i know its not winter yet but just this min got back from a ride back from worcester, dry roads, nice and fresh....PERFICK !!!                                                                                                                                                                             

I've seen bikes go past me very precariously when i'm out gritting the roads in winter. (Why overtake the gritter,why not stay behind with the road freshly gritted?) When i can slid a 16 tonne gritting truck on a roundabout then that says it all really. Also the salt doesn't rust your metal. It soaks up the moisture,gets under your wheel arches/mudguards (fenders for you Harley owners) and then the moisture starts the rust. Like the rain does in summer.                                                                                                                                                                             

Good info Ric, everyone thinks that it is the salt that causes the probs - me included, well not now ;-)                                                                                                                                                                             

 Here's one good thing about riding in winter time,.. there's no splatted flies to get of the fairing!!                                                                                                                                                                             

The way traffic into any major city is these days, the bike wins every time, short of ice/snow. Really can't be one of those cage-bound commuters. Do have a dirty secret tho. When the salt gets too much for the bike, I've got a scooter tucked away in the garage Just don't tell anyone                                                                                                                                                                             

Scooter boy !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! lol                                                                                                                                                                             

Make a point of wearing different kit.   Haven't been recognised yet.                                                                                                                                                                             

We all know now Rob !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!                                                                                                                                                                             

Knuckles u leave Rob alone he is now my fav as he stuck up for me :)                                                                                                                                                                             

  God may have ridden a Triumph, but even he would understand keeping out of the worst of the salt.   And those little wheels are better than a car, or a bus pass                                                                                                                                                                             

'God may have ridden a Triumph' .................. it matched her handbag                                                                                                                                                                              

  iirc the quote was   "the roar of his Triumph could be heard across the land"                                                                                                                                                                                

I thought that was Moses.

I agree entirely with Rob that it makes sense to have a hack for Winter and short trips especially a scooter which can take a helmet or bag of shopping under the seat. Anyway, we're all motorcyclists regardless of what form of powered two-wheeler we choose to ride.

You may well be right, but who am I to let the facts get in the way of a good quote     Quite agree about all two-wheelers tho. We all face similar problems, even cyclists, some of whom seem very anti PTW's for some reason.                                                                                                                                                                             

*smack a bit too much of self-justification for my liking*

Cata i've looked through the thread and can't find anyone elses post about risk so I guess you're referring to mine. I don't need to justify myself because as a new rider I'm quite openly sh*t scared to ride on damp, greasy roads with steamed up visor and numb hands. I totally agree the rider should make his own risk assessment and hats off to you for riding through 35 winters, you're a braver man than me but the title seems to assume people who store bikes in winter are whimps because they choose to take a safer more comfortable option. There's an old rule of thumb that I abide by....there's no such thing as a dead hero and I like my bike to come out of the garage like a shiny pin in the spring, gives us whimps something to look forward to on these dark nights
                                                                                                                                                                             

I used to always ride all year round, mainly because the bike was my only transport.  (Even remember getting the blow torch out to thaw the ice on the gates so I could open them to go to work.)   However, recently I have started using the bike all year round again and I love it!  As Cataraptor has said, modern clothing and tyres not to mention such luxuries as heated vests and grips make winter riding far more enjoyable.   I don't ride if it's snowing or very icy, then I take the Saab, but otherwise it's the bike every time.                                                                                                                                                                             

   (Even remember getting the blow torch out to thaw the ice on the gates so I could open them to go to work.)   A jug of COLD water woulda done the job for ya Geoff as cold water is warmer than frozen.                                                                                                                                                                              

Then there's always the black ice that you can't see on the road to make it even more dangerous. (can we say "black ice" or is it now called "ice that is not of an ice colour")                                                                                                                                                                             

lmao at RD                                                                                                                                                                              

I tend to ride all year round. I follow the simple rules my old man gave me.   Don't ride in snow or ice. The police won't ride in those conditions why should you.