Don’t Commute … Scoot!

This time of year I’m often asked about riding in the winter. Does anybody do it? Is it safe? How late in the year do you ride? Does the scooter need to be adjusted? Do you need snow tires?

There are a few intrepid souls who ride year round here. Jack Allart and “Uncle Bob” are the two names that come immediately to my mind. Gary Bogue has done it, too.

I personally plan to ride regularly through Thanksgiving, and then on days when it’s clear and sunny. The latest I’ve ridden regularly was January 15 a couple years ago.

The main determinant of whether or not I ride is the road conditions. If there’s any hint of snow or ice on the roads I won’t ride. A small patch of black ice can really ruin your day. Other things to watch for are tar snakes, manhole covers, and painted lines. They can all be surprisingly slippery when cold.

Your scooter shouldn’t need any special adjustments for the winter. If your battery’s in good shape (and not frozen solid) the scooter should start about the same in winter as in summer, but it will take a few extra minutes to warm up.

I’ve recently seen snow tires for scooters, but I don’t know how well they work.

The biggest thing you’ll need is warm clothing. Think “snowmobile suit”. Start with a buff. We have some “Motley Tubes” that stretch to fit around your neck and/or head and are surprisingly warm for how thin they are.

Next, keep your hands warm. You want gloves that are well insulated, but also flexible enough so you can work the controls. Or you can try some heated grips.

By the way, a full face helmet is warmest, but you’ll need to do something about the face shield fogging up. We have breath deflectors that fit some models that you might want to try, or you could wear a modular helmet that is easy to flip up while you’re waiting at stop lights.

For more information about riding in the winter you might want to check out Steve Williams’ Scooter in the Sticks blog. He has written numerous articles on the topic. There’s also a Cold Weather Challenge issued every year by 2 Stroke Buzz that you might want to check out.

Bottom line is that winter riding is entirely up to you. Just dress warmly and be prepared for uncertain road conditions.

This entry was posted on Tuesday, November 10th, 2009 at 3:52 pm and is filed under Safety. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.