100 mile ride in 80 degree wx, envine heat on legs and crotch verified.

Joined
May 22, 2005
Messages
66
Age
74
Location
Sturgeon Bay, WI
Bike
2004 ST1300 ABS
I read about the engine heat prior to buying this bike, and it is indeed a true statement. Anything under 55mph, and i could feel the heat soak on my legs and crotch. So ive been doing some research, and there are two things im considering.

1. Instead of removing inner cowl completely, id like to add a bunch of holes with a hole saw. Does anyone have any pictures of this cowl removed with the holes in it and verified it made a difference? Where would be a good place to put the holes? Id rather not pull the whole thing out in fear of the side cowls floppin around more, and also the need to relocate the oat probe.

2.purchasing the fairing deflector kit. Seems spendy at $200. Also, not sure imlike the look of the black rubber/plastic against the candy apple red. Has anyone painted these fairing deflectors and then istalled them? Any pictures of that?

Thanks.
I put "hundreds" of holes in the cowls (see pictures). By doing so, I figured I would be able to retain as much of the structural integrity as I could versus putting in large holes, or just taking them out altogether. I use the 'holey' ones during the warm/hot months of the year, and then replace them with a set without the holes during the not so hot months. I've had my 2004 ST1300 since new, and I hardly give it a second thought in swapping the cowls as needed. I also "Jet Coated" the exterior of my headers. Not sure how effective that was for heat management, but they sure look cool. I tried using the neoprene "saddle", and that probably worked... But what a pain in the ***** that thing was to deal with when it came time for maintenance on the bike. In short, after 13 years with my bike, I've just learned to deal with the heat. If I were ever to test ride a 'modern' day bike, like a new Yamaha FJR, or a BMW R1200RT, both of which are said to have the heat thing managed very well, my wallet will likely suffer in that I would replace my ST. Who knows... :)
Good luck!



Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
 
Last edited:
Joined
Jan 8, 2011
Messages
7,062
Location
Arizona
Bike
2007 Honda ST1300A
I have done the Don Ferraro's fix. It has worked for in our Southeast WI weather. Could of used that in April and early May this year. Try it, you always rip the foil off again. The stuff is cheap. As far as cutting away a portion of the inner upper cowls, so what. It brings cooler air into the engine area. I tried just drilling holes at first. Not as effective as doing the cutout as Don had did.
I have had to replace a lot of hoses, lines, and rubber bits that were cooked (think baked potato) and got hard and brittle due to that technique.
And yes, you can always rip off the foil again, I know, because I have had several members ask me to do so after them trying his fix.
 
Joined
Jan 8, 2011
Messages
7,062
Location
Arizona
Bike
2007 Honda ST1300A
I put "hundreds" of holes in the cowls (see pictures). By doing so, I figured I would be able to retain as much of the structural integrity as I could versus putting in large holes, or just taking them out altogether. I use the 'holey' ones during the warm/hot months of the year, and then replace them with a set without the holes during the not so hot months. I've had my 2004 ST1300 since new, and I hardly give it a second thought in swapping the cowls as needed. I also "Jet Coated" the exterior of my headers. Not sure how effective that was for heat management, but they sure look cool. I tried using the neoprene "saddle", and that probably worked... But what a pain in the ***** that thing was to deal with when it came time for maintenance on the bike. In short, after 13 years with my bike, I've just learned to deal with the heat. If I were ever to test ride a 'modern' day bike, like a new Yamaha FJR, or a BMW R1200RT, both of which are said to have the heat thing managed very well, my wallet will likely suffer in that I would replace my ST. Who knows... :)
Good luck!



Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
I gotta say, if your gonna do something, go all out! If you gotta have holes, I think you will win the prize! At last your job looks cool.
 
Joined
Jun 12, 2015
Messages
440
Age
61
Location
Brookfield,WI
Bike
2015 K1600 GTL E
I have had to replace a lot of hoses, lines, and rubber bits that were cooked (think baked potato) and got hard and brittle due to that technique.
And yes, you can always rip off the foil again, I know, because I have had several members ask me to do so after them trying his fix.
Do you think it's because of your location? I don't see increase in temp. Putting the holes in or the cutouts, does that not help get cooler air in? The whole idea is get the air in and down.
 
