I'm a fairly new rider and have little to no experience riding in cold weather. I don't like to ride, when the thermometer is 50 or less. I know, in the Northwest that really shortens the season. sad.gif However, yesterday, the temperature was hovering at 40 degrees (I'm a 57 yr old gal and to me that's cold), the sun was out and beautiful and I needed to fill my gas tank. The main roads where dry but when I took a short cut on a side road, it was the kind of blacktop that is really bumpy as if they used a bigger rock mix, and it was wet, my tires felt as if they were over inflated and slick. Kinda freaked me out. I know the road was not icy. Maybe it felt slick because of moss???? The road is in the shade most of the time. Do you need to adjust the air pressure in tires for different weather conditons? The tires are Dunlop, I think SportMax or something like that.
Would appreciate any advice.
Cheers,
Nancy
Most likely your tires are underinflated when it's that cold. (air compresses when cold) Also, your tire will take allot longer to heat up, so they may feel slick for a few miles.
VFR48, Nov 17 2005, 05:07 PMI'm a fairly new rider and have little to no experience riding in cold weather. I don't like to ride, when the thermometer is 50 or less. I know, in the Northwest that really shortens the season. sad.gif However, yesterday, the temperature was hovering at 40 degrees (I'm a 57 yr old gal and to me that's cold), the sun was out and beautiful and I needed to fill my gas tank. The main roads where dry but when I took a short cut on a side road, it was the kind of blacktop that is really bumpy as if they used a bigger rock mix, and it was wet, my tires felt as if they were over inflated and slick. Kinda freaked me out. I know the road was not icy. Maybe it felt slick because of moss???? The road is in the shade most of the time. Do you need to adjust the air pressure in tires for different weather conditons? The tires are Dunlop, I think SportMax or something like that.
Would appreciate any advice.
Cheers,
Nancy
It's certainly not uncommon to have moss on the less-travelled shady mountain roads here in the PNW, and that can be slicker 'n snail snot. I've never heard of changing tire pressures for the wet, if you dropped it a bit it tends to make the contact patch wider, but I don't know if that would be an advantage. Try it if you like, but only a couple of psi difference at a time. You didn't say what pressures you're running now, you could certainly drop down some from what's in the manual (geared towards maximum load capacity).
I'm getting used to riding to work in the wet again (been a few years), and I'm definitely taking it easy, especially when it's frosty. I think it's valuable for anyone to get some experience and confidence in slick conditions, but work into it slowly, and with little to no traffic if possible.
fallzboater, Nov 17 2005, 05:39 PMIt's certainly not uncommon to have moss on the less-travelled shady mountain roads here in the PNW, and that can be slicker 'n snail snot. I've never heard of changing tire pressures for the wet, if you dropped it a bit it tends to make the contact patch wider, but I don't know if that would be an advantage. Try it if you like, but only a couple of psi difference at a time. You didn't say what pressures you're running now, you could certainly drop down some from what's in the manual (geared towards maximum load capacity).
I'm getting used to riding to work in the wet again (been a few years), and I'm definitely taking it easy, especially when it's frosty. I think it's valuable for anyone to get some experience and confidence in slick conditions, but work into it slowly, and with little to no traffic if possible.
Thanks Dave. Tire pressure is as recommend at 42 PSI.
I think my riding season is about over. Time to strip the bike down and give her a good cleaning.
Nancy
Na, not time to put the Viffer away yet,...42lbs? is that what the factory recommends? ? I'm running 34 front and 36 rear with no trouble. In warm or cold conditions. thing is mossy roads are slick, Don't I know it, good thing for sticky tires, good for practicing those power drifts. I'm thinking that tire pressure will not change a thing. Cold tires are stiff. For tire temp to come up this time of year to the temp that works well for a given tire depends on riding conditions, all tires work the wet differently. I've experienced in just wet conditions NO MOSS yes you need to be careful, at the very least the new tires stick better than they did 10years ago. Sounds like for the simple sake of it, ride a different road if at all possible. thats what I'm doing, No sense in getting hurt. one surprise is enough for me at the moment. I know the moss will be there for a while now. Yes, was great out just yesterday, almost time for the woollies, the road I ride was okay, damp in a couple places still was able to get the erg out of me for the time being, OMG that VFR sounds GREAT! biggrin.gif
Honda's manual (owners & shop) recommends 36 front 42 rear for the '98 VFR
I've also made a habit of dropping my front and rear tire pressures by 4-5 psi in the late fall. In cold weather, the tires take so long to heat up and the rubber never has as much play in it as during summer riding.
