Too hot to ride, or maybe I’m just getting old

[Raven]

Speaking of ATGATT, I must admit that since trading in my Goldwing for my RT, my riding attire has loosened up significantly. Recently I rode wearing shorts, a t-shirt and sneakers, plus an open face helmet, and it was really nice. No jacket, no gloves, not even jeans. Right or wrong, I feel that on the Spyder the chances of me ending up on the pavement are very, very low. As a former MSF Instructor I do feel a tad guilty riding like that, but I still do it for the comfort.

Maybe you should look at the post by @BGetz about his uncle's crash?
You might rethink things.
Humidity gets to me, makes it hard to breath.
Years ago I was at some desert races in July and was ok.
To be honest though, I not sure how I would do now.

 

[mecsw500]

For a career, I climbed mountains and fought wildland fires in triple digit heat while wearing a Nomex suit which does not breathe. Now that's HOT! We sucked in plenty of smoke while doing so as well. It only burns your eyes and throat until you get used to it. We would cough up black stuff for a while after a campaign fire.

Now everything else seems tame in comparison.

I've worn Nomex. It was hot beyond belief after two laps. I wonder if there are more advanced materials today that at least breathe just a little and are just as effective?

 

[Lctriple]

Speaking of ATGATT, I must admit that since trading in my Goldwing for my RT, my riding attire has loosened up significantly. Recently I rode wearing shorts, a t-shirt and sneakers, plus an open face helmet, and it was really nice. No jacket, no gloves, not even jeans. Right or wrong, I feel that on the Spyder the chances of me ending up on the pavement are very, very low. As a former MSF Instructor I do feel a tad guilty riding like that, but I still do it for the comfort.

It's entirely up to you how you dress but I don't see how the Spyder is safer than a bike. You're just as exposed to the elements, pavement, front bumpers, etc. I had a single vehicle crash on a Z900 3 years ago going 45 mph. I woke up in someone's yard with my helmet next to me. I have no idea what happened, but I got 7 busted ribs, concussion, a broken collarbone, a torn tendon in my thumb, and 2 weeks in the hospital, with another 2 weeks of needing help getting out of bed. That was ATGATT too. Very little road rash though. I still wear the scraped up gloves and boots as a reminder. I probably wouldn't have a face if it wasn't for my helmet. We all have a choice, and sometimes we need to think of the people who will care for us in a worst case situation.

 

[RetiredBikerKenJ]

Here in North Central IL it has been hot, really hot, and with high humidity. Add to this the smoke from Canada, and I haven’t taken my RT out in a week. I used to ride unless it was close to triple digits, but now I hesitate if it hits 90°. Maybe I’m just getting old, but then again, I’m only 83.

Well, you got me by 4 yrs - I will be 79 in August - but you're right. It's just too danged hot to ride sometimes. I drove over to Austin TX last Friday from College Station to have a new rear tire put on. Left the house @ 6:30AM to get there by 9:00AM and the ride wasn't too bad. By the time they finished, the sun was doing its' thing and, by the time I got back to the house, it was time to sit under the ceiling fan with a big glass of tea.

 

[Metalman]

I'll be 79 in five days and I have found the heat here in North Central Kentucky to be extremely bothersome. In my younger days, I used to ride in the heat to cool off. One time I rode into Boise, Idaho in the dead of the summer and the temperature was 110°. Of course there was very low humidity, but I didn't feel bad, just hot and sweaty.

I had wind wings on my Gold Wings and could turn them in for additional cooling. I really would like something like that on the RTL. Is anything available?

 

[BajaRon]

I've worn Nomex. It was hot beyond belief after two laps. I wonder if there are more advanced materials today that at least breathe just a little and are just as effective?

Not to hijack the thread. But when people start talking about how hot it is, my mind always goes back to my professional days.

The reason Nomex is 'Fire Resistant’ is partially based upon the fact that it does not breathe. You get zero air circulation. I'm not sure you can have both. And yes, wildland firefighters are still wearing Nomex outerwear.

Man! You sweat like a dog in that gear! You can even get steam burns from the radiant heat if you're not careful. And it's no protection at all against direct flame impingement.

The aluminized fire shelters that we all carried could take a lot more heat. But if you’re throwing one of those out, you are in some very deep do-do. Many don’t make it out of that situation. Still, it’s your best shot should it get that bad.

People have no idea what it’s like out there. But then, I think that’s probably true of every profession. We may think we know what the other guy does, but we don’t really. Only those who do it truly know what it is.

 

[mecsw500]

I'll be 79 in five days and I have found the heat here in North Central Kentucky to be extremely bothersome. In my younger days, I used to ride in the heat to cool off. One time I rode into Boise, Idaho in the dead of the summer and the temperature was 110°. Of course there was very low humidity, but I didn't feel bad, just hot and sweaty.

I had wind wings on my Gold Wings and could turn them in for additional cooling. I really would like something like that on the RTL. Is anything available?

Yes, my 2026 sea to Sky has adjustable wings to redirect airflow on the low half of the fairing. I believe you can buy them as accessories from Can Am. Whether they make them to fit your year of bike, I don't now, but check the shop function on the Spyder section of their website.

To be honest, when the temperature gets to triple digits, redirecting hot air onto my lower body doesn't seem to help that much.

