Is there any such thing as 'too hot to ride?'

I don't mean for the rider, because the answer is no. I mean for the bike.

Riding back from work the other day, the air temp gauge said it was 88f degrees. It's Houston, so the weather is only just warming up.

However, the bike could not cool itself below 219f degrees while I was stuck in traffic (which is, sadly, how my standard commute goes). The fan never shut off. When I did get the opportunity to get some speed, it cooled further down to 213f while doing 50 but shot right back up once I stopped again.

I did get it on the highway after seeing the same thing yesterday, and at hwy speeds it's fine - cooled right down to 195f. I don't think there is a problem with the bike. In a month or so, temps will be over 100f during my ride home from work and I'm already leaving work an hour later so that the temps are more tolerable for the bike along with the main congestion being over by then.

So, thus my question. Has anyone ever found the limit on the bikes cooling ability during a rush hour commute in weather warmer than this? I'm just worried it's not going to be able to cool below 221f at all and keep rising up to the 230s and 240s with the fan whirring and the coolant heating up before I have to shut it down and wait.

 

They run hot, and as long as its doing what you described, that's exactly what its supposed to do: Fan comes on at 220-222, shuts off at 211-213.

You could try draining and flushing the system and then filling with distilled water and water wetter. I've never done it, but heard it works well.

Keep your system in tip top shape, and don't forget about that rad cap. I think it'll be Ok.

 

I changed a while ago to Engine Ice and it dropped about 5 degrees on average during 90+degree stop and go here in New York.

 

On a ride up in the Sierra Mountains 2 years ago, we were stuck in traffic going up hill behind car traffic on a two lane road, with little to no places for passing, especially legally! Some of the VFRs (5 and 6 Gens) were hitting 230+ but no one ever over heated or shut off, but it was not a very comforting feeling. The temps were in the upper 90'sF. On the way home the temps ranged from 92F-104F, which was on long straight roads, and although the temps were up there, my bike never went above 225F. I'm running 'Engine Ice' in both my VFRs, not anti-freeze and I have not suffered any issues so far (knock on wood). Specifications of Engine Ice is a 256F boiling point and a -26 freezing point. Although we do get triple digits here in So Cal, being able to lane split means we don't have to sit in traffic behind a gaggle of cars! But to answer the question, if your bike over heats, then that falls into 'Too hot to ride' territory :wink: . Unfortunately, environmental conditions are hard to predict and/or duplicate, so one time riding in xxxF degree weather one time without incident, doesn't mean it will be the same the next time. Elevation, traffic, etc. all play a part in how hot/cool your engine runs.

 

Seems like I should probably invest in Engine Ice and/or Water Wetter for the summer, then. I know the bike has a lot further to go until it reaches danger levels, but I still freak out when it's trying to cool down and the temp goes above 224f. I've no idea what's in there now. I just assume that if it can't cool itself properly in 88f, how will it perform in 110f with the same stop-and-go conditions?

And yes, I'm so jealous of you Cali lot and your lane-splitting permissions. I think I speak for the 49 other states when I say I wish I had that privilege, too. I actually wrote a research paper at uni for which I found sources that made it abundantly clear that lane-splitting is safer and more beneficial for both bikers AND cagers compared to the alternative. It's no fair!

 

Although it's "allowed", it is not illegal or officially legal just yet! I know that sounds weird but so far it is not a law on the books but they are moving that way, there's even a group trying to stop it! (crossing my fingers they don't succeed!)

http://www.latimes.com/business/autos/la-fi-hy-motorcycle-lanesplitting-20150528-story.html

 

Good to see! Naturally I'm all for it. But I despise the whole "it's unsafe...it's unfair" attitude. In Europe, cars move away from lanesplitters if they can to give them access and more room. Why are driver's so selfish and competitive in this country? If driver's don't like sitting in traffic, get on a damn bike. Sheesh. If 25% of people jumped out of cars and on to bikes, congestion could be entirely eliminated due to lane splitting. Fact.

 

Houston traffic has been a bitch for years. Maybe someday they will allow lane splitting..

I looked at the www.stoplanesplitting.com site that started out with some fairly reasonable takes on why and why not the practice should be legalized. Then I jumped to the comments from a few of the "more than 1000" members (??) and their takes on the subject.

Conclusions:

Few if any, were "bike people".
Most were whiny, bitchy cagers who were potential closet road ragers.

So much for that peanut gallery..

Loop 610 back in the day from the hours of midnight or so until aboot 0400 was called Houston Speedway.. Population was then +/- 3 million now it's aboot 5 million and the weather is the SOS!

Seen it 85 F on Christmas Day.. Santa lost 25 pounds making his rounds that day..

