Winter riding -20 and up to -50 winterpeg

A

AnthonyX99

New Member
Hey guys I love riding these little motorized bicycles in the spring through fall and I was wondering would it be good to run these engines in the winter cause it can be severe sometimes like -40 and such block heaters are needed here in Winnipeg for winter and if it's ok to try and start it while cold if it is,there any motorcycle gear that runs on internal battery's also heated snowmobile visor not a motorcycle battery's I really want to ride this winter it's just more fun.
 
Never rode in any thing near -40. But they do love the cold. (Nothing on earth loves 40 below, lol) At temps that low I would think you would have trouble with cables and plastic. Not that I really know but think any thing below zero might cause you problems. I am sure some one from up your way will let us both know.

Side note, you can get studded bicycle tires.
 
snowblowers work when it's that cold, right? and neg 40?? i think i'd start my bike on fire just to survive...
 
Ya they start my snowblowers start at -50 but those are highend tecumseh motors on there and there 4 stroke motors. I dunno it will probably be harder to start I was wondering if they sell motorcycle gear with thermo heating that runs on battery packs or even is at least 6volt so I can just use a big battery.
 
Ya they start my snowblowers start at -50 but those are highend tecumseh motors on there and there 4 stroke motors. my chainagirl is harder to start a little half choke -20 if i I was wondering if they sell motorcycle gear with thermo heating that runs on battery packs or even is at least 6volt so I can just use a big battery.
 
buy the best snpwmobile gear you can get.
Thats what i plan to do.
It aint -40 but its cold and snowing and i rode today.
These things run like there supercharged in the cold air.
 
For anyone that doesn't know - block heaters are just to keep the oil's viscosity thin enough to let the engine turn over when it's that cold. The engine itself doesn't care but the oil thickens up so much as to prevent movement in such temperatures. It's also to keep the coolant from freezing and cracking the block - not a worry with an air cooled engine lol

It's less of a problem with two strokes as the oil is thinned by fuel, but you may experience hard starting. Best bet is to store/bring yer bike inside to warm it a bit if it is a pain to start in the cold.

Snowmobiles are a great example of how two strokes don't really care about cold temperatures, tho carb ice can be somewhat of a problem with these MBs. Carb ice is more of an issue of ambient humidity and the venturi effect, it's not uncommon for it to happen even at 60F if it's a very humid day. As usually cold weather is also really low humidity you shouldn't have much of a problem unless yer sucking a lot of spray from your tires or whatnot, which I suspect is what causes people to have problems with specifically these MBs in the cold.

As for heated gloves & such, those accessories line the shelves at any motorcycle/snowmobile shop - but if yer talkin' bout on your MB... even if you do have a battery those suckers draw so much power I doubt it'd work for long. Keep an eye out for the cheap chemical gloves and socks (they have a lil heater pack like an MRE) and/or they do sell ones that take D cell batteries too - try Walmart


edit - oh right I almost forgot lol, A big problem is actually your control cables - not so much the plastic but the cable lube itself. Just like with the engine oil problem I mentioned above, cable lube will thicken to the point of causing jamming issues - you could get stuck at WOT and other fun stuff so be careful.
 
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and the other day i learned that cold plastic chinamade throttle dont like canadian cold. snap.

check out Pocket Bike Performance Parts under the cag lucky seven prformance parts section for a nice set of billet aluminum grips with the throttle integrated. shouldnt have a problem with breakage anymore (and they have flames, which if you think about it will warm your hands.
... not)

mine doesnt mind the cold too much. it runs like a top, i have a pretty good outershell covering me.

te gloves are wat does it, you sould find yourself an extra large pair of welders mitts. thumb, pointer finger, and 3 fingered mit. you can clutc and brake in tese and your ands stay nice and warm since tey are leater

sorry about missing letters, my kepyboard is way dirty
 
BarelyAWake said:
For anyone that doesn't know - block heaters are just to keep the oil's viscosity thin enough to let the engine turn over when it's that cold. The engine itself doesn't care but the oil thickens up so much as to prevent movement in such temperatures. It's also to keep the coolant from freezing and cracking the block - not a worry with an air cooled engine lol

It's less of a problem with two strokes as the oil is thinned by fuel, but you may experience hard starting. Best bet is to store/bring yer bike inside to warm it a bit if it is a pain to start in the cold.

Snowmobiles are a great example of how two strokes don't really care about cold temperatures, tho carb ice can be somewhat of a problem with these MBs. Carb ice is more of an issue of ambient humidity and the venturi effect, it's not uncommon for it to happen even at 60F if it's a very humid day. As usually cold weather is also really low humidity you shouldn't have much of a problem unless yer sucking a lot of spray from your tires or whatnot, which I suspect is what causes people to have problems with specifically these MBs in the cold.

