There's no reason to park our bikes in winter unless there is snow or ice on the road. Simple cold weather need not stop us, nor should a little (or even a lot) of rain. There's gear that can help you stay comfortable in inclement weather during the winter, and I encourage you all to give it a try.

One of the best places for information on riding year-round is, no duh, the Year Round Riders (http://www.yearroundriders.com) website. They are good people over there and are very willing to answer questions about how to deal with weather of any sort.

Or, just PM me - as I've mentioned, I lived in Seattle for many years and I've ridden down to the teens (which was about as cold as it ever got) as well as in torrential downpours everywhere. Plus on black ice on I-5 . . . :P

Hey Sachi, or anyone else... got a question for you.
summer's closing here and i needed to ride the bike to work yesterday morning. it was below 5 degrees celsius, so it took many many tries of trying to get the engine to turn over before i could finally get it running. i know that the engine trying to turn does eventually warm it so it can start.. but are there any wear-and-tear issues associated with this? it just feels bad to me..

Hey Sachi, or anyone else... got a question for you.
summer's closing here and i needed to ride the bike to work yesterday morning. it was below 5 degrees celsius, so it took many many tries of trying to get the engine to turn over before i could finally get it running. i know that the engine trying to turn does eventually warm it so it can start.. but are there any wear-and-tear issues associated with this? it just feels bad to me..

my $.02:

this doesn't work on our bikes because the kill switch knocks out the ignition, but lots of people turn the engine over with the kill switch on after an oil change to circulate the oil through the engine before running it. take a look at the oil pressure dummy light when you're trying to start it: after a couple of unsuccessful attempts, the light will go off.

but ... if you have a battery tender, it's not a bad idea to use it over the winter. if you don't do a lot of high-rpm riding, the battery will get a bit drained, making it a bit more reluctant to start. when my battery's fully charged, i hardly ever have any trouble starting it, at least when it's above, say, 20 (F) or so....

cheers,
.cyb
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The battery tender is good advice. I wouldn't worry unduly about startup wear during cold weather; just be sure that your battery is fully charged and up to snuff. You should be able to start the bike with little problem, no matter how cold it is. If not, something needs to be checked!

I live just west of Boston. Road salt is where I draw the line. I read lots of British cycle magazines and the photos of corrosion and such from road salt really sunk in.
I have this question:
At what ride interval are you better off putting your bike away? The thought of putting her to bed for 4 months makes me sad, but I don't want to do any harm.
I am thinking of fuel getting stale and the engine sitting with dirty oil in it.
Any thoughts?

Road salt is where I draw the line too. If I had a beater bike that I didn't care about as much, it wouldn't bother me. But I REALLY LOVE this bike, so I intend to keep it as nice as possible. I'm going to keep it registered all winter (mostly so I don't have to turn in the plate), but not really sure how much riding I'll actually do in the off season. I already have the battery tender cord installed for a quick plug in when the time comes, and I intend to start running a bit of sta-bil in each tank as the weather gets progressively colder, so I'm not scrambling to get some in there and all mixed in when that first storm is looming. If the roads aren't salty and its not too cold, I'll take her out. But when it looks like the crap is here to stay for more than a few weeks, I'm draining the carbs. Its easy enough to do, and doesn't take long. Certainly easier than cleaning out the idle jets when the garbage they sell as gas these days gets gummy.

What is going to rust on our bikes? The pipes? I think the swingarm is steel... but its got a good coating on it... I wouldn't worry about road salt too much, but I live in Vegas ... riding all year hear is easy (I don't even own a car).

I plan on riding all winter, save for storms. 35 degrees, I can deal with. 35 degrees in rain, call me a wuss, but no thanks. I'm normally the guy still walking out to the car barefoot in shorts while my friends are in the house in blankets and sweaters, but I've got a limit.

I have a question, though. What kind of winter apparel do I need to be budgeting for? I'm quitting my job and going back to school much sooner than I had planned to, so I'm not going to have the money I expected to. Will a normal leather jacket with layers underneath suffice? What kind of material should I look for in a skull cap or baclava? What kind of gloves should I get if I don't want to bother paying for and wiring up heated gloves? All I've got right now are some leather/cloth/plastic Joe Rockets with no gauntlets and more ventilation and water penetration than I care to deal with in the cold. I want to maintain decent dexterity, though. I don't like a numb feel on the controls one bit.

