| Author | Message | ||
     Ccryder |
Now that I've got your attention, it's been over 100 deg F here in TN for 14 out the last 15 days. I picked up my 'Bolt right when things started getting hot! Riding everyday in these temps for over a 100 miles can be dangerous!!!! I have resorted to a Camelbak and dousing my First Gear jacket arms in order to deal with the heat. I consume over 2 liters in my 50 mile trip home. I also have acquired a "phase change" vest which makes a BIG difference. So how do the rest of you Buelligans deal with this heat? Any helpful hints or tips? I've been riding for over 35 years and I'll still find people to learn from on a daily basis. Time4Sleep Neil S. | ||
| Tx05xb12s |
I ride in 27 lbs of full leathers and armor all the time. Dummy me decided black would be a cool color to have. Despite being perforated, it's hot hot hot. Last weekend another Buelligan and I laid down about 400 miles playing in traffic around Houston and Galveston Bay. We were out on the road around six hours. I drank six liters of water along with two cokes at lunch and a liter of Gatorade when we got to his house, and I still lost three pounds on the ride. I don't have an answer other than to douse yourself with water. It was over 100 degrees that day down here and it was so hot, I twice stopped at fast food restaurants and literally went into the bathroom with a cup and poured water all over my leathers. When I got home I had one hell of a pounding dehydration headache. In hindsight, that was probably a little dangerous being out that long in the heat. Thoughts of what it would be like to have a heat stroke and black out at 90MPH come to mind. You guys think white perforated leathers would do any better? | ||
| Metalstorm |
When it's that hot out I've found solid clothing to be actually better than perf or mesh. The hot air directly on you will dry you out a lot faster than complete wind blockage. I like my mesh jacket very much but above 90 degrees my Aerostich Roadcrafter is better. Hot is hot. No matter what you do you're gonna be hot & miserable. | ||
| Sslowmo |
i wear a high air flow white jacket. when it's hot. to cool off i just pull over in the direct sun. sit there for maybe a few minutes. then you start to sweat. then when you go again the air feels cool. it's nice for a short time. where i live it's been 115'f. it feels like your riding in front of the oven. | ||
| Chit |
98F and 97% humidity here yesterday and pulled a 200km ride with the turks i ride with. they normally just drink about 2-3l of water before heading out and try to keep it coming as much as possible, they know there going to sweat a good bit even in the humidity, that seems to work for them (and me to a lesser extent) just fine | ||
| Corporatemonkey |
When it is above 95 degrees out I make sure to zip up my aerostich. As Metalstorm pointed out mesh gear can dehydrate you faster. I will not lie to you, it is warm doing this, but I have found it insulates me from the heat of the motor. If it is above 100 degree, my aerostich was designed to have the outer pockets filled with ice. It sort of turns info a wearable ice pack. | ||
| Blake |
If you don't mind getting wet, an ice pack(s) works wonders. | ||
| Jlnance |
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| Punkid8888 |
I have no idea what you guys are talking about it was 52F degrees this morning on my way to work. I was bundled up and I was still freezin | ||
| Xl1200r |
I'm all for wearing protective gear when I ride, and I do it as often as I can. But, that said, if it's THAT hot out, and I'm THAT uncomfortable, I'm not going to be a good or safe rider. How do I deal with the heat? I take off my jacket. I still wear a helmet and gloves, and always long pants and proper boots. Obviously it's not the smartest thing, but it's a risk I knowingly take. If I forced myself to wear full leathers anytime the mercury climbed above 90, I'd just stay home. It's not even fun at that point. | ||
| Jaimec |
Mesh jackets with one of those new "Cool Vests" works wonders. You soak the vest in water overnight before you go riding and it holds the water so it evaporates slowly. I don't have a full vest YET but I have a collar-type thing that drapes over my shoulders and covers the top half of my back and chest. Works wonders under my SILVER (to reflect the sun) mesh jacket. | ||
| Sarodude |
