New York weather

[Dorianfes]

Hey guys, it's been a long time since i've had a chance to post anything.  mostly because i let my brother borrow my bike for a road trip.  in return i got a new chain and sprocket set and a tune up!  anyway, i'm new to the new york area.  i'll be here for about three months or so.  i've been getting some conflicting reports one typical New York weather.  I was hoping someone on the forum had experience with riding weather in N.Y.  how long does it usually go before the snow starts to kick in?  thanks for any replies.

[VTNewb]

in VT first snows can often be in October, however they never stick and it can be 70 the next day.

[rizp]

I'm guessing that since you didn't specify where in NY you are, that you're visiting NYC? weather can vary a great deal in NY state. I'm in Buffalo, NY and come winter, we've got Lake Erie in full effect. (ha, get it?? lake effect! HA!) whereas, a few miles outside of town, it can be sunny and relatively snow-free. As for NYC, my recollection is that it stays milder a bit longer. I'll wager you could be riding late october, even early Nov if you geared up proper.

It also depends on the year. I distinctly recall a couple of years ago when there were ridable days EVERY MONTH (I didn't have a bike, I just noticed motorcyclists each time we had a warm spell) (but this wasn't Buffalo, it was closer to Ithaca, NY.

At any rate, Enjoy autumn in the city if that's where you'll be. man you're in for some FANTASTIC fall weather, yet.

Regards,
Riz

[mp183]

NY State is bigger than many countries.
Dpends where you are.  
Around NYC you can ride all year excluding some snow days.
But it all depends how close you are to NYC.  Fifty miles northa and it's differend world.

[juggernaught]

Agree with mp about nyc.  I ride all year round except for snow days but as long as the streets are plowed....all year round.  Best times from about april to december with january through some of march being the coldest days...

[cay]

Don't you care about getting your bike all salty?  I found a dime-sized spot of rust on my frame and thought it was the end of the world.

[mp183]

I don't worry about rust.  Best thing is no to wash it all winter.  Moisture is what activates the salt to make rust.  I find that dry salt is not a problem.  If it gets bad I just hose it off.  The bottom the of the center stand will rust so just spray it with WD-40.  I would not give up winter riding for anything.

[Dorianfes]

sorry guys should have specified more.  i'm in long island, n.y.  i'll be here till the end of december, but i kinda need to use my car mon - fri. till then.  you guys think this is gonna be possible?  also, if you ride your bike year ride in n.y.  could you give me your take on winter gear.  gloves, pants, and a jacket.  i was thinking of the joe rocket meteor jacket, joe rocket alter ego textile pants, and sidi vertebra 2 boots.  thanks for the help.

[Dorianfes]

ok, so i found out that it pretty much doesn't snow in new york 'till january.  anyone have any suggestions for good riding gear?

[juggernaught]

Lotsa jackets and pants and thermals to keep ya warm but my biggest difficulty has been keeping my hands warm and i've tried so many different gloves  I was reading up on these gloves in the AMA newsletter...and here's a link to the page:

http://home.ama-cycle.org/membersonly/magazine/story_dl.asp?id=174

Ironically my M620 has a little heat dispersal thingy right under the seat...in the summer it wasn't all that great but in the winter it'll be kinda nice to have a warm bum.  

[Kerry]

Through experimentation I proved to myself that if you can keep the wind from coming through your clothing you have the cold problem mostly licked.



The mittens in the picture are made by Outdoor Research.  I have bought similar items made by Black Diamond, and there must be several other manufacturers.  I've used both mittens and full-finger gloves made out of this THIN windproof material.  This stuff outperforms leather, thick ski gloves, etc.  It doesn't work so much by insulation (keeping your heat in) as by keeping the wind out.

I have ridden in 20-degree weather with nothing but a mitten on one hand and various other gloves on the other.  The temperature difference became obvious while I rode.  When I stopped after 20 or 30 miles I would take off all  hand gear and clasp my hands together.  Sure enough, the hand clad only in the thin windproof mitten was always warmer.  I also compared hand temperature with my Dad when we rode together.  Poor guy - his hands were freezing.   (And he HATES the cold!)

