Freezing temperatures suggestions?

motodolphin · Dec 2, 2013

Winter temperatures are arriving Tuesday night. Will be below freezing at night and early morning (I can hear some of you snickering about what "real" winter temperatures are ;-)).

Any suggestions for what to do at night, while commuting to work in the morning (35 miles, freeway) or anything else?

I park in a garage that is well-ventilated, but thankfully my parking spot is not next to the open air so while it will get cold in the garage it won't be freezing, frost won't form, and when it rains my bike won't get wet (unlike another guy's spot where he put up a tarp to block the elements). Even so I'm getting an all-weather cover for the bike (the really good Dowco one).

For riding I'm getting glove liners, boot liners, and a balaclava. I already have cold-weather gloves and pants with a removable thermal liner that may be getting re-attached. I'll invest in heated grips soon, but not before Tuesday.

Anything else I should consider?

Thanks!

motodolphin · Dec 2, 2013

I should add while I don't have a cold-weather-specific jacket I can dress in enough layers underneath the jacket I always wear while riding and still have freedom of movement.

byte2022 · Dec 2, 2013

motodolphin said:
I should add while I don't have a cold-weather-specific jacket I can dress in enough layers underneath the jacket I always wear while riding and still have freedom of movement.

how cold does it get where u are and how humid is it there?

jkv45 · Dec 2, 2013

Heated gloves are supposed to be the best, but heated grips should help. Something like HippoHands or covers over the grips do help also. Too big/thick gloves may cause problems operating the controls.

If you find you are getting cold overall, a heated vest sounds like a good solution.

In cold weather you may need to make adjustments to your mixture to get it to run well. Cold air makes a carbed bike run lean. Gas with Ethanol makes it lean also.

Run a synthetic 5W-40 oil like Rotella T6, and keep your tank as full as possible.

L1felock · Dec 2, 2013

hands, feet, and face are your main concern... unless it's below 15 or something, i wouldn't be too concerned about anything else. Just dress in layers.. i'm pretty comfy with just a simple hoodie underneath my jacket (without even the liner in) and PJ's underneath my jeans when the weather is in the 30's

just vacuum seal the places where air can get in and you'll be good to go

motodolphin · Dec 2, 2013

byte2022 said:
how cold does it get where u are and how humid is it there?

It doesn't usually get humid when it's really cold. For this week, at least, it's 0%. It will be right at 32 degrees F during morning commute, but I know wind chill will make it feel like it's in the 20s.

motodolphin · Dec 2, 2013

jkv45 said:
Heated gloves are supposed to be the best, but heated grips should help. Something like HippoHands or covers over the grips do help also. Too big/thick gloves may cause problems operating the controls.

If you find you are getting cold overall, a heated vest sounds like a good solution.

In cold weather you may need to make adjustments to your mixture to get it to run well. Cold air makes a carbed bike run lean. Gas with Ethanol makes it lean also.

Run a synthetic 5W-40 oil like Rotella T6, and keep your tank as full as possible.

What do you mean by "makes a carbed bike run lean?"

motodolphin · Dec 2, 2013

L1felock said:
hands, feet, and face are your main concern... unless it's below 15 or something, i wouldn't be too concerned about anything else. Just dress in layers.. i'm pretty comfy with just a simple hoodie underneath my jacket (without even the liner in) and PJ's underneath my jeans when the weather is in the 30's

just vacuum seal the places where air can get in and you'll be good to go

Great thanks! I was thinking of starting with a hoodie and adding layers from there if needed for the upper body.

byte2022 · Dec 2, 2013

motodolphin said:
What do you mean by "makes a carbed bike run lean?"

the air temp is colder. Therefore can pack more densely into the motor thus changing the air fuel ratio. This is why the new fuel injected bikes have compensation ratios to keep the bike at the correct factory air fuel ratio. This is also why the power commander auto tune does so well. Once a bike is tuned on a Dyno the auto can keep the map correct regardless of temperature and humidity. Most people notice the bike runs better in colder weather than in hot idle temp for my r6 was 64. And my zx10 is 61. Carb bikes don't however have the compensation but can be corrected with a very very very slight richen ing of the a/f but this is not required because the carbs are set at a safe mid point for air fuel from factory. For this very reason. Hope that explained a lil more to you than just a simple answer

motodolphin · Dec 3, 2013

byte2022 said:
the air temp is colder. Therefore can pack more densely into the motor thus changing the air fuel ratio. This is why the new fuel injected bikes have compensation ratios to keep the bike at the correct factory air fuel ratio. This is also why the power commander auto tune does so well. Once a bike is tuned on a Dyno the auto can keep the map correct regardless of temperature and humidity. Most people notice the bike runs better in colder weather than in hot idle temp for my r6 was 64. And my zx10 is 61. Carb bikes don't however have the compensation but can be corrected with a very very very slight richen ing of the a/f but this is not required because the carbs are set at a safe mid point for air fuel from factory. For this very reason. Hope that explained a lil more to you than just a simple answer

I appreciate the full explanation. Still don't know everything you said e.g. Dyno) but I get the general idea.

earlthepearl · Dec 3, 2013

Below 32...Park it...Black ice......:facepalm:

jkv45 · Dec 3, 2013

motodolphin said:
What do you mean by "makes a carbed bike run lean?"

byte pretty much has it covered, but basically your air/fuel ratio in a carb is set by jet size or adjustments. Cold air is more dense than warm air, and alters the ration toward lean. Cold air will make more power than warm air - but you need to increase the fuel amount to get back to the proper ratio to do it.

