Dunlop E3's ... in the snow

[Mark222]

I was going to start a post Sat / Sun about having to ride in the snow for the first time in almost 20 years.  I got caught in a little (snow) here in NC that was supposed to be rain.  (Weatherman missed it again, Lol) But this thread seems to have covered all the bases  :gob:l!  Living in the Great Lakes midwest for the first 35 plus years of life and only having only a bike for transportation for several years of that time I learned to dress for cold and ride in crappy conditions.  Granted the bikes I owned then were not prized possesions and yes, I dropped a bike more than once in the snow.  Do not intend this story to make me an expert or anything, for I was poor and more stupid then, but running on fresh snow before any tracks pack it down is always better.  And once it get slick like ice, I don't care who you are, it is time to stay off the roads on two wheels. 

So anyway, I got some real interesting looks from drivers while running home on the bagger Saturday evening here while collecting snow accumulation on the fairing, but the roads were still warm enough the accumulation could not really get started by the time I got home.

But it brought back memories for sure.

Mark

[03deuce]

They make snow tires for cages, what about motorcycles?

[marc]

They make snow tires for cages, what about motorcycles?

LOL...Try these...

http://stores.ebay.com/MOTORACE-CLOSEOUTS

[Sonny S.]

"Weather forcaster's aren't that accurate" ... 'bout the only time they're right, is when they're talkin' 'bout YESTERDAY'S weather

Aint that the truth !!
During the summer months I don't even listen to it......no point !   Just ride and whatever happens happens

[PoorUB]

BTW....I never said I was riding 35 miles in the snow.
I just asked about how the E3's do in snow incase I got caught in it.

Yup....it's happened before

Well you mentioned 35 miles to work, so it was a fair assumtion you may have to ride home on the white shi.....stuff. I have ridden on snow many times over the years, once I rode over Beartooth Pass in the snow. It was a wet snow, and the road was warm, so it just turned to slush so it was not too bad. I got caught at the dealer one day and ran home, maybe 10 miles in 3" of snow. That was far enough! If I was to ride in the winter enough that I was certain I would be riding in snow I would buy a set of soft compound tires and get them studded, and run them just in the winter. There was a kid here in town that ran a crotch rocket all winter with studded tires.

[Kirbo]

When I was 16 I rode my Honda Trail 90 to work every night in the winter. It was only 3 miles tops but I never had trouble. Only time it was a pita was when I got out of work at midnight to find it covered in 8 inches of new snow. Those were the days!!!

[ironbutt]

30 years ago I left Pittsburgh, Pa for Phoenix, Az, 6'' of snow on the ground and 28*. I had the old Touring Elites on back then. What a ride, talk about young and dumb, but I made it.

[Rags722]

Slightly off subject, but about 15 years or more ago I rode with a guy that rode all year long (SE PA) and commuted every day at least 35 miles each way.  One day, he showed up for a club meeting in the middle of a steady light snow fall.  His comment was " If I ride the Sporty, it's easier to pick up, but the tires are shot so I know I'm going down.  If I bring the bagger, it's harder to pick up, but the tires are better".  After the meeting, a few of us helped him get the bagger out of the road when it went down.  A few months later, we had a business meeting at my place ( 40 miles from his home) on a Saturday night.  Roads were frozen in about 3 inches of ice, and I spent the day chipping the driveway so people could get from the cars to the house.  About 6:00 PM, and 20 degrees F, here came Sam up the street on the bagger.  So cold when he went to leave we had to put a heat gun on the oil tank just so the bike would start.  We found out later on the way home a car went off the road due to drifting snow and had to be towed out of the ditch.  Sam was the next vehicle to come along and his tires got stuck in the ruts and he went into the ditch as well.  Took a while for the next car to come along and call for help for him.  He did ride the rest of the way home.  Boy just wasn't wrapped right! 

[Big Dan]

I spent that Wisconsin winter riding a bike back and forth to work because the biggest thing my dad ever taught me, was that "Men work- period." I was 24 years old, a home-owner, and my first wife had taken off (I don't blame her). It was tough enough making the mortgage on my own. Missing time from work was not an option, nor was spending any money on the truck. Sometimes ya just gotta bite the bullet and do what ya gotta do. Truthfully, I was far more embarrassed about it than feeling like a hero or a badass or whatever. Now I just look back and laugh at what a dumbass I was.

[hotroadking]

......... Now I just look back and laugh at what a dumbass I was.

I think we all have a lot of times that happens....

[Back Road Mike]

I started to ride into town in Alaska one time in the snow.  Got 1 mile from the house and found myself in the left track when I had been riding in the right track.   Rode back home and walked the 4 miles to the store.

Never again.

[Ridetard]

Its one  thing to get caught in the snow, its another all together to intentionally set out in it.  The next thing you know theres a thread about a poor biker that got slammed by a cager Do we point the finger at the driver ??  .  Who do you feel sorry for in that situtation?

I fail to see any logical reason to ride in ice or snow.  The risk far outweighs the cause.

Stupid is as stupid does.
We have to do it better!

[adayrider]

Not intentional, but sometimes, sh_t happens

At least you don't have to deal with the corners. (road looks straight as an arrow LOL)

[Phu Cat]

Knobbies always help.  Not hers, the tires.

PC

[Rags722]

I don't understand Calgary56's photo.  What's that fluffy white stuff on the road?  Around here, our SUV Mom's and Cell Phone Kid's would have had that packed down to a nice icy hard pack with-in a minute or two from shoulder to shoulder.  The fluffy stuff I might try to ride in, but I think I'd opt for the crunchy dead grass right by the side of the road.  The hard packed icy stuff is the real test of manhood. 

[PoorUB]

I don't understand Calgary56's photo.  What's that fluffy white stuff on the road?  Around here, our SUV Mom's and Cell Phone Kid's would have had that packed down to a nice icy hard pack with-in a minute or two from shoulder to shoulder.  The fluffy stuff I might try to ride in, but I think I'd opt for the crunchy dead grass right by the side of the road.  The hard packed icy stuff is the real test of manhood. 

The snow and grass is pretty slick. The hard, packed stuff is worse. The white fluffy stuff in the middle is your best bet.