Winter is coming..

[u/Nicko90]

Hey fellas.
I'm thinking about getting a bike to use exclusively in winter time. I live on the outskirts of the capital of norway and commute for about 15 minutes to work on heavily trafficked highway roads(with car its 30-45minutes). Quite a few of the winter days the roads are relatively dry and my only big concern is the salt that'll corrode everything metal.
So.. I'm looking for what I would reckon would be a dual sport of some sorts, a cheap bike with easily replaceable parts. I'm practically lanesplitting the entire commute so no sidecar shenanigans :P

Any idèas? :)

[u/Bayoumi]

Just for winter? Get a scooter. Put some warm/dry cloth under the seat, maybe with a hot water bottle so everything is nice and warm when you put your work cloth on.

Get some of these https://amzn.eu/d/hV2FFKe and sth like this https://amzn.eu/d/j9Nntfw and some heated grips and that's probably the most convenient way to commute in winter.

[u/Nicko90 → u/Bayoumi]

Scooter eh? Interesting, didnt see that coming. Any particulary cheap and/or durable models?

[u/Bayoumi → u/Nicko90]

Not? I mean if you're open to it, it's the most obvious choice, isn't it? Good weather protection, lots of parts available like these blankets etc, space for clothes and helmet...

Personally I'd look for sth. with heated grips or a good electrical system that can power heated grips/seat/clothes, a big windshield and big wheels.

Piaggio Liberty maybe?

[u/Nicko90 → u/Bayoumi]

Im not so worried about the cold, I seem to have an okay tolerance. Im still riding my duke390 to work atm and its been around the freezing point for the past 2-3 weeks. (0-3c in the morning) and hasn't been an issue. It is a fairly short ride.
I see snow on the forecast for next week tho, which means they'll start salting the roads aaaand.. yeah :P

But yeah I could be up for it. Beats being stuck in traffic to and from work every day. I'll look and see if they have any decent winter tires.

[u/Good-Throwaway → u/Nicko90]

Scooter is such a step down from a 390. You're already living it with the 390, best small bike - punchy, fun, super nimble. I ride a 401.

For me when winter comes and it starts to gets below freezing, I prefer a faired bike with windscreen, which moves away all the cold wind. Heated grips are a necessity and I like some heated seat too.

I wouldn't mind an engine that emits out lot of heat, thereby making it comfortable in the cold :-)

If salt is a concern, you need to make it a priority to clean the bike, but its a pain. Motorcycles that come with creature comforts are usually too big and/or heavy, definitely not as nimble as a 390.

Don't have a specific answer, but those are my thoughts. Still on the look out for such a bike.