Winter riding is the last great bastion of motorcycling. I class winter motorcyclists at the top level, together with GP racers and round-the-world daredevils.

There's nothing to beat the feeling of  satisfaction when you reach that state of nirvana on a piss-wet day with zero visibility and freezing temperatures, when your physical discomforts disappear, and the sound of your trusty and dependable winter bike fills your soul, and you glow with the realization that you are one with the elements, and you are the ONLY biker on the road...it must be the same feeling of elated solitude Everest climbers have for that split second before a party of Japanese tourists make the summit.

Its also the technical challenge of preparing a bike for a hard winter. My winter bike is an XT600, battle scarred and worn, gaunt and dependable.  I have the same feelings for this bike as an old bloke I saw at a watch shop the other day. I was standing next a to a young couple buying a real flash Swiss automatic chronograph with ALL the glitzy chronometer functions, helium release...you get the picture, and this weather-beaten old farmer walks in and takes off a heavy, battered tin mechanical wristwatch, asking to have it cleaned. The clerk smiled and pointed out that for the price of the cleaning he could buy a nice quartz watch and enjoy great precision, to which the farmer replies: My father set this watch every day to his grandfather's clock, and I have done the same ever since. My watch tells me what time it is, all day, every day. Clean it.

Some of the great pleasures of owning and riding a motorcycle year round in Scandinavian climates is a) solving the challenge of reducing cold start wear due to low temperatures, and b) solving the salt corrosion problem. There are many approaches to these challenges, and here are some of my solutions.

 

 

This is my XT600 set up for the winter season of 2005/2006. Hand guards keep the wind off my hands and eliminate the need for heated gloves. The low Acerbis mudguard on the front wheel keeps salt sludge away from the motor, a rubber extension flap will be fitted for next season. Silver foil on the exhaust speeds up warming of the motor, and keeps the worst road dirt (salt) at bay, as do gaitors on the front forks. The sheepskin is both comfortable and warm in the winter, cool in the summer. Redex and alcohol in the fuel take care of condensation and top-end lubrication during cold starts, while flashing bike lights rear and fore get the attention of cagers on foggy, drizzly or snowy days. Knobbly trail tires keep me upright in the snow!

                    

This is the year I made an insulated oil heater, which consistently holds the temperature of the oil at 30-40°C, when outside temperatures are -5 to +5°C. Gear shifting is easier, engine noise (rattles) eliminated, as opposed to the days when I forget to heat the oil. I picked up a damaged (high) front guard on eBay, and this guard is supplementing the rear mudguard to keep crud away from the frame / oil tank / exhaust, which was rather exposed. Scottoiler with lightweight motor oil to keep the chain lubricated AND free of salt.

A soaper/sprayer on the garden hose (a short length kept in the shed to stay frost-free) allows me to spray off the salt once a week, while lashings of WD40 sprayed using a compressor and spraypainting gun, and a can of silicone spray at the start of the season keeps electrickery and plastics happy.

To do: well, I made a nice perspex screen / leg guard setup for my last bike, kept the snow, slush & rain off my legs and upper body a treat, and didnt look tooo bad. I might try my hand again….

 

Heat the oil before starting.

By heating the oil from freezing temps to anything above 15°C I am assured that the oil will flow immediately, and lubrication will be efficient from the first "thump" of the cylinder. I have an XT600 single cylinder thumper from the mid 80s. One of the many things which make this bike ideally suited for all year riding is its external oil tank. While many scorn the Yamahas outdated dry sump technology, winter riders will immediately recognise the practical advantages of an easily accessible oil supply protected by a thin-walled steel tank. Heating this 2 litre oil reservoir is best done by purchasing a length of "self regulation heat cable", typically used to keep pipes frost free, thaw gutters etc. Try typing "Raychem self regulating" in Google and you will find what you are looking for. A bit of imagination, and you will find a plumbing or roofing company in your area who will have a roll of the stuff. 1-2m is enough to winterize any bike.

 

 

This heat cable is self regulating, and will produce more heat at low temperatures, less at higher temperatures, i.e. no thermostat or other electronic doohickery required. It is very sturdy stuff, and will not burn out if left on for extended periods, or if the cable overlaps. It is quite stiff, yet flexible enough to mould to oil reservoirs, sumps etc. and is covered in a chemical resistant covering. The cables are available in several effects, from about 4W/foot to about 20W/foot. I picked up a few meters of cable rated 50W/m at 10°C. Plugged in at room temperature, the cable soon becomes hot, hotter than you can hold it in your hand. The cables are simply cut to size, sealed at the one end using heat flex, and plugged in to your wall power source (you need to splice a plug in using heat flex). I cut two lengths, and spliced them to the same plug.

