All motorcycle riders are different. There are motorcyclists who ride year round, whether it rains or snows. There are motorcycle riders who will buy a used bike every spring to then sell it at the end of autumn. And some riders, like myself, let their motorcycles hibernate for the winter. If you’ve had your motorcycle safely stored away for the winter then you must be excited, perhaps even anxious, to start the new riding season. But when is it a good time to take your motorcycle out of winter storage? At the start of spring? After Easter? Perhaps at the start of summer? The truth is, the answer is entirely up to you and your riding style. However, I’d like to use myself as an example and explain when I take my motorcycle out of winter storage.
When I first started motorcycle riding, back in 2007, I used to ride all year around. Winter riding can be very brutal. Even with heated gear, it can be impossible to completely protect yourself from the ice cold air. Plus, riding a motorcycle through snow is extremely unsafe. Back in 2009, I was working at the Apple Store in the Upper West Side of Manhattan and I would ride my motorcycle to work everyday. That winter, I was riding to work a day after it had snowed. As I approached my job, I turned onto a street that hadn’t been plowed and a pile of snow made me lose control of my motorcycle and a parked car broke my fall. After this experience I decided to no longer ride in the winter.
There are two things I look at to determine when I should store my motorcycle and when I should take it out. The first thing I consider is the temperature. I don’t mind riding in cold weather, but perhaps my definition of cold differs from yours. I really love riding my motorcycle, so I’m willing to deal with a certain degree of cold (pun intended), but anything below 40 degrees F is too cold for me. The second thing I watch out for is snow. Again, it’s extremely dangerous to ride a motorcycle in snow and I never want to do it again. Therefore, the start of riding season for me begins once the weather outside stays consistently above 40 degrees F and there’s no more snow. Hopefully, this example is insightful and helps you decide when’s the best time for you to start riding your motorcycle again. Ride safe!