Fuel injection compensates with a sensor that reads the intake temp and adjusts the ratio via a map or closed-loop system.

Winter gas also meters differently than summer gas, and contains less energy - so your mileage will drop. Winter gas vaporizes easier, and helps get it started with cold air.

Ethanol displaces gas, and needs a higher ratio of fuel to air, so mixing it in with gas will make you run lean - and get worse mileage too. Since we are on the subject of gas - use the lowest octane that doesn't detonate for the the best power and mileage. Higher levels of octane ("Premium") than are required to just barely hold off detonation have no benefit and reduce power.

Because of the cold temps and leaner mixtures it's sometimes necessary to increase the octane in winter to avoid detonation. When it warms up go back to the lower grade.

A 5W synthetic oil moves easier when cold (that a 10W), and increases cranking speed and fuel mileage due to less internal drag - it also reduces engine wear on start-up - and can be used year-round.

byte2022 · Dec 3, 2013

jkv45 said:
byte pretty much has it covered, but basically your air/fuel ratio in a carb is set by jet size or adjustments. Cold air is more dense than warm air, and alters the ration toward lean. Cold air will make more power than warm air - but you need to increase the fuel amount to get back to the proper ratio to do it. Fuel injection compensates with a sensor that reads the intake temp and adjusts the ratio via a map or closed-loop system. Winter gas also meters differently than summer gas, and contains less energy - so your mileage will drop. Winter gas vaporizes easier, and helps get it started with cold air. Ethanol displaces gas, and needs a higher ratio of fuel to air, so mixing it in with gas will make you run lean - and get worse mileage too. Since we are on the subject of gas - use the lowest octane that doesn't detonate for the the best power and mileage. Higher levels of octane ("Premium") than are required to just barely hold off detonation have no benefit and reduce power. Because of the cold temps and leaner mixtures it's sometimes necessary to increase the octane in winter to avoid detonation. When it warms up go back to the lower grade. A 5W synthetic oil moves easier when cold (that a 10W), and increases cranking speed and fuel mileage due to less internal drag - it also reduces engine wear on start-up - and can be used year-round.

pretty much got in detail where I tried to avoid however. Fuel octane is not something to go below the recommended octane as I have seen it a few times when I was working at the Yamaha/Kawasaki dealership on the race bikes. If a bike says 91. Then get 91. If it doesn't say then regular is ok. This is important because like jkv said it changes detonation. Problem with it being below is it causes overtime holes to develop in the top of the piston from improper detonation points. Also. Not every state has winterized gas. Try to ethanol free gas as much as possible no matter what the octane. And yes changing oil in the winter is a good idea. But stay away from 0w oil. It's too thin and your doing more harm than good. But everything else is good info

motodolphin · Dec 4, 2013

byte2022 said:
pretty much got in detail where I tried to avoid however. Fuel octane is not something to go below the recommended octane as I have seen it a few times when I was working at the Yamaha/Kawasaki dealership on the race bikes. If a bike says 91. Then get 91. If it doesn't say then regular is ok. This is important because like jkv said it changes detonation. Problem with it being below is it causes overtime holes to develop in the top of the piston from improper detonation points. Also. Not every state has winterized gas. Try to ethanol free gas as much as possible no matter what the octane. And yes changing oil in the winter is a good idea. But stay away from 0w oil. It's too thin and your doing more harm than good. But everything else is good info

Here on the deep blue left coast it's dry difficult to find ethanol-free gas. Thanks for the tips though!

motodolphin · Dec 5, 2013

Yesterday was tolerable enough for everything except the hands. Today it was about 10 degrees colder (sub-freezing without wind chill, even worse at freeway speed!). The thermal liner for my pants was added today and worked, but a couple fingers on each hand went numb (pinky and ring, with the thumbs beginning to by the time I got to work). Heats grips should be arriving tomorrow so I'll put those on this weekend.

earlthepearl · Dec 6, 2013

Tonite izzaaa gunna snow.....
I hate winter!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1

motodolphin · Dec 6, 2013

earlthepearl said:
Tonite izzaaa gunna snow.....
I hate winter!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1

I would like it to snow. For a day. Glad I don't have to worry about shoveling it and seeing it for days. Don't worry though, Spring will be here soon enough.

byte2022 · Dec 7, 2013

motodolphin said:
Yesterday was tolerable enough for everything except the hands. Today it was about 10 degrees colder (sub-freezing without wind chill, even worse at freeway speed!). The thermal liner for my pants was added today and worked, but a couple fingers on each hand went numb (pinky and ring, with the thumbs beginning to by the time I got to work). Heats grips should be arriving tomorrow so I'll put those on this weekend.

. While you ride. Alternate hands to the motor to get them back warm. I do this a lot. It works great

motodolphin · Dec 7, 2013

byte2022 said:
. While you ride. Alternate hands to the motor to get them back warm. I do this a lot. It works great

That's clever.

earlthepearl · Dec 8, 2013

chic with big titties n let her drive....LOL