HEAT!! is there a fix, or am I just fubar

[Erik]

Ok had the ST out today (04 abs)..and maybe it's me but this bike gets HOT.Air temp was about 83. I've tried venting the inner cowls had no effect maybe made it worse. What I notice is that the frame, area below and left and right of the front of the seat gets so hot it's untouchable.. burning hot.. and more than a hour after getting home it's still hot, although I can touch it now but , whoa.This is actually heating up the seat! The heat isn't so much on my legs as much as in my crotch and inner thighs is this to be expected?? I used to have a Triumph Sprint ST it would dump hot air out the right side but only noticable when stopped and as soon as one was moving it was gone. I came to the ST from a 03 BMW K1200RS and heat wasn't as issue at all. IS there a fix?? Is my bike F'ed up some how? Should I just remove the inner cowls, anyone got any suggestions? As it stands now this is a 3 season bike and I have no interest in having a bike I can't ride in the summer :-( HELP!

[Rob Hephner]

Where do you live?

You can do a search on heat and you will find several discussions on heat and solutions.

I live in Arizona and have found that venting the inner cowls and adding the fairing extenders have made things much better.

[Erik]

I'm in NJ..read all the threads, I've tried venting the inner cowls and it didn't seem to help. I'm going to just remove them, see if that does anything,

[Killtimer]

The frame heat is not fixable. The engine in the ST1300 is a stressed frame member. It's part of the frame. To maintain rigidity it's (the engine) bolted in place directly to the frame members without any washers or rubber mounting I've seen. Being aluminium, the frame is a relatively good insulator as far as metals go, it takes a while to heat up, heats up evenly, and then retains the heat for a long time. After a time the frame members you mention are going to be the same temperature as the engine block, and they're going to stay that hot unless something cools them down a bit. The rush of cooler air is the only thing I've found that works, but once that mass gets hot it takes a lot of cooling. :shrug2:

[MNwing]

Guess I must be lucky, haven't noticed any heat problem with the 05, my ride home this evening was in rush hour traffic and temp was 87. The heat wasn't any greater on my legs than what I had on my 98 Wing, in fact I would say it was less.

My problem was my jacket, black First Gear Kenya and wasn't moving fast enough to get enough air through the vents and shirt was soaked when I finally got home. Can't begin to think of what it would have been like on the wing.

[tccox]

Theres a big problem here. I came to my ST after 11 years on BMWs. I was going to get a K1200GT until I saw the ST. My St has no heat problems at all even commuting in 90 + heat here in Charlotte. Its certainly got much less of a heat problem that my last BMW , a 2002 R1150RA. I've ridden several K1200RSs and at least MY ST has much less of a heat problem that those did. It just seems , some STs do produce more heat that others, why ????? who knows.

[Erik]

I'm going to take it in to the dealer see what they can find.. maybe a heat shield isn't right who knows.. All I can say is whew..it's hot.. FWIW I took out the inner cowls, I'm gonna see what that does.

[NormanPCN]

It just seems , some STs do produce more heat that others, why ????? who knows.

People vary by far far more than production machines. I have measured a few bikes as saw no difference.

I was one of the first "complainers" about heat. You can go back to the oldest MSN, or even yahoo site messages and see. I have not had issues in over a year. My legs are tucked in a little tighter than I used to do. This iis about all I can figure. I was Mark's original gunniea pig tester for his Hot wings deflectors. I rode up to his place (LA area-Sacramento area) one weekend to give him sensitive shins to test as he had no problem and he rides in shorts! I also have some new Honda deflectors in a box that I bought. I just noticed that I did not seem to have a problem at some point. I had taken the tank pads off and started tucking my legs in tighter.

If you are getting crotch heat then check the flap that is supposed to seal the seat to the tank. If that is off then you will get a hot crotch. How do I know. When I got a Rocky Mayer seat he did not seal that area and in 30 miles my nits were roasted in 80's temps were before I had been in 95+ with no problem in the crotch.