Let's stop and think for a minute.... We all sorta live under the fallacy that insulation automatically means warmth. I know we've all studied this at some point or another, but insulation just keeps whatever object from giving or taking heat from its ambient surroundings. We also all have at least heard of ovens. You put food in there (well, somtimes bike parts) to cook - and it cooks better in the oven that outside the oven 'cause it's probably hotter in there than in your kitchen. So, when the temps climb up to near or past your body's temperature, not insulating yourself can make you WARMER. I've noticed plenty of times that closing my visor and zipping up my jacket in blistering heat makes me less warm - as long as I'm not at a dead stop. I know it's counterintuitive, but just try to explain to me how exposing yourself (the 98.6 degree yourself, that is) to 110 air is supposed to cool you off. Remeber that oven? It works 'cause it's warmer than the food and your kitchen... At the end of the day, sometimes we just have to admit that maybe it's not such a great idea to ride in extreme warm or cold ambient temps. -Saro | ||
| Ducxl |
so...the "phase change" vests are like $100 more than the standard uhh..."wet" vest. I tried but....what's "phase change"? | ||
| Fmaxwell |
I'm with Xl1200r: If it's that hot, the jacket comes off. A sweat-covered rider on the verge of heat stroke and/or dehydration is not a safe rider. When it's that hot, the jacket comes off (and sunscreen goes on the arms). I'd much rather ride in a T-shirt (with full-face helmet and gloves) and be comfortable, hydrated, and alert. Road rash sucks, but it's seldom life-threatening. I'd much rather risk road rash in the very unlikely event that I crash than to significantly increase my chances of having a crash in the first place. When I do find myself getting overheated on the bike, I usually look for an interesting, air-conditioned place where I can cool off and rehydrate. Motorcycle shops are a favorite -- or Best Buy, Home Depot, Walmart, etc. | ||
| Ccryder |
Here's a link to the site where I bought my vest. Cool Vest FWIW, you can get a 10% discount by using the following coupon code: STOWNERS-10. I don't have any association yada, yada.... Neil S. | ||
| Ccryder |
Actually by stripping down you will get hotter. I know it goes against common sense but what Sarodude states is reality. I keep my mesh on and increase the evap cooling by wetting myself down with cold/ cool water, especially on the inner arms (somewhere I read that that was the best place to try and cool yourself down, or at least convince your body of that). Our thought process does degrade quickly when we get overheated so we have to watch this condition carefully. YRMV and it's just my $0.02. Time4Lunch Neil S. | ||
| Jaimec |
You'll notice that the people who live in the hottest countries on earth are basically covered from head to foot in loose fitting, light colored clothing (think Saudi Arabia). Another thing that works it taking a thick, 100% cotton sweatshirt and SOAKING it in cool water. Wring out the excess water, then put it on under a mesh jacket and it'll keep you cool for a good long time. Also, AVOID black! Dumbest thing you can wear on a hot sunny day is black. If nothing else, a long sleeved WHITE shirt will keep you cooler than nothing at all. A light colored helmet will not only keep your head cooler, but is more visible in traffic as well. | ||
| Xl1200r |
Actually by stripping down you will get hotter. I know it goes against common sense but what Sarodude states is reality. I keep my mesh on and increase the evap cooling by wetting myself down with cold/ cool water, especially on the inner arms (somewhere I read that that was the best place to try and cool yourself down, or at least convince your body of that). This just simply isn't true for our case. Yes, isulation can be used to keep cooler air in if need be, but hell - 98.6 degrees ain't exactly cool. What's the point at that point? You also have to consider solar radiation. The inside of that jacket is going to be warmer than the outside simply because the sun exists. And all you guys are talking about wetting things down to get the effects of evaporations - great idea, but it only works when there's airflow. If there's airflow, then the insulation must not be all that good. Sealing yourself up in a white jacket will be better if your standing still. If you're moving, take advantage of the airflow. | ||
| Fmaxwell |
It's impractical to wear a head-to-toe Bedouin outfit on a motorcycle. Loose-fitting, long-sleeve white shirts like I might choose for fishing are similarly impractical -- the flapping in the wind gets old fast. I'm not about to soak myself down and then put an expensive motorcycle jacket over my soggy self. I had a mesh jacket (it no longer fits since I lost 120lbs.), but that was still not as cool as a t-shirt just because the back, shoulder, and elbow pads interfered with airflow too much. I'll stick with a light-colored T-shirt on the hottest summer days. | ||
| Jaimec |
