Is riding on the highway at 5 C a dumb idea?

C

CriticalCore

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Current Forecast for Saturday is 11 fkn degrees, Oh I'am doing it if it stays that way.

Next Saturday we're supposed to have some 5+ weather, I'm considering going to pick up my Ninja from the dealership, I would have to ride back home on the highway for about 30 minutes. Am I gonna die from hypothermia, will my cold tires slip and drop me at 100km+ :(

Idk, I've really been itching to get on since we had 10+ degrees last week.
 
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You'll be fine. It will feel colder when you are moving at that speed, so just make sure you layer up. If you haven't been on the bike all winter, then take it easy.
For about 15 years I rode every winter in temps well below zero. Just take it east and be smooth.
 
You will survive. You'll need serious gloves or wind breakers to not have to stop for the full 30 minutes. But if you split it up in to a few stops, it'll be easier.

Regarding tires, drop the pressure a bit. Will help keep a little heat in them but when the pavement is that temp, they won't be confidence inspiring.

I used to take my bike to work in the winter at minus 5 and was about a 22 minute ride with 10 mins on the highway. Bike had bias-ply tires too.

Wash that salt off as soon as you can. It'll make your headers look like it has cancer.
 
Dress warm, and don't over think it. The street/weather debris on the way to the highway and potholes may be a larger concern than the temps, but if you are a nearly beginner rider, take it easy, and take the sideroads for a bit if necessary to get comfier.
Or just blitz the 30 mins home, your call. Not many turns on the highway other than the ramps so you should be fine.
Don't over think, your tires are still cold and hard most likely.

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CriticalCore said:
Next Saturday we're supposed to have some 5+ weather, I'm considering going to pick up my Ninja from the dealership, I would have to ride back home on the highway for about 30 minutes. Am I gonna die from hypothermia, will my cold tires slip and drop me at 100km+ :(

Idk, I've really been itching to get on since we had 10+ degrees last week.
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If you're a new rider and bought a new Ninja 300, you might be wise to ask the dealer to deliver it for you or work the delivery into your purchase price. That way you can familiarize yourself with the bike in your neighbourhood / parking lots / side streets etc. New rider on highway with new bike on brand new tires in the cold equals disaster.

If this is a not a new bike / new rider situation, pretend you're going snowmobiling and subtract the bulk from your clothing so that you can shift / brake. Surgical gloves under your motorcycle gloves will help your hands which will be the majority of your problem in 5 degree weather. At 120 kph, 5 degrees becomes ~ - 20 degrees. Not fun on a bike with no hand / wind protection.

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Like the others have said.Good advice.Your neck and hands will get cold first.A pair of latex gloves under your leather gloves helps a bit and is cheap.Ask the server at timmies for a pair with a smile and they are free.Put a newspaper on your chest under your jacket.Instant thermal barrier.
 
CriticalCore said:
Next Saturday we're supposed to have some 5+ weather, I'm considering going to pick up my Ninja from the dealership, I would have to ride back home on the highway for about 30 minutes. Am I gonna die from hypothermia, will my cold tires slip and drop me at 100km+

Idk, I've really been itching to get on since we had 10+ degrees last week.
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Don’t lean too much at turns/curves and don’t accelerate/brake too hard with hard rubber and dress warm. Don’t worry about anything else. I have ridden at 6-8 C may times.


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Layer up. Thermal underwear ("longjohns") + jeans + overpants. Thermal undershirt + T + hoodie + riding jacket. Get a dickie or neck tube to keep heat in your neck and help prevent cold air from scootching up under the helmet at speed. Close all the vents on your helmet. Unless you've got a pinlock visor you might get fogging inside the visor so be prepared to open it up a crack to ventilate and clear it.

Your feet will likely be okay with proper riding boots for 1/2-hour. Your hands are going to be the weak spot, specifically the fingers. I've found that mitts or thick snowmobiling gloves don't work well on motorcycles and at speed heat is really sucked out of gloves. Wind protectors on the bars would help but may not be practical on your ride. Taking a break -- pulling off into a gas station or onto a surface street and warming your hands and gloves on the engine case is probably your best bet. You might find that riding back from the dealer on lesser-traveled roads (in the city or on back roads) might be more comfortable, away from heat-robbing wind blast.