[curmudgeon]

If Honda didn't change anything in 05 then the difference must be individual tolerance. I find no heat problem at all with mine, and I have been in temps up to 97. Including miles of stop and go traffic with the temp at 94. I just scratch my head when I hear this talk about heat. I just don't get it. I may be more tolerant to various heat and cold extremes. For instance I have never needed heated grips even in temps down to mid 30's while wearing medium weight waterproof gloves. I can be outside working in a T-shirt in temps down in the 40's. So like Norman said it may be more of an individual tolerance thing. Then again I never ride in shorts, and I almost always wear motorcycle boots at all times. I just rode to the Washington coast and back yesterday, and the temp was up to 87 in places. Again no problems at all.

Phil

[Pred8tor]

Wearing boots can make a big difference. Before I got my boots, I felt the heat in my shins. With the boots, my shins are protected and I rarely think about the heat. My boots are fairly tall, so that helps even more.

[OldSuperSport]

I'm long legged at 6-1" and if I scoot down against the tank as I like to do sometimes to get more vertical, then at least one of my legs is touching the plastic (where the access panels are). The heat against my leg there is uncomfortable and I consciously swing my leg out to relieve it.

I have just learned to ride back on the seat a bit, sometimes purposely way back, so I dont touch any plastic. .. I really dont even notice the heat anymore. One note the heat is nice on a cool ride home at dusk or in the morning commute to work.

I dont get heat up from the center on the tank. I've never considered the frame heat extreme, although it is a hot exposed surface, so I dont touch it!

(Ohio, and we've had plenty of 90 degree wx this year already. Daily 2005 commuting miles at 2700 so far, 40 miles aday since March)

[DubT]

I know what you are talking about when you mention heat. I had it and I have done the following and it is now tolerable.

1. Cut big holes in the cowls.
2. Used 1 1/4 X 1 1/4 foam and plugged all of the holes in the tank frame area, around where the tank sits on the frame and even along the frame under where the seat fits. I took a ride before I made these changes without my gloves and felt a lot of heat coming out under the seat. Try it and you will see what I mean. Plug anyplace that will allow heat to migrate into this area.
3. Installed the Honda fairing deflectors. This helped a lot.
4. Cut the windshield down so that I get more air. I have an 03 non abs.
5. Installed the Two Brothers exhaust system, I think this helped get some heat away from the bike, the exhaust is less restrictive. (I really like the sound)

I am going to wrap the headers with ceramic wrap.

I can now ride comfortably in 90 degree temps.

DubT

[Actionfigurejoe]

Dub, instead of ceramic wrap you may want to look into ceramic coatings. Coating are effective and look very nice. I'm not sure how much it would reduce the heat. I'd estimate that 75-80% of the heat comes from the rad. The remainder is from engine and exhaust componants.

[NormanPCN]

Wearing boots can make a big difference. Before I got my boots, I felt the heat in my shins. With the boots, my shins are protected and I rarely think about the heat. My boots are fairly tall, so that helps even more.

This shows more individual difference. Boots mean nothing to me. Where I feel the most heat is just above a typical cycle boot. Specifically I have Alpinestars Effex boots size 46.

[nisbeam]

I agree with Norman that it's an inividual issue. I dont find the heat a problem personally. I did about 2 hours the other day at 29C thats about 84F with no prob myself. But the side pockets were HOT ! :eek: in fact the left one was so hot you couldnt keep your finger on the keyhole, and inside was really hot , I cant believe they mount the Honda radio in there ! you could barely touch the insides of the pocket. Is it this the heat issue that the inner cowling venting helps with ? :o:

[NormanPCN]

Venting the inner cowls can cool the fairing pockets. Most people remove and/or vent them because it lets ambient air flow through the fairing and that air mixes with the radiator exhaust thus cooling that down. The radiator exhaust is the source of the hot shins. Hippo888 has done some good experiements of inner cowl venting. He found a method that works reasonably well for cooling the pockets. Search for the "venting the inner cowls" thread.

[Hewhois]

Greetings!

Living in Tampa, FL I've had lots of chances to ride it in ~95F weather lately, and I have no heat issues on my body parts from the bike at all. The inner cowls do get hot, but I make sure I only put things in them where heat doesn't matter.

I wear Sidi On-Road boots that are 14" high and Draggin Jeans that have kevlar lining on the knee & shin area, also I often wear the TPro undergarment kit with armor under the Draggin' Jeans. I get hot from the ambient temps, but not from the bike.

I wonder if there is any connection with how many miles the bike has on it? Have about 11,400 miles on my ST so far. Before that the weather was cooler.