I guess I probably should have posted this in riding gear...

What is going to rust on our bikes? The pipes? I think the swingarm is steel... but its got a good coating on it... I wouldn't worry about road salt too much, but I live in Vegas ... riding all year hear is easy (I don't even own a car).

You should see what some bikes look like with a few years of neglect. Put a salty, wet bike away and you are asking for it in a big way. There is plenty to rust on the 599, including some very expensive pieces like fork sliders. Not to mention that salt water does a number on electrical stuff.
I bet in Nevada you would worry more about sun-fading than rust!

Road salt is where I draw the line too. If I had a beater bike that I didn't care about as much, it wouldn't bother me. But I REALLY LOVE this bike, so I intend to keep it as nice as possible. I'm going to keep it registered all winter (mostly so I don't have to turn in the plate), but not really sure how much riding I'll actually do in the off season. I already have the battery tender cord installed for a quick plug in when the time comes, and I intend to start running a bit of sta-bil in each tank as the weather gets progressively colder, so I'm not scrambling to get some in there and all mixed in when that first storm is looming. If the roads aren't salty and its not too cold, I'll take her out. But when it looks like the crap is here to stay for more than a few weeks, I'm draining the carbs. Its easy enough to do, and doesn't take long. Certainly easier than cleaning out the idle jets when the garbage they sell as gas these days gets gummy.

Yeah, I need a winter a hack! Got any CB200'S around? I like your advice about starting to run some sta-bil in. Do you think the sta-bil brand is the best? I have heard from people that it did not work. Maybe they did not mix it?

I've never tried any other brand of stabilizer. I have never had any problems running the sta-bil. I put it in my snowblower at the end of winter, and it still starts up in the fall. I usually suck the tank out and refill with fresh fuel anyway, but the old fuel never seems to gunk up my carbs. I did have an issue with old fuel (with stabil) not wanting to run very well in my daughter's little quad, but it completely cleared up with some new fuel. I even dropped the bowl on the carb just to be sure, and it was clean. So I think the key is, don't expect the fuel to stay "good as new" with stabilizer added, but consider it good against gumming up the carbs.

And no, no CB200 twins left, but a nice '81 GS550 I just need to get a title for....not really sure what I'm doing with that one. Might also know of a CB550 up for grabs.

I think a used KLR would be a perfect second bike... you can do all the things you'd feel guilty about doing with the Hornet! :D

Dirt roads, winter riding, trip to tip of Chile... and the thing is apparently invincible!

i like to talk about winter riding.

my 2006 has been through two long island winters now. compared to western mass, the last place i lived, it seems like they use a ton of salt here. on the other hand, the snow season is usually only february and march. i ride so long as there's no snow or ice on the road. when there's salt, i wash the bike more or less weekly.

i also ride in the rain, at least when it's raining and i need to go somewhere.

there's a tiny bit of rust on the header pipes where they leave the engine, plus a little bit on the nut on the steering stem. the heads of various bolts are a little bit corroded, but it's still pretty surface. a few of the valve cover bolts were a bit corroded before i did the valve adjustment; after removing and reinstalling them they're fine. but bolts are cheap, so i just replace them every so often. the radiator cap and the horn are a bit corroded, as well.

i'm told that the oil pan doesn't have any corrosion protection, but i don't have any signs of anything on mine yet. the fork sliders are fine, but they're a bit protected by the fender on the 06, and easy to wash off. the rear shock is a bit rusted, in spite of the hugger i have.

as for gear, i have a barn door national cycle plexifairing, atv gauntlets, heated hand grips, a full widder electric suit, windjammer, fog city insert, and a fieldsheer highlander 1 piece. this keeps me comfortable to about 20. after that, my head is what gets cold, and that freaks me out, so i don't ride. but then, i'm from south carolina and have pretty much no body fat, so your mileage may vary.

cheers!
.cyb
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