Drilling inner fairing

[Igofar]

While I agree with these comments, I do take heat readings both before and after I tune a bike, and can verify that heat can be reduced with proper tuning etc.
I do understand that folks are different, and can feel things differently, and may be more sensitive to heat than others.
Obviously they never rode a Harley through the desert, with the rear cylinder inches away from their crotch, exposed (not the crotch) with temps reading almost 300 degrees!
Folks cry about 140 degrees being unbearable on ST's.

 

[TerryS]

I am fascinated by this debate from Northern Hemisphere folk in the middle of freakin' Winter!

I am sitting inside at home and it is 28C and humid enough that everything feels a little damp. I have my MT-10, VFR800 and ST1300 sitting patiently in the Mancave but the 13 would be my last choice today as that fairing (which is a thing of beauty on a cold/wet day) just does not allow my vented riding gear to work properly. The MT is a better bet for hot days, and even the VFR is pretty tolerable.

 

[Sadlsor]

I love my ST, and it's a keeper.
If it pours out excessive heat, I've never noticed. Well, except when the rear disk was getting hot, but Larry talked me through that.
Summers in the South are sweltering / streaming, more than blistering.
I love my ST, and I love living in the South. And I like it hot... you can keep your snow and ice.

 

[klaproth]

My ST is one of the "hotter" ones. Despite talking to Larry ( Thanks again!), and doing everything he recommended, mine is STILL hot to ride in the height of summer here in the sunny South, and in talking to other owners who live close, I hear the same thing.

Drilling the cowl: after talking to Larry ( IgoFar), I re-installed my inner fairings/cowls. That lasted about 2 hours of riding time, I took them back out, since they DID affect the perceived heat around my legs- with them in, the temps seemed to increase quite a bit, and I went for a ride with them out, just to check, and IN MY OPINION, removing them significantly decreased the heat. I did not drill mine, choosing instead to remove them completely and tie wrap the cowls together.

YMMV

 

[Igofar]

FYI, while you may not “feel” the heat on your legs, your actually causing the bike to run hotter due to lack of air flow into the cooling system , which will cause damage to the bike by melting wire harnesses, switches, and body parts.
Your not doing your bike any favors.

 

[Igofar]

If you want to verify this, replace the cowls, go for a ride, then take IR temp readings on the tank/frame/radiator etc.
Then, remove the cowls, go for a ride again, the take another set of IR temp readings.
I think you'll find that the engine runs hotter without the cowls in place.
You just have to make a choice, do you want to feel less heat and damage your bike? Or do you want to figure out why your bike is running hot and correct the issue?
Maybe you should ride over and visit John and see if he can help you.

 

[Sunday Rider]

I don’t have an ST1300 and wanted to add a heat experience I had in the ST1100. It was a sweltering day (maybe not by southern standards) upper 80s and extremely humid. I always ride with full gear, but decided to leave the Aerostitch pants at home. My legs were so hot, even the boots when I was moving slow or stopped. It occurred to me that riding pants help insulate you from excessive heat as sticky a layer they may be. It was a good lesson heat wise and a dumbass move safety wise.

 

[RobbieAG]

The 1300 can definitely be hot. I notice it mostly from the frame which can be too hot to touch after riding. I find it welcome in cooler weather, but uncomfortable in summer. What I wear has a great deal to do with how much it bothers me. Some pants protect better from the heat than others. Wearing a "Heat Out" undergarment helps too. The best solution though is to ride my naked SV650 in the summer . I definitely wouldn't start drilling holes in the plastic and/or modifying anything that can't be undone.

 

[Auron]

It's not that it's too hot, it's that it's too hot to enjoy myself. If I wanted to be uncomfortable I'd go to work.

 

[DannoXYZ]

I’ll add data-point to support what Larry/Igofar has been saying. That heat is related to tuning adjustments and maintenance on these bikes.

I got my 2006 bike in March and kid that rode it over from dealership complained about heat cooking his legs. I Googled maintence steps and did everything needed for bike with 16k-miles. I particularly focused on Larry’s maintenance suggestions for recommended oil, plugs and cylinder sync. They weren‘t that far off, but I got them closer.

I also put on new OEM pads, bled in new 4.1 fluid and got rear wheel spinning 4x after letting go instead of earlier 2x.

Since it never freezes here, I also used only 25% coolant, distilled water and Water Wetter in cooling system for maximum thermal transfer-rate to keep engine cool.

Bike is definitely cooler on legs than when I got it. I did numerous rides in summer at over 110F and was comfortable in jeans or my 1 piece Fieldsheer or Olympia suits. One ride was at 117F with lots of full-throttle runs up hill in Yarnell. Bike never showed more than 3-bars on temp-gauge and it never cooked me!

BTW - I put stock pipes back on after removing 2-Bros M2 exhaust. It was too loud for my liking and pops on deceleration was really annoying.

 

[Willsmotorcycle]

It's not that it's too hot, it's that it's too hot to enjoy myself.

I have had a few STs 04,07,09,16. My 16 was the only one I noticed the heat on, and it was when I lost a maintenance cover and only had jeans on at a stop light, and any time I wear low rise boots* (back to this in a minute). My 16 has been to the OCD garage and Larry noticed it was very hot. He did all or most of the suggestions he has outlined here, then shot it with the IR temp gauge, it was cooler. Oil is definitely a big one, also the Honda engineers tried to solve this as well.

If I was in your spot, the first obvious is gear; tall boots, riding pants. The 09 and up have lower plastics at the mid cowl(?) to channel the heat out the rear, it works. Any obstruction from the tank back to the rear wheel will force the heat out the sides, dirt, aftermarket fender well liner, last owner using foil... air flow is your friend. There is at least one thread here about putting those lower panels on 08 and back.

Absence an acceptable resolution after all this (others, not mine) information... pull the mufflers and put on some aftermarket. The Cats on the OEM get very very hot, *right at the ankle and heat rises. I had them off for while and there is a difference, most notably in the winter. Good luck.

 

[Auron]

I have had a few STs 04,07,09,16. My 16 was the only one I noticed the heat on, and it was when I lost a maintenance cover and only had jeans on at a stop light, and any time I wear low rise boots* (back to this in a minute). My 16 has been to the OCD garage and Larry noticed it was very hot. He did all or most of the suggestions he has outlined here, then shot it with the IR temp gauge, it was cooler. Oil is definitely a big one, also the Honda engineers tried to solve this as well.

If I was in your spot, the first obvious is gear; tall boots, riding pants. The 09 and up have lower plastics at the mid cowl(?) to channel the heat out the rear, it works. Any obstruction from the tank back to the rear wheel will force the heat out the sides, dirt, aftermarket fender well liner, last owner using foil... air flow is your friend. There is at least one thread here about putting those lower panels on 08 and back.

Absence an acceptable resolution after all this (others, not mine) information... pull the mufflers and put on some aftermarket. The Cats on the OEM get very very hot, *right at the ankle and heat rises. I had them off for while and there is a difference, most notably in the winter. Good luck.

What oil did you use that made such a difference?

 

[Willsmotorcycle]

What oil did you use that made such a difference?

It wasn’t just the oil, IIRC Walmart house brand. He wasn’t expecting to feed and water another ST that week.