hot bike

[Moses2]

Hi all. As I'm liking the ST1300PA -runs well, fun to drive, able to get it on the center stand :>)- I have a question about the radiant heat from the engine, and how it heats up the panels in front of my legs. Riding here in SW Florida is pretty warm anyway, and it has been a hot spring here, but I know many of you ride in warmer climates than this. Infrared says 115 -120F on the panels. Is this just the nature of the bike? As always, thanks for the feedback.

 

[Al st1100]

don't stop ... these are touring bikes If your just going to put around the city , depending on your tolerance, might be a problem

 

[red one]

Someone that owns a ST1300 will chime in here soon. I don't own one but have heard they run from lukewarm to blast furnace hot. Meaning some do and some don't. Hope you get it sorted out.

 

[bdalameda]

Hi Moses2

There are a bazillion posts about heat from the engine on this site. Do some searches on this site and you will find a lot of info.

Dan

 

[Moses2]

don't stop ... these are touring bikes If your just going to put around the city , depending on your tolerance, might be a problem

Now that is something my doctor would say, and there's truth in it!

 

[Moses2]

Hi Moses2

There are a bazillion posts about heat from the engine on this site. Do some searches on this site and you will find a lot of info.

Dan

Great, thanks Dan

 

[Moses2]

ok, used the word insulate ST1300 and that brought up the bazillion. thanks

 

[ST11Nut]

Good write up here about "The real cause and cure for the Honda ST1300 excess heat"

The real cause and cure for the Honda ST1300 excess heat

Images by Don Ferrario.

www.donferrario.com

 

[Moses2]

Good write up here about "The real cause and cure for the Honda ST1300 excess heat"

The real cause and cure for the Honda ST1300 excess heat

Images by Don Ferrario.

www.donferrario.com

great read ST. Thank you

 

[Andrew Shadow]

great read ST. Thank you

Do your due diligence and research before you proceed would be well advised. There does not seem to be a consensus about how effective adding insulation is. Many who have done similar things have reported no appreciable gains. Others have eventually removed the insulation. There have been some reports that, after long term use, all of this added insulation has caused failed wiring and various other components due to the increased temperatures in the engine compartment because its ability to ventilate as well as shed that heat through the frame has been reduced.

Many have also reported significant improvements by adding insulation as well.

Still others have reported achieving a significant decrease in the heat felt by the rider as a result of performing maintenance tasks such as starter valve synchronization, cooling system maintenance and changing to a different engine oil.

 

[klaproth]

I know you'll have read a
lot of posts by now, and absorbed a lot of info. I've read all that info, and tried out a lot of the fixes, and I have a little grasp of the situation.

I have had my ST1300 since 2011. I did notice the heat the first summer I had it. It was not really very comfy to ride above about 85*. Even then, it was warm, and at slow speeds, pretty unbearable.

1. I added an Ivan's FCE, which supposedly cut the heat a bit, and eliminated the throttle "grab" from a closed throttle. Result: no change, or little enough change that it is not noticeable.
2. Did the Don Ferarrio insulation job. Luckily, I had all the materials already, it did not cost me anything. Took about 6 hours to do it all, and put it all back together. Result: no big change, with the only exception being that sealing between the seat and the tank made it a bit cooler on my more sensitive areas. Removed the whole insulation job about 6 months later.
3. Added Gold Wing vents to the side of the fairing, per Whooshka's instructions. Result: not a huge decrease in the temperatures, it does make a slight difference though.
4. Added Air Wings. This is so far, the most improvement I have seen. By adding the Air Wings, ( I made my own, for about 7$), I channel fresh air up to my thigh area, and it seems to move the hot air away.
5. I did call Igofar ( Larry), who gave me a whole list of things to do, to make it run cooler, and I faithfully performed every maintenance item, but to no avail- the bike seems to be about the same temp. These items included replacing the thermostat, coolant, using Denso plugs as opposed to the iridium NGK plugs I was using, adjusting the counterbalancers, replacing the inner cowls, and balancing the throttle bodies. Thanks to Larry, though, the bike does run smoother, and gets better mileage. ( Thanks, Larry!!)
6. Beaded seat cover: BIG improvement. You don't notice it until you ride on it in coolish weather, or forget to put it on in warm weather. Once again, I made mine from a beaded car seat cover, about 9$ at wal-mart. Also makes it easier to ride long distances. It complements the Air Wings.