As for heated gloves & such, those accessories line the shelves at any motorcycle/snowmobile shop - but if yer talkin' bout on your MB... even if you do have a battery those suckers draw so much power I doubt it'd work for long. Keep an eye out for the cheap chemical gloves and socks (they have a lil heater pack like an MRE) and/or they do sell ones that take D cell batteries too - try Walmart


edit - oh right I almost forgot lol, A big problem is actually your control cables - not so much the plastic but the cable lube itself. Just like with the engine oil problem I mentioned above, cable lube will thicken to the point of causing jamming issues - you could get stuck at WOT and other fun stuff so be careful.
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Thanks BA. Good to know.

LOL Humsuckler. (dirty keybord) I have had that happen. Those cans of air work great and R cheap
 
I am now convinced winter riding is the only valid reason for synthetic oil after trying 2 different types. No performance improvement but the engine was noticeably easier turning over in sub-freezing,
 
Spent time in Alaska. Cold is one thing, -30 and below is another. When in AK, below -35 strange things start happening to metal, plastic, and rubber turns to rock. Materials shrink at different rates, molecular structures shange, lubricants turn to cement, metals crystalize and become brittle. In those climates, stores sell lubes and such made for low temps.

If it was me, and it aint, if I was gonna ride in that kind of cold, I'd keep the bike inside until ride time, and if parking for ashort time, I'd leave it running or park it inside to keep the engine from cooling and heating that radically; I don't think China Girls metalurgy is what you find in a quality snowmobile built for that use. And lube everything with a very light oil or light grease formulated for Artic use. Bye the way block and tank heaters are not only to keep oil thin, they are also to keep the core metal in the engine at a temperature not likely to shatter pistons, rods, and bearing caps when starting at -50. Even batteries have to be kept heated at those levels to work, old DieHard TV commercials notwithstanding.

Riding bikes at -40? BRRRRRRRRRRR!!
 
I plan on having a heater close to the engine in the garage at night time using good oil it's not -30 right now around -14 varies during the day evenings it hits -20 for now at least I plan on getting an auto clutch and pull start this winter.
 
Anthony - I suppose it's obvious but please be real careful with a heater's proximity to yer bike... I dunno what kinda heater yer talkin' about but even if there isn't an open flame - radiant heat can build up a lot more than expected. I'd bet that just havin' a heater in yer garage would be enough to take the bite outa the cold and keep yer ride comfy at night. If ya haven't gotten the heater yet - check out the oil-filled electric ones that look like an old-school radiator, that 'un I'd have no worries with puttin' near the bike ;)

lol - this thread reminds me of the ol' army "jeep" (actually an M151 but w/e) I used as a daily driver for over a decade, built for the jungles of Vietnam it had a huge four core radiator dispite bein' a lil 4 cyl and wouldn't ever warm up in the Maine winter lol It had a canvas cover to go over the grill and a padded canvas "blanket" that attached over it's hood (both "factory" accessories) but still - the temp gauge would hardly budge. (yes - I messed with thermostats too heh)

The gear oil in the tranny would get so thick sometimes I couldn't even wiggle the shifter - no matter how much I kicked it and swore (SOP for mil-spec vehicles) and let me tell you - it takes a while for the trans to warm up if ya cant even move it at all lol

It's weird, despite drivin' it year-round I never got around to installing the heater kit till the last summer I owned it, then ofc I promptly sold it without even getting a chance to try the heater in the cold o_O *shrug* I shoulda never put the heater in lol
 
just a regular small fan heater doesn't use oil it's just for use in the house i plan on leaving it on low during the night.
 
Cool, I meant an oil filled radiant electric heater like the one below, not an oil-fueled one - but it's sounds like ya got it covered ;)

41XxCg1AyuL._SL500_AA280_.jpg
 
AnthonyX99 said:
... is,there any motorcycle gear that runs on internal battery's also heated snowmobile visor not a motorcycle battery's I really want to ride this winter it's just more fun.
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I have used a 12V SLA battery carried in my backpack to power a Gerbing heated jacket and gloves (with a Gerbing controller) for a half hour long commute. I charge the battery at home with a motorcycle battery tender, and at the office with a spare computer UPS (APC 500) that also uses a 12V SLA battery. I have not used this setup below +20 degree temperatures yet, but it has worked well so far.
 
Great news I found battery heated gloves on good old ebay theres one that takes 4 AA each glove and another that takes 1 D type battery on each glove.
 
AnthonyX99 said:
Great news I found battery heated gloves on good old ebay theres one that takes 4 AA each glove and another that takes 1 D type battery on each glove.
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Do you have links? I'm very interested in what kind of battery life you actually get.
 
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