anyone ride thru death valley in late august? Did the bike overheat any problems would be appreciated or advise. http://images.ibsrv.net/ibsrv/res/sr..._verzsilly.gif

 

Can't say that I have but I'd be more worried about heat stroke for me than overheating the bike. Good luck!

 

I believe your asking for trouble. I lived outside of death valley about 30 minutes and it got to 118. It gets hotter there. I stepped out of a car at 124 degrees. Even at 2am, its 100 degrees.
wait till late sept/early oct at the least.

 

There's a reason it's called "DEATH Valley". I have not ridden through it in August, but I have ridden through the Mojave Desert. The bike didn't overheat, but I almost did. That section between Barstow, Needles and Kingman was Hell on earth. The temps were over 118 degrees and there was no escaping the heat. The road was throwing off heat, the cars passing me, my engine, the rocks by the side of the road, EVERYTHING was throwing off heat. And there is NOTHING between those stops. When I pulled into Kingman my body was shaking. I sat in the gas station and drank three bottles of water, (in addition to the two hot ones I drank on the way out of Needles) and waited at least an hour before getting back on the bike. The cooler elevated temps of Flagstaff were a relief. If you decide to try it, I suggest one of those cooling vests, a camelback filled with ice (which will last about 20 mins), or this contraption which I know nothing about.

http://hogcooler.com/howhowo.html

I know guys who leave at 2:00am just to get through the desert before the "heat of the day" kicks in. I know riders who stop in Needles and get a hotel room for four hours until the sun gets low. And bear in mind that it's still HOT in the desert at night. It can still be well over 110 degrees, you just don't have the sun beating down on you.

 

Good advice here. Go in the early spring or fall. Temps in the summer are 120's regularly and nearing 130 sometimes. The bike will be fine, but YOU will be in for quite a treat. Heat at those temps is difficult to comprehend if you've never seen it. It's like riding thru a blast-furnace and there's no relief. The road surface is baked in the sun and probably pushes the temps up to 150 on the seat of your bike. I'm not joking, this is difficult for many to imagine but take my word for it.

If you must go in August, ride at night or the very early morning (like right as the sun is rising and the first hour or two).

I just rode thru Phoenix and southern AZ the other day at 112 (humidity at 7%) and that wasn't fun... I stopped every half hour or so and sat in the gas station with a quart of Gatorade, then got back on and rode another 30 min or so. It's punishing even at 112, which is a cool day for Death Valley in summer.

 

Honestly I wouldn't even attempt it in an air conditioned car. Gets waaaaaaay too hot. You can't enjoy the ride if your miserable. There are times when you see absolutely no one for hours on end and they isn't any real place to stop to beat the heat.

See the posts prior to mine. I live out in Cali and by nature it's all a desert riding in anything over 100 is just plain well....crappy.

 

The best time to ride through Death Valley is in March/April or October/November, but if rain occurs at the higher elevations outside of Death Valley you can run into snow, especially in March and November. When we do Death Valley it is usually in later March or early April.

 

What a bunch of Pussies... riding through death valley is hot , but the bike will make it fine and you should too. Last time I rode through in late July it was 136 degrees... the bike was fine, but I wussed out and put on a hydration vest at the half way station.

 

I've done it at 127 degrees.

Stop at the gas stops and rehydrate. Take your time, pay attention to what your body is telling you. Wear a long sleeve shirt, not a cotton T-shirt, to keep from sweating out too fast. Slather on the sunscreen.

Travel early in the day, it doesn't take that long to cross Death Valley.

I'll be there late August/Early September this year as part of the cross country ride. May even get a room at Stovepipe Wells or the resort.

 

Heat your oven to about 130 degrees. Put your head in oven for thirty minutes. If you survive you'll be ok. Almost forgot, wear your helmet during test.