If you find some startling way to reduce the heat, PLEASE let us all know!

 

[Superdirk]

I just insulated everything on my '03.. I insulated both fueltanks, put a separator between the Throttle bodies and upper tank, covered the inside of the frame, upper and lower fairing, back of the engine etc. etc.
Did not seem to help much at first , until I noticed the exhaust was leaking gas on all joints, especially, in the area where the left and right pipes come together in an "H".. Guess the exaust gas always lingered in the lower area of the frame due to suction of the fairing and heated up the lower fueltank and frame. It got so bad that the ethanol in the fueltank was boiling, causing the bike to stall..

Now I used a whole can of Gun Gum on the 3 joints (3 layers needed to get a perfect seal), now hte bike is much cooler. Waiting for some +25deg C weather to confirm if the heat issue is 100% solved or not...

 

[Bmacleod]

You will get lots of info on this issue. You will need to read up and decide what makes sense. You are sitting on top of an internal combustion engine that produces a temp in the same range as all other liquid cooled bikes. To me, the difference in bikes can simply be explained by airflow. The cylinders sit high and in front of your thighs on an ST. This is one of the faults I find with this bike. Some bikes have the cylinders low, like opposed or boxers. Some have the engine fully contained in the bodywork, where air can expell the heat down and out the back. Most inline engines have the engine forward more. Insulation CAN help, to a point. Insulation merely SLOWS thermal conductivity. If you insulate a garage, but dont add heat, that garage will still be the same temp as outside. If you heat it, then turn it off, the garage will eventually cool to the same temp as outside, albeit much slower. Isulating under the tank should slow the heat transfer up to the tank/cajone area, but without airflow, it will eventually warm up and become ineffective. If you can get up to speed and get some air flowing occasionally, you may cool the area off and the process will start over again when you slow to a crawl. This is why I believe some notice a difference with insulation and some don't. Some are baking in stop-and-go traffic and some get some speed and air moving to help.
While I agree with always making sure your engine is in the best tune/condition, changing oils and spark plugs really shouldn't make a difference, the t-stat maintains the engine at a set temp no matter what. If you can help airflow, you will realize an improvement and post #2 is the best advise. I realize that may not be what you want to hear or may not be possible all the time, but the fact is, it is hard to argue with physics

 

[Moses2]

I know you'll have read a
lot of posts by now, and absorbed a lot of info. I've read all that info, and tried out a lot of the fixes, and I have a little grasp of the situation.

I have had my ST1300 since 2011. I did notice the heat the first summer I had it. It was not really very comfy to ride above about 85*. Even then, it was warm, and at slow speeds, pretty unbearable.

1. I added an Ivan's FCE, which supposedly cut the heat a bit, and eliminated the throttle "grab" from a closed throttle. Result: no change, or little enough change that it is not noticeable.
2. Did the Don Ferarrio insulation job. Luckily, I had all the materials already, it did not cost me anything. Took about 6 hours to do it all, and put it all back together. Result: no big change, with the only exception being that sealing between the seat and the tank made it a bit cooler on my more sensitive areas. Removed the whole insulation job about 6 months later.
3. Added Gold Wing vents to the side of the fairing, per Whooshka's instructions. Result: not a huge decrease in the temperatures, it does make a slight difference though.
4. Added Air Wings. This is so far, the most improvement I have seen. By adding the Air Wings, ( I made my own, for about 7$), I channel fresh air up to my thigh area, and it seems to move the hot air away.
5. I did call Igofar ( Larry), who gave me a whole list of things to do, to make it run cooler, and I faithfully performed every maintenance item, but to no avail- the bike seems to be about the same temp. These items included replacing the thermostat, coolant, using Denso plugs as opposed to the iridium NGK plugs I was using, adjusting the counterbalancers, replacing the inner cowls, and balancing the throttle bodies. Thanks to Larry, though, the bike does run smoother, and gets better mileage. ( Thanks, Larry!!)
6. Beaded seat cover: BIG improvement. You don't notice it until you ride on it in coolish weather, or forget to put it on in warm weather. Once again, I made mine from a beaded car seat cover, about 9$ at wal-mart. Also makes it easier to ride long distances. It complements the Air Wings.