Any way, the "heat issue" is not an issue for me.

[DubT]

AS I said in my earlier post there was a tremendous amount of heat coming out from under the seat which put the hot air on my lower legs. Plugging ALL of the possible heat outlets under the seat has helped this immensely.

All you have to do is take a ride without gloves and feel where the heat is coming from.

DubT

[Fireball18]

When I first had my '03, I noticed a lot of heat, especially when the temps were 80 degrees or more out. After reading the threads regarding the ST1300 heat issue, I did the following:
1.) Installed Joe Zulaski's (from the MSN board) neoprene heat shield. What that does is help to seal off areas from the tank to the rear of the bike that would allow heat to freely invade your space.
2.) Installed the Calsci heat/wind deflectors. These were very effective in routing a lot of heat out and away from my legs. There are two side pieces that come with the deflectors that go in the trapazoidal area on the left side fo the bike and the opening where the battery is.
3.) Removed the front fairing inner cowling panels. This more than anything else improved the quality of life aboard the ST. As it comes from Honda, the inner cowls seal up the space between the fairing and the radiator in order to direct the maximum amount of air into the radiator. The result is a LOT of super hot air coming out of the radiator, which has nowhere else to go but out the side fairing vents and onto your legs. By removing the inner cowls, you create a space for air to go and an amount of cool incoming air flows past the radiator and dilutes the hot air before it reaches your legs and/or comes up between the seat and tank.

One word of caution here, regarding removing the inner cowl panels. When you do, you lose some structural integrity where the side fairing panels meet the under-nose fairing below the headlight. At high speeds, this can cause the panels to separate and even destroy the little tab that holds them together. I fashioned a strip of plastic from a piece of the removed inner cowl and shaped it to fit in place under the nose and drilled holes at each end to match the holes that hold the plastic push rivet and screw in place. This keeps things held together. Just a security measure. I've attached a photo of what I did. Please excuse the bugs that I haven't yet removed after our 3-week trip earlier this month. I realize this is sort of crude, but I'm no craftsman. It works. If someone else can improve on this idea, jump on it. It works. BTW, on my wife's bike, I merely cut out the center of the inner panels, leaving about a 1-inch perimeter. She hasn't complained about any heat, and I don't have any issues with mine, other than in traffic where things go slow and the heat has a chance to rise up while stopped.

[Red Ryder]

I put fairing extenders on my '05. It did make a big difference. I notice more heat now coming off my BMW 650 GS than I do with my 1300.
It is interesting how people with the '05's seem to be having less heat issues than with previous years.

[NormanPCN]

It is interesting how people with the '05's seem to be having less heat issues than with previous years.

For us '03 people it was a complete surprise. After that people come to the bike knowing it has a lot of heat. You are less likely to ***** and moan ir you were forewarned. Of course there will always be people who get surprised. Just a lesser percentage.

[Carl_T]

I'd love to know the real deal on this Norman. I expected heat and only found warmth (and considerably less than on my last bike) with the 05. I can find an occasional position/temp/brief situation (maybe planet alignment) where I'd say I feel small heat on my right calf briefly. It's something I've noticed maybe once a month for the space of a minute or two, but even that is not anything bad enough to be troubling (and I haven't noticed it at all lately even though I tuck my legs back with my toes on the pegs).

I will say my seat is in the lowest position which puts it right up tight against the tank and nothing can flow up through there at all even if it wanted to.

The reports are so diverse as to be just plain weird, as if people are talking about different bike models.

I'll feel some warmth, not heat if I happen to stop dead still and the fan comes on.

Additionally my wife reports no heat on the back either.

