Riding in the Heat

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Jan 21, 2011
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Old Orchard Beach, Maine
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+1 on everything covered here. Recently, I had a (not-so) Mellow experience X 50. Travelling down I-81 in PA, in 100 deg. + dewpoints in the 70's and traffic comes to a complete stop, due to construction. I am in my 1-piece 'stich with no shade and the sun is baking. It got to the point where I thought I was going to have a heat stroke, so on came the flashers, into the 3' wide "breakdown lane" and I travelled 40 miles at a stretch like this, only getting back into the "travel" lane (not) when barriers forced me to. All told, I probably travelled 100 miles like this.

I would have paid a $200 / $400 / $600 fine if I were stopped--and gladly paid it to get out of that hell!

Finally made it to Hagerstown ,MD in time for the storms that wreaked havoc on DC, WV, MD, VA --but had a nice light show from the hotel room !
 
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Joe
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I do think this would be a much better top box during the summer than the Givi
http://www.amazon.com/Engel-UC19-Quart-Dry-Cooler/dp/B001OTEXFO/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1342559214&sr=8-2&keywords=engel+cooler

41QcVGOKUWL._SL500_AA300_.jpg

A dry box/cooler that won't leak.. You could carry whatever drinks or food you wanted and it states will keep things cold for up to 2 days... only weighs in at 3.5 lbs.. should mount on the rear rack and strap down easily. If you have a phase change vest, it would work well for recharging that or keeping an evaporative vest wet/cool so you could buy two vests and switch out regularly.
 
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Not your business
Typically it doesn't bother me but after 13-1/2 hours I noticed it.
Jeff....noticed it. WE NOTICED IT !!!. You were a son of gun when we got to the motel. It took you 2 hours to calm down. Along with 3.57567 gal of water, 22oz prime rib dinner, 2 loafs of bread,3/4 lb of butter, appetizers,3.43 ice cream cones, etc,etc you then seem to recover. Really Jeff you should deep six the black cotton pants. Get some grey or silver mesh ones and a mesh jacket. Like this..
 

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Sep 24, 2007
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Gainesville, Florida
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ST1300A, TracerGT
If money is not an object to you, they make cooling vests that pump cold water through the vest from a cooler full of ice water. I suppose you could probably keep a couple drinks in there as well. I think it's about $400. You still need to hydrate, but this would certainly help you regulate your body temperature.

Heat exaustion and heat stroke are two different things, both of which you can encounter on a bike in the summer. One is overheating the core temperature or the body, the other is not enough liquid to replace what you are losing. The latter can lead to the former, but both can be addressed.
 
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Seattle area
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If money is not an object to you, they make cooling vests that pump cold water through the vest from a cooler full of ice water.
My buddy Patrick bought one of those for his Roadstar. Problem is he totaled the bike 10 minutes after dawning the vest. Never did get a 'ride report'.....
 
Joined
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78
Location
Phoenix, AZ
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'05 ST1300A
If money is not an object to you, they make cooling vests that pump cold water through the vest from a cooler full of ice water. .
I've got one of those cooling deals from my shoulder surgery. Never tried it on the bike. It never lasted long on my shoulder, wiped out a bag of ice in about 2 hours, I'm not sure it would work well on the bike.

2 things that really help for me - sunscreen for my face, and the trusty beaded wal-mart seat. It allows air to flow under your bum and keep the boys cool. I couldn't ride long in Arizona without it!
 

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Yorktown Heights, NY
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1799
I don't like the feeling of the camel back, but noticed some guys have a cooler with a tube for hydration. I like this idea and yes, I have hydrated Lexie while riding by pouring water over her and making sure she drinks too. Actually helps me because I am more likely to stop to care for her, then I than I would to stop for just me.
 

TinyL

Wingin It
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Arkansas City, KS
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2010 Wing
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I have always worn mesh in the summer, but don't have a extreme amount of airflow on the wing. Pants have a vent strip but are pretty much solid. I would not dream of wearing mesh pants because of the extreme heat off the pavement close to the road surface.I seem to do very well with wicking undies top and bottoms. I use LD comfort and Klime gear but agree as long as the seams are in the right position most will get the job done. Also be sure the tops have long sleeves...you can get sunburn thru mesh! I discovered being able to drink water while riding is very important in high heat...or anytime really... just can't get enough water if you drink just at stops. I keep Powerade Zero in the cooler for stops...and trail mix energy blend that I eat a fist full at each stop. I can ride for days on the water, powerade, and trail mix...seems to be just the mix for me! Tried a phase change vest for the first time. Inserts sat approx 2-3 hours. Works great! Will be buying some more inserts so I can rotate them!
 
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Hamilton Ontario
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dehydration does sneek up on you so all the tips above are great. A couple of years ago, I thought I needed to stop for water, but felt not bad,so kept going, then by the time we did stop, I got the side stand down and fell off the bike and couldnt stand up for a couple of minutes. Wasnt till then that I knew I waited way too long. I didnt pass out but was damn close for the next little while.. Also felt so bad it was hard to get any water into me.. I think the A/C in the restaraunt helped the most as it cooled me down enough so that I could start filling up on water..
From then on I drink much more often than I think I need when the temps go up and yeh that does work. That and finding some shade every couple hours.
 