Mesh jackets won't be ruined by putting them over a wet sweatshirt. Leather yes... but not nylon mesh (nor any of the modern textile riding jackets out there). Evaporation doesn't require airflow, though it helps. Your body heat (and the heat from the sun) is enough to get evaporation going. Better the body is cooled by water evaporating from a wet sweatshirt than water evaporating from your skin. Frequent stops to replenish your bodily fluids are a GOOD idea in any event, but you'll stop less frequently if you're not losing your own water to evaporation. I've used the sweatshirt trick under an Aerostich Roadcrafter one piece suit on 90+ degree days with 95% humidity. I know it works. It'll work even better with a mesh jacket. | ||
| Djkaplan |
I just deal with it. I ride protected with a mesh jacket and try and stay hydrated as much as possible. Last year was really the first year I rode the entire summer (in Georgia, no less) with a jacket on all the time and I was really surprised that the mesh kept me cooler than just a t-shirt. The hot air above the ashpalt has to be in excess of 105 degrees... the more of that air you keep off yourself, the more likely it is you'll stay cooler. The jacket is more comfortable in some instances, in my experience, especially when it get hot HOT. | ||
| Rich |
Vansons. Black leather keeps the sun off me. I'm riding 1000 miles on Thursday, leaving early. I hope it gets cooler as I get farther north. | ||
| Jlnance |
what's "phase change"? Water evaporating is undergoing a phase change from liquid to gas. Water freezing is undergoing one from liquid to solid. Phase changes suck up or release large amounts of heat, which is why sweating keeps you cool. | ||
| Ducxl |
Ok,now i understand the phase change as it relates to the much MORE expensive variant of these cooling vests | ||
| U4euh |
Sometime ago someone posted a link to an interview with the HD test riders that rode in Arizona. The bottom line wassimple, after years and years testing in the heat, the man said that keeping insulated socks and long sleeve shirts on is what kept him MORE COMFORTABLE. Isn't it also ironic that those people who live in hotter climates, referred to earlier, wear long sleeves. It keeps the sweat from evaporating, sure you still sweat, but a layer of moisture will keep the skin cooler, thus the body doesn't use as much liquid trying to cool the skin. If that layer of moisture is taken away by the wind, the body is using available sources to create it....constantly, thus the weight loss. ps-1000 miles @ 100mph is doable on the XB's!!! Got the shirt (Message edited by u4euh on August 21, 2007) | ||
| Nu2buell |
+1 There are five methods of heat transfer. Evaporation, Conduction (You sitting on something hot or cold/ Think Buell engine), Convection (Wind), Radiation (Ambient heat), and respiration. Anything you can do to reduce the heat transfer will help. Just don't stop breathing. Also, keeping the back of the neck cool will help tremendously. That is where the hypothala}mus gland is located. It's kind of like the body's thermostat. Drink water and gatorade/powerade to replace electrolytes. Or move north. | ||
| Xl1200r |
Isn't it also ironic that those people who live in hotter climates, referred to earlier, wear long sleeves. It keeps the sweat from evaporating, sure you still sweat, but a layer of moisture will keep the skin cooler I don't believe this to be the case. The long sleeves still allow plenty of air and wind to pass through aiding in the evaporation of sweat to keep the body cool. I think the long sleeves are more for protection from the sun - having the sun beat down on bare skin will get you hot. All this aside, I've ridden in super hot weather with a jacket on. It sucked because I was really hot and sweaty. I opened up the vents I felt better wherever moving air would pass by, but I was still really hot and sweaty. I took the jacket off and I wan't hot anymore. I foud my solution. Like I said above, it still bugs me a little to go jacketless and I'm thinking about getting one of those Vanson mesh jackets that are basically like not wearing a jacket aside from the armor. | ||
| Jaimec |
You will be cool until your sweat is completely evaporated off of your skin. Once that happens, you're going to get hot again, and worse... risk heat exhaustion or even heat stroke. The sweat will also wash off any sunscreen you might (HOPEFULLY) have put on increasing your rise of sun burn and skin cancer. THAT'S why a long sleeved shirt is better than a T-Shirt, and why a mesh jacket (hopefully in a light color and not black) over a wet long sleeved shirt is best of all. Modern mesh riding jackets have armor and abrasion-resistant materials in those parts that are more likely to take an impact in the fall, but leave enough open mesh to cool your body. But to paraphrase something I said in a thread about engine break-in: "It's your body, do what you want with it." If you're REALLY that hot and uncomfortable, just take the car and crank the air conditioning. I've crossed the northern Nevada desert in August wearing a full Aerostich suit and full faced helmet quite comfortably using the methods I've already outlined. |