[STPilot]

Ok, I'll stir the pot some, I have an 04 with what I would classify as "no heat issue". . . ? Here in CA, I've had plenty of opportunity to ride in 90+ temps. The most I've ever felt heat was recently when I got tied up in some serious traffic due to crash up ahead. It was 91 and I had no escape, yea the bike got hot....but it really wasn't a big deal. In fact the all black jacket I was wearing was more annoying moving along at 10-15 mph than the heat from the bike??
I'd like to know what causes this on certain bikes, seems very strange.:)

[stg1]

My "05" I quess does not have a heat issue because the other day I was riding in shorts (I know I know save your breath please) and really didn't notice that much heat. It was warmish but not anything that bothered me. Living down here in Hot-Ol-Texas and owning 2 ST1100s before the 13, the heat doesn't bother me. It's nice though in the winter when it gets into the 40's :D

[Fireball18]

I've got to go with the idea that the perception of "heat" and how much, is a personal thing that varies from individual to individual. Some folks are extremely heat sensitive and others are less so. Assuming that the bikes are, for the most part, built identically from year to year, it has to be that, as identical construction should produce the same results all the way around. I do know that there was some heat shielding in the '04's that the '03's don't have, but there doesn't seem to be any less or more heat from either model.

[Dorian]

I've gotta agree with Greg on this one, results vary from individual to individual. On a recent trip to Las Vegas and back that included Death Valley, the Mojave Desert, and Hwy 395 with temps in the high 90's we didn't experience any heat issues with the ST. In fact, the only time heat became oppressive was when we were standing along side of the bike on I-80 waiting for a tow truck to take care of our flat tire.

Its just a mater of what you are used to I expect.

[Stermp66]

Not to sound critical of you by anymeans,, I had never noticed this "heat" problem,,,,, untill one day I jumped on my bike and made a quick run downtown wearing my sneakers I usually wear a high top "logger style of boot" after that short stint I felt the heat on my legs.


Just something to think about?

Paul
:04biker:

[NormanPCN]

I do know that there was some heat shielding in the '04's that the '03's don't have, but there doesn't seem to be any less or more heat from either model.

There is some metal on the lower cowl. Probably to protect the plastic from the header heat. The lower cowl vents are the same in all years.

I have ridden in sneakers in temp with no heat issues low on the leg. Where is feel the most heat is just above where a typical cycle boot comes to. Make no doubt about it my shin do feel heat and get quite hot. It is just not annoying as it once was. I do tuck my legs in closer than I used to. Maybe that has something to do with it and maybe not.

I do know that my bike is identical in heat generated to another bike whos rider rides in shorts and sandals. At the time I was a heat complainer. Identical in subjective terms and various objective measurements.

[Carl_T]

I do know that my bike is identical in heat generated to another bike who’s rider rides in shorts and sandals. At the time I was a heat complainer. Identical in subjective terms and various objective measurements. OK that is important information that seems to agree with the guys who say it is individually subjective then.

I will say this bike is cooler than my cruiser was by a good deal, that was air cooled and you didn't want to stop on a hot day.

[NormanPCN]

The subjective was easy. We switched back and forth between the bikes. We both wore shorts in the test to feel the heat as best we could. The objective measurements were using an IR surface thermometer at various points on the bike. When measuing the fairing you have to be quick if you do it after you stop since the lack of airflow causes the fairing surface to quickly heat up. In city stop and go the fans on our bikes turned on and off within 10 seconds of each other.

This was not a definitive test by any measure but it is a ton more than the typical internet speculation.

[Putt]

Gotta be subjective..
The CX500 twin with full fairing was hot... a HD Duo-Glide was hot
when stopped in traffic or a stop light... The 1000CC Sportster was hot when
not moving (and all the above bikes were very warm WHEN moving) The
ST-1300... Not a problem... Not nearly as warm as the others either stopped
or moving...

Putt...

[tccox]

Wow, 90+degree heat today on the way home from work. 19 Miles, 50+ minutes and a lot of that in dead stop traffic. If I'd been on my old BMW (R1150RA) I'd have passed out, the ST is about as good a motorcycle as there is to ride in high heat conditions. And I've been riding for 35+ years.

[NormanPCN]

Wow, 90+degree heat today on the way home from work. 19 Miles, 50+ minutes and a lot of that in dead stop traffic. If I'd been on my old BMW (R1150RA) I'd have passed out, the ST is about as good a motorcycle as there is to ride in high heat conditions. And I've been riding for 35+ years.

and you southeast folk typically get the humidity treatment we here in the southwest do not get.

[Carl_T]

NY gets so humid in the next two months, that you need a scuba tank to breath, and machetes to chop back the vicious growing mold. We'll see if I change my mind and cry heat then, but I doubt it very, very much as I've already seen above 90, though only half way towards humid.

I think your test is enough of a test to settle it in my mind Norman.