[Gremson]

Aside from personal comfort, are there any weather or traffic conditions that would keep you from riding?
I just moved from the Northwest to Texas and got stuck in traffic for a little too long on my old air-cooled bike. I ended up melting my points, and it wasn't even a hot day! I never had that happen in Portland!
With summer around the corner, I'm looking into getting a liquid cooled bike like a Honda Shadow to be my daily driver. I haven't owned a car for a couple years and I don't intend on getting one any time soon, but I've never lived in a place where it REALLY gets hot in the summer.
Are there any precautions I should take with riding a bike in hot weather? I'm more concerned with caring for the bike than myself. Just trying to prepare myself for whatever misery I got myself into for moving to a southern state. Thanks for any input!

Sent from my SM-T337T using Tapatalk

 

[vistavette]

I live in Las Vegas, ride a Harley now which is air cooled, had a Triumph that was also and had a Kawasaki with liquid cooling with no issues on any of them. Summer temps are regularly in the 105-115 range and the temps in traffic at street level are over 120. Your bike will be fine.

With that said, I absolutely positively hate riding in hot weather, that's why I have nice cars with air conditioning.

Sent from my Nexus 6 using Tapatalk

 

[hogcowboy]

Aside from personal comfort, are there any weather or traffic conditions that would keep you from riding?
I just moved from the Northwest to Texas and got stuck in traffic for a little too long on my old air-cooled bike. I ended up melting my points, and it wasn't even a hot day! I never had that happen in Portland!
With summer around the corner, I'm looking into getting a liquid cooled bike like a Honda Shadow to be my daily driver. I haven't owned a car for a couple years and I don't intend on getting one any time soon, but I've never lived in a place where it REALLY gets hot in the summer.
Are there any precautions I should take with riding a bike in hot weather? I'm more concerned with caring for the bike than myself. Just trying to prepare myself for whatever misery I got myself into for moving to a southern state. Thanks for any input!

Sent from my SM-T337T using Tapatalk

I've never melted points due to hot conditions and traffic. And I saw my share in California of 99º+ days on my 85 Electra Glide. I think you have something else going on with that bike. Heat has never been a reason I wouldn't ride. Snow yes.

 

[Lurch77]

I would think there's another problem than the ambient temperature to cause the points failure. Air cooled bikes will get hot without air moving over them, and have problems when it gets extreme. But I've never heard of points failing due to it.

 

[vito]

Like others here I have ridden in super hot weather and never had a problem with the bike, including when I owned air cooled bikes. But when I read the title of the thread I thought it would be about when it was just too hot to be worth riding a motorcycle. I used to live in San Antonio, Texas and some years I did not ride virtually at all from about July 1st through September 30th. Day or night it was just so hot that riding was no fun at all. Living in the Midwest now, I guess I am not acclimated to the high heat anymore, and last summer there were a few days where it hit about 95 degrees and I left the bike in the garage and didn't even think about riding and roasting.

 

[hogcowboy]

I wish he'd come back and give more details but he may be a post and run with just 65 posts since 2012. I'd really like to understand what happened and why but not likely to happen it looks like.

 

[Gremson]

I wish he'd come back and give more details but he may be a post and run with just 65 posts since 2012. I'd really like to understand what happened and why but not likely to happen it looks like.

Nah, I'm still here. Just not terribly active.
I ride a '73 CL350. Got stuck in traffic for about an hour. Mostly idling with maybe a 5-10 foot gain every minute or two. Bike ran fine, but it started to get that "too hot" smell.
I pulled off to a side street to take a break and let the bike cool down. After about ten minutes I tried to fire it up but it just wouldn't catch. Had to be towed home. The next morning I discovered the little plastic insulators that keep the points from grounding had melted through.

Sent from my SM-T337T using Tapatalk

 

[FlipFlop]

Until I got back into driving a Semi I only owned bikes and lived in the mid-west (and still Live still just further north and east) and in DFW for a spell too. All this said no car only 2 wheels was my moto. I did have a old KZ650 and did have points melt down on me once. Why did they melt, I did figure it out for me in my situation I bought cheapos, they had a lot of plast on it and the plastic melted away from the spring and wammy no more spark. My solution was converting it to electronic ignition. it ran better and make sure the carbs are set correctly if too lean, the bike runs A LOT hotter.

Part 2: You on the bike, people want to dress down in the summer it makes them feel more cozy in the traffic however that sun will roast you at the very least wear long sleeves to keep your skin covered and a helmet that is a light color and a dark face shielded visor and gloves that will also make sure your wrist are covered and jeans at the very least.

Personally I say mesh gear for cooling and get a cooling vest, but that is me with jeans. This is all I can give as input from my personal experience.

~Aph

 

[hogcowboy]

Nah, I'm still here. Just not terribly active.
I ride a '73 CL350. Got stuck in traffic for about an hour. Mostly idling with maybe a 5-10 foot gain every minute or two. Bike ran fine, but it started to get that "too hot" smell.
I pulled off to a side street to take a break and let the bike cool down. After about ten minutes I tried to fire it up but it just wouldn't catch. Had to be towed home. The next morning I discovered the little plastic insulators that keep the points from grounding had melted through.

Sent from my SM-T337T using Tapatalk

Okay. That does make more sense. You had me thinking the metal melted. I've still never had the plastic melt to the point of non-function. And this was the correct points for the bike and not a "hotter" set of points? I could see that entering into the equation very easy. But if you were only moving 10 feet every 2 minutes, I would have shut the thing down and just walked it. There really isn't a reason to let it idle in conditions like that.

I'd bet you would have had a water related problem if you had a water cooled bike if you are going to run one in those conditions. Heck, I'd turn a car off. These modern mobil parking lots require a person to think. Especially on days when temps are 100º+. I've seen this in Dallas before I retired. Would happen at least 3 times a week. I refuse to even go to Dallas these days. It's only got worse I'm sure.

Anyway, back to your bike. Was this bike bone stock? I've just never seen your condition unless a bike had been modified but maybe it can.

 

[Eye_m_no_angel]

Going to be almost 90 degrees here today. Think I'll ride up to St. Augustine and wander around a bit.

 

[Rollin']

I had 117 degrees while crossing southern California (Hwy 95, 78 and I-8) and 115 degrees crossing Death Valley. Both rides were done with air cooled bikes and had no issues. When its that hot - if the bikes not moving, shut it off.

 

[Gremson]

Anyway, back to your bike. Was this bike bone stock? I've just never seen your condition unless a bike had been modified but maybe it can.

Aside from aftermarket exhaust, it's pretty much stock, and I bought it that way. No major changes in the year I've owned it. I ordered the points from Dime City Cycles, maybe they just use **** parts. I ordered new ones from a Honda dealer. Hopefully they'll hold up longer.
I've got it listed for sale locally anyway. I need a bigger lower maintenance bike to get around for work now.

Sent from my SM-T337T using Tapatalk

 

[WintrSol]

I did have a old KZ650 and did have points melt down on me once. Why did they melt, I did figure it out for me in my situation I bought cheapos, they had a lot of plast on it and the plastic melted away from the spring and wammy no more spark.

This may be the answer to melting the plastic parts on the points; the OEM points have fiber insulators, but cheaper after-market ones use Nylon. The melting point for common Nylon is about 430F, while the higher temp stuff is ~510F; both will melt before the oil fails. The fiber insulators will blacken before failing, if they ever fail.