My wife and I use these from Amazon, they are pretty cheap:

Alphacool Frosty Body Cooling Ice Vest​

It comes with two sets of cooling bricks. We keep the second set in a insulated soft sided cooler in the trunk to replace the first set when they stop cooling. Under a vented jacket they seem to work quite well, especially for the money.

 

[baxter]

Left about a week ago from KY. And went up through IL. MO, IA, SD,ND, MN, Canada, WI, and back to KY. Temps as far North as the border were in mid 90s. International Falls, MN. was to hit 100 the day I left. Hot all over. The fishermen at Angle Inlet were complaining that the lake water was getting too hot for good fishing.

 

[jdgretz]

Not to hijack the thread. But when people start talking about how hot it is, my mind always goes back to my professional days.

The reason Nomex is 'Fire Resistant’ is partially based upon the fact that it does not breathe. You get zero air circulation. I'm not sure you can have both. And yes, wildland firefighters are still wearing Nomex outerwear.

Man! You sweat like a dog in that gear! You can even get steam burns from the radiant heat if you're not careful. And it's no protection at all against direct flame impingement.

The aluminized fire shelters that we all carried could take a lot more heat. But if you’re throwing one of those out, you are in some very deep do-do. Many don’t make it out of that situation. Still, it’s your best shot should it get that bad.

People have no idea what it’s like out there. But then, I think that’s probably true of every profession. We may think we know what the other guy does, but we don’t really. Only those who do it truly know what it is.

The only time I have worn Nomex is when I was flying Hueys for the US Army. Our flight suits got pretty toasty even with that big fan overhead. And you're right - I'll take people shooting at me occasionally over being in the middle of a forest fire any time (except maybe when they are actually shooting at me ).

jdg

 

[mecsw500]

Not to hijack the thread. But when people start talking about how hot it is, my mind always goes back to my professional days.

The reason Nomex is 'Fire Resistant’ is partially based upon the fact that it does not breathe. You get zero air circulation. I'm not sure you can have both. And yes, wildland firefighters are still wearing Nomex outerwear.

Man! You sweat like a dog in that gear! You can even get steam burns from the radiant heat if you're not careful. And it's no protection at all against direct flame impingement.

The aluminized fire shelters that we all carried could take a lot more heat. But if you’re throwing one of those out, you are in some very deep do-do. Many don’t make it out of that situation. Still, it’s your best shot should it get that bad.

People have no idea what it’s like out there. But then, I think that’s probably true of every profession. We may think we know what the other guy does, but we don’t really. Only those who do it truly know what it is.

Two lady firefighters and a gentleman fire fighter didn’t make it out of those shelters a few weeks ago on the UT and CO border. The other two gentlemen firefighters did make it out but were hospitalized after being rescued by some very brave helo pilots.

If you want scary, look at this crash by Romain Grosjean in 2020 when he hit the barriers in Bahrain and his car split in two and he was caught in the fireball but made it out alive after 27 seconds. After a 40+ G collision no less. See towards the end of this to see race suit technology at work:

https://www.formula1.com/en/video/2...sh-and-fire-at-race-start.1687521830210800686.

His race suit definitely worked that day.

It’s hard to watch, we were all in tears, there was no way he should have survived the impact, let alone the fire. Getting out of those cars is not easy, especially in a fireball. He suffered some burns to his hands. 30 seconds in that inferno and we all thought he was dead for sure.

 

[Smitty42]

Well, since I'm retired, I take off on daily trips early in the morning and try and get back before it hits 100.
At my age (84) it seems that I can't take the heat or the cold anymore.

 

[Jackhartjr]

You may be getting older, however, you are making wise choices as to the heat sir! Carry on!

 

[BajaRon]

The only time I have worn Nomex is when I was flying Hueys for the US Army. Our flight suits got pretty toasty even with that big fan overhead. And you're right - I'll take people shooting at me occasionally over being in the middle of a forest fire any time (except maybe when they are actually shooting at me ).

jdg

Funny you should mention this. In the fire service, especially when your EMS is integrated like it was for us, you do 'Stand Backs' to support law enforcement in dangerous situations like an active shooter, gang fight, or barricaded suspect with a gun. That way you're right there, though at a safe distance, to offer medical aid if an officer goes down.

After one of these incidents as on officer came out to thank us for the support saying how much all of them appreciated knowing that we were just around the corner if something went wrong. I leaned out the window of my fire truck and thanked him for doing what he did, saying that I wouldn't do his dangerous job for anything. That his profession was crazy to willingly take on such dangerous assignments. He looked surprised, shook his head and said, 'You don't have any room to talk. You make a living running into burning buildings when any sane person would be leaving as fast as they could. Then you run up mountains into wildland fires. You are the crazy ones. I wouldn't do your job for all the money in the world.'

It dawned on me that neither of us felt that our professions was all that dangerous. The danger factor was just built into our daily life. But I have to admit, I still think I was right. I’ll bet he still thinks he was right.

Your Huey story reminds me of some of my helicopter experiences with Vietnam combat pilots at the controls, and grown men sobbing in the crew bay because of the ride we were getting. I’ve got a million stories. I’ll bet you do as well. Life can be very interesting and challenging. I’m still amazed I’ve lasted this long.