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OriginalGriff wrote: Heck if I could get in to work on an 1100cc / 300kg motorcycle
That's pure bravery.
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Nah...I practiced falling off in the snow on much smaller bikes, so I didn't feel the need to do it when they got bigger and heavier! 
Bad command or file name. Bad, bad command! Sit! Stay! Staaaay...
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As a fair weather biker, I admire anyone who can control the bike on snow. I have enough trouble on gravel.
Mongo: Mongo only pawn... in game of life.
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Don't let him fool you. He's still got the stabilisers on!!!!!
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Don't you work at home? Or do you drive to home every day in your motorcycle? 
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I do now, but for twenty years or so I rode every day.
Bad command or file name. Bad, bad command! Sit! Stay! Staaaay...
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Ah. Same here. I work from home now, but do not miss driving in the snow and ice, every day. 
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Not even slightly!
The best thing I ever found was electrically heated gloves, and the second best was heated handlebar grips. They didn't give the heat to the right side (i.e. the outside) of your fingers) but you didn't need to plug yourself into the bike.
Bad command or file name. Bad, bad command! Sit! Stay! Staaaay...
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Same with riding the old BMW boxers (like the R80 or R100), the heat from the engine wasn't quite where you want it, but it did keep the toes a little warmer.
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Yup - I learned to drive in Chicago snowy winters - not as intense as your land but the persists well after it falls and the road plowing (at least at that time) was based upon connections to the political elite rather than the importance of the roadway.
A 'trick' to add for the CP family: if you're trying to move a vehicle you should try to move it straight ahead (and behind if you need to rock) if possible, When, however the path forward has been iced from spinning wheels, consider turning the wheels hard left or right to drive across the hard ridges made by the spinning tires.
Doors frozen closed (even though you can unlock them)? Try caulking the door all-the-way around with windshield de-icer spray or other very high-alcohol content substance. This can melt the thin layer of ice holding the door in place.
Other important key words: Kitty Litter.
| "The difference between genius and stupidity is that genius has its limits." - Albert Einstein | | "As far as we know, our computer has never had an undetected error." - Weisert | | "If you are searching for perfection in others, then you seek disappointment. If you are seek perfection in yourself, then you will find failure." - Balboos HaGadol Mar 2010 |
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W∴ Balboos wrote: A 'trick' to add for the CP family
Also, let some air out of the tires. That puts more pressure on them allowing them to grip better. But be careful to not let out too much. 
There are only 10 types of people in the world, those who understand binary and those who don't.
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Letting air out - yes - but it's not putting on more pressure. It's flattening the tire which gives more contact of tire with surface and thus more friction.*
In a sense, think of the ice-skater analogy: they keep their skates sharpened because they reduce the surface contact. This increases the pressure between the skates and the ice. Pressure will melt the ice and give them a thin water layer to lubricate their path. When the skate pressure is removed the water refreezes. If the ice is sufficiently cold then the skates actually won't work. Similarly, the flattened tires serve two purposes: increased surface and reduced local pressure. This is also related to those times when snow squeaks when you walk on it vs. times when it doesn't.
There's also moving to a Caribbean island during the winter.
*Unfortunately, if the temperature's right and/or the tire's heated up from spinning the wheels, you could be in a pretty near frictionless environment.
| "The difference between genius and stupidity is that genius has its limits." - Albert Einstein | | "As far as we know, our computer has never had an undetected error." - Weisert | | "If you are searching for perfection in others, then you seek disappointment. If you are seek perfection in yourself, then you will find failure." - Balboos HaGadol Mar 2010 |
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Instead of windshield deicer spray, I have a spray bottle with washer fluid concentrate. It's the same stuff but 5% of the price.
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I was just keeping it simple (and handy) - once upon a time I was stuck with small children in tow. It was Xmas day and the only store open was a large 'drug store' (which has all sorts of variety.
I ended up with a can of denatured alcohol and a turkey baster.
Yours is good solution (pun intended) - I've not seen the concentrate for a while. The windshield cleaner is now just blue-colored 25% methanol in water.
| "The difference between genius and stupidity is that genius has its limits." - Albert Einstein | | "As far as we know, our computer has never had an undetected error." - Weisert | | "If you are searching for perfection in others, then you seek disappointment. If you are seek perfection in yourself, then you will find failure." - Balboos HaGadol Mar 2010 |
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You could also warm it up by reliefing your self?
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Yeah, it gets harder to come by every year, there's good profits in selling water.
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When it is really icy, I tend to switch off all the driving aids like ABS and traction control. I find that having total control [except the power steering] allows me to feel the road and react to it. With the gizmos switched on I feel uncomfortable not being able to 'feel' the road.
When the wife is driving all aids are enabled and I assume the brace position as it'll save time later.
veni bibi saltavi
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Your wife drives in winter? 
Mine is from one of the snowier regions of Germany, but she still flat out refuses to drive in snow if she's not under threat of bodily harm.
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Seriously she's not as bad as I make out. We were once coming back from Hungary and we got caught by a blizzard coming up through Southern Germany. She was driving and it was terrible conditions; visibility no more than 3-4 meters, lots of lorries and driving snow. All said and done, she drove for around 100km in those conditions with barely a whimper; unlike the passengers. I then took over planning for the next 3-4 hours of snow and as we got to Frankfurt the snow cleared and we were back to normal driving.
veni bibi saltavi
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6 inches is nothing, how could that happen in sweden?
And yeah driving in winter is fun, drifting around
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I live at the coast nowadays. Winter consists mostly of horizontal rain. 
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Oh that's sad 
I couldn't live without the high amount of snow.
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Indeed, It makes me happy to see a completely white winter landscape.
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Yeah it is beautiful and also it can get quite warm (actually being -X degrees) because the sun reflected by that snow!
Gladly winter came to us last week
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Few things are more depressing than a winter without snow.
I'd move to the north if it wasn't for the short summers, and no jobs.
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