Wanted to share my experience so far this winter with my GS. Nothing is wrong, I'm not looking to troubleshoot or anything, just thought it'd be cool to share.

I've mainly been working 3:30pm to midnight for months now and I really enjoy it. If the roads are dry and the weather isn't calling for any snow, I'll ride to work. Been seeing temps in the 30's F in the afternoon and sometimes as low as in the teens at midnight. When I leave for work, the bike is about 70 degrees cuz it's spoiled and I keep it in my heated garage. It sits outside in the open parking lot for the whole 8.5 hours of my shift and I look out the windows at it like awe... poor thing  :so sorry: 

Anywho, one night I was getting ready to ride home from work. This was probably in November sometime and if I have to guess it would have been in the upper 30s F. I got about 7 or 8 good cranks but it just wouldn't start for me. Wasn't sure if it was the fact that I was right in that mileage area on my trip counter where I'd have to flip to reserve and I didn't realize it before trying to start... wasn't sure if it was the cold really getting to things... pretty sure it wasn't my battery because I got those 7 or 8 cranks before it was like nope, dead.

I flipped it to reserve, got it push started and away I went. Didn't ride for more than 15 minutes because it was so cold out and I didn't have all my layers but the next day it started right up and I went for a longer ride to charge the battery up. That's when I started thinking more about that beaten-to-death topic of the LED headlight. Figured you know what, it'd be awesome to look into things I could do to get one or even two extra cranks in a situ like that.

Then last month one evening I got my first taste of riding in the snow. I've mentioned it at least one other place on the forum so forgive me if you've heard this already. Rode to work after checking 3 different sources for the weather forecast and they were all sooooo wrong lol. The snow that wasn't supposed to come until about 1am decided to start at 5pm instead. Again, there's me watching my bike out the window in the parking lot get a coating of snow on it. Bahhhh

That night when I was getting ready to ride home, I checked the weatherbug thingy on my old flip phone and it said it was about 19F. I was like ohhhh boy I hope the GS will start for me. I remember reading a few threads on here like this one: http://gstwins.com/gsboard/index.php?topic=62174.0 which mentions about switching to prime in the cold weather before attempting to start. I did that and I don't know if it made a difference but it started right up with no problems. Hooray! Switched it back to on of course before I rode home and I honestly can't remember much about the choke... I don't think I was able to completely shut it off at all on the way.

I rode home at a snail's pace, barely touching the brakes and just concentrating on working the clutch... watching behind me for cages and moving to the side twice waaaaaay before they even were anywhere near me. Thankfully where I live pretty much becomes a ghost town at night lol. Pulled into my garage and watched the slush slowly melt and drip off my fender and tires. Was pretty neat tbh!

My last experience in this small novel I'm realizing I'm writing here is from last night. So many people here at my work always tease me like, "Oh I bet ya didn't ride your bike today huh?" and, "No bike for you anymore this season huh?" and I'm not gonna lie, I really enjoy when I can say, "I brought it  " or "Nope, if it's dry I'll ride... I don't put my bike away for the winter."

Anywho, it was in the 30's F yesterday afternoon and was supposed to drop down into the lower teens by midnight-ish but the wind was like 15 mph gusts and the "real feel" temperature was right around 2F. I rode anyway... I get really kinda depressed in the winter months and getting a ride in even just once a week really helps.

Another thread I read a while back popped into my head from the all-time-great adidasguy himself: http://gstwins.com/gsboard/index.php?topic=62450.0 which talks about warming the battery even just slightly. I decided to run with this and about after 2 hours of being at work, I took a quick break and brought the battery inside the building. Figured let's see how this goes when I get outside at midnight when it's 15F but the battery is 70F.

Midnight came, I clocked out and put my jackets on and put the battery back in. Full choke of course, skipped the step of switching to prime and the GS fired right up for me but didn't wanna stay running. Started it again, fired up, twisted the throttle a bit and it died. Third time, fired up kept running. Pushed it to half choke and went back inside the building to put the rest of my gear on and grab my tank bag. The whole way home I was not able to take choke off completely. I went for a ride that lasted about 30 minutes (until I couldn't feel my fingers anymore and that of course ain't good... gonna probably order those heated gloves I've had my eye on tomorrow).

