@ fearless leader. A few folks here in Grand Rapids do the same thing...ride out in the winter when conditions allow. For me, I consider the presence of salt on the road an unacceptable riding condition - so I don't take my baby out until the salt has been washed off the roadways in the early spring. I have Gerbing gear for cold late fall/early spring days, but put the bike away once the salt trucks make their debut. When I lived up north (Houghton, MI) in college, I had a roommate who rode all winter. Temps were too low for salt to be effective, so they sand the roads instead...he had a Kaw 2 stroke enduro that handled those conditions great. Even if conditions allowed ice to form, it wasn't slippery with all that sand content...