Snow/winter riding information

I ordered some Tucano Urbano handlebar muffs from the UK. I had to put on the old Hippo Hands because it got too cold out before they arrived. Put the Tucanos on last night- what an improvement! During a 25 minute ride on the freeway i had to turn the heated hand grips down to medium. The Hippos are worn out from multiple winters, but they never sealed that well in the first place. The Tucanos wrap around the mirror stalks and go up the bars with extensions that get wrapped with an elastic fastener. No leaking into the hand pocket. The interior is also more plush and feels like it will trap heat better.

They were not recommended for the F650 and i had to remove the mirror stalks and reinstall them to get the muffs on. (edit: After checking them out with more time, i was able to get them on and off without removing the stalks.) They felt restrictive at first but have been breaking in quickly. They also cost significantly less than the Hippo Hands. I'd highly recommend these for anyone who doesn't have heated gloves.

Bump

Finally finished reading this entire thread. Heading into winter conditions in Scandinavia in January, studded TKC80's have been suggested for dry/wet pavement and moderate ice/snow (before switching to a more aggresive MITAS pre-studded tires further north)

Question on studs though - since this thread is so old, does anyone have any new links to reliable tried and tested studs? I want to be able to screw these studs in by hand or buy a light portable stud gun so I can screw the studs in when necessary (long distance ride, will not need them at the start). If anyone has a website on studs or studguns they can link me to that would be great!!

May even take a set of chains along as a backup in case of deeper snow, but the low profile car studs seem to be more than enough traction?


Also looking at the HJC CS-R2 Skarr snow helmet, it is on sale for $170 and comes with the breathbox etc, How do balaclavas go with the breath box?

****Lol that was some extremely dramatic music bro hahaha killed me

In my experience any low-mid range HJC is going to leak air like a seive and torture your eyes on a long distance trip in near freezing temps. I never found a satifying result with their breathboxes and ended up laying out some real money for a Schuberth C3, which worked much better with just a Pinlock and the built in chin curtain which provides the best seal against cold air i could find.

If i were doing it on a minimal budget again (and had a head that could fit inside), i would try an IS-16. They are available for around USD$110 and you can add a pinlock visor and breathbox and still come in under 170. My only motorcycle collision came while riding in cold with sunglasses that didn't sit right because of the breathbox, so i consider internal sunshields a big safety feature, but you could also do a CL-16 with pinlock and breathbox for under $100 total. Pinlocks work about as well as HJC snow visors- they provide a slightly smaller viewport if fogging gets bad (which it rarely does with a breathbox), but it also provides roadworthy impact protection and scratch resistance unlike the buttery snow visors. Also, last i heard the HJC snow packages didn't even include a chin curtain anymore.

For any of these, i'd add a Windjammer. I haven't had one myself yet, but seeing how much the neck roll on the C3 has helped with cold weather, this would be worth a try. I've had 3 HJCs and the wind blast in the face from under the neck became progressively worse with each one...

Oh, and to directly answer your question, balaclavas are no problem if you just tuck your chin into them- trying to include your mouth and nose while pulling a full faced helmet over is a tedious and frustrating process. There are many variations of balaclava and breathbox design out there, but after 3 HJCs and ~6 balaclavas, i couldn't find any combination that worked well.

automotive studs that are inserted with a pneumatic gun require that you drill stud pockets first

another option are the self tapping studs that Aerostich sells

doubtful you could put them in by hand, a screw gun/drill would be recommended, they come with a special driver bit

and then there are the ice screws that are similar to sheet metal screws, while they are great for ice riding on a lake, I do not recommend them for the street

more info on studding tires here http://www.yearroundriders.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=5996

Thanks dude, taken into consideration.. Might just shell out for one of those BRP BV2S.. expensive as hell for only a couple of months in the snow but as long as it is comfortable and keeps me safe then whatever, may try run that with a Rukka Gore windstopper / coolmax balaclava, what you think?

http://www.ebay.com/itm/BRP-BV2S-HE..._Merchandise&var=&hash=item20e1c2c391&vxp=mtr
(btw if you know where to find this cheaper please share!!)

http://www.revzilla.com/motorcycle/rukka-gore-windstopper-coolmax-balaclava

I saw these online, Think I will just purchase these self tapping studs from Aerostich, it suggests running with #4719 Scooter A (5.9 x 8.2mm, Base penetrates tire 6mm, tip protrudes from tire 2.2mm), do these sound alright or would you go longer? ..I'm not entirely sure how deep the knobbys of the TKC80's are

Cheers for info

I've been close to going for the BV2S and that price looks close to what i was seeing it for, but for about $100 more the C3 is a much better helmet 9 months of the year and did a passable job for the last half of winter this year. I will see how it does for an entire winter coming up, particularly since i moved outside of the city.

