The Winter Riding Days You're Missing Without Realising

When the clocks go back, the evenings grow darker, and the roads get icier; a lot of you automatically assume that it’s best to put your bike away for the season, and for some days, this might be for the best. However, there will be winter riding days you’re actually missing out on without realising…

So let’s talk through the actual barriers when it comes to winter riding and some practical ways to overcome them, making sure you can make the most of your bike even during the colder months! 
 

The funny thing about winter is that a lot of riders seem to make the decision to stop riding before the weather has actually given them a reason to. The clocks change, the temperature drops a little, the evenings get darker, and suddenly the bike is pushed into the garage until spring.

But winter doesn’t necessarily mean that every day is going to be cold, wet and miserable. There will obviously be days where getting the bike out is the last thing you want to do, and there will be days where it genuinely isn’t safe to ride. But there will also be plenty of days where the conditions are actually pretty decent.

The problem is that if you’ve already decided that your riding season is over, you might not even notice them.

It’s easy to think of winter as one long stretch of cold, wet and miserable weather, but that’s rarely how it works. You can have a freezing Monday followed by a dry, bright and surprisingly mild Wednesday. Then, after a few rainy days, another decent weekend can come along.

And, especially this year, we’ve had an unusually warm autumn, meaning plenty of bikes are still out on the roads.

So, just because winter has arrived doesn’t mean every day is automatically a bad day for riding.

Common Assumption	Reality
Winter means constant rain	Many winter days remain dry
It's always freezing	Conditions can vary significantly
Riding season ends in october	Many riders continue year-round
Every ride becomes uncomfortable	Preparation makes a major difference

 

 There are plenty of reasons your bike might stay parked over winter, and sometimes the weather isn't even the biggest one.

If your bike has been sitting for weeks, the battery may not be ready to go when you are. There's nothing worse than finding a perfect winter afternoon, getting your gear on and discovering the bike won't start. 

Keeping the battery maintained means you're less likely to miss those unexpected riding days.

Tyre pressures are another one of those things that can easily be forgotten when your bike isn't being used regularly. 

Temperature changes can affect pressures, while a bike that's been sitting for a while may simply need checking before you head out. 

It’s a small job, but it’s one that’s worth doing before every ride, especially when the bike has been sitting unused for a while.

If you parked the bike up at the end of autumn with a chain that was already looking a little worse for wear, winter isn’t going to magically fix it. 

In fact, the longer the bike sits there, the easier it becomes to keep putting those little maintenance jobs off.

Keeping on top of basic chain maintenance means you’re not going to have to spend half the day getting the bike ready when a good riding opportunity finally appears.

You can read more on how to prep your motorbike and ride safely during winter in our expert guide here

And also how to store your bike during winter here

Sometimes it isn’t the bike stopping you from riding. It’s the thought of putting on all those extra layers.

We’re all guilty of losing things and deciding that looking for them is more effort than it’s worth. If your winter gloves are buried somewhere in the house, your warmer gear is still at the back of the wardrobe, and you have no idea where you left that extra layer from last year, it’s easy to just leave it.

Having your colder-weather gear ready to go makes the whole process much easier. And when a good riding day comes along, you won’t have to spend half an hour searching for your gloves first.

Winter also gives us a lot less daylight to work with. In summer, you can finish work, decide if you fancy a ride, and still have hours of daylight ahead of you. But in winter, that same decision might leave you with a much smaller window.

This doesn’t mean you need to plan every single ride week in advance. It just means you need to be a little more aware of when those riding opportunities are likely to appear.

This is an important one. Not every ride needs to be warm, sunny, and completely comfortable to be worth doing. If that were the case, a lot of us would barely ride here in the UK!

But there’s obviously a difference between a day that’s a little cold or unpleasant and a day where the conditions simply aren’t suitable for riding. Things like ice, snow, flooding, seriously poor visibility and extreme winds can all make a ride a bad idea.

And I’m not here to tell you to ride through those conditions. Quite the opposite. It’s about looking at the conditions properly rather than automatically deciding that winter means no riding whatsoever. If the conditions aren't suitable, leave the bike where it is.