Was super fun though and I can't wait to keep getting those cold weather rides in, even if they are short. Wasn't able to ride today though, the snow is falling and it's those big fat crazy flakes that look like they belong on a Christmas card. If ya made it through this whole thing, awesome! Haha... thanks for reading 

Just be careful. Enjoy the rides, Sookie is just a garage floor ornament right now and I'd love to go out for a ride. I'm so jealous.

Biz, you don't have a lithium battery do you? Those definitely like to be warmed up. And if I'm not mistaken, the F model cuts power to the headlight when the starter button is pushed. It helps the starter motor when those amps are able to be diverted from the headlight.... anyways, I'm kinda rambling myself.

Glad to hear you're riding though! I'm working on the front end of my 650 so I'm missing out..... been riding the bicycle to work instead.

@63, you bet your butt I try to be very careful. Gravel sucks, I've had my fair share of negative encounters with it and I don't want any more.

@Rich, I don't have a lithium battery. As I typed all that out, I realized that it didn't really make a difference bringing the battery into the building but it did make a difference with the prime thing. Interesting to know that if I :did: have a lithium battery, bringing it in would help! That's also cool about the F models cutting the headlight power... wonder if my E does that? I've never concentrated on watching the headlight reflection while trying to start the bike. Seems like something a person would notice but I really can't say that I have lol. You've been working on your 650??? Where are the updates and pics to your thread guy?? I need a 650 fix 

Quote from: Big Rich on January 05, 2017, 06:19:58 PM
Biz, you don't have a lithium battery do you? Those definitely like to be warmed up. And if I'm not mistaken, the F model cuts power to the headlight when the starter button is pushed. It helps the starter motor when those amps are able to be diverted from the headlight.... anyways, I'm kinda rambling myself.

Glad to hear you're riding though! I'm working on the front end of my 650 so I'm missing out..... been riding the bicycle to work instead.

I've found the best way to warm up a Lithium battery is to "stab" the electric starter, wait about 15 seconds, and then try and start the bike. Works every time.

Great story ShowBiz.

I was just like you, riding as long as the roads were dry.  It certainly is a mixed sort of "fun".

Quote from: urbane on January 05, 2017, 09:11:39 PM
I've found the best way to warm up a Lithium battery is to "stab" the electric starter, wait about 15 seconds, and then try and start the bike. Works every time.

Wouldn't that put more stress on the starter?

You got a windscreen on your GS? Heated grips?

cause I don't and I cry when it drops below 70f degrees..

I however have these plate steel templates that I had "intended" to attach to the sides of my bike to keep wind/water/rain off my legs I saw bigger cruisers using them and it seemed smart, but with only 2 mounting threaded holes on each side of the bike, and it being flimsy sheet metal, I was afraid if I went down, it was gonna rip off and impale my leg.. wouldn't be so bad if I had one of those crash cages and could mount it to them.

@Watcher, glad you enjoyed my post! It most certainly IS a trail mix of fun lololol

@J_Walker, those plates sound like a neat idea for sure! I agree though, gotta make sure they are mounted secure. Engine case guards to mount to, ftw!
I have an '04 gixxer nose fairing mounted on my GS along with a home-made plexi windscreen courtesy of my inspection mechanic a few years ago. (Pics in my project thread)
No heated grips or anything yet... but I've got my eye on these gloves https://www.cyclegear.com/gear/joe-rocket-rocket-burner-leather-heated-gloves because I've pretty much perfected my clothing layers except for my hands/gloves. Seems like no matter what I do, my hands are the first things to get cold. Didn't want to wire up any extra stuff to the bike so these gloves are calling my name   
I've also found that the freeze-out base layers are wonderful... and a soft fleece neck warmer does wonders... cuz if I'm riding and that cold air is going past the collar of my jacket and down my back, I'm done!!!

Great thread! You're far braver than I.

I've yet to ride below about 30 F. The last time I rode in the low 30's was while my truck was broken down, and I wound up with a chill that lasted almost 24 hours followed by a pretty nasty sinus infection. That's what I get for not investing in any cold weather gear, so for now the GS is resting comfortably in the garage.

