What the heck are you even talking about? I thought the same thing the first time I heard about it but it is very interesting needless to say. I know we touched on the fact that motorcycles don't see much use during the "off season" but to some riders there is no such thing.

Ice racing typically takes place only on natural ice that has formed over lakes or other bodies of water so this sport is typically only found in the northern United States and Canada. In fact, there is even an event in Michigan known as the Great Lakes Ice Racing that occurs when there are areas of frozen lake to traverse.

Now obviously any motorcycle with normal tires wouldn't last a minute on slick frozen ice so that is why most bikes are fitted with spikes in the tires before heading out. While there are some that use non-studded tires, those that have the spikes have an amazing amount of traction. Sounds crazy I know but these tires actually come out looking pretty fierce and are more than capable of handling the ice. Interestingly, these tires are custom made and cannot be purchased outright. The tires can have studs over an inch in length containing roughly 90 on the front and anywhere from 200-500 spikes on the back! If you ever see one of these it looks like some device out of a horror film!

With the right gear and motorcycle tires, anyone can try their luck at tearing up the ice. Some enter professional races that often use rules and tracks that are similar to normal motorcycle speedway events. These professionals can go on to compete internationally. Others just want to experience the thrill of tooling around on unfamiliar ground. When I say unfamiliar though I don't use the word loosely. Watching these guys ride you can clearly tell that it is not a smooth ride and that their balance is severely compromised. Only those who are daring (crazy?) enough should attempt to ride out on the ice.

Most of this ice racing/riding is done using custom motocross style bikes but that hasn't stopped people from taking their favorite sport bikes and studding the tires to get in on the action. Some people just can't stop riding no matter what the weather conditions are like!

So how much can these studded tires cost? Surprisingly many people can get studs for as little as $50 dollars a kit. The problem is knowing how to install them or knowing someone who can do it without poking holes all throughout your nice new tires. It's also important to remember that these studs can only be placed in new tires so once they are used it's time to get a new pair. This can get expensive quickly so ice racing isn't for those who want to try it out one weekend.

I can't link them directly here but if you are interested you should check out some videos on ice racing. Really interesting to see these bikes with studded tires rip around!