The mittens being so thin, they offer no protection in a crash.  So I always pull them over my regular riding gloves.  The leather provides a little insulation, the mittens keep the wind out, and my hands are always toasty.

I came up with this solution about 3 years ago.  By now there MUST be motorcycle-specific gloves that include a windproof layer of material like this.  I can't tell by the description of the TourMaster gloves (on the AMA page that juggernaught linked to) whether the HiPora membrane is the same stuff or not.  It doesn't mention "windproof", but since it's waterproof it probably is.  (The mittens are NOT waterproof.)

Speaking of "waterproof and breathable", my thin FroggToggs are the last layer I put on in either rain or cold.  They "provide heat" in the same way as the mittens above - by preventing the wind from STEALING your heat rather than by conventional insulation.

[luksi]

I second Kerry's raingear-for-heat suggestion.  It rains in the winter here. Even when it was dry, I found my rainsuit "under-my-gear" kept me toasty when it got below 40 degrees F.  My hands were the only part that froze.  I got some neoprene fishing gloves to wear under some oversized leather work gloves for this winter...Kerry's  suggestion looks better as the neoprene is bulky.

[bikenut]

I grew up on Long Island and you can ride whenver there is no snow on the ground.  As far as keeping your hands warm, I used some chemical sticks when I was snowmobiling at Yellowstone.  You break the stick and stick it in your gloves and it keeps the fingers nice and toasty.  It was 30 below and they worked great.  L.I. never gets that cold.

Of course, now I'm in the Hurricane state so I dont have to worry about the cold.

[Phaedrus]

Upstate New Yorker Jokes

If you're proud that your region makes the national news 96 nights each year because Saranac Lake is the coldest spot in the nation, and Syracuse gets more snow than any other major city in the US, you might live in Upstate New York.

If your local Dairy Queen is closed from September through May, you might live in Upstate New York.

If you instinctively walk like a penguin for six months out of the year, you might live in Upstate New York.

If someone in a Home Depot store offers you assistance, and they don't work there, you might live in Upstate New York.

If your dad's suntan stops at a line curving around the middle of his forehead, you might live in Upstate New York.

If you have worn shorts and a parka at the same time, you might live in Upstate New York.

If your town has more bars than churches, you might live in Upstate New York.  

If you have had a lengthy telephone conversation with someone who dialed a wrong number, you might live in Upstate New York.

YOU KNOW YOU ARE A TRUE UPSTATE NEW YORKER WHEN:

1. "Vacation" means going South past Syracuse for the weekend.

2. You measure distance in hours.  :lol:

3. You know several people who have hit a deer more than once.

4. You often switch from "heat" to "A/C" in the same day and back again.

5. You can drive 65 mph through 2 feet of snow during a raging blizzard, without flinching.

6. You see people wearing camouflage at social events (including weddings).

7. You install security lights on your house and garage and leave both unlocked.

8. You carry jumper cables in your car and your girlfriend / wife knows how to use them.

9. You design your kid's Halloween costume to fit over a snowsuit.

10. Driving is better in the winter because the potholes are filled with snow.

11. You know all 4 seasons: almost winter, winter, still winter, and road construction.

12. You can identify a southern or eastern accent.

13. Your idea of creative landscaping is a statue of a deer next to your blue spruce.

14. You were unaware that there is a legal drinking age.

15. Down South to you means Corning.

16. A brat is something you eat.

17. Your neighbor throws a party to celebrate his new shed.

18 You go out for a fish fry every Friday.

19. Your 4th of July picnic was moved indoors due to frost.

20. You have more miles on your snow blower than your car.

21. You find 10 degrees "a little chilly."

[bargovic]

HAHA Phaedrus.

I grew up in saratoga NY, and went to college in Oswego, NY.  Just moved to  northern PA a few months ago, and people are trying to tell me to get ready for a cold snowy winter (they always think i moved up from philly). give me a break.

every single one of those "YOU KNOW YOU ARE A TRUE UPSTATE NEW YORKER WHEN" is acurate.  I laughed my ass off.