I get nervous at those low temperatures not (strictly) due to my comfort, or snow/ice/etc on the roads, but even for the simple road temperatures and the ineffectiveness of the motorcycle tires. I know on my cars, there is a very noticeable difference in traction (even dry traction) between my summer tires and winter tires when the temps dip below around 40F.
I just replaced the tires this past week but i have not heard anyone say before that they had winter and summer tires. Interesting. This was my first time venturing into the territory of taking the wheels off but wanted to thoroughly inspect the axles, splines, seals etc. and found out it's cheaper than taking the whole bike to the shop and have them do it. Thank God though for Google and You Tube (next time it won't take near as long)! I had a local shop put the tires on so they could be computer balanced.
I had Michelin Road Pilots on and put quite a few miles on them but never felt like they weren't gripping the road. Then again, I was mostly straight-line riding and not hardcore twisties.
To be clear, the summer and winter tires are for the cars; I'm not aware of any winter specific motorcycle tires. The point I was trying to make is that on (car) winter tires, they're made with different rubber compounds that perform better not just in snow and ice, but even in dry conditions at sub-40 degree temperatures.
I'm guessing the typical "sport-touring" tire that most of us use are probably closer to the "summer tire" end of that rubber compound spectrum...and as such, performance at colder temperatures is far less than ideal.