RCS

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GU20 Electrolyte drink mix. My choice mostly because it doesn't have the sugar content of Gatorade.

Ingredients
Maltodextrin, fructose, sodium citrate, citric acid, potassium citrate, natural flavoring, colored with carmine extract.

Nutrition Facts
Serving Size: 2 scoops (26g) per 16oz water.
Calories: 100
Total Fat: 0g
Cholesterol: 0mg
Sodium: 240mg
Potassium: 40mg
Total Carbs: 26g
Dietary Fiber: 0g
Sugars: 4g
 

RCS

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Joe
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I have to disagree. There is a big difference between my AST and my mesh jacket in regards to air flow. I stay cooler, I sweat, in the AST than in the mesh when temps really start topping out.
Different things work for different people. The science and facts are there, yes, but being stuck in stop/go traffic in a non-mesh jacket is quite miserable. Someone mentioned that in this thread as well. If that situation occurs, you could possibly make mistakes due to being so miserable.

Yes, there's the science but then there's the comfort level which is much better in mesh, FOR ME. I like mesh because it gives me so many options and the waterproof liners the olympia stuff comes with also gives me additional options.

On my way back from NatSTOC I had the easiest 800 mile day I've ever had - in mesh gear. The heat, while I did notice it, just wasn't a factor. I was sweating and going to the bathroom so nothing was interrupted. I'm thinking I was just happy to be on a nice smooth bike instead of the Yamaha Paint Shaker.. LOL
 
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Huntington Beach, Calif
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I always have a 16oz bottle of water that I sip from time to time while riding. I have a cup holder on the bars and use a straw inserted thru the cap. All I have to do is change the cap with a new bottle of water at each stop then off I go.
 

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Sep 24, 2007
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Gainesville, Florida
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ST1300A, TracerGT
On a standard bike without a fairing, you are much better without mesh, without question, even if it feels more uncomfortable. But on a bike like a Goldwing, ST, FJR, Concours, etc., I think it makes very little difference and the mesh is way more comfortable while stopped at a light, or construction.

As far as eating Kashi, I'd rather eat the wrapper it came in! Give me something that tastes good that I don't need half of my water just to swallow it.
 

T_C

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Well as someone who has spent a week pedaling a bicycle in 100+ degrees and drinking lot's of Gatorade.. I can say it replenishes just fine for me. Now I was drinking full flavor V-8 each morning, not the low-taste stuff in the green can, so maybe that matters. I occasionally substituted in some Tang and made sure I had a brew or two before settling down for the night in the tent. Yes, tent camping can suck at those temperatures.

And when ya stop for lunch.. a half a gallon of Coke does taste a body good!

Now on a motorcycle, I am going to say that the thing I most enjoy on a hot day is a full face helmet. If I pop the visor up on mine to sneeze or take a drink of water while it's 100+ and doing 65mph.. it's like having a heat gun in your face. I'll stay ATGATT in these temps.
 
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Joe
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I apologize and have edited my reply to reflect what I was responding too; which was your comment on air flow on the ST. Now different windscreens will produce different results as will height/stature so my reply was meant as a very generalized response.

Ride with the gear that works for you.
Me too, sorry... guess the heat makes us a little crazy.. LOL

The shield does make a big difference.. I use the bike quip shield because it just seems quiet and flips the air up over your helmet without having the shield so high. I will stand on the pegs if I need some extra air flow to cool me off sometimes.
 
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I have always worn mesh in the summer, but don't have a extreme amount of airflow on the wing. Pants have a vent strip but are pretty much solid. I would not dream of wearing mesh pants because of the extreme heat off the pavement close to the road surface.
I chase the 'airflow' question routinely. I do ride high temps in mesh, much of the time. I also use knee high Roadgear socks when I do, to protect from the radiant heat from the road...or long underwear bottoms. I have both on this trip, and no mesh. Sometimes when it is REALLY hot, I raise the windscreen, to minimize the 'convection oven' effect.
 

Shuey

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Rode across Death Valley two weeks ago. Stopped on the West Side near Mono Lake and filled up. Also bought two 10 lb bags of ice. I unzipped my Stich as far as I needed then slid one bag in on each side. It was 98 when I left town. At the turn-off for Death Valley it 102 and held steady between 102 and 107 for the next 80 miles or so before I started the descent into the Valley and higher temps. Went up to 110 for an hour or two with a steady high at bottom of about 117 for nearly an hour. 20-30 miles out East of the Valley it cooled back down to the 102 range when I stopped for fuel. Still had . . . about 1 1/2 lbs of ice left.

Helmet closed up, all vents closed, core temp kept cooled by the ice and continually sipping the ice water from my gallon jug, it was an easy ride. Didn't even break a sweat until I stopped to take a pic of the 20 mule team borax wagons at the resort and had to open my face shield. Needless to say, I didn't stay long, buttoned back up and cooled back off as I rode out.

Shuey

PS: People think we're crazy for riding through there; I saw a guy jogging at 117 degrees, no water bottle of any kind and several miles from anywhere that had some. He did have a red "piper" light on his forehead for easy location later.
 
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