The winter project is underway – winter tires are now being fitted to the Yamaha

My winter project with Yamaha is well underway, and over the past month I’ve really enjoyed the new XSR 125. There has been a lot of nonsense with the public transport in the Oslo region and therefore it has been extra nice to have access to the mobility and freedom the Yamaha gives me. Until now, I’ve been riding the Metzeler Caro Street and the temperature has so far fluctuated slightly above and below 0 degrees, so it’s been completely unproblematic to ride. I’ve used the XSR to and from work and have had many nice evening rides in the dark on gravel.

As I said earlier, I’m not a great gravel expert, but I love to ride on gravel and experience and better riding techniques come with time. For me, it doesn’t really matter what kind of bike I’m riding as long as the tires are suitable for such use. The XSR 125 is a lightweight, agile and strong motorcycle that has a wide range of uses and I’ve smiled many times this fall when I’ve thundered through the forest in the autumn darkness with good light. Well outside the riding season, I can still ride and enjoy myself on the motorcycle, a little better wrapped up with long underwear, good gloves and a warm riding suit, I have almost as much fun as in the summer and the mental recreation component is pretty much the same.

Perceived riding pleasure has nothing to do with size or cubic capacity, especially for non-specialist riders. Lightweight bikes with good ergonomics and suitable tires are probably the best for the ordinary rider, and if you’re a little underpowered, it’s just a little extra fun to be able to tame the engine and ride technically well to make it all turn. Especially at this time of year.

The XSR is great to use during the fall and into the winter after you’ve parked the big machines. In fact, the XSR 125 costs less than a mid-range electric pedal bike and with a consumption of 0.22 l/mile, you can easily compete with public transport. But when it gets below zero degrees, the Metzeler tires quickly become a little hard and are now being replaced with Anta’s Winter Grip Plus.

These winter tires don’t have studs and have a considerably softer rubber compound, so it will be exciting to see how long I can continue my winning project with this pair before we switch to studded tires. When the snow arrives, I skip driving on the highway and mainly stay on the side roads to reduce risk. Speeds will have to be reduced and I certainly don’t want rollovers at high speeds. But I expect that I’ll have many nice driving days on these tires, especially during the mild weather period. So far, the
XSR has helped to significantly shorten the winter break and it’s been great fun to ride a small and light bike when driving conditions change.

 

It’s a funny thing.

 

Text and photo: Ole-Andreas Isdahl