Tricks and Tips to beat the HEAT?

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Having a hot spell up here in the Great Northwest - of course hot is a relative term, but it's in the 90's / 100's for a while and that's way over our 75 degree normal.

I have a trip to Montana coming up this weekend and wondered what kind of tips you Southerners have to try and beat the heat. 

Do those beaded seats or sheepskins help ward off Monkey Butt?

How about the cooling vests or bandanas?

How to stay hydrated?

Ideas?

Thanks
Mike

[Serk]

Drink Butler.

http://www.glassact.com/

If you're not filling it with ice and water every stop, you're not drinking enough.

Another thing I did on an August West Texas ride is I went to Wal Mart or Home Depot and got a portable mister. Filled it with ice water, and rigged it so the output of the mister was blowing on me, when I'd start getting over heated, I'd turn that on for a few minutes, and it helped a LOT...

But mainly, water intake... If you're not filling a drink holder, AND if you're not peeing EVERY GAS STOP, you're not drinking enough in the heat...

[KY,Dave (AKA Misunderstood)]

In addition to the above post. The sheepskin does help ( not a miracle worker, but vast improvement in the heat)

[Daniel Meyer]

COVER UP...

Riding in the heat...with bare skin, the sweat evaporates too fast to actually effectively cool you.

If above about 100...

A long sleeve denim shirt, full face helmet, and light gloves help immensely. The gloves are a must...or you'll burn your fingers. The helmet keeps from burning your ears and actually keeps you cool as the head can absorb heat as efficiently as it can lose it.

Start drinking water or sports drinks before the run...and at every stop. Not to put too fine a point on it...but if you don't have to pee every couple hours (tank of fuel), you are not drinking enough. If you wait to start drinking after the run starts, you won't catch up. Continue drinking after the run till you normalize. Stay away from coffee/caffiene...at least until you get used to it and acclimatize.

If you begin to get weak or shaky...stop and find some AC...take a break...if you've gotten behind the curve on hydration...quit for the day and find a hotel to wind down...you can acutally poison yourself drinking too much water trying to catch up...(google water toxicity). It's real. People die from it every year...but not as many as die of heat stroke. Electrolytes help. Knowing when to quit helps more.

Note also...that just like hypothermia (too cold), in hyperthermia (too hot) you begin to make poor decisions long before you are impaired...sometimes to the point of not recognizing your condition.

I've ridden in the heat for my lifetime...I actually like it...but even having done it for ages...still occasionally overdue.

Be careful...but enjoy!

[Duffy]

Here is a post from the North Georgia Motorcycl Club site on cooling vests, Alan loved his:

"Location: Alpharetta, GA
 Posted: Mon Jun 22, 2009 2:34 pm    Post subject: Cooling vests    

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I've had a lot on my plate at home and at the office keeping the business going so I haven't seen y'all in quite a while, but I did want to share my experience with the cooling vest I got for Christmas.

A couple of weeks ago I wore it home returning from Gatlinburg in 90 degree weather, and I rode all day Saturday in 95 degrees. Sat. was mostly local errands with a little goofing off btween home, Moto400, Roswell, and Buckhead making the 95 degrees really hot.

I'm nearly 60 and I wouldn't have lasted in the heat if not for one of these things. I even took my wife out Sat. night.

I've got the one at this link, http://www.palmflex.com/storefront/detail.aspx?ID=669

There are others I'm sure, but this thing has given my a new lease on hot weather riding. It works great.

Hope to see y'all soon.

atlantaallen "

Sounds pretty convincing to me.  
 

[98valk]

I use the ultra cordura 1000 jacket and pants with shorts underneath from www.motoport.com   It has complete flow thru ventilation.  Keeping the sun off your body is also a big benefit since the cordura does not transmit ambient temp to the body like other materials do.
rode today in 90 temps with 90% humidity, as long as I was moving was completely comfortable. sitting still, good for about 5 minutes before I start feeling hot.
plus the material has been proven to have the same or better abrasive resisitance than leather. The jacket and pants are also fully padded.

[FryeVRCCDS0067]

I'm not from the South but it gets pretty hot here in Indiana too. Sheepskin seat covers are a big help. Helps stop the monkey butt and prevents the dreaded "hot seat" when the scooter has been parked in the sun.

Above 50 MPH my mesh vest is a huge help. In stop and go traffic it sucks. So I plan when to put it on and take it off. I keep room in one saddle bag for it so if I hit stalled traffic I can quickly jump off and stash it in the bag.

If you start getting unusual muscle cramps you need to stop, cool, drink and regroup. Probably better to stop for the day at that point and plan how to avoid it the next day. Doing your interstate droning at night is another option if you are comfortable with it and have good lighting. Hitting a deer can dehydrate you quickly as your bodily fluids drain onto the road so you need to be as alert as a “500 volt cat” when using this option. But, pulling out 4 or 5 hours before daylight and hitting the motel by 3PM can  make a big difference in the “heat hours” you must endure.

