Today I was riding back from a rally and with the heat index just being out in the sun with the high humidity and 95° temps I did the calculations and it was 125° just in the sun. My 2009 twin cam with a stage one gets hot. The pavement alone is hot. Every red light I would shut it off so it wouldn't overheat and go into that mode where it's only running on the front cylinder. But we were still getting cooked. My spouse was on their 1200 Sportster and had to pull off the road to puke. Any idea what sitting on a hot bike in traffic would raise the heat index?

 

How many spouses do you have if you don’t mind me asking?

 

Judging from previous experience, your heat index calculation is off by at least fifteen degrees. More likely around 105 or so. But then again I wasn't where you were at although Kansas isn't that far away!

 

Anything over 90° is HOT. Heat index or not. The bikes are gonna be HOT. NO way around it except to not ride when it is that hot out. And once they get hot in that kind of weather, they don't cool down much even if you've been moving for a while.

 

When you ride in that kind of heat YOU MUST STAY HYDRATED.....!!!!

The bike will often handle more heat than you can...

 

I ride in tampabay weather all summer at 95 degrees, 100+ index. don't worry about it. my bike goes into one cylinder mode at lights, but that causes no harm. 2018 Heritage 114, 65k miles. more importantly is for you to drink plenty of water.

 

Yea, they get hot and it can be miserable in traffic.
I'm leaving today for a week long trip to the Black Hills and getting a 3 hour jumpstart on the trip this afternoon after my Son gets off work.

It's likely going to be about 100 degrees outside so I'm not looking forward to the ride.
But the rest of the week the Black Hills are supposed to be in the upper 70s/lower 80s so that's what I'm looking for.

I think when it gets hot the only choice you have is to not ride or deal with it.
These beast are made to run hot so the bike should be fine; it's the rider that suffers.

Note; I have Love Jugs (doesn't do anything for rider comfort), oil cooler (doesn't do anything for rider comfort), air circulator seat cover (does help my *** but only while moving), Capt. Itch crotch cooler (definitely helps deflect the heat, non-regret $100).

 

We've taken off in Dallas when it was 104 degrees. Yes, stop and go traffic is HOT. We highly recommend cooling vests. You soak 'em in water, and while you're moving they act like little A/C units. Might last as much as 30, 45 minutes depending on temperature, speed and humidity.

 

I find the one QUITE sufficient !!!

I need to get as far away from mine as possible !!

 

I try to ride in places where we don't have to stop much when it's hot. Around lakes is always a bit cooler as well. Stop and go traffic when it's 90+ is brutal, I'm sure we've all gotten stuck in that at some point. I'm also sure most of us have gotten stuck riding in rain, which sucks as well but I'd take either condition over not being able to ride at all.
I have friends who only ride on those perfect days(sunny 70-80 degrees), of course they have about 200 miles on this summer so far...