But if you’ve got a dry day, decent visibility, suitable road conditions, and a few hours to spare, there’s no reason to write the day off simply because it happens to be December.

So, if winter doesn't automatically mean that the bike needs to stay in the garage, how do you spot those days when it's worth getting out?

It’s not about looking for perfect conditions because, let’s be honest, how often do we get those in the UK?

Instead, it’s about looking at the conditions you’ve got and working out whether there’s a decent riding window there somewhere.

One of the easiest mistakes to make is looking at the weather forecast for the entire week, seeing plenty of rain and low temperatures, and deciding that riding is off the cards altogether. But take a closer look.

You might have a miserable Monday, a wet Tuesday, and then a dry Saturday afternoon sitting right there in the middle of it all. Rather than writing off the whole week, look at the individual days and, more importantly, the hours you'll actually be riding. That one decent afternoon could be all you need.

Winter means fewer hours of daylight, so timing your ride can make a big difference. 

Midday often gives you the best window. There’s more daylight, temperatures may be higher, and you’re less likely to be caught out after dark.

You don’t need hours either. Even a short ride can be enough to make the most of a decent winter day.

If you're heading out in winter, daylight is something you need to think about a little more than you would in summer. That doesn't mean you need to plan your route down to the last minute, but it’s worth having a rough idea of when you'll be heading back.

A route that works perfectly in July might not be quite as appealing when you've only got a few hours of daylight left. So, check the daylight hours, think about how long you want to be out and give yourself plenty of time rather than turning a nice winter ride into a race against the sunset.

Winter isn't necessarily the time to explore completely unfamiliar roads. So sticking to routes you know makes planning easier. You already know roughly how long they'll take and what to expect. This also means you can focus on enjoying the ride rather than worrying about where you're going.

A good winter riding day can appear without much warning. You don't want a small maintenance job to stop you from taking advantage of it.

Before heading out, check:

●    Battery: Is it charged and in good condition?
●    Fuel: Have you got enough for your planned ride?
●    Tyres: Are the pressures correct?
●    Lights: Are they all working properly?
●    Chain: Does it need cleaning or lubrication?
●    Cleaning: Is the bike clean enough to spot any obvious issues?

Keeping on top of these basics means your bike is much more likely to be ready when you are.

Not everyone approaches winter riding in the same way. Some riders will get out whenever the conditions allow, while others are happy to wait for spring. Both are perfectly fine.

If you prefer warm, dry days, winter might not be your favourite time to ride.
That's okay. Just keep an eye out for those occasional mild and dry days. They could be worth getting the bike out for.

Winter can make those weekend riding opportunities even more valuable.

Check the forecast and look for your best window. You don't need an entire day. A couple of hours can still make a great ride.

If you already ride throughout winter, you're probably used to changing conditions.

But don't forget to enjoy the bike too. When you get a suitable day off, use it for a ride rather than just your usual commute.

You don't have to ride throughout the entire winter.

If a dry afternoon appears after a few weeks off, take advantage of it. Winter riding doesn't have to be an all-or-nothing choice.

Of course, there will be days when leaving the bike at home is the right decision. Ice, snow, flooding, extreme winds, and poor visibility can all make conditions unsuitable. There's no prize for riding in bad conditions. If the roads aren't suitable, leave the bike where it is.

The aim isn't to ride through everything winter throws at you. It's to recognise the good days when they come along.

Winter doesn't mean the end of the riding season. There will always be days when the weather isn't suitable, but there will also be plenty of dry, bright and surprisingly mild days.

If your bike is ready, your gear is easy to grab, and you're keeping an eye on the forecast, you can make the most of them.

You don't have to become a year-round rider. Just don't assume that every winter day is a day off the bike. You might be missing more riding days than you realise.

So there you have our guide to make the most of those winter riding days you might otherwise miss. Winter doesn't mean the end of riding. It just means being a little more prepared and keeping an eye out for those decent days.

Before you put the bike away until spring, check the forecast, get your gear ready, and see what the next few weeks have in store. And obviously don’t forget about insurance - You can get a motorbike insurance quote directly with Lexham!