Winter Dirt Biking

 Most winter dirt biking is done from an arm chair in front of a cozy fire!  But a few brave souls have been known to venture out onto snowy trails on their dirt bikes -- some by accident, and some on purpose!

Dirt bike riding isn't nearly as popular in the winter as it is in the summer.   When we lived in sunny southern California, winter outings weren't usually too bad.  We did encounter snow on a couple of occasions, but mostly we didn't have to deal with temperatures much below about 40° F.  However, even 40° is cold enough to make one begin to question the sanity of being out on dirt bike.  The wind chill can be brutal.   And I've never found riding anything with only two wheels much fun in snow! Those two narrow tires are pretty skittish.  I've even seen guys try riding with sand paddle tires to improve traction in snow.  Steel studded tires are probably a better bet for traction unless you're doing a lot of riding in deep powder.

As with any other cold weather activity, the key to staying comfortable is dressing right.  Dressing in layers is definitely the right (or only) way to go.  Start out with some good thermal underwear and warm socks.  I always wear two pair of socks in my motorcycle boots winter and summer.  A pair of light weight dress socks avoids blisters and the thicker cushioned motocross socks absorb impacts and help keep my feet warm in winter and wick away perspiration in summer.  Make sure your boots aren't too tight.  Tight boots will restrict blood flow and your feet will freeze!  For most of our California riding, ordinary riding pants over thermals were pretty adequate but regular jerseys were too cool even under our Enduro jackets.  If you expect really cold temperatures you might double up the thermals or wear some sweat pants under your riding pants.  You could wear a sweater or sweatshirt as an extra layer under your jersey but we found that "Windchill" jerseys did the job without the extra bulk and restriction of movement of added garments.  Together with either glove liners or Windchill gloves, an Enduro jacket, and a nylon face mask were pretty much all that was needed.  It if got really cold, a warmer motorcycle coat did the job.

Snowsuits, like the ones you wore as a kid or like the ones worn by snowmobilers will keep you warm in pretty cold weather, but I've found it more comfortable and convenient so simply dress in layers.  I like the extra flexibility that dirt bike gear gives.  Dirt bike gear (pants and Enduro jackets) are usually made of much tougher fabric than snowsuits yet aren't quite as bulky and hard to move around in.

Glove liners often cost almost as much as the gloves themselves.  We found we could use fairly inexpensive (knit gloves) under our normal riding gloves and they kept our hands pretty warm.  Sometimes even got them two pair for $1.00 at our local dollar store.  Often they were kiddie colors (like pink or baby blue!) so they weren't the most macho of solutions.  But no one can see  them inside your gloves anyway!  Windchill gloves were usually quite comfortable without any additional liners at a little more than the price of regular riding gloves.  Bulky winter work ("polar") gloves were very warm but are too clumsy for handling the controls and ski gloves,which are warm and flexible, don't  provide enough protection against brush or falls.  If your hands are still cold you might try glove liners under windchill gloves.  Or get some "Hot Hands" chemical hand warmers.   You can use similar chemical warmers inside your boots to keep your feet warmer too. They even make pads large enough to warm you back or your tummy.  They are usually designed to last 8-10 hours.  When using hand warmers in dirt bike gloves you might put them on the back of your hand rather than the palm to avoid restricting your ability to grip the controls.

Road bikes and snowmobiles may have electrically heated hand guards and gauntlets that might be adapted to dirt bikes, but the extra wiring might be prone to get caught on bushes and the magneto on dirt bikes may not be able to supply enough power for the heating elements.  I've tried electrically (battery powered) heated socks but didn't find the performance worth the extra bulk of the batteries.  Good wool socks over a pair of dress socks as described above seemed to work just as well to keep my feet warm.

You should feel just a little cool when you're ready to ride, not cold but just a little cool.  If you're already warm the way you're dressed, you're going to get TOO warm once you start riding.  Although bipping along at a stiff pace will add a bit of wind chill, your physical exertion is going to warm you up to the point where you'll need to stop and start unzipping and stripping off layers before you get soaked in sweat if you are dressed TOO warm to start with.  If you start out warm and cozy you will get too warm and start to sweat once you get going, even with the wind chill.  

Dirt bikes aren't very stable in the snow.   I've seen some guys use studded tires to improve traction.  That works pretty well on ice or packed now but isn't much help in deep powder snow.  Sometimes running a lower than usual tire pressure will improve traction a little bit.  But, basically dirt bikes are made to ride in the dirt, not the snow.  ATVs and side-by-sides, with their softer, fatter tires and 4WD are a lot better adapted for getting around in the snow.  And, of course, snowmobiles are a blast!  Their configuration, with skis for steering and a track for traction, is ideal for the snow.  I've seen track kits that can be added to side-by-sides, ATVs, and even dirt bikes to improve winter traction, but they 're very pricey.  

I have even seen snow-bike kits for dirt bikes.  They replace the front wheel with a ski and the rear wheel with a track, making them a lot like snowmobiles.  I expect they would be a lot of fun in the snow and certainly have more traction than even the best tires.

When you get back to camp, get out of your cold and possibly damp clothing as soon as you can and swap it for something warm and dry.  I keep an old pair of puffy snow boots I call my desert slippers to change into to quickly warm cold feet and keep the chill off.  A steaming cup of your favorite hot beverage next to a blazing fire will also be a pleasant way to chase off any remaining chill.  Or get inside  a warm tent or RV.  If you're short on dry clothes, strip off the wet ones and wrap up in a blanket or sleeping bag until you clothing dries.  Sitting around in wet clothes is a sure recipe for hypothermia!  You lose heat 25 times as fast through wet clothes.

If your choose not to venture out into the snow with your dirt bike you might do your dirt biking on Youtube for a while.  There are a lot of good of good videos of dirt biking, Enduros, motocross, and hill climbs that can feed your dirt biking hunger.  I have to admit that watching them sometimes gives me ideas but at least as often I find myself thinking "I have no desire to try THAT!"

Stay warm!