If you find some startling way to reduce the heat, PLEASE let us all know!

Thanks for all that info. I want to see more about these ai

 

[Moses2]

Air wings. I'll hit Walmart on the way home today for the beaded seat.

 

[Moses2]

You will get lots of info on this issue. You will need to read up and decide what makes sense. You are sitting on top of an internal combustion engine that produces a temp in the same range as all other liquid cooled bikes. To me, the difference in bikes can simply be explained by airflow. The cylinders sit high and in front of your thighs on an ST. This is one of the faults I find with this bike. Some bikes have the cylinders low, like opposed or boxers. Some have the engine fully contained in the bodywork, where air can expell the heat down and out the back. Most inline engines have the engine forward more. Insulation CAN help, to a point. Insulation merely SLOWS thermal conductivity. If you insulate a garage, but dont add heat, that garage will still be the same temp as outside. If you heat it, then turn it off, the garage will eventually cool to the same temp as outside, albeit much slower. Isulating under the tank should slow the heat transfer up to the tank/cajone area, but without airflow, it will eventually warm up and become ineffective. If you can get up to speed and get some air flowing occasionally, you may cool the area off and the process will start over again when you slow to a crawl. This is why I believe some notice a difference with insulation and some don't. Some are baking in stop-and-go traffic and some get some speed and air moving to help.
While I agree with always making sure your engine is in the best tune/condition, changing oils and spark plugs really shouldn't make a difference, the t-stat maintains the engine at a set temp no matter what. If you can help airflow, you will realize an improvement and post #2 is the best advise. I realize that may not be what you want to hear or may not be possible all the time, but the fact is, it is hard to argue with physics

I agree. The bike seems to run well enough, but I'm going to reach out to learn how to Tb balance for a next step on assuring the engine is as optimal as I can make it.

 

[SMSW]

Someone posted (maybe Larry(?)) to ride with your knees out away from the tank a bit. That and a bead seat make a big difference when you are feeling the heat. I've only felt it once, on a OHSTOC ride on a hot day. I was slowing for curves and hills, accelerating and shifting up after the curve for about an hour. No heat felt, but we were moving. Then we stopped for a rest stop and rode slowly through a park like area. Talk about chestnuts roasting over an open fire! The bottom line is working the engine puts out more heat than cruising, and low speed equals low air flow. Your riding style will make a difference as will your choice of clothing. I haven't felt the heat from the bike again, but the combination of factors from that day have not repeated themselves together.

 

[Bmacleod]

I will add that IF I were to seriously tackle the heat issue, one of the first places I would consider looking are the headers. I think that all of that piping snaking around under the bodywork doesnt help. Although I am not a proponent of header wrap, I would consider it if I was desperate. I have heard that the wrap works very well but the excess heat contained in the pipes cause them to overheat and crack and the moisture wicked by the wrap causes rot. If I wanted to sacrifice the headers for the cause, I would do this first and if it worked, keep an eye out for a replacement set and weigh the cost vs. benefit if the pipes did get damaged. Who knows, maybe there will be no damage, I haven't tried the stuff, only going by what Ive heard. While the engine heat is regulated, the headers are not and I think this will get a big bang for the buck.

 

[dduelin]

Boots and motorcycle pants in my experience will help if not solve the problem.

 

[Moses2]

The blue Jean's dont really cut it at the traffic lights here, and 95f and traffic. I remember a cool morning in January, upper 40s, and I was nice and cozy.