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Snow tires?

H

HyperstradaHopeful

Joined Jan 2014
215 Posts | 0+
California
Just moved from California to Idaho. Which means I'm going to be getting some snow this winter. :) Are there any really good snow tires out there that fit the Hyper? If I can get great traction in the cold/snow, I might be willing to take the Hyper out this winter. Otherwise, it would sit in the garage until spring. :(

Suggestions would be appreciated. Thanks!
 
I'm not taking out the hyper during winter time.
It's hybernating about 4 months each year, depending on start of winter and salt usage on the road. So I never looked at any winter tyres.
 
I am In Canada EH. I have bene in a very small aunt of snow. But overal I park bikes for winter. The problem is not always the snow, its the ice that can be under that snow. that said I don't live in the city where most days the roads are perfectly clear. One guy in Toronto rides his vstrm to work and home EVERY DAY. IE as long as roads have been cleared and such IE no water on them to freeze and such ride in winter. But in snow itself can be asking for it.
 
GTHawk said:
I am In Canada EH. I have bene in a very small aunt of snow. But overal I park bikes for winter. The problem is not always the snow, its the ice that can be under that snow. that said I don't live in the city where most days the roads are perfectly clear. One guy in Toronto rides his vstrm to work and home EVERY DAY. IE as long as roads have been cleared and such IE no water on them to freeze and such ride in winter. But in snow itself can be asking for it.
Click to expand...

I don't know guys, I'm no expert... but doesn't it come down to tires and how you ride? If you have purposely made tires and you ride it like a dirt bike, expecting to slide around and hang the tail out a bit, what's the problem?

They don't salt the roads in the county I live in... they use a chemical that's friendly to vehicles, so I don't have to worry about salt damaging the bike.

I'd just take it easy, throw on some proper tires, wear full gear, and make sure my insurance is still active. :p
 
Don't they make studded motorcycle tires designed for ice? I will probably ride very little during winter and won't go more than a few dozen miles at a time, so I'd love to get the very best tires. Studded tires should have good traction even on ice?
 
I dunno man. Short of ice racers and dirt bikers trying to punch through a late-season snow drift, nobody rides in snow. Especially on a bike with breakable, scratchable bits. I fully support you doing whatever the hell you want, but it think this isn't going to end good. Nobody does this.
 
As I said in toronto some ride all year long. butin toronto snow is cleared FAST and roads are clean of water and ice.

With dirt you still have some traction. Get on a sheate of ice, and you will just keep sliding. that's the issue. If straight up you MAY be ok but in a bit of a turn you keep sliding. Put a foot out and it will also slide. Ie if using a pure dirt bike (light) and in dirt bike gear (ie the boots) you will have a issue on ice. Ie again even with boot out you will slide and your leg will not be able to catch the bike form going fully over.

and yes you can get/make pure ice tires. Hell there is a great video of 2 bikes doing Alaska run in winter. But those are effective metal spikes sticking out. Now depending on area that kind of thing is not allowed on the road. Hell we cant use studied tires on road in Ontario.

Again if you want to go ahead, but outside a city where roads are CLEAN even in wither I woudl not do it unless I had those studied tires. but the legality of that is a question.

O also heated gear :)
 
Studded tires are for ice - they do nothing for grip or traction in the snow. If you do this you will probably die unless you are the only inhabitant of a broad featureless plain.
 
Snow Tires

Two photos are attached of our Hypermotard 796 with Conti TKC80's in the snow in the Cascade Mountains in central Washington State. They fit well and work well.
Kevin
 

Attachments

  • Hypermotard 796 w TKC80's.jpg
    Hypermotard 796 w TKC80's.jpg
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  • Hypermotard 796 in the Cascades.jpg
    Hypermotard 796 in the Cascades.jpg
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I cannot imagine anything worse than riding a bike in snow:( Yuk!

However it does snow over here occasionally, like twice in the last 30 years:D

We came across some snow on a trip to the coast about 3 years ago, but it was really weird, the white stuff was about a foot thick on the sides of the highway, but the roads were clean and bone dry, plus it was quite warm. It is such a novelty in my part of the world that kids were building snowmen on the highway reservations at the on and off ramps!:D
 
I've ridden in deep snow, and on black ice - check my Baja Adventure story. Another time I was on a dual-sport ride near Mt. San Gorgonio, ending up in Idylwild. This was on my XL200R, and the last 8 miles was in two-foot deep snow. My little bike managed to stay on top of the snow, so I went by many of the bigger bike riders who had passed me earlier. They were digging a trench with the rear wheel, and there was black ice at the bottom. Going nowhere!

Folks, any bike over 300 pounds is NOT a dirt bike. Word.
 
jerdog53 said:
Shut up Zippy nobody wants or asked for you opinion!
Click to expand...

I'm only posting based on my personal experience. This forum is full of opinions. You know the old saying, they all stink but mine...:D

Be sure to let us know when you eventually get stuck in the boonies...
 
Studded tires give grip on ice but are terrible on pavement and snow, rubber has no grip on ice or light snow, knobbies give SOME traction on pave deep snow and dirt, so unless you know exactly what surface you're dealing with the whole time I wouldn't attempt it. Here on the east coast of Canada it would be suicidal to go over 10 MPH in the winter...
 

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