Frame Near Legs Too Hot to Touch

Kevcules

Site Supporter
Joined
Jul 16, 2016
Messages
1,398
Age
55
Location
NB Canada
Bike
2008 ST1300
You're one of the lucky ones if you aren't complaining about the heat.

This is my first summer with the beast and wow! Some serious heat being directed at my shins while driving.... Cutting large holes in the inner cowls had no affect.
I'd like to cover the large opening down low where the exhaust pipes seem to letting the seriously heated air out each side of the bike. I wonder if it would hurt the engines ability to cool and increase the bike running temp ,even though the heat from the engine is still being forced down and out??
 
Last edited:
Joined
Oct 11, 2009
Messages
19
Location
Tracy, CA.
Bike
05" ST
My 05's frame is also to hot to touch during the summer, 90+ . The heat on my calves get insulated by my cycle boots. Any heat mitigation I've done has merely pushed heat out somewhere else. My gas tank would heat up when the upper was empty. I solved that with a tank bra with a towel underneath.
 
Joined
Jan 8, 2011
Messages
7,064
Location
Arizona
Bike
2007 Honda ST1300A
I have had very good results reducing the heat, by switching oil, doing a throttle body sync, and a couple other minor tweaks.
I can ride my 07 wearing jeans, sneakers, and ankle high socks without feeling extreme heat, even on days in triple digits.
Heat is often caused by being in a poor state of tune or adjustment, or using a poor choice of oil.
:call:
 

mlheck

Site Supporter
Joined
Feb 12, 2006
Messages
1,004
Location
Ft. Wayne, IN
Bike
'18 BMW K1600GTL
STOC #
664
My '05 runs hot also. Many promises of fixes on this forum, but after 11 years of ownership and trying them all it still puts off a lot of heat. Rode a K1600 a couple weeks ago that I couldn't tell that it was even running based on the lack of heat on my legs.

Good Luck
 

Kevcules

Site Supporter
Joined
Jul 16, 2016
Messages
1,398
Age
55
Location
NB Canada
Bike
2008 ST1300
Igofar , I've read your statement before on here and just may try it someday. (oil, throttle body sync, antifreeze and thermostat) Changing the thermostat makes me wonder though how it would reduce the temp. If it was stuck closed ,it would get hot and overheat. Stuck open, it would struggle to get hot. On any vehicle I've ever owned, I would consider changing the thermostat to get more heat , not less. (winter time) What other tweaks are there?
 
Joined
Jan 8, 2011
Messages
7,064
Location
Arizona
Bike
2007 Honda ST1300A
The first thing I would ask is are you running a factory OEM shield or aftermarket shield? And are you running with it UP or DOWN? Believe it or not, this makes a lot of difference. If you are using a stock seat, I would suggest placing it in the highest position, this leaves a gap of about an inch between the tank and the seat, to let air escape better.
What kind of air filter are you using? If your using an aftermarket (K&N) it may be causing the bike to run lean etc.
How much do you weigh? and how tall are you? If your riding with your legs clamped down against the tank (sport rider) or if your one of us larger folk, does the size of your leg keep it against the tank preventing air from moving around it?
You may want to consider riding with your knees out a little bit for better circulation, and running with the shield down.
Most of the folks that complain about the unbearable heat try and ride their bikes like a goldwing or a car, sitting in a still pocket of air completely behind a shield, with no air touching them at all except the hot air rising up from the engine.
As far as mechanical stuff you could try, switch to a good quality diesel oil 15w-40, and run the cooler optional spark plugs.
Doing a TB sync always seems to help alot as well.
Has anyone removed the inner cowlings? This allows the hot air to flow right past the radiator and dead end in the back of the engine with no way out but up (tank/frame). The panels direct the air flow into the radiator so it works as it should.
Tin foil is for baking stuff....don't like it, as it cooks the rubber bits faster, or just traps more heat in that area.
I don't believe there is a magic bullet to fix everyone's bike, however, i can say that several of the folks that complained about too much heat were very surprised and pleased to get their bikes back running much cooler after these things were done.
Check out my post on a different take on heat issues if you have not already.
 