The fleece neck warmer is a good idea - my neck is what always gets cold first, followed by my feet and legs.

Scott, that reminds me. I bought some fabric Buffs - 2 for soaking up sweat, and 1 made from smart wool for colder weather. With the smart wool Buff and my normal riding gear, cold winds are a non issue.

That's great - definitely an investment I need to make before I get back on the bike...those early spring mornings get pretty cold too. A pinlock insert for my helmet lens wouldn't hurt either...I almost always have to open my visor at least a crack to keep from fogging up, and that compromises my warmth.

Funny this should pop up. I have been riding in variably "cold" conditions lately a lot, but Central TX winter is not really cold by ordinary standards. We have days with highs in the 80s followed by days with a hard freeze overnight (like today) and highs below freezing. I know, this is not "cold" by real cold geography standards, but it's what I am contending with.

I don't have any "cold" gear, none at all. I have a perforated leather riding jacket that has a nearly useless zip-in "rain liner". I have ordinary leather perforated-back riding gloves. This is warm weather gear, since we have like 9 months of summer around here. On my birthday last month my dad and I went on a >1hr ride and it was overcast and around 50F the whole time. I had the rain liner in my jacket and it felt great, no complaints. Seemed perfect. I have ridden a lot either going to work (20 min) or running errands (<10 min at a time) when it was between about 35F and 45F and it always seemed fine. My jacket with the liner works and I'm cool by the end of the ride but not freezing by any means.

Yesterday afternoon my phone weather app said it was 60F when I left the house to go pick up my dad for a ride. It felt cooler than that. I didn't have the liner in the jacket. My chin, lips and hands were pretty cold after the 15min ride to his house. But we decided to go ride anyway, about 40 min total. We got a third of the way in and knew it was way, way too cold for our gear. By the time we got back to my parents' house my hands and face were completely numb and I was absolutely freezing. It was just a few degrees under 50F but a front was moving in with a really hard north wind. I thawed out for a little while before riding home, and going home I was loath to go faster than 30mph and my teeth were chattering and I was shivering the whole time. It was like 42F when I got home with the sun beginning to set and clouds had moved in with the front.

Anyway, point of all of this is, one day 50F felt great and we rode well over an hour without a complaint. Another day 50F was freezing and completely intolerable. Some days I have ridden with it in the 30s and felt fine, but last night's 42F ride home was complete misery. What's up with that? Must be the north wind?

This AM it was 26F and the high today will barely get to 40F. I'm going to let the GS stay in the garage until spring comes again next week.

BTW since adjusting my idle mixture (was 0 and 0.5 turns out) and idle speed to get the bike to work right when it's warmed up and running, it has become quite hard to start especially when cold. It sometimes will barely kick over and run at 300rpm for like 5 seconds then die then crank and crank to restart. Once I get it running it idles really low until I let it run like 15 seconds and then I actually have to blip the throttle to get it to idle up. Seems way better when it's >70F. I have no idea what is causing this and until it actually begins to not start when I ask it to, I'm going to leave it alone.

Quote from: ShowBizWolf on January 06, 2017, 12:06:10 AM
No heated grips or anything yet... but I've got my eye on these gloves https://www.cyclegear.com/gear/joe-rocket-rocket-burner-leather-heated-gloves because I've pretty much perfected my clothing layers except for my hands/gloves.

I'm not sure if you're dead set on that pair, but it looks like motorcyclegear.com has a couple pair of Tourmaster heated gloves on clearance - a leather pair for $149 and a textile pair for $125. I just got the email and thought you might be interested. Here's the link...

http://www.motorcyclegear.com/street/heated_gear/all_types/tour_master/

Some companies make model specific and universal "breath boxes" for helmets.

The concept is if you keep your breath from reaching the lens you're less likely to fog it up.  So it's like a really thick surgeons mask that either installs in the helmet or you wear underneath.

