Winter Riding

[Ttaskmaster]

Scottoiler seems a bit excessive.

Another question..... how do you know when your chain and sprocket needs replaced?

Scottoiler is good for consistent, even lube of the chain.

Chain..... errr, I always replaced mine either when the chain adjusters reach their limit marks, and/or when I replaced the sprockets.

Sprockets - Look at the teeth. If they have a notably hooked appearance, then they are knackered.

Sure your not a salesman for Autosol??

Very sure. I hate polishing chrome.

Kinda odd for a Cruiser owner, I know....

In winter theres loads of salt on the road and it causes the brake disks to rust so coat them with an ample coating of grease this will create a good barrier against the elements.

Oh my fecky-me, NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!

It'll send you sliding into the road barrier, maybe.......

I've not known anyone get a rusty brake disc.

However, you can get proper brake disc cleaners, like my favoured Muc Off one.

[Squish]

If your brakes are rusting then your not using the Bike enough. You may get a little surfice rust but braking will slowly ware this off. When I picked up my project bike the front two discs were coated in rust. Twice around a car park and nice and Shiny again.

[kevin10529]

If your brakes are rusting then your not using the Bike enough. You may get a little surfice rust but braking will slowly ware this off. When I picked up my project bike the front two discs were coated in rust. Twice around a car park and nice and Shiny again.

Its not the face of the discs itd the edges of the rim if you like.

MAT4.....Think i'll pass on putting grease on my breaks thanks!!!! Sounds nuts!!

Got my some stuff off ebay today...... fastest postage ever. Check out my tube http://dogyew521.blogspot.com/

Got it off thid guy http://shop.ebay.co.uk/merchant/healyauto0...QQ_fromZQQ_mdoZ

Put the order in y/day around 2 and it arrived today.... that is rapid for ebay.

I'll get some photos of the rust b4 and after i use Autosol and they might give me a job!!!!!!!

[chrisw]

I ride my 04 r6 through winter and always use ACF-50 (quite a wierd product, if you've used it you'll know what I mean)

Yesterday it clicked over 50,000 miles and another biker who I was talking too couldn't beleive it was in such good condition considering the milage.

Best thing though is if your bike's got fairings take them off and give a good spraying of ACF-50 to everywhere you otherwise can't get to. Beware though you will get it on some parts that when they get hot you get a strange smell for a while. Spray all the wiring connector as well, but do not spray the brakes/disk/tyres.

Fit some heated grips as well, they make winter riding far more comfortable, if you can afford it buy some good heated gloves that warm the whole hand not just the palm (don't buy the crap that sells on ebay for around £20.00 though, they're useless on a bike). Heated gillets ae always an option, I wouldn't be doing with out mine on the really chilly/icey mornings and yes when it snows as well (not that often).

[Gas up - Let's Go!]

Fit some heated grips as well, they make winter riding far more comfortable, if you can afford it buy some good heated gloves that warm the whole hand not just the palm (don't buy the crap that sells on ebay for around £20.00 though, they're useless on a bike). Heated gillets ae always an option, I wouldn't be doing with out mine on the really chilly/icey mornings and yes when it snows as well (not that often).

Sound advice, if it's 3c in the air, by the time you've done 30 miles it'll fel like -30c.

I work in Newcastle, live in Carlisle and ride all year round. Oxford heated Grips are the best you can get, forget any other make, you're wasting your cash, £50ish of Ebay, if you get the '08 model you just connect direct to your battery. EXO2 do a wonderfull heated glove and body warmer but they are expensive. I have both of these and they do keep you toastie warm. If this is out of your price range, dress in thin layers - forget thick fleeces and jumpers etc, better to put two very thin tops on rather than one thick one. Same goes for socks, and if you can bear it a pait of base layer long johns (or an old pair of tights - believe me they are very warm under your pants!), oh and get a pair of (silk if you can afford it) inner gloves, Hein Gericke in Carlisle have them. You might want to consider some hand guards, if your bike will suit them, help to keep the wet away from your gloves, and the wind blast

Make sure your lid is prepaired right. A Fog City insert will let you keep the visor shut and it won't mist up.

Gloves, get a pair with a 'wiper' fitted, and make sure they are loose around the fingers. This old cruiser guy (probably dead now) told me to use a pair of gloves a size too big, so that you could a small marble in each finger hold will your hand was in there. Stupid bugger I though, but the air space really helps to keep the cold at bay.

The 'wiper'; the fine spray that the cars lift up through the winter is salty (obviously!) and this is a bugger to get off your visor, so a glove with a rubber wiper is a good investment.

ACF50 - this is the single best thing to protect your bike. ScotOiler do a one too, don't bother with it - it's crap, it leaves a dirty puddle under your bike and needs to be applied daily. ACF50 is what they use of aircraft to stop them corroding. just keep putting it on, your bike will look crap, but a quick spray with Parafine in the Spring and some MuchOff wil have it looking like new.

Riding, you'll get used to it! Look out for the grit that settles in the middle of the road if you ae using that part of the road, and remember that a salted road is a greasy one, worse still after a bit of light rain.