Another promising option, touted by the OP, is to put an electric shield on an HJC. Should be available for either the IS- or CL-16 or -17 and save a lot of money over the BV2S. Can't speak to it myself as i didn't like the prospect of dealing with the plug and wire all the time, as well as the F650GS having a questionable alternator/battery capacity.

Haven't tried Rukka, but if i have to buy another i'll look at them first...

Just on this, an HJC CL-17 snow helmet with electric shield would do the trick? Or do you need a pin-lock lens added to it? Or can you go non-electric shield with a pin-lock lens? I watched a video on pin-lock but still don't fully quite understand it yet

for TKCs I'm pretty sure you can use 4706s or maybe 4707s

I studded a set of Karoo Ts similar tread depth as TKCs but used the drilling and conventional auto stud method, I drilled 10mm deep holes and used 11mm studs, with this method, the first 50-100 miles is sketchy while the studs seat in

The basic concept is two panes of plastic with air between to insulate so that your breath does not cool and form condensation (fog/frost) upon contact with the inner one. The regular snowmobile visors have two panes all the way around, but are of flimsier material and not DOT approved for road use. Pinlock is something you add to a regular visor to achieve a similar result, but the fog resistant pocket formed doesn't go to the very edge of the visor. Slightly restricted field of view when the edges fog, but through a stronger visor.

Notice i said "fog resistant". They can still fog/frost under conditions cold and humid enough. (Theoretically, the snowmobile visor would have better insulation, but i've not had a problem with Pinlocks until they age at least a year.) Also, wet sloppy snow sticks to your visor either way (and glove scrapers will easily put scratches in a soft snowmobile visor in my experience). An electric visor is, i believe, constructed like the snowmobile visor only with a heating element around the edge. Electrically generated heat keeps the visor from fogging, frosting, or collecting snow, and no breathbox or pinlock is needed. It seems like it would be the most sensible solution if your head fits HJCs well and you don't mind the hassle of the cord, but i have not tried one because i ride in the winter specifically to avoid being sensible.

So, it's getting to be that time of year again. Last year I used my klx250, I think I'm trying the Wee-strom this year. Might even go all the way and darkside the rear. Trying to find a tire shop that can do #10 studs on the front.

Anyone ever stud a front kenda big block?

I used a studded Front kenda big block on my CB550. Worked great. My buddy is in atwater and studs lots of bike tires, I think he charged me like 25 or 50 cents a stud. He drilled them and all.

Sweet, thanks. Feel like hooking me up with name/number/location/secret password?

I ride all winter but here in SE Virginia we don't get alot of snow or really cold weather for an extended length of time that would call for tire studs. Those few days where the road is icy, I don't ride. Now that I think about it, I don't think I'd ride even if I had studs. The drivers here don't know how to drive in snow/ice conditions. They'd probably kill me.

I had studs last winter and they were fine, just were too long and my local tire shop only uses that one size.

Six years later and Aerostich's description for the studs still reads "50 per tire"...

Perhaps the idea is to sell the customer on the low price then tell them they need to order more when they call in to complain about crashing on the ice...?

I am using 4706 (or rather Touratech's equivalent 1200 - probably they buy it from Aerostich) with TKC80 front and rear. That works fine, but I wouldn't use longer ones.

It seems those are the best compromise between not throwing your studs at cars behind you and not puncturing your tube with them. Once the tire gets worn a little and the studs start to fall out, you can screw them in a little deeper or replace a few and still be ok.

That said, I did have about 5 flats in two weeks last Winter because I was too frugal and went a bit too far with that.

Next rear tire I might try the Heidenau Scout with the Winter mix. The TKC80 is just too slippery on wet roads, and I have come to like the Scout in Summer on the rear.

Time to spike some tires. My commute this year includes 10 miles of rural roads so i am ready to commit to a tire change and might as well do studs while at it. I'm driving myself nuts deciding what tire/stud combo however.

To start with, which type of studs? I've been disappointed by Aerostich in general so many times i'm leaning toward the DOT studs. The only stud gun i've found in a search is almost $400- about the cost of 4 tires worth of twist in studs. Are there less expensive guns around? Being in south-central Wisconsin it seems i'm in the heart of prohibited-tire-stud-land and not likely to find a shop nearby to have do the installation.

the brands I know of are

Bruno Wessel
OKU
Kengrip

Thanks, that shows a few things but still not much general info. I see some guns made for special studs, but are there standardized studs that work in most the others?