I use a neck gaiter for a similar effect and to also double as a scarf, knock out two birds with one stone, so to speak.
But I also have a wool shemagh I use as a scarf on extra cold days.
And I have a thin insulating "skull cap" I use as a helmet liner.  CycleGear has some good ones but I found one at Kohl's for a decent price after the holidays.  Being able to wear something under the helmet is critical.
Dressing in layers isn't just for your torso and arms/legs, if you don't layer your head, neck, hands, and feet you will suffer.

The neck warmer was one of the first things I bought when I started riding. Got it on ebay for probably about $5. It's "tall" enough to tuck in under the collar of my shirt and/or jacket(s) and also can cover my chin if I want it to. It makes a world of difference.

rscottlow, thanks for the link to the gloves! I checked them out but it looks like they are ones ya have to wire in to the jacket or the bike. The JR ones I'm thinking of getting have little batteries in them that you can charge up and not have to be wired to anything. I'll be using them for shoveling snow and other stuff I might have to do outside! Ugh like cleaning the snow off my van before I go anywhere    Bring on the spring!!!

Quote from: Watcher on January 06, 2017, 12:34:26 PM
Some companies make model specific and universal "breath boxes" for helmets.

The concept is if you keep your breath from reaching the lens you're less likely to fog it up.  So it's like a really thick surgeons mask that either installs in the helmet or you wear underneath.

Haha yes...I make it a point to try to breathe down out the bottom of my helmet when I'm riding in cold weather. It definitely makes a difference. I did have one instance recently where my lens got so foggy when I got up to the top of a couple of hills, that I had to open up my visor completely to even be able to see. It was sort of weird, as I would expect my lens to get foggier down in valleys rather than at the top of hills. It happened fast, too. Within just a couple of seconds I was completely blinded...luckily I was familiar with the road I was riding, because there are a couple of really big potholes around a mostly blind corner.

I've got an HJC helmet that is compatible with the pinlock inserts...I think they run about $30 so I was thinking of giving one of those a try before I go another route. Anyone have any experience with them?

Quote from: ShowBizWolf on January 06, 2017, 01:02:09 PM
The neck warmer was one of the first things I bought when I started riding. Got it on ebay for probably about $5. It's "tall" enough to tuck in under the collar of my shirt and/or jacket(s) and also can cover my chin if I want it to. It makes a world of difference.

rscottlow, thanks for the link to the gloves! I checked them out but it looks like they are ones ya have to wire in to the jacket or the bike. The JR ones I'm thinking of getting have little batteries in them that you can charge up and not have to be wired to anything. I'll be using them for shoveling snow and other stuff I might have to do outside! Ugh like cleaning the snow off my van before I go anywhere    Bring on the spring!!!

No problem...I had just caught up on this thread when I got the email, so I figured it was worth posting.

I've got a neck gaiter that I've used for snowboarding in the past...I might give that a try under my helmet and see how it feels. It goes all the way up over my nose, and down past my collar. It works pretty well to cut the wind on the slopes, so it might work well on the bike. I don't know why I never thought of that before.

Ugh I hate when my visor fogs up. I ride a lot with my visor open so it doesn't happen too often... I wear some clear glasses or sunglasses inside my helmet. For some reason the cold air doesn't really bother my face... but I try to always have some chapstick with me

Quote from: ShowBizWolf on January 06, 2017, 02:09:07 PM
Ugh I hate when my visor fogs up. I ride a lot with my visor open so it doesn't happen too often... I wear some clear glasses or sunglasses inside my helmet. For some reason the cold air doesn't really bother my face... but I try to always have some chapstick with me

lol yeah I wear prescription glasses. I usually buy the anti-fog coating, but it wears off after a while. I think I cheaped out last year and didn't get it, but you're right, they're usually fine inside my helmet.


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I haven't always had good luck with pin lock inserts..... while they do work for a good bit, they can have problems too.

I've been reading good things about using dish soap on visors & glasses - anybody here try it?

Quote from: Big Rich on January 06, 2017, 06:56:49 PM
I haven't always had good luck with pin lock inserts..... while they do work for a good bit, they can have problems too.

I've been reading good things about using dish soap on visors & glasses - anybody here try it?

That's good to know. I've used dish soap on my glasses before, but only incidentally.


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