Chain lube, two schools of though here, dry and wet. Dry lube needs the chain to warm up to work well, not a problem on bigger bikes, but I think your on a smaller bike, is that right? you might be better with a wet lube and make sure you clean and re-apply as often as you can. The salt gets into the grease and acks like a sort of grinding paste on your chain. The ScotOiler is a sound investment, I've just clocked up 9000 miles on my first chain and sprocket, still not needed to adjust my chain and it's got another 10, 000 miles in it easy. They are not hard to maintain, just use the right oil and set the flow rate at 1 per 30 seconds, a squirt of chain cleaner every 500-700 miles and that's about it. The constant flow of oil washes the salt deposits away.

There is one realy advantage to riding the winter, come spring when the others are wonering if it;s warm enough to go out for a ride, you will already be out there. Your riding will have improved beyond recognition and you are better placed to avoid the sad Spring statistics.

enjoy the cold, can't call yourself a biker unless you ride all year round......

[Ttaskmaster]

if you get the '08 model you just connect direct to your battery.

Only thing I'd say is - Connect Heated Grips via a 5-pin Relay or via your Switched Live, NOT directly to the battery.

This way, they will only function with the ignition on and you CANNOT accidentally leave the bike with the grips still running.

So many people think they'll remember to switch them off when they turn the ignition off..... About half of them end up stranded somewhere late at night, in the freezing cold, with a dead battery.....

OK, second thing I'll add is that I reckon every biker should spend at least one winter riding with a stock bike. Endure the really, really, really fecking cold weather, experience the fear of every possible slippery corner, discover the foggy visor....

Then, and only then, will you have earned your heated clothing and other such Old Man On A BMW comforts

[druid]

These are definitely worth using during winter. Had them fitted to my deauville I had for commuting. Along with heated grips I ended up wearing my summer gloves.

http://www.oxprod.com/index.php?pg=3&a...;pid=177&p=

I'd also recommend wiring heated grips to the ignition cos you will forget to turn them off if it's an on/off switch.

[Gas up - Let's Go!]

Only thing I'd say is - Connect Heated Grips via a 5-pin Relay or via your Switched Live, NOT directly to the battery.

This way, they will only function with the ignition on and you CANNOT accidentally leave the bike with the grips still running.

So many people think they'll remember to switch them off when they turn the ignition off..... About half of them end up stranded somewhere late at night, in the freezing cold, with a dead battery.....

Very prudent, and it is what I do as a matter of course with all my bikes - mainly due to the aux power take off, GPS etc.

However, these new grips switch off with the bike, must have some sort of monitoring trickery in them, they also switch off if there isn't enough UUmph going to the battey. For those who don't fully understand how to wire up an auxilary circuit it's a fairly safe bet to follow the manufacturers instructions (in fact Oxford recommend direct connection, over a relay)

Curious - Why a 5 pin relay? What's wrong with 4??

[Ttaskmaster]

However, these new grips switch off with the bike, must have some sort of monitoring trickery in them, they also switch off if there isn't enough UUmph going to the battey.

I'm an untrusting bugger, though

Curious - Why a 5 pin relay? What's wrong with 4??

Nothing's wrong with a 4-pin, as such....

However, with a 5-pin, you can install a socket to plug in an Optimate and park the bike connected to that each night, without having to feck around taking covers off and using croc clips etc. Just plug in and head inside.

I also can't remember which is SPDT and which isn't

It means you can add in GPS, Autocom, CB radio or whatever other gadgets you have!!

[chrisw]

Only thing I'd say is - Connect Heated Grips via a 5-pin Relay or via your Switched Live, NOT directly to the battery.

This way, they will only function with the ignition on and you CANNOT accidentally leave the bike with the grips still running.

So many people think they'll remember to switch them off when they turn the ignition off..... About half of them end up stranded somewhere late at night, in the freezing cold, with a dead battery.....

With the latest Oxford grips you can connect them to your battery without worrying about leaving them on. I never switch mine off manually. The digital controller recognises the ignition is switched off from the drop in voltage and switches the grips off automatically as well, so you can never leave them on accidentally and drain the battery.

[John man and his 'Cat]

Evening Ladies and Gentlemen,

I'm new here so I'll introduce myself as John, after all that's my name.

I've been riding for just over a year and rode all through last winter on my CBR125 and just upgraded to a Thundercat.

There is this wonderful stigmatism that comes with winter riding that it's a "crap idea". Close-mindedness is a far worse idea, I loved riding in the winter, you get some great looks, it's a great converstaion starter, and I don't get cold between the car park and work as I still have my gear on. Bonus? Oh yes.

I think everyone should ride in winter, knowing how your machine handles in every weather condition is essential, living in the UK means that you WILL get wet at some point, might as well know how the horse behaves, you can never have too many sets of skills for different situations and a lot of it is helpful for our monsoon summers.

Don't crank it over, don't wind the wick up, don't jump on your anchors and just give f**kheads that little bit more space than usual and it's all gravy. Most importantly though, enjoy it.

Cheers

John