What's the coldest ride you guys have taken your sportster on? How did it hold up? I'm thinking I'll be buying a sportster tonight and having the ***** to ride it home at 19 degree weather haha. I know I'm in for some pain, I'll be dressing damn warm

 

ive done 30 degrees....

 

2002 Sportster 1200 Custom.

20 degrees

Bike ran fine and I was surprisingly warm as I took an old pair of chest waders that had a leak and cut the feet out. Pulled a pair of jeans over them, put on some extra layers and insulated boots and rode around town.

Folks seeing me in a pair of jeans were giving me the all over town.

Hardest part was getting my leg over the bike as neoprene doesn't flex too well.

 

Not a Sportster, but a 1980 Honda 900 Custom......around 18 degrees.

 

I started winter riding in the winter of 56/57 to HS and my after school job to pay for the bike.

Last winter I did 9,740 miles from Nov. 1 to Mar. 31st. This year I am just past 7,000 miles so far.

I have learned the number of layers that I need in each ten degree increment from 10 up. The lower the temp the shorter the ride of course. But 1 hour is my lower limit for teens, 2 hours for twenties and three or more in the mild thirties. Daylight becomes an issue in winter riding so I can't stay out too long. I don't like riding in the dark.

I do have heated gloves and wind protectors on the handle bars.

The Sportster or any bike do not suffer from winter use at all. I just clean them in the Spring. They do dry out in a heated garage after the rides.

H-D's are not fragile delicate instruments. They are rugged machines to be used not pampered.

Oh! I almost forgot. If you run an oil cooler on your Sportster and winter ride. Cover that sucker up. There is no thermostat in the Sportster cools like the rest of H-D's line so below 40's the engine will not warm up enough to go off the enrichener and will burn a lot of extra gas.

 

22 degrees in 1969, face mask, GLOVES, good boots and warm socks and a couple of duo-fold shirts, something around your neck, ie turtle neck under your leather.

 

You're kind of my hero.

 

35 degrees here a few times in Portland. It's really firkin cold for my Northwest Blood...

 

What did you decide and if you bought it, how was the ride? I'm not that experienced with cold weather riding but went out yesterday and learned the importance of layers, something on my neck, that hands/fingers get cold even with Winter gloves and that stop and go traffic in town at relatively low speeds is a lot more comfortable then a faster, generally more enjoyable cruising speed.
Good luck with whatever you decided.

 

32 degrees.. in a light jacket...longest 5 minute ride home.