My car is currently uninsured, and since the (fairly attractive) girl I've been carpooling with is now back in school, and there was no ice *on* the roads today (though lots of snow off the roads) I rode this morning.  40 miles.

I was a little chilly when I got here... another 10 miles I think I would have needed to stop to thaw my toes, actually.  I was a little surprised, as I hadn't ever been quite that cold in this gear (leather jacket, windproof jacket over that, windproof pants over jeans over thermals, thick leather steel-toe shoes, winter snowmobile gloves).

Just checked the temperature....  it's been an hour and a half since I got here, and the sun has come out since then.

It is now up to 18 degrees (F) at my destination, and up to 8 degrees where I started.

hmm.....

youch

Brrrrrrr!

It's 40 here and that's too dang cold. Thank goodness it'll be back up in the upper 60's this weekend.

Been there man...

Rode from Columbus to Atlanta last Feb for a party on the GS, 98 miles. Started off at sun down, about 50 degrees.  By the time I got to ATL it was thirty something.  Drank coffee and stood in front of the heater for an hour. Left to repeat the trip about 10 PM. It was in the teens by the time I got home and I was chilled to the core. Went straight to bed and shivered on an electric blanket for a good long time.
The only thing that made the ride tolerable (possible) was the throttle lock that let me alternate putting my hands on the cylinders to keep them warm.

With the right gear and a faired bike it wouldn't have been too bad. But I had neither at the time.  If I had to ride distances in the winter I would invest in a snowmobile suit. But luckily my commute is 3 miles, which anything can be tolerated.

I'm going to stop complaining about my 45 degree rides...18degrees!!!!  I'm chilled thinking about riding in that!!!!


Lane

Brrrrrr 18f  
I rode in today thinking it wasn't that bad - 30/33 f. I won't ride colder than that. I fear (vanilla) ice on my nice new(ish) bike.  
JamesG that's a great one about hands across your cylinders!

For the conditions described by the OP, I would recquire an electric vest, heavy wool socks, insulated gloves and neck & chin protection.  

One time I was out riding in the freezing cold feeling very comfortable and very thankful for my electric vest, knowing I would be enduring a lot of pain without its heat coarsing around my body.  I had to stop for gas and reached to unhitch the cord from the vest and discovered I'd forgotton to plug it in to begin with.  Then, I began to shiver.  Mind over matter, the placebo effect, or somethin'.

Thats freaking cold!!!  I have done 29 degrees, but not 18!  I find once I layer up I can barely move!     But here it seems like my neighborhood is always icey lately.  Or its beautiful out and I'm sick.  Its just not right!!!

I want spring!!!!!

The best part is that I still get to ride home tonight....

it's up to 24 degrees here, and 18 where I'm headed, but it's supposed to drop again by the time I leave.

I have heated grips at home, but I haven't figured out where to mount the switch yet, so I haven't put them on. :-(

But for those of you aghast that I survived the trip, remember that only the last 15 miles of it, salt lake county, (out of 40) were 18 degrees...  before that I was on the other side of the the "point of the mountain", in utah county, where when I got to work and checked online it was reported as being 8.

I wondered why I was suddenly feeling cold air through my thick shoes...  that'll do it.

All in all, I need to figure out how to mount those grip heaters.

I have yet to say it's too cold but then again it's only hit like 15f.  I have a t-shirt, lightweight vest, Joe rocket balistic jacket and a joerocket liner, heavy gloves(don't know the brand), jeans, long socks, tennis shoes, and this neck/shin guard that squezes my head in my helmet but keeps the wind off my chin.  Only things that get cold are the knees, fingers, toes.  Sometimes I'll ride with the viser up.  Not to bad but I drive when It rains.

PLEASE HELP ME GET THROUGH THE WINTER CHILL!!

I finally completed my cold weather/rain gear, or so I thought. My only issue is my hands. The weather around DFW the last two weeks have been insane. Last week the weather hovered around 32 degrees F. No problem, my gloves held up ok. Yesterday morning, it was closer to 22 degrees F. I figured it couldn't get any worse. Boy was I wrong. This morning it was 18 degrees! My hands were cold and numb at the end of my 25 minute commute to work. This is what I currently use:

1) liner --> thin leather gloves with 40g 3M Thinsulate lining

2) shell --> Black Diamond Verglas Plus gloves (rated to 20 degrees F) - water/wind resistant gloves with removable 200g fleece liner

Apparently, this setup is not enough. For those of you who are fighting similar cold weather let me know what you are using to keep your hands toasty.

