Tires in Winter

[bunnie]

On my previous RSV I rode the whole year thru when it was warmer then -10celcius.

I noticed that the bike was slippery in cold weather below zero degrees.

My dealer told me that this was due to the fact that the tires for a machine like a RSV had a 'summer' compound'.

And that there no winter tires with a softer compound.

He advised me to drive with less pressure in the tires so that they would warm up more.

What are your experiences with this!

[Venturer]

Yes, Bunnie, that's the only one way. With less pressure you
will have a better feeling.
I did it all the years through the wintertime. i rode with
tempertures under - 10 degrees. It goes well.
Greeting from Frankfurt-area
Rudi

[Yamamoose]

What tires are you running? I have the Metzler 880's and frequently ride when the temperature is below 10. I think the Dunlop 404's probably would be a little better in the cold or anything else with more grooves in the tread. The Metzlers and the Avon's have a lot of rubber and very few grooves!

[roland]

My expierence is that in winter I ride my little 125 ccm bike. The tires on it are very old and the need to be replaced but they have a very engraved profile which helps a lot in snow and wet roads. In my opinion the profile is more useful than the rubber mixture. With lower pressure the handling from the RSV isn't better so I think it's bad in all cases to ride the RSV in winter. I always ride the RSV in this times very careful.