 

 

 

 

 

The one piece was extended, to function as a battery and carb warmer at the same time! I have also tried to extend the cable to the engine, but the effect is too small to heat such a large lump of steel! It is very important to get as much contact to the metal of the tank as possible: a strip of wood and some cable ties solved this problem (more effective than thermal glue, quickly removed – again, a huge advantage having an external oil tank!). Making an optional removable isolating sleeve of aluminium tape and glass wool will optimize the thermal efficiency of the heater. 

 

 

 

 

I use a clock timer to switch on the heater an hour before take-off. I am presently collecting data to document the thermal efficiency of the system (below), but clearly my goal of an oil temperature increase of 20°C from ambient temp has been attained.

 

 

 

20°C above ambient may not sound of much, but have a look at the viscosity chart below. Had I been using the recommended 20W-40 oil, viscosity would have been about 2500cSt at 0°C. By changing to 10W40 for the winter, and increasing the temperature of the oil to 20°C the viscosity falls to 250cSt, ie the oil is 10 times less viscous (more flowable) than if I had not initiated these changes. I think there can be no doubt that 10 times more oil flowing through a motor during the first minutes of operation is A Good Thing ©. There really is no need to heat the oil further to optimal operating temperature, say 60 degrees as the flowability will "only" double in this range, as opposed to the 10 times increase in flowability from 5°C to 20°C, while the energy requirements and complexity of the heater will increase hugely.

 

 

For the number-heads among you: the heat capacity of oil is 2000 J/kg/C, meaning that 2000 Joules will heat 1 kg (1 liter) of oil 1 degree Celsius. 2000 joules = 0.56 Watt hour, so heating 2 liters by 15 degrees requires 0.56 Watt hour*2L*15°C= 17 Watt hours. At 15W/foot, 1.5foot (45cm) will produce 22.5W (18W at 80% efficiency), thus it will take one hour to produce the equivalent of 17W hours. This corresponds nicely with the thermal efficiency curve, and proves that I know how to punch numbers into a pocket calculator.

Price? Well, lets say the heater is on 2 times 2 hours, the equivalent of about 60W hours. 0,06 * 1,60 DKr/KWh = 10øre (1,6US cents) per day. Expensive? Yes, but worth it!

Note that the heat cable I use has an upper heat limit of about 110°C, so you may need to remove the heater if you are going on a long ride. The heater can be removed in seconds and placed in a tank bag, if necessary, but my oil temperature rarely if ever gets near 80°C for any length of time during this season.

 

Upper cylinder lubrication.

The engine still requires a few thumps to get the warmed oil through the system. In order to attain an optimal lubrication of the cylinder during this phase, I always use an upper cylinder lubricant in all my bikes, regardless of outside temperatures.

 

 

My choices are Redex, or, if this is not available, Automatic Transmission Fuel, at 1% vol/vol concentration.

 

 

Salt corrosion, drive chain.

Watch a bike in the wet - the rear wheel thrashes water everywhere, and if there is salt in this water (following road salting) your chain will rust immediately. There are two solutions: chain gaiters, like MZ has on their older models, or a Scottoiler filled with low viscosity oil. Remember, the oil from the Scottoiler needs to flow fast, and needs to be flung off the chain, carrying the salt with it, so don’t buy special chain oils or chainsaw oils in the winter!

 

 

 

 

Salt corrosion, rest of  bike

Two schools of thought here. The one suggests using a sticky wax spray of the type used used for rust protecting cars. Do it once, do it well, and remove at the end of the season. Disadvantage: bike ends up looking a mess!! The second school recommends WD40 / kerosene / silicon sprays. The whole bike can be rinsed once a week and resprayed, in this way the salty gunk is removed and the bike still looks ok. Unfortunately the two can't be combined, as WD40 / kerosene actually removes the wax type protectant. You makes your choice…

 

Buy a rugged bike, an offroader with plastic and aluminium bits. Nobody who has an offroader is bothered by scratches, dents and a generally rough look – it all adds to your credibility!

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 If you have any questions or comments, please send me a mail .