Also, any comments on these options would be helpful:
1) specialized glove liner (transfer/retain heat)
2) mittens
3) heated gloves
4) heated grips
5) grip heaters
6) handlebar mitts
7) hand shield

Kids, the first symptoms of hypothermia are flawed judgement and slowed reaction times (which occur before unstoppable shivering), and sneaks up on you before you're aware of it.  Niether of these are desirable conditions while mounted on a motorcycle in any condition.  Is that ride really worth it?

Amen to what the last post said... Be very careful when riding in cold weather.  Has I realized how cold it was going to be this morning, I would have dressed differently, somewhat. (not riding wasn't an option)

That said, growing up in Utah, doing winter campouts all the time, I've learned to recognize signs in myself of onset of hypothermia.  it's not always easy, though.  be careful.

that said as well, Flash:

Your first problem is that you are concentrating on keeping your hands warm through use of hand warming impliments.  the first rule to keeping your hands warm is to keep your head and chest warm.  Think about it... you have strong insulated gloves on... where does all the heat escape to?  Your head and chest.  your body draws it inwards.

So, to keep warm, wear wind-proof gear, particularly (in my experience) your pants and chin areas.  your ankles and feet are also particularly susceptible to wind sucking away heat.  Usually when you are biking in the winter, you're smart enough to at least wear a wind-proof jacket, but even just that extra wind around your neck may be drawing out far more heat than you realize.  This will also cause your feet to get cold.

You can use heated grips, etc, but the best idea is to find ways to warm the rest of you.  Concentrate on any place that cold air is flowing through, that's where you're losing the most.

Fix those problems, and your hands won't be as bad.

Then after your hands are bearable, install grip warmers to make them comfortable.

just my $.02

Oh, and so you know, this is what I wear:

Sketchers steel-toe boot/shoes
thick socks
thermal underwear (pants only, usually)
work slacks (hey, I bike to work)
FroggToggs wind and rain-proof pants (over the top, zip-up cuffs)
shirt
sweatshirt (when it's really cold only)
leather jacket (with liner when it's really cold)
FroggToggs wind and rain-proof pull-over jacket with hood pulled up
scarf over my mouth and resting on my back, under jacket hood
full-face helmet, visor down as much as possible (oviously)
$25 discount ATV winter gloves

That usually keeps me warm.  It just occurred to me that probably the main reason I was so cold this morning (colder than usual in low temperatures) is that I forgot my liner for my leather jacket.  Layers is the first thing to keep in mind when dealing with cold weather.

Also, I know most of you guys won't like this idea (I don't use it myself) but a pair of nylon stockings under your pants (no, doesn't have to be full length) will do wonders for the temperature of your legs.

Alright, that was an essay.  cheers. (chills?)

Some would say we suffer from flawed judgment to be riding motorcycles to begin with.    :lol:

This morning was 17f.  I drove the car but forgot to turn on the heater till it was 2 miles to school.  Everyone says I'm crazy when ever I ride to school.  It's really funny to see their expressions. :mrgreen:

Flash, you mentioned a "hand shield" as a possible option to help keep your hands warm.  Do you have ANY kind of a shield on the bike?

Richard and I both have the National Cycle Plexistar II shield, which does a fair job of shielding the hands.  I did a couple of long (300 - 400 mile) day rides during the winter before I got the shield, and I can testify that it makes a BIG difference on the hands.  Not just in the cold, either - also in the wet.

Just some extra info to go along with the other good stuff said by others.

Today was 22 degrees and I rode 12 miles... I need neoprene socks, and the bandit mask which I have, and need to find some snow mobile gloves. But hey beats driving to work, and parking which costs $5. Joe Rocket jacket wihtout liner and pants worked fine.
Cool.
Srinath.

Richard...ditch the steel toed boots/shoes for riding.....the steel conducts the cold right onto your toes....

Yow that's a cold ride....I've ridden in the twenties before (when I've had no choice...) .  If it's cold enough for ice on the road I wont ride....

I realize steel-toe shoes probably don't help much for insulation, but they do for protection... my dad got his foot destroyed in a motorcycle accident 13 years ago because he wasn't wearing good shoes.  I decided I'd rather err on the side of caution...  and it actually is still warmer than any other shoes I've tried.

Thanks for the suggestion, though.  That one I think is just personal decision.

Kerry:
where can I get some of those hand shields and how much?

Sorry alerbaugh, I didn't mean to imply that I had separate hand shields.  I have a large-ish windshield which is wide enough that it covers the hands.  You can see pictures of it on my website.

Here's a "catalog shot":


I got mine from Motorcycle Accessory Warehouse, but there are probably several other sources, too.

EDIT: Changed link from sisna.com to bbburma.net