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Once they start salting the roads around here its game over until spring. Harley-Davidsons arent very well rustproofed. Ive seen too many Harleys with pitted, flaking chrome and fenders rotted through from road salt after a few seasons.
Once they start salting the roads around here its game over until spring. Harley-Davidsons arent very well rustproofed. Ive seen too many Harleys with pitted, flaking chrome and fenders rotted through from road salt after a few seasons.
Same here. First salting of the season, bike is parked until a good spring rain to wash the salt off the roads. They use so much salt around here, the roads turn white. I've seen what the salt does to cars and trucks that have way better corrosion protection than a Harley. No thanks.
To the OP, I have a RKS, so for cold weather riding the windshield and fork fangs are on, and I run soft lowers. The soft lowers make a big difference helping keep my lower legs and feet warm.
For my gear, I wear a long sleeve moisture wicking shirt, fleece zip front shirt, and leather jacket. If I'm riding to work, I wear jeans, then insulated riding pants over the jeans. For weekend rides, it is fleece thermal long johns under the riding pants instead of jeans. The riding pants have fully zippered legs for easy donning and doffing, even with boots on. The riding pants are abrasion resistant textile with an insulated removeable liner, with knee and hip armor. Very warm! For my feet it is Merino wool socks and insulated, waterproof motorcycle boots. I wear a neoprene facemask under my full face helmet when it is in the upper 30's or colder. For added warmth on my neck (the facemask isn't quite enough), I wear a fleece neck muffler, like what skiers wear. For my hands, I can not ride below 45 degrees without heated gauntlet gloves. The heated gloves were a game changer for me. They added a good two months to my riding season. Even down to mid 20's my hands are toasty warm. They are worth every penny!
New for this year's upcoming cold weather riding is a Corbin heated seat. I tested it last week on a cool-ish early morning ride to work. So far, so good. But the real test will be that first below freezing morning ride to work!
Uncle G pretty much outlined my view. Have enough vehicles rusting out from underneath me thanks to road salt, don't need my bike doing it. So basically I go until the road salt goes down, then the bike goes away. Up until that point though there's going to be a few days of cold weather, especially the transition where it's cold in the morning, nice, t-shirt weather in the afternoon, then colder at night.
Basically I go with my regular heavy jacket which is basically the brando style and my leather vest over a hoodie of some kind. 3/4th helmet with a face shield blocks a lot of wind, scarf works to keep the neck and chest that is not covered by the jacket warm. Gauntlet gloves, jacket sleeves tucked into the top of the glove to minimize any draft up the arms. Wool socks and if it's real cold, pair of fleece pants under my jeans.
All in all it works for the rides I do in the winter, be it to and from work, up the line to go shopping, or just to see the leaves changing.
You must define cold. Cold to one rider is a good day to some. 30 degrees chaps good gloves Couple layers and a jacket good to go. Some may want heat gloves and vest.
Keep in mind newer HD do not like to start in 20 degree weather and colder. So if you park it at the motel start it once in awhile.
We often ride all winter .
Heated gloves and pants, and chaps. I also have an older FXRG jacket that is so warm that if I wear a fleece pullover underneath it I'm warm enough into the mid teens. I also have FXRG boots that if I wear with rain gators and thick wool socks I'm also good into sub freezing temps. When it gets that cold I'll add silk glove liners to my heated gloves and I'm good.
That said, if there is significant ice on the road, I don't typically ride. Although I have on several occasions ridden in the snow and ice
It is much easier for me to dress for the cold than it is for the heat.
I already commented, but just wanted to add, long gone are the days of reaching down alternate hands to warm them on the cylinder/rocker arm covers or headers. That was a miserable time looking back, just was what we did back in the day.
Road salt, I ride, have a one gallon sprayer filled with dawn and water to spray under the bike, wheels etc after a particularly salty ride. No rust after 11 years on this bike.
Dawn as a surface surfactant to break the molecular bond salt makes with metal, especially in crevices and around joints and fasteners. Just room temperature water and dawn. I don’t want warm or hot water that will drive salt further in. I used to use salt away, but see no difference using dawn after many years.
If we did not ride with salt, all our mountain passes would be off limits all winter. What with global warming, I’m planning on more winter rides, not less.
As said above, heated gear is a game changer. Dress lighter weight, be warm and comfy down into the low 20F. Until 2005 when I got my heated gear, I did not know just how comfy one can ride in the cold.
I wear a modular helmet, heated jacket liner and heated gloves, long underwear and insulated boots. I have a windshield. I ride all year down to 25 degrees. Few hours at a time but not if the roads were salted in the last few days. I rinse the bike at all angles in the garage when I get home at times. I get so many people rolling windows down with a thumbs up or tapping on their horns.
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