[hotglue #43]

Insulate yourself from the heat... just like from the cold.  Longsleave Tee shirt and a long shirt on top of that.... Drink more water than you think is needed....40 oz/ hr..minimum.. and more if ya don't pee every hour......
 learned from trips across the desert SW in the summer....
Plus.. if you are riding thru arid areas.... hose yerself down with water... you will be COLD for a bit..... but even the pockets on yer jeans will be dry in 20 min.
BTW... all the sheep skins did was chap my butt...... I mean to the point of bleeding..... I use the wood beads now.... but they will leave yer butt dippled after a 700+ mile day...

[sandy]

Got home yesterday from Inzane and it was 113 at 1PM when I hit the door. (Mesa, AZ) I use a 100 OZ Camelback and drink every 10 miles or so. Not lots, just a few big gulps. Most restaurants will fill it with ice/water if you ask nicely.

[Scanner]

Thanks for the replies all.  Much appreciated.  Hot or not it's gonna be a cool trip.  Hoping to have time for "Going to the Sun" in Glacier Park.

thanks again!

[Joe Hummer]

One more thing I didn't notice as I scanned the replies but works WONDERS...

Keep a bottle of water where you can reach it (I had mine in my T-Bags on the back seat) and pour it on yourself from time to time as you ride.  INSTANT COOLING EFFECT!!!  Also, when you stop for gas or a break, wet your shirt down.  I did that with my mesh jacket while riding across Kansas on Sunday.  HELPED TONS!!!

Joe

[ChromeDome]

I think Daniel touched on it ... it is not enough to drink water but you need to also replensish your electrolytes. What I try to do is drink vitiamin enhanced water (Propel) and then have orange juice every couple of stops. I also try to avoid anything with sugars or sweeteners. I also try and make every 3rd stop a long stop and find some shade for both me and the bike.

Hope this helps and have a safe and enjoyable trip.

[humshark]

One more reply can't hurt right?

Also, when you stop for gas or a break, wet your shirt down.  I did that with my mesh jacket while riding across Kansas on Sunday.  HELPED TONS!!!

 
Wife and I got caught in 100+ weather on our trip back from DFW.  A couple of things made it a decent and enjoyable ride.

We stopped every 100 miles.  I know you can go a LOT further but it forced us to get off use restrooms and replenish water & electrolytes.

I'd purchase two containers each time - a sports drink and a bottle of water.  I'd completely drink the water and refill for splashing on me, then work on the sports drink which I might finish during the next 100 miles.

Air jacket with a wicking shirt underneath made the water feel incredible as we blasted down those wickedly hot highways!

[Ben]

Another Hot weather tip...  Check your tires for proper inflation...road surface Temp. = 130
watch out for Numerous blown truck tires on the roads(aligators).  Old style liquid service batteries
can dehydrate in these temps as well as you can.  Stop in and cool off, often.  Misters are worth
every penny.  The Neck gel bandanas work well...buy 2 wear one and keep one in the cooler if possible.

[Molasses]

The heat and dehydration can sneak up on you.

I went for a "Friday night fish special" ride (head out and try to find some little Mom'n'Pop cafe or bar and grill that looks like a good place to try the all you can eat special at) last Friday.  But.  On the way home I saw a Harley sitting alongside an intersection.  Started out assumed it was sitting with a "For Sale" sign but something about it seemed odd, and just as I got up to it, realized that it had a huge rally pack on the back and was parked on the road, not on the grass.  Looked over my shoulder and here was somebody laying alongside it on the "back" side.  Did a U-turn and came back to see if I could help.

  It was only about 83 degrees.  Dude was pretty much out of it.  Could talk, but it seemed to take an incredible amount of effort.  He figured he was dehydrated: he'd been going down the road and got dizzy, tunnel vision and numbness/tingling in the extremities.  Barely managed to turn off the road and parked the bike before falling off hard enough to cut his head on the gravel.  He'd managed to squirm out of his leather jacket after hitting the ground.  Some folks living just down the road had already found him and gone for water and came back shortly after I got there.  I warned about not trying to drink too fast to start out with but it didn't matter; water came back up as fast as it went in no matter what volume it went down.  I poured water over his head and shoulders to try and cool him down and when it became clear that this wasn't going to be an instant recovery, the local hospital was called.  Ambulance and Sheriff's Deputy showed up.  The Deputy stated the bike was going to the impound lot and our rider was loaded in the back of the ambulance, then I got told I could go now in that giving orders voice.

Frustrating: this guy was somewhat over an hour out from where he'd started from and to top it off, he was around halfway to what I understood his destination to be.  I did get it from him that he'd worked all day before heading out, no idea of what kind of work he does or if he'd gotten a head start on being dried out there.  Two hour, maybe three hour ride on an only moderately warm sunny day to apparently camp by the lake for the weekend turns into an ambulance ride and having to pony up to get his bike out of impound.  All likely due to just not keeping on top of fluids or listening to what his body was telling him before it got to the point where HE crashed.  Gotta give 'im points for not crashing the bike in the process, though.
 
Ironic: me looking like a refugee snowmobiler in my Aerostich Roadcrafter suit with a fleece bandana that was still sopping wet and soaking into my t-shirt from topping it off at my last stop all the while this played out...