[[email protected]]

Last winter was one that started early and ended late with record snow fall for anchorage. Today I hauled my CB750 out to wasilla (palenville) to my storage, the TW will be my only ride for the next 5 or 6 months. rw

 

[admiral]

Palenville, too funny! I was up your way this past summer. Hard to believe winter comes this early, this cold, and for such a long time. It's so beautiful. Another winter with the ice screws eh? I ride most of the winter down here, but since I stay off the streets and hit back roads and such, I use chains. If I rode where you live, or even a town with snow/ice on the streets most of the winter, then I'd go to ice screws.



Take Care



P.S. BTW I'm a Idaho Steehead hockey fan and remember driving past the Anchorage Ace's facility. Just thought I'd mention it.

 

[[email protected]]

Palenville, too funny! I was up your way this past summer. Hard to believe winter comes this early, this cold, and for such a long time. It's so beautiful. Another winter with the ice screws eh? I ride most of the winter down here, but since I stay off the streets and hit back roads and such, I use chains. If I rode where you live, or even a town with snow/ice on the streets most of the winter, then I'd go to ice screws.



Take Care



P.S. BTW I'm a Idaho Steehead hockey fan and remember driving past the Anchorage Ace's facility. Just thought I'd mention it.

So you came up during "Road building season"? Our seasons being 1. road building season, 2. almost winter, 3. winter, 4. not quite winter. I have always thought that people come here during road building season to see our amazing collection of heavy machinery in action, flowers/green, and perhaps water in a liquid state is also an attraction. Un-like many intermountain states we typically have lots of water especially recently.



If you came up here with Georgie and did not introduce me, I am pissed, but perhaps you flew up. rw

 

[admiral]

Giggle, naw Georgie didn't make the trip. We drove up through AB and BC in the pickup and in-laws camper, picked up mother/father in law at Ted Stevens about 10 days in. Drove all over, then we flew out of Fairbanks leaving the p/u camper combo for the in-laws to

drive home.





Initially this was gonna be our once in a life time visit to Alaska, but we loved it so much we plan on coming back sometime in the future. . . when the girls graduate H.S. Yep, lots of heavy machinery, but well worth it. Absolutely beautiful State. . . in the summer!

 

[nfpgasmask]

I suppose this is a good place to ask then, how does one deal with ice, snow and general winter slickness on a motorcycle? Obviously, I would think speed and avoidance are paramount, but are there any tips and tricks you guys can learn me?



Bart

 

[TdubOhio]

LOL. Just sold my truck yesterday that I hadn't driven in 6 months due to the TW.

Rode a Zuma last winter, but expect this winter to be worse.

Lots of folks giving me grief for planning on riding the TW all winter, but if you can do it in Anchorage, I'm guessing Columbus isn;t quiet so difficult, lol.

 

[[email protected]]

I suppose this is a good place to ask then, how does one deal with ice, snow and general winter slickness on a motorcycle? Obviously, I would think speed and avoidance are paramount, but are there any tips and tricks you guys can learn me?



Bart

Winter riding encompases a wide variety of conditions, up in fbx (fairbanks) the harley guys ride in (-)40 F with no special tire traction addemdums. Typically the roads are dry. What I do is watch the DEW Point, if your DEW point is , say 5 or so degrees lower than the lowest temperature, there probably not going to be black ice. Keeping in mind that there are any number of micro climates different than what noaa says. A marine VHF radio, frequently on channel 2 will have accurate descriptive weather / river levels pretty much all over the US. Of course cancern about black ice goes away when the last 3 snow falls is packed down and frozen on the road.



My opinion on winter riding is to use a low powered bike like the TW, with traction addemdums tuned to your ride. My ride to and from work is pretty specific in its requirements. For me, ice screws, refreshed every 6 weeks or so works well. In the photo to the left you can see them in the front wheel. I have found installing them in the outside row of lugs and not in the center of the tire works best for my use. When running down the road straight up, the screws just kiss the road and you are running on the center rubber lugs. Lean over a bit and you get full engagement of the ice screws. If you had longer distance to go, with varying ice cover I would go with carbide studs rather than ice screws



Your friction coefficient is likely much lower than summer riding regardless of what you use so be cautious going around sharp corners. rw

 

[[email protected]]

I suppose this is a good place to ask then, how does one deal with ice, snow and general winter slickness on a motorcycle? Obviously, I would think speed and avoidance are paramount, but are there any tips and tricks you guys can learn me?



