Riding a motorcycle in winters doesn’t require skills, it requires passion and your constant drive to live through all the adventurous and difficult situations. Most people think that beginners should not ride a motorcycle in winters because of the weather conditions. According to global traffic stats, accidents increase during winters because of the road conditions due to limited visibility. In most cases, when the snow is fresh, it offers grip to the motorcycle; however, as it starts to age, it becomes crusty, slippery, and thin. This snow is especially very dangerous for motorcycle riders. In most cases when the snow starts to melt it leaves behind a small thin payer of water. This water freezes eventually and becomes dangerous for the motorcycle riders. It reduces friction and doesn’t offer grip, eventually making the riding conditions worse.
With the help of this article, we will explore the importance of friction and road grip. We will then explore different options that you can add to your luggage for improving the friction and offering a better grip to the motorcycle riders.
What Is Friction and How to Increase Friction during the winters?
Friction is the consistent resistance that takes place between the road and the tires. During the summers when the road is warm, tires melt and become sticky so eventually the friction increases. However, during winters when the rubber gets hard and the crusty snow becomes flat it doesn’t offer grip at all. Eventually, motorcycle riders find it hard to balance and this results in the form of serious accidents as well.
Some of the best ways that can help you increase friction so you can ride your motorcycle safely during winters include:
Change Tires
Look for winter tires that have thick cover and better grip.
Reduce Speed
While riding on thin crusty ice reduce the speed so you can ride easily.
Focus On Maintenance
Due to ice and salt, you will see that your tires and motorcycle will face corrosion as well. To avoid this, make sure you are taking good care of your motorcycle.
Keep Thick Metal Chains
This is especially important when you get stuck in the ice. This might not be the best option for the thin layer of hidden ice but for old thick snow, wrapping metal chains on tires always helps.
Use Tire Studs
There are tires that have metal studs so you can easily ride even in snow. These tires are available easily and you can get them. With the help of these tires, you will be able to get a better grip even with ice and salt on the road.
Bottom Line
To sum it all up, friction helps you ride your motorcycle safely, without friction you might be able to ride your motorcycle faster so you will no longer be able to control it. Most people will recommend you to only ride on fresh snow or avoid riding your motorcycle in winter altogether. However, technology has helped us improve the friction so you no longer have to worry about the slippery surface due to crusty snow. There are so many different gadgets that you can try. Apart from this, reducing the speed of your motorcycle will offer you a better grip and you can ride easily. Another important thing is to use tires with small metal studs so you can ride your motorcycle easily and enjoy a better grip.