing, but when I got tired of the cold, I would put my rain gear on because it works great as a wind-breaker. I actually have not replaced my rain gear since the California ride when the shoulder busted out of the rain jacket.

These days, it is not uncommon for my wife and I to leave the house when it is 30-40 degrees for pleasurable day rides on the weekends. We wear one-piece leathers, though, which are a lot warmed than what I've worn in the past. If I was to do a distance ride in the cold, these days, I'd probably wear my leathers.....these are the same unperforated leathers I wear when it is 105 degrees.   ;)

I would be a pop sickle!! :P

Quote from: akmnstr on December 10, 2008, 12:09:43 PM
Living in Alaska I do a lot of cold weather riding, but my lower limit is 32 F.  Ice on the road is to be expected here any time the temp drops below freezing.  My bikes are all equipped with heated grips and plug-ins for heated clothing.  I also have a closet full of cold weather gear.  I have a friend that has studded tires on his KLR and rides in the winter.  Frankly I'd rather ski when it is cold enough to need studs, but heated: clothing, gloves, socks, and face shield makes it possible to ride in negative temps.   

They have such a thing as a heated face shield ???

I just remembered, anyone reading tis who isn't used to riding in the cold but is thinking about it... beware of cold tires and the lack of traction, track day, knee down, pour on the throttle corners are not recomendded.  :P

Quote from: WannaDucBad on December 12, 2008, 09:06:43 PM
I just remembered, anyone reading tis who isn't used to riding in the cold but is thinking about it... beware of cold tires and the lack of traction, track day, knee down, pour on the throttle corners are not recomendded.  :P

+11ty billion

Quote from: WannaDucBad on December 12, 2008, 09:06:43 PM
I just remembered, anyone reading tis who isn't used to riding in the cold but is thinking about it... beware of cold tires and the lack of traction, track day, knee down, pour on the throttle corners are not recomendded.  :P

Let me add that if you do want to ride spirited, take your time and let your tires warm up. My wife and I rode 400 miles between Saturday and Sunday with temps int eh 30's and 40's. The tires slid every once in a while until them warmed up, but I did drag a knee a few times. I thought it was kinda cool that when we stopped, I could actually warm my hands up a little off of the warmth of the tires.

Quote from: extra330 on December 12, 2008, 04:42:15 PM
They have such a thing as a heated face shield ???

Yes, they are intended for use with snowmachines but there is no law you can't use then on Motorcycles.  Here is one on ebay.
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/HJC-CL-14-CLMax-HJ-07-Snowmobile-Helmet-Shield-Electric_W0QQcmdZViewItemQQhashZitem110300960319QQitemZ110300960319 (http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/HJC-CL-14-CLMax-HJ-07-Snowmobile-Helmet-Shield-Electric_W0QQcmdZViewItemQQhashZitem110300960319QQitemZ110300960319)

i ride through dam near anything.

the only thing that stops me is freezing rain. i have yet to find a tire that works well on ice and i'm not going to stud up tires when i will only need them once or twice a year. i'll just work from home.

i do enjoy riding through the snow though.

heated gear is a lifesaver. i have found that at temps below 20degrees it's not so much a question of how warm you are, because you will be cold. it's mroe a question of how comfy you feel. i have yet to feel the need to get the pant liners. just get wind/waterproof pants, and good thermals. the heated socks are really nice though.


i have found that on the XR, i can run all the heated gear at full tilt, but the battery does in fact die. i have to put it on the charger each night to make sure it's all good. i have had the same yuasa battery for the past 3 years doing this and havne't had a problem with it yet.

also to help with the start-up on cold days you can get an oil heater that you can put on the outside of your engine and take it off before you head out.

Back a long, long time ago even when I had a car I didn't drive a car no matter how cold it got.  I a very hot blooded person and found I could stand anything except for the HANDS.  No gloves, even the best/most expensive don't work. It's a surface area thing.

Then one day I was in the Honda shop and found a pair of Honda-line gauntlet mittens. They were fairly thin and very supple leather and very flexible. Not two finger mittens either - they don't work.  All the fingers have to stay together.  It was phenomenal!  My hands were very comfortable at low 20's at speed even for long periods of time.

What I was surprised at was how dexterity wasn't compromised like I though it would be.  Even two finger braking.

I know this is counter intuitive, but it was the E-ticket. 

Of course the hideous hippo hands do the same, but the only ones I tried tended to actuate the clutch and brake all by themselves at something over 100 mph.  The ones I tried didn't have the internal frame.

LA

I just got home from work, I rode today. According to the weather channel it's 38 I've been in colder, but I did it tonight on purpose, "it helps cut a toughness groove in you brain".  [thumbsup] It did remind me though in addition to cold tires all your fluids will be cold and need warm up time.... this includes shock oil. Expect your bike to ride a little stiff, and beware of handling differences.

As cold as it gets. Really have no choice in the matter. The only means I have of getting to work are Duc, bicycle, or walk. So, it's either a 10 min moto ride, 20 min bicycle ride, or 40 minute walk. Same cold, just how long I"m willing to put up with it. I do have lots of cold weather gear and haven't had a problem on the really cold days.

Quote from: slowpoke13 on December 21, 2008, 04:23:51 PMSo, it's either a 10 min moto ride, 20 min bicycle ride, or 40 minute walk. Same cold, just how long I"m willing to put up with it.

Wind chill does make it colder, you know. ;)

yeah. But, I walk along the bay. It's windy as all hell in the winter anyway. I walked and rode a bicycle to work all last winter (even rode the bicycle in the snow). It's all the same. By the time I get to work, I'm cold and sweating no matter how I get there. And, the Duc is just soo much more fun. I can't even go that fast. Max speed on the road to work is ~30mph.

Quote from: slowpoke13 on December 21, 2008, 04:31:10 PM
yeah. But, I walk along the bay. It's windy as all hell in the winter anyway. I walked and rode a bicycle to work all last winter (even rode the bicycle in the snow). It's all the same. By the time I get to work, I'm cold and sweating no matter how I get there. And, the Duc is just soo much more fun. I can't even go that fast. Max speed on the road to work is ~30mph.

sake makes you feel warmer, Poke.