Like many around here, I usually stop riding when the temps drop to below 40 b/c it's just not that much fun anymore. Here in the Toronto area, that pretty much describes Dec/Jan/Feb.
dabirk23, Nov 17 2005, 09:18 PMHonda's manual (owners & shop) recommends 36 front 42 rear for the '98 VFR
I believe those pressures are to ensure the tires don't overheat due to flex when riding near the max weight capacity. 34-36 front and 36-38 rear are probably better starting points for average-weight solo riders on the street, IMO.
I was out riding in 46 deg. weather yesterday on roads that were still damp late in the afternoon in the shady areas and yes there is already moss on them. The trick is to stay in the lanes created by the cage tires since that tends to clean the moss away. Also watch those painted lines this time of year.
My bike is away in the house because it's winter up north. Cold weather riding? That's most of my riding season! Best to remember a few things: 1. The tires are cold - so warm them up well before you enter any shady spots. I'll zigzag a little in my lane on the road to get the tires warm. 2. The road can "sweat" in the cold which will cause slick spots - usually on painted lines and filled cracks. 3. Practice riding in the cold but ensure you're dressed for it - and slow down a little more than normal. 4. Relax. Once you tense up it's worse than hitting black ice (which I've done - on a bridge and kept the bike upright the entire way- lost a few pounds of sweat though...minor issue.) You are "toast" if you don't relax and enjoy the ride. 5. Plan your route in cold weather. It sounds trite but, it works.
I put my bike away the day before the snow came to stay. Which means I was riding some days at 0 degrees celsius (32F). Know your roads. Know your bike. And know your riding ability. If you question any of those, take a refresher course!
Glad to see another gal riding!!!!!! Take care, Jane
There's quite of bit of "technology" to riding in "more extreme conditions". Just as we Californians, and others in the Southwest, take steps about our gear, our bikes, our clothing, our accessories, and our riding methods to handle the 100F+ temps most of the year, Cold, Wet, and Windy environments call for some careful address if we're going to ride in them for long.
Do dress properly. Layers of outerwear are wise. Heated liners of one kind or another can really extend downward the temperatures you'd be comfortable riding in. Just remember, like Dehydration from Heat, Cold has a cumulative effect - perhaps somewhat more insidious in how as it creeps up on us, it is diminishing our consciousness, and thus our ability to recognize it. And you will dehydrate at almost the same rate as when very hot !!!
It's simple to run a short fused lead from your battery up between tank and seat, top with a two prong SAE plug, and plug in a Heat-troller for Gerbings. There's plenty of power to run a jacket and gloves. I chose their insulated liner, both pants and jacket, though I only use the pants when riding below 10F.
Cold weather, where road temps (ground temp) get below freezing, call for reducing tire pressure. The reduced pressure allows the tires to flex, and thus build heat. Heat allows the tread compound to "stick".
It turns out that road tires have an optimum temperature (far lower than the 200F of race tires). Without regard for that specific temp, you can get within about 10F of it by ensuring your hot tire pressure is 10% greater than your cold tire pressure. That is, if you run 40 psi in the summer, that temp is "correct" if it yields 44 psi when measured hot. If you are getting 40 psi cold and 42 psi hot, that indicates too high a cold pressure.
Yes, running lower pressures does often increase traction in a "racing" environment. It is not being optimum for the tread compound, but rather, increases the size of the contact patch because the tire can "flatten out" at lower pressures. Such low pressures are not really Wise for the sport touring rider who faces a variety of conditions the "racer", or "racier folks" limit their concern to. Pot holes, bricks and rocks, pavement ridges, and surface type variations are better, and more safely, met with higher tire pressures. Just remember to drop them in cold ambient temps (to that same 10% difference value) so the tires have their best chance to serve you.
And SLOW DOWN!!!
Best wishes.
teleskier, Nov 18 2005, 12:19 AMI was out riding in 46 deg. weather yesterday on roads that were still damp late in the afternoon in the shady areas and yes there is already moss on them. The trick is to stay in the lanes created by the cage tires since that tends to clean the moss away. Also watch those painted lines this time of year.
Dito: on those painted lines, even in cross walks, those are deadly this time off year
fallzboater, Nov 18 2005, 04:52 AMI believe those pressures are to ensure the tires don't overheat due to flex when riding near the max weight capacity. 34-36 front and 36-38 rear are probably better starting points for average-weight solo riders on the street, IMO.
The Pirelli site says 34 fr 36 rear for the VFR. I tried those with my new Strada's
and didn't like the way they tracked. I then tried 36 fr 38 rear and they felt much
better.
Used to be that OEM's would list different pressures for the rear depending on
whether you were riding solo (lower pres.) or two-up/high speed (higher pres.)
I think Honda was listening to their lawyers when they put the 42 rear pres. in
their manuals.
Dave