Bart

Winter riding encompases a wide variety of conditions, up in fbx (fairbanks) the harley guys ride in (-)40 F with no special tire traction addemdums. Typically the roads are dry. What I do is watch the DEW Point, if your DEW point is , say 5 or so degrees lower than the lowest temperature, there probably not going to be black ice. Keeping in mind that there are any number of micro climates different than what noaa says. A marine VHF radio, frequently on channel 2 will have accurate descriptive weather / river levels pretty much all over the US. Of course cancern about black ice goes away when the last 3 snow falls is packed down and frozen on the road.



My opinion on winter riding is to use a low powered bike like the TW, with traction addemdums tuned to your ride. My ride to and from work is pretty specific in its requirements. For me, ice screws, refreshed every 6 weeks or so works well. In the photo to the left you can see them in the front wheel. I have found installing them in the outside row of lugs and not in the center of the tire works best for my use. When running down the road straight up, the screws just kiss the road and you are running on the center rubber lugs. Lean over a bit and you get full engagement of the ice screws. If you had longer distance to go, with varying ice cover I would go with carbide studs rather than ice screws



Your friction coefficient is likely much lower than summer riding regardless of what you use so be cautious going around sharp corners. rw

 

[[email protected]]

I suppose this is a good place to ask then, how does one deal with ice, snow and general winter slickness on a motorcycle? Obviously, I would think speed and avoidance are paramount, but are there any tips and tricks you guys can learn me?



Bart

Winter riding encompases a wide variety of conditions, up in fbx (fairbanks) the harley guys ride in (-)40 F with no special tire traction addemdums. Typically the roads are dry. What I do is watch the DEW Point, if your DEW point is , say 5 or so degrees lower than the lowest temperature, there probably not going to be black ice. Keeping in mind that there are any number of micro climates different than what noaa says. A marine VHF radio, frequently on channel 2 will have accurate descriptive weather / river levels pretty much all over the US. Of course cancern about black ice goes away when the last 3 snow falls is packed down and frozen on the road.



My opinion on winter riding is to use a low powered bike like the TW, with traction addemdums tuned to your ride. My ride to and from work is pretty specific in its requirements. For me, ice screws, refreshed every 6 weeks or so works well. In the photo to the left you can see them in the front wheel. I have found installing them in the outside row of lugs and not in the center of the tire works best for my use. When running down the road straight up, the screws just kiss the road and you are running on the center rubber lugs. Lean over a bit and you get full engagement of the ice screws. If you had longer distance to go, with varying ice cover I would go with carbide studs rather than ice screws



Your friction coefficient is likely much lower than summer riding regardless of what you use so be cautious going around sharp corners. rw

 

[[email protected]]

I suppose this is a good place to ask then, how does one deal with ice, snow and general winter slickness on a motorcycle? Obviously, I would think speed and avoidance are paramount, but are there any tips and tricks you guys can learn me?



Bart

Winter riding encompases a wide variety of conditions, up in fbx (fairbanks) the harley guys ride in (-)40 F with no special tire traction addemdums. Typically the roads are dry. What I do is watch the DEW Point, if your DEW point is , say 5 or so degrees lower than the lowest temperature, there probably not going to be black ice. Keeping in mind that there are any number of micro climates different than what noaa says. A marine VHF radio, frequently on channel 2 will have accurate descriptive weather / river levels pretty much all over the US. Of course cancern about black ice goes away when the last 3 snow falls is packed down and frozen on the road.



My opinion on winter riding is to use a low powered bike like the TW, with traction addemdums tuned to your ride. My ride to and from work is pretty specific in its requirements. For me, ice screws, refreshed every 6 weeks or so works well. In the photo to the left you can see them in the front wheel. I have found installing them in the outside row of lugs and not in the center of the tire works best for my use. When running down the road straight up, the screws just kiss the road and you are running on the center rubber lugs. Lean over a bit and you get full engagement of the ice screws. If you had longer distance to go, with varying ice cover I would go with carbide studs rather than ice screws



Your friction coefficient is likely much lower than summer riding regardless of what you use so be cautious going around sharp corners. rw

 

[jflynn]

What tire pressure do you run with ice screws?

 

[[email protected]]

What tire pressure do you run with ice screws?

Sorry for the multiple posts. Not sure how that happened. I rarely air down anything, probably about 25psi. The ride to work this morning was dry pavement, (+)15F, dark. Ride home (+)33, blue sky, dry pavement. Small patches of ice here and there. rw