Who's still riding? (Fall 2017 / Winter 2018 edition)

Read the MSDS on ACF-50 that stuff is solvent naphtha & Hydrotreated neutral oil
:lol: you'll put a thin layer of naphtha and petroleum based oil on your painted and bare metal motorcycle parts, but not a thin layer of tung oil that hardens like paint :rolleyes: You might as well just wipe it down with machine oil twice a week.

"We have found tung oil to be a valuable helper in the workshop. It adheres very well to metal, and a light coat rubbed onto tool steel is an effective rust inhibitor."
Reference:
http://www.leevalley.com/en/shopping/instructions.aspx?p=44433
 
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Wish that were the case for me. Starting work at 630 am means the season is pretty much over.

Why? What happens with a 6:30am start of work to kill your season?

..Tom
 
It may say high of 11 for the day, but it's still 1 degree at 5:45. Tires don't like it.

unless you are actively trying to drag your knees on your way to work, there is more than enough traction


I dont ride at those temps because I don't enjoy it, but its got nothing to do with the equipment
 
Well got suckered today - was expecting warmer than 1 :(

Squirmy front turned out to be slick road from misty rain :rolleyes:
 
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unless you are actively trying to drag your knees on your way to work, there is more than enough traction


I dont ride at those temps because I don't enjoy it, but its got nothing to do with the equipment
Stopping distance is also a factor. Plus yes, I don't enjoy the cold. 6 degree's is my cut off.
 
Stopping distance is also a factor. Plus yes, I don't enjoy the cold. 6 degree's is my cut off.

6 above or below?
At -22C soft compound tires crack like porcelain, so my cutoff is ~-17C :D
 
unless you are actively trying to drag your knees on your way to work, there is more than enough traction


...but its got nothing to do with the equipment
Um, wrong. Motorcycle tires get pretty hard below 5C. Even if your're not knee dragging, there's a good chance you'll still have to do a hard stop -- from 80KMH that takes at between 8 and 15m extra (1-2 car lengths). You also have to deal with things like "squirmy front turned out to be slick road from misty rain" road conditions that no equipment is geared to handle.

You can take a few precautions to make cold weather riding safer -- make your riding style more defensive and conservative, get adv style tires that stay softer and bite a little better into loose surfaces.
 
Um, wrong. Motorcycle tires get pretty hard below 5C. Even if your're not knee dragging, there's a good chance you'll still have to do a hard stop -- from 80KMH that takes at between 8 and 15m extra (1-2 car lengths). You also have to deal with things like "squirmy front turned out to be slick road from misty rain" road conditions that no equipment is geared to handle.

You can take a few precautions to make cold weather riding safer -- make your riding style more defensive and conservative, get adv style tires that stay softer and bite a little better into loose surfaces.

Um, adjust your riding to the weather conditions

I didn't say you are going to get grip levels like you would on a +30c day, RP4's will grip well all the way down to 0c (per Michellins literature), and wet roads + handfull of front brake could cause the front end to squirm at ANY TEMPERATURE.

Adventure tires are for riding on and off road, NOT cold weather, they offer a smaller contact patch and will therefore give you less grip, if you are riding around the city any modern sport touring tire is more that enough.
 
Um, adjust your riding to the weather conditions

This.

Still amazed some think riding in the cold is tantamount to riding on an ice rink with racing slicks.
 
This.

Still amazed some think riding in the cold is tantamount to riding on an ice rink with racing slicks.

This.

Until today I've had my FZ set to the most invasive traction control setting and I've been riding into work often at or below 0. It detects slippage sometimes when I get aggressive with the throttle and even still it's not often.
 
I would wager, even with slippage your likely ok, long as the bike is upright and your not trying to be rossi, a little slippage aint nothing to panic over, TC or no TC(offroad its something to be enjoyed even)
 
Um, adjust your riding to the weather conditions

I didn't say you are going to get grip levels like you would on a +30c day, RP4's will grip well all the way down to 0c (per Michellins literature), and wet roads + handfull of front brake could cause the front end to squirm at ANY TEMPERATURE.

Adventure tires are for riding on and off road, NOT cold weather, they offer a smaller contact patch and will therefore give you less grip, if you are riding around the city any modern sport touring tire is more that enough.
Michelin RP4s don't grip worth a damn at 0C. Got them on my FJR, when they are cold they slide on painted pavement lines - even a gentle pull across the wide white at a stop sign invites wheel spin.

Adv & MX tires provide some of the same benefits that you get by running snows on your car and MX tires on your dirtbike. You want a a smaller contact patch to cut through debris and increases ground pressure. Sipes and larger aspect ratio helps absorb and clear debris on slippy/dirty surfaces.

Last year I tossed some cheapie adv tires on a Ninja 250 for the winter, ran them at 18PSI (Duros or Kendas -- can't remember but they were about $100 from fortn...). Traction was fantastic compared with the OE street tires.

Adv and MX tires also use softer compounds, perform better at reduced PSI, and heat faster street tires -- all contributing to safer handling.
 
when they are cold they slide on painted pavement lines - even a gentle pull across the wide white at a stop sign invites wheel spin.

Happens in the summer too after fresh rain.

Again, adjust riding style to conditions.
 
These all seem like problems a smooth throttle hand can negate

Ofcourse that cant change the laws of physics, and if the weather is extremely cold and the road is wet i will likely take the car
 
Smooth throttle does not help on a painted line turn ....front washes out...I don't like painted sections even in the summer.

Weather is rarely extremely cold with a wet road .....it's either dry and cold or near freezing and wet.

Dry cold like today - tho certainly not in anyway extreme...is nice riding ...unlike the the mist the otherday that was disconcerting.
 
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well I learned something new today, smaller contact patch = better traction .......cool
 
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