Kevcules

Site Supporter
Joined
Jul 16, 2016
Messages
1,398
Age
55
Location
NB Canada
Bike
2008 ST1300
Thanks for the reply Igofar! I don't want to hijack RobbieAG's thread too much.... :)

I do ride with the stock windshield quite high, it's so quiet and peaceful behind that big thing on the highway. :) I also run the seat in the low position since I got the RDL seat. But I don't have any heat issues at the tank or seat, it's all at the front of my legs. The lower frame and fairing in front of my shins gets quite hot. I do agree that your legs are tucked behind the fairing quite nicely. This means very little air flow, but it's sure nice in the colder weather or rain.
I'm 5'10" and about 170 lbs. I do leave room where my legs are at the seat and tank..... Driving with the balls of my feet on the pegs seems to help.
I'm using a hiflo air filter with new iridium plugs. The bike runs and works flawlessly, just gets hot. Changing to diesel oil with a throttle body sync will be next on my list. I'm not sure where I can find that sync gauge though around here..... thanks for the info.....
I did already read the "different take on the heat" thread. I'll have to experiment to see which change has the biggest benefit to my bike. It seems they don't react all the same....
 
Joined
Jun 16, 2007
Messages
591
Age
77
Location
Massillon, Ohio
Bike
2005 BMW RT
My '05 runs hot also. Many promises of fixes on this forum, but after 11 years of ownership and trying them all it still puts off a lot of heat. Rode a K1600 a couple weeks ago that I couldn't tell that it was even running based on the lack of heat on my legs.

Good Luck
Suzanne would like that also.
 
Joined
Mar 21, 2017
Messages
51
Location
Park City, Utah
Bike
2010 st1300abs
Thanks for the reply Igofar! I don't want to hijack RobbieAG's thread too much.... :)

I do ride with the stock windshield quite high, it's so quiet and peaceful behind that big thing on the highway. :) I also run the seat in the low position since I got the RDL seat. But I don't have any heat issues at the tank or seat, it's all at the front of my legs. The lower frame and fairing in front of my shins gets quite hot. I do agree that your legs are tucked behind the fairing quite nicely. This means very little air flow, but it's sure nice in the colder weather or rain.
I'm 5'10" and about 170 lbs. I do leave room where my legs are at the seat and tank..... Driving with the balls of my feet on the pegs seems to help.
I'm using a hiflo air filter with new iridium plugs. The bike runs and works flawlessly, just gets hot. Changing to diesel oil with a throttle body sync will be next on my list. I'm not sure w,here I can find that sync gauge though around here..... thanks for the info.....
I did already read the "different take on the heat" thread. I'll have to experiment to see which change has the biggest benefit to my bike. It seems they don't react all the same....
As far as finding a carb synch gage, try doing what I did. I posted that I was looking for a carb synch gage to borrow and another member responded. He shipped it to me, I did the synch and shipped it back along with a check for his shipping costs. I will not name the member as I don't want him to feel committed to someone else because of me.
Ask and you will probably receive!
 
Joined
Mar 21, 2017
Messages
51
Location
Park City, Utah
Bike
2010 st1300abs
If the frame is too hot to touch, I would suggest to stop touching it!:rolleyes::cool::)
Seriously, though, IgoFarmakes some valid points about how to deal with the heat. I am in agreement with him about not cutting large holes in the inner fairing or removing them completely. If the radiator doesn't get enough air directed through it, you could possibly wind up ruining your engine. The oil he is recommending is heavier than factory oil and, as such, will do a better job of carrying engine heat away through the oil cooler. Getting some airflow around the fairing with some wings will help quite a bit, as will some changes in riding pants.
I must be one of the fortunate owners that doesn't have the issues with heat. It is no worse than any other bike I have owned, most of which were rather hot running air cooled bikes with the hot heads right in front of my legs.
Good luck finding a solution!
Mike
 
Joined
Sep 4, 2013
Messages
8,115
Location
Cleveland
Bike
2010 ST1300
If the frame is too hot to touch, I would suggest to stop touching it!:rolleyes::cool::)
Seriously, though, IgoFarmakes some valid points about how to deal with the heat. I am in agreement with him about not cutting large holes in the inner fairing or removing them completely. If the radiator doesn't get enough air directed through it, you could possibly wind up ruining your engine. The oil he is recommending is heavier than factory oil and, as such, will do a better job of carrying engine heat away through the oil cooler. Getting some airflow around the fairing with some wings will help quite a bit, as will some changes in riding pants.
I must be one of the fortunate owners that doesn't have the issues with heat. It is no worse than any other bike I have owned, most of which were rather hot running air cooled bikes with the hot heads right in front of my legs.
Good luck finding a solution!
Mike
Hey, Cat, you stole my line. I was going to suggest not touching the frame.

I think Larry's tuneup would have more of an effect on heat than changing the oil weight. This is speculation on my part, but I don't think the specific heat of 10/40 oil is sufficiently different than 10/30 to make a significant difference. Maybe we can turn this into an oil thread? (Please, don't throw anything at me.....)
 
