Snow. What is it good for? Lots, apparently. Snowmen (and women) can’t exist without it. Nippers love pressing it into balls and throwing it at each other. Even some grown-ups love it. All of that white stuff fluttering and swirling around under street lamps, blanketing driveways, dusting trees.

But what about us motorcyclists? For us, snow is the Devil in the form of very cold H2O.

Of course, there are those who will say you can ride perfectly well in the snow – even to the point of enjoying it.

Sure, if you put on ten base layers and calculate the wind-chill that’s going to give you the sniffles all Christmas. If you fit a new fog-free shield and enjoy tensing every muscle in expectation of disaster: Waiting for that horrifying moment when your back wheel does a poor imitation of a moonwalk, or being unable to stop at a junction crowded with juggernauts.

One false move…

You see, us humans are pretty good at staying upright on a machine with two wheels. Amazing at it really. But where snow is concerned, a great sense of balance and a comprehensive knowledge of retro Hondas is just not enough. When it’s snowing, physics becomes a complete mystery.

You can’t wait until spring, you say?

Well, you can squint in that blizzard, trying to stay in the narrow tracks of that Ford Fiesta. You can find out what having the cold sweats really feels like. I'll be sitting with my Christmas-socked feet up, clutching a brandy, enjoying the snow from where it should be enjoyed: my living room.