How to Ride a Motorcycle in Snow

Check the weather

If it’s freezing outside or if you know it’s going to snow, take extra care or find another way to travel. Even if the weather looks mild.

Monitor Your Speeds

you need to be extra careful when accelerating. Be sure to avoid any sudden actions, such as cornering, braking, or swerving too fast.

Take some air out of your wheels

we suggest you take out some air from your tires. This will slightly deflate them and give them a larger contact patch on snow. A larger contact patch will result in more traction for your tires, which is a win-win for everybody.

Check tire pressures

If it’s below 10°C, your tire pressures will drop by 2-3psi, which doesn’t sound much but if your tires were on the low side to start with this could be enough to make the steering heavy and give an unstable feeling on the brakes. Check them on cold mornings.

Consider your braking distances

For a rider traveling at 30mph, with a 210kg bike, the typical thinking distance would be 9 meters, while the braking distance is 14 meters, making a total stopping distance of 23 meters. During Winter these braking distances can increase massively. To combat this, increase the distance to the vehicle in front.

Clean and lube the chain regularly

Getting your bike on a paddock stand helps as it allows the rear wheel and chain to run freely while you apply.

It’s also worth remembering to lube the chain AFTER riding rather than before which lets the lubricant get into all the gaps rather than being flung off straight away.