Joined
Sep 22, 2015
Messages
1,282
Location
Wasaga Beach, Ont. Canada
Bike
'04 ST1300 Blue STar
When I first got my ST13,,, I was surprised how much the seat, tank and frame heated up. This was in the cool weather of Sept/Oct/Nov,,, so although it was remarkable,, it was also quite manageable at that time of year. But,, after a lot of reading,,, and knowing that a summer temp's were coming,, and that I ride hard and fast over long distances,, I removed the inner cowls to test the effects for myself. It was easy to do,,, and if I did not like it or had any concern,, I could just pop them back in, in about 20 minutes. It worked great for me,,, by allowing cooler air to dilute the heated out flow behind the rad. There are other factors to be considered as well,, and those have been mentioned over and over again. My engine runs very temperature stable,, whether the inner cowls are in or out. That indicates that the rad has more than adequate capacity. I have ridden her for 10 hour days,, during hot weather,, and there is no indication that the engine is operating at a higher temperature. The only difference now is that the seat, tank, frame and rider are all cooler. During a couple of 30c deg days last week,,, I was riding in shorts for a couple of hours at a time. Different people seem to have vastly different experiences,, and we can each only offer our own for your consideration. I am sure you will find what works best for you,,, but I suspect it will take some trial and effort,, Cheers,, Cat'
 
Joined
Jan 31, 2012
Messages
30
Location
Albuquerque, NM
Bike
20 Tracer GT
All of the ideas brought forward have their own merit and I have tried the holes in the plastic, raising the seat with fabricated seat adjustment blocks, and wrapping the headers. The header wrapping was far and away the most effective at moving the heat behind my feet and legs. I should have done this first.
 
Joined
May 18, 2017
Messages
1
Location
Texas
I installed "lava shield" on the underside of my tank, made a huge difference. I'm going to try lining the inside of the frame rails, wherever I can. I live in Texas and it gets plenty warm down here, but no rosted inner thigh since using this product
 

Kevcules

Site Supporter
Joined
Jul 16, 2016
Messages
1,398
Age
55
Location
NB Canada
Bike
2008 ST1300
I'll try some of the ideas posted on here someday. I'd rather not miss a few days of my quite short riding season working on the big girl if I can help it, right Cat? :) Another couple of months and it's gets rather cool driving here in Canada. I did enjoy the heat last October when I drove it for a few times soon after I bought it, but now it's the heat just at my shins that gets annoying. It doesn't stop me from driving though! My tank and seat area are fine, just the lower part of my legs. Thanks for all the suggestions and I'll report any improvements if and when I find them.....
 
Joined
Aug 18, 2017
Messages
1
Location
Tuscon AZ
Bike
2006 ST1300."Vader"
I agree with Igofar most issues are from things being out of adjustment. What is your choice of Oil?? I'm reading all this as yesterday I was cruising in traffic at 105 F, yuk.. Damn.. another Red Light....
( rides with knees out )
 
Last edited:

Kevcules

Site Supporter
Joined
Jul 16, 2016
Messages
1,398
Age
55
Location
NB Canada
Bike
2008 ST1300
I agree with Igofar most issues are from things being out of adjustment. What is your choice of Oil?? I'm reading all this as yesterday I was cruising in traffic at 105 F, yuk.. Damn.. another Red Light....
( rides with knees out )
wow...105....I don't think I've seen it that warm around here..... high 80's and I'm started to cook on the bike.....

I use amsoil and have for most of my engines for some time. I've replaced the plugs and air filter as well as using MMO and seafoam so I'm hoping its working as well as it can ,except for a throttle sync. I am considering T6 diesel oil too , as per Larry's suggestion. I can't seem to locate any other oil that he mentioned.

I want to try a throttle body sync myself and not have to pay for it, clean the 5 way T and replace the hoses while I'm in there......I've yet to track down a sync gauge.....I'll try my local guys soon.....The weather will be getting cooler within a few months......maybe I should leave it alone so I can stay warm while riding! :)
 
Joined
Jul 5, 2018
Messages
4
Location
Ireland
Bike
St1300
Hey guys, I recently bought my first ever st13 and took it on a European tour. WOW my feet and lower legs were on fire, the heat was sooo uncomfortable, I even cut two holes in my expensive boots hoping to get air in to cool my feet but i would have to turn my feet at 90degrees and heels on the tips of the pegs to get a little satisfaction.
i am now going to drill holes in the inner cowls and hope that works, I really like the bike but the heat on the feet is starting to put me off....
 
Top Bottom