Joined
Jan 8, 2011
Messages
7,062
Location
Arizona
Bike
2007 Honda ST1300A
I have ridden my bike through Arizona, in the middle of the summer, without issues.
The body work appears to be designed to direct the flow of air into the radiator, so it will allow the coolant system to do its job.
If you remove or cut holes in stuff, the air flow will not go through the system as it was intended to, and just blow straight back, carrying the heat with it, to dead end at the back of the frame near your calves.
Once the heat/air reaches the back of the large pocket that you have created, it has no where to escape, and if you seal the seat/tank/panels with foil, you've just created an oven back there to slowly bake the rubber stuff.
I notice in your picture, that you have your shield in the straight up position, do you always keep it there? Perhaps this is a reason you are feeling so much heat.
I run with my shield down on really hot days and it seems to move the heat away a little better for me at least.
 

mlheck

Site Supporter
Joined
Feb 12, 2006
Messages
1,004
Location
Ft. Wayne, IN
Bike
'18 BMW K1600GTL
STOC #
664
I have ridden my bike through Arizona, in the middle of the summer, without issues.
And once again the famous "I don't know what your problem is because my bike doesn't run hot." Every posting that deals with excessive heat ends up with a couple of members trying to convince us that we are crazy, or not experienced riders.

It has been well documented on this forum and magazine reviews that some ST's run hot. Mine will bake your calves to the point of being miserable when the temps climb above 80. I have ridden this bike for over 70k miles in all kinds of weather. I find the holes in the inner fairing have been the biggest help in combating the heat.

Now, I did change out my thermostat this winter and it feels like the bike is cooler now.
I will have to wait for hotter weather to know for sure, but my MPG is not what it was.

Sent from my SM-G935V using Tapatalk
 
Last edited:
Joined
Jan 8, 2011
Messages
7,062
Location
Arizona
Bike
2007 Honda ST1300A
I was in no way trying to convince anyone that you or anyone else for that matter, is crazy, not experienced, or were not feeling the heat they say they are. Trying to pigeon hole me as "one of those members" was uncalled for.
A good friend of mine, and also a forum member, was having the same issues that you say you are having. He tried using the highest priced synthetic oil, different plugs, etc.
His calves would actually turn red as a lobster under his jeans! His bike was one of the bikes that as you say, was documented to run hot. I changed his T-stat, flushed the coolant, did a TB sync, and drained his oil and replaced it with Delo 15w-40, and HIS heat issues disappeared like magic. No damage to plastic, removal of plastic, or foil was involved. So I will say that some of the bikes that are documented and reviewed on this forum as bikes that run hot, can be tuned and adjusted to run cooler without resorting to a drill. If Honda thought it would run better without the cowls, don't you think they would have left them off?
I often hear back after doing a TB sync on someones bike, that they insist that their bike runs cooler than before.
If will be interesting to see if your bike runs cooler since you changed the T-stat over the winter, please keep us posted and let us know if you find a solution that works for you.
Good luck
Igofar
 

T_C

Joined
Mar 8, 2012
Messages
4,341
Location
St. Louis, MO
Bike
2005 St1300
STOC #
8568
I've had two ST13's. The '04 one baked my calves just once. Wearing proper MC boots and a little bit of ventilation on the inner fairing took care of that. Maybe also because I swithced to Delo I never noticed it again.

The '05 has always been Delo, and when the fuel tank gets low and it' swarm out... I' get a warm feeling inbetwen the legs. Much, much wamrer and even call it hotter then the '04 ever did. Now I did add the MCL seat raising brackets to the '05. Maybe that is providing the extra gap that is allowing a different airflow.
 
Joined
Jan 20, 2005
Messages
337
Location
Southwestern Ohio
Bike
2004 ST1300A
STOC #
5793
, ...and drained his oil and replaced it with Delo 15w-40, and HIS heat issues disappeared like magic.
Igofar
Igofar,

I would love to understand the theory behind this. I'm not being a smartazz, I honestly want to learn how a different oil type could effect engine temp.

Thanks
 
Joined
Jan 8, 2011
Messages
7,062
Location
Arizona
Bike
2007 Honda ST1300A
Rich, first off let me say, I am not a chemist, oil expert, or anything expert for that matter, I am just a guy with a few tools, a phone, and the desire to help folks.
This is just my opinion of why the heavy duty engine oils work well in our bikes....
Oil in a mechanical system is not only for lubrication, but it also works as a heat sink as well. Even the best oils, however, have an operating zone at which they are most effective.
Motorcycles are pretty hard on engine oil (well known fact) this can cause a breakdown of the protective film and loss of protection, thus creating excessive heat, etc. Better types of oil, which I believe are the heavy duty engine oils, based on test results of UOA's returned from the labs, allow the engines to run cooler with less thermal stress on the components in your engine, thus less felt heat in your engine and surrounding areas.
Again, this is just MY opinion, and I am not trying to force it on anyone.
I will say, in my limited experience on these bikes, I have seen several troublesome (Hot running bikes) become cooler running bikes by switching the oil(s) and doing the TB sync, cooler plugs, etc.
I hope this answers your question.
Bottom line, don't take my word for it, try it for yourself.
 
Last edited:
Top Bottom