Winter riding

Im with KZQ on this. Theres a big difference twixt going on a winter trip and commuting. Riding in the snow and ice can be a fine thing ( The Elephant rally ) but riding through rush hour traffic twice a day every day, is something else .
Ive never had a license for a car, so the bike is and always has been my only form of transport.I ride all year round in rain or shine. There are times though when Ive had to abandon the bike and get the bus.Simple as that.Common sense and self preservation.
Most main roads are generally fine as the traffic before you will have thawed it out but side streets and lesser traveled routes can be dangerous. It just takes one patch of ice and youre off. Traffic,in normal conditions is dangerous as hell anyway.

So;
I dont like those hippogrip things .They will keep you toasty warm but are restrictive if you need to make a sudden move. Dirtbike hand protectors allow quicker movement and keep the worst of the wind off you. Add some heated grips and youll be fine.
Carb iceing can be sorted by installing a small lamp (indicator/flasher/taillight) in your airbox,if you have one.Wire a simple on/off switch into the loom and mount it up front by your clocks. Otherwise you can tuck some cardboard around the outside of the carbs. This allows heat from the engine to be channelled back over the carbs and takes the chill out of them.
Your fingers and your toes are going to take the worst of the cold and I have tried many different things. The best Ive found for your feet are sock liners (undersocks?) for scooby divers. They are fantastic for keeping your tootsies from dropping off.and thin enough to wear under all your normal stuff.
Rain getting into your electrics can be prevented by keeping everything well sprayed with WD40 or the like.Be sure to have the bike turned off when youre spraying or you run the risk of blowing it and yourself up!
You can also fill your sparkplug cap with silicone kit where the HT lead connects,same by the coil.Stops rain getting in.
Just a few things learned from a lot of soggy hours on the bike!!
Good luck and stay safe.

I rode all year around to work as possible for 34yrs, and to school before that. The problem I've found here in Colorado at least is traffic is the pure shits during inclement weather and worse every year. What that means is if you do fall down, chances of being run over are 34x more than back in 1976, at least here. Good advice already about not riding on ice and snow. The battery ect if decent will not care of temp, but 15w40 oil will not work in winter. You can get some Gerbing electric gear and be fine for warmth, but I wouldn't ride in any slick conditions for sure now. Back in 1976 I'd ride to school in 12" of snow. Not now.

I agree Ron I rode a 250 enduro to school last winter and traffic was horrible and everyone was an inch away from my back tire because everyone had somewhere to go. It got so bad sometimes I'd have to take an empty side walk just to not be late

Much as I love the 550's, maybe the enduro bike with knobbly tyres would be a better choice. Thinnk this one through carefully.

One crash and you get a smashed up bike and could be off work for months... if you are lucky.

As someone who's commuted at 70-80MPH on the highway in 17 degree F weather, I can tell you that it is possible, but it's far from comfortable, and very dangerous.

Let me count the ways:

1) Motorcycle tires have to be warm to stick to the road, in cold weather, they might warm up by the time you get to your destination.
2) One look at a wind-chill chart and you'll realize that you're going to get frostbite unless your entire outfit is wind-proof and warm
3) As if snow and ice aren't bad enough (as in, you'll crash if you hit any, even at parking lot speeds), in most places you also have to deal with salt, gravel and all sorts of other debris on the road (you'll crash if you hit that too)
4) Unless you live someplace where everyone is an expert winter driver, you're going to also have to deal with cars sliding into your lane spinning 360s in front of you, crashing into the ditch and blasting the roadway with powder, speeding SUVs with snow-tires blasting past you at 120MPH etc.

In summary, the only way it's really possible is if there's a perfectly straight, plowed, dry-ass road between you and work (i.e. a well used highway). This includes all side streets and off-ramps too, as it only takes one patch of ice on the road to make the route impassable.

Did anybody mention frozen fog on the inside of the face shield and frozen precipitation on the outside and no defroster?