It's cold, it's snowy... but I want to ride: How do you keep riding in the winter?

As winter finally seems to be settling in here (here being Southern Ontario) again for another season, I’ve already tucked away most of the bikes for the winter. But, like many riders, I’m always holding out for that ‘one more day’ of nice temperatures to get out and twist a throttle. Waiting for the mercury to climb above freezing isn’t the only way though — there’s plenty of ways to get out on a motorcycle through the winter months to keep our twitchy right wrists from seizing up. Here’s a few ideas:

Get all the heated kit you can get your hands on. Provided the roads aren’t covered in snow or ice (or a fresh layer of salt), what’s stopping you from getting out on your motorcycle? Ah yes hypothermia, frostbite. Luckily there’s a ton of really good heated gear on the market now to wire you up from pretty much head-to-toe (ok, maybe not a fully heated helmet that I know of). Heated gloves, jacket and pants make a world of difference for those chilly rides and will definitely extend your riding season. If you do go all out, just make sure your electrical system is up to the challenge of keeping it all running and still maintaining good charge to the bike.

Ice racing. Some people grab skates when heading to a frozen lake in the winter, others screw spikes into the tires of their dirt bike and clear a track to race on. It’s seriously fun.

Get some bigger wheels. The 80’s were full of great ideas: thanks Yamaha for the Big Wheel (and Honda for the Fat Cat)! Ok, ok, it’s still super sketchy to ride in the snow, but I always get out on this thing in the winter for some casual moto fun.

Even better than bigger wheels, get a track and a ski. Snow bikes / Timbersleds have seen some great advancement over the last number of years. There are quite a few kits available to convert your standard dirt bike into one hell of a capable and wickedly fun snow machine. You’ll need lots of gas, like lots 😉