In addition to cold tires, potholes and broken pavement, salt, sand etc, keep in mind that other motorists aren't going to be expecting to see bikes this early and when it's cold out. You have to assume this all the time anyway but be extra vigilant for errant lane-changers and left-turners etc.
 
MLadin said:
If you're a new rider and bought a new Ninja 300, you might be wise to ask the dealer to deliver it for you or work the delivery into your purchase price. That way you can familiarize yourself with the bike in your neighbourhood / parking lots / side streets etc. New rider on highway with new bike on brand new tires in the cold equals disaster.

If this is a not a new bike / new rider situation, pretend you're going snowmobiling and subtract the bulk from your clothing so that you can shift / brake. Surgical gloves under your motorcycle gloves will help your hands which will be the majority of your problem in 5 degree weather. At 120 kph, 5 degrees becomes ~ - 20 degrees. Not fun on a bike with no hand / wind protection.

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I had ridden a rental last October for a longer stretch of Highway, the weather was a lot warmer though. Surgical gloves sound like a good idea, I got a balaclava off amazon for a few bucks to help with head warmth, only worried about my hands at this point, and road salt which hopefully gets washed away otherwise I may postpone it :/
 
I would personally advise against it, just because I think it's a bad way to get started with a new bike.

Or 30 minutes on the highway means you could do it in 60 or less on surface roads. Either way, make sure it's actually 5 out i.e. I have ice on my driveway right now, so there could just as well be the odd ice patch on the roads somewhere
 
If the dealership is not forcing you to pick it up, wait until the weather and the roads get better. You don’t want to start off your riding “career” by wrecking your first bike on the ride home from the dealer.
There will be lots of good days to ride. Be patient.
If the dealer wants it gone, then have it delivered. My first bike was delivered many many years ago in March (Bradford to Mississauga) and looking back, it was not a bad option.
 
Bundling up like the Michelin man, and riding in cold weather, in traffic that isn't yet familiar with bikes being back, is not a good way to introduce yourself to a brand new bike, that you've never ridden, and haven't had time to go over mechanically, to see if its in good working order.

If you really have the bug, then get a hitch and some good tie downs, rent a trailer from U haul and tow it to an empty parking lot, where you can check the bike out.
 
Robbo said:
If the dealership is not forcing you to pick it up, wait until the weather and the roads get better. You don’t want to start off your riding “career” by wrecking your first bike on the ride home from the dealer.
There will be lots of good days to ride. Be patient.
If the dealer wants it gone, then have it delivered. My first bike was delivered many many years ago in March (Bradford to Mississauga) and looking back, it was not a bad option.
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Probably the best idea.
 
Owen said:
Probably the best idea.
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+1

I've done 1500 km on a rainy day at 5C without heated gear. Was it comfortable? No. Would I recommend someone pick up their new bike in that weather? No. That being said, on the way home from picking up the Ape, I got caught in a huge snowstorm. It took me 45 minutes to make it the last km as it was so damned slippery. No major harm done, lesson learned, that bike sucks in the snow.
 
Sigh looks like I'll probably have to put it off for another week or 2 then.:(

Goddam lol. Gonna keep checking the weather for double digits or 9 , might cave if one of those happen.
 
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CriticalCore said:
I had ridden a rental last October for a longer stretch of Highway, the weather was a lot warmer though. Surgical gloves sound like a good idea, I got a balaclava off amazon for a few bucks to help with head warmth, only worried about my hands at this point, and road salt which hopefully gets washed away otherwise I may postpone it :/
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New rider, new bike, new tires... old (but effective) video. Don't become famous for the wrong reasons:

https://youtu.be/Q9zNUPDmnz4
And that's in a warm climate!
 
CriticalCore said:
Sigh looks like I'll probably have to put it off for another week or 2 then.:(

Goddam lol. Gonna keep checking the weather for double digits or 9 , might cave if one of those happen.
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Be smart about it.
You want to enjoy the entire season, not just day one.
We are all waiting for the weather to turn over.
 
Where are all the men? How would anyone in Canada that lives outside the GTA answer OP's question?

+5 is fine, wear a proper gear and you'll be fine. Your tires won't be warm enough to carve twisties, they will be fine at recommended speeds if the sun has been out a few hours.

If you ride with common sense, go get her! ( if it was my new bike was waiting, i'd go get her barenuckled in a tee shirt!)
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