My bike has been stored since late Nov because of winter/snow. We actually had a lot of snow this year and a lot of salt. Roads do not have too many potholes, but there are a few.

So my question is...should I wait until a good rain clears the salt off the road or should I ride. The weather is supposed to be highs of 50-60 within the next 10 days.

 

I know some people ride virtually all year, however:

• If there is much salt, there is steel and chrome cancer!
• If it's warm enough to wash your bike real well after the ride, I say OK
• If there is much sand, it could be dangerous
• We're all getting antsy by now...it's not much longer

 

you can ride it,just spray her really good when you get home,the salt is not good for the aluminum engine cases,make sure you get every nook and cranny washed good and you will be fine.enjoy

 

As soon as it is in the 50's I'm riding you just have to be very careful . begin your stop well ahead of time and slow a little in the corners .I rode on gravel roads for years not a lot of difference

 

I don't see your location...but I'm in Connecticut..and we've had a much snowier than usual winter. I went riding on New Years Day (some snow on the ground) and I went riding this past Sunday (lots of snow on the ground).

Both days, temps were up in the mid to upper 40's. New Years Day..roads were dry. This past Sunday, some areas of the roads were wet due to snow melt. However, prior to both days, we had precipitation while it was warmer...so it was rain like...and washed the anti-ice stuff from the roads. In my area this is the first winter I've seen them not use the old sand and salt...but the new anti-ice fluid they spray on the roads. It's much lower in salt content, has sugar and mixture of other things in it.

Bottom line...both days I anticipated bad stuff getting on my bike...so I planned on washing her when I got home, and drying her..before putting her back in the garage. Spray upwards from underneath very well. Yeah...hands get cold while washing her down..but oh well, worth it! I wouldn't ride with the potential of that bad stuff on the ground and not wash the bike....especially with the flat black wrinkle finish paint job on my engine.

If there is sand and salt in your area...that would raise an eyebrow of caution for me. They no longer use it in my area, so that was not a concern for me.

As for potholes....the extra bad winter we're having up here has made the roads worse than usual...as I rode this past Sunday I had to maintain an extra vigilant eye out for them..and I still ended up nailing one unexpectedly...I didn't like how my front wheel hit it...had to pay attention to my tire for a few miles...and luckily didn't throw the wheel out of balance. But the facts are...the potholes are going to get much worse. Right now..it's mostly just cracks and some surface changes due to freezing. The worse part of potholes will come with the warmer weather...as we begin the melting season. That's when the runoff carries soil/sand away from under the road surface..making the potholes much deeper. And with the unusually high amount of snow we've had in our area this winter...it will be really bad this spring with extra heavy runoff...near flood conditions. In that early spring season of warm weather...tons of peeps will be out riding when those potholes are getting to their worse point.

I don't mind winter riding....long as the road conditions are decent and it's above freezing so I can wash her down. My wife won't hop on the back until it's over 60..she thinks I'm crazy for riding in the winter.

 

My last ride was the Sunday after New Years (see sig). I came home after 150 miles with a smile on my face and me and the bike covered in brown road crap. Gave both a bath. All is good.

 

It's your bike to do with as you please ..... Me personally i dont ride untill all the salt and **** is off the road .... nobody gave me my bikes and like everyone else i had to work for them and their not cheap .... so you pays your money and you take your choice !

 

Wait. Even if you have a heated garage with a drain so you can wash the bike, you might miss some of the salt. I've seen salt eat through spokes surprisingly fast. Patience, grasshopper.

 

Wait until rain washes salt off the roads. Salt is corrosive and can damage your bike.

 

don't ride in salt.....it ruins rims.