 

It is normal for the bike to get hot like that in that kind of traffic. If you are concerned about the high temps you could always consider rigging a manual fan switch so that you can start and keep the fan running before it gets to the normal engagement point.

If you yourself get too hot you can always follow the Harley "Ride Free" philosophy and borrow some assless leather chaps from Sunofwolf to wear

 

IMO, better to have those assless chaps from SOW cleaned before wearing them.

 

Another vote for Engine Ice. Recently serviced cooling system & noticed on average about a 5-10 degree drop in operating temps.

 

When my radiator cap was bad, (I didn't know it at the time) I was stuck in bad traffic and due to construction, I couldn't split lanes. The temps were over 100° and my bike got to about 256° and the temperature gauge was flashing. I didn't have any choice but to keep going, else I would have been run over. I got to open traffic and the temp came down again.
I called a mechanic and told him what happened and asked if I may have caused damage and he said "nope, it's a Honda."

 

:director:I don't have Harley chaps, it rarely gets too hot to wear leather and those days I drive my air condition car

 

I bet those shemales you are into do not think you are too hot to ride.

Get some chaps for yourself and your friends. This outfit is in China but they sell wholesale.

http://www.alibaba.com/showroom/gay-leather-chaps.html

I see no reason why you couldn't wear a pair in your car. Who knows, you might start a new trend.

 

I had overheating problems in NYC as well, and actually hit the emergency shutoff temp (260?) on the LIE in heavy traffic on a 100 degree/85% humidity day. After some reading, I switched my coolant to Engine Ice and 1.) dropped a good average 10 degrees off my engine temp and 2.) this put the heat diffusion at a point where once the fan was on, I would never go above 225 or so.

Engine Ice is the real deal. I've even tried Prestone's coolant made from the same stuff in the last coolant change, and I picked those 10 degrees back up (I'm in the Pacific NW again though, so no biggie). Next change I'm going back though, worth every penny.

 

I used to run water wetter when i had a liquid cooled race bike. I gota try Engine Ice, as i am gona do a hose replacement in the near future. I was in the Holland Tunnel and my at the time ZL600 ran the temperature light into the rad zone half way through. As soon as I got out, the light went off. The air in that tunnel musta be hotter than hell. Gota stay hydrated if your gona ride in hot temps. Cheers

 

A couple of weeks ago I was stuck in Austin I-35 traffic and engine heated up to 235F with fan going. As traffic thinned out and sped up, the temp did not come down. Fan stayed on and temp stayed above 230 at 75-80 MPH, then rose to 240 when I slowed and took my exit. This prompted a close look at the cooling system. Turned out the thermostat was stuck, partly open. I replaced the 'stat with a $5 one for a GM V8, and turned the fan around so it doesn't fight airflow. The bike still gets hot, but when it gets to 220 and the fan comes on, it doesn't keep going up. It works like it's supposed to. It cools down more slowly than it heats up, but I'm not seeing 230+, and it cools down at speed.

If your thermostat is stuck, the radiators will heat up before the engine reaches 170F, and chances are it's not opening all the way either. There's a good thread here about changing the thermostat. It's a bitch to get to, but it's do-able.

 

Midwest gets the heat & humidity. Today was the first 90 degree day and dew point was 70. Makes for some swampbutt. Yes, once it gets 95, even riding in the open country is not fun. Back to the cage with A/C.

 

Sorry, but no where in the US can compete with the gulf coast as far as swamp butt goes, especially Houston. It's currently 94 deg with 75 deg dewpoint, 60% humidity and zero wind, at 3:30 in the afternoon. Makes for a 105 heat index, and it's not even hot yet. We still have 2 months to go until it gets really hot. People in the rest of the country just think they know what uncomfortable is. lol





What is this water wetter stuff I've been hearing about lately? Also read some good stuff about engine ice recently, drops of 5-10 deg being the norm it seems.

Since we're on the subject, is the Honda auto coolant considered good stuff for bikes, the grey bottle with the blue label, says Type 2 on it.

Back to the OP.....Also, myself being in the Houston area, wearing leather in the summer is impossible, heat stroke would be almost 100% assured on every ride. What are you wearing for protection? I'm considering this since reviews look good and someone from Houston even wrote a good review....

http://www.jafrum.com/shop-by-brand/river-road-jackets-mens/Mens-River-Road-Sedona-Mesh-Jacket

But would this jacket really offer more protection than just a t-shirt? Seems the mesh wouldn't stand up to any sliding down pavement.

 

I was in Houston once...I'll have to agree with you. The second I stepped off the plane my clothes stuck to my skin like they were painted on! :hss: