Too Hot to ride
Road Master
Joined: Dec 2007
Posts: 1,147
Likes: 2
From: CHILLIWACK B.C CANADA: have a u.s shipping adress
you could always move to the northwest.. wa. and coastal b.c where it never gets warm and rains constantly... you will be huddled around that 103 looking for some warmth!!!...fuggin weather!...rant over
Elite HDF Member
Joined: Jun 2007
Posts: 4,867
Likes: 268
From: People's Republic of Boulder Colorado
I have a new 2012 Ultra Classic. My wife and I tried to go for a ride but the engine heat buildup was so bad that my wife could not take it. The temp outside was 100, but she said the heat off the engine was just too bad. Anyone else have this problem and if so any solutions??
I'm in Boulder and my bike's getting an extended break. It's a '94 EVO so no noticeable heat off the motor, but when I did ride it, it was like sitting in front of a giant hair dryer.
Don't need to ride that bad!
Maybe sometime this fall....
Road Warrior
Joined: May 2008
Posts: 1,802
Likes: 2
From: Salt Lake City, UT. Dushore, Pa.
A couple things I did; ceramic coated header pipes (Reinhart true duals), synthetic oil, RJ Original heat shields, TTS Master tuner, Dyno tuned, and moved wife's floorboards out 1". Last year I had them remap my ECM and he enriched the slow speed air flow and that helped alot. These things are set way too lean from the factory to meet EPA, etc. I moved her floorboards to top position. I had the extensions on my floorboards but took them off as I was hitting the bracket vs. floorboard. 07 didn't have cat so I didn't have to worry about that. I made my own passenger floorboad extensions by just getting some longer bolts and spacers from Lowes. We have tried several seats and leather is cooler but ended up with sheepskin covers.
Bigger motors, more EPA restrictions, hot weather all equal more heat.
Bigger motors, more EPA restrictions, hot weather all equal more heat.
Last edited by gmc; Jun 26, 2012 at 09:56 AM.
Outstanding HDF Member
Joined: Feb 2007
Posts: 2,710
Likes: 6
From: Spokane, WA.
cooling fan
There is not much you can do about the heat. You can get rid of the catalytic converter and that will help some. Open up the exhaust and breather and add a tuner, that will help a little more.
But the drop in engine temp from those mods is minor.
I have Power duals, 4" slip ons with 2.25" baffles, high flow A/C and Power Vision tuner. I run my AFR's @ 13.8 in the cruise range and all the way down to 12.1 @ WOT.
But my bike still runs HOT as hell. I rode some this last Sunday. It was 100f here in Houston. My head temperature runs around 270f cruising and when I stop at a red light it shoots up over 300f depending on the traffic and how long I am sitting in it.
Hot is hot and there is nothing you can do to cool an air cooled engine except to keep air moving across it.
You can reduce "hot spots" bu getting rid of the stock head pipe with the cat in it. Once you do that, that area of intense heat under your right leg will be gone. But it is still hot, just have to deal with it.
Older bikes run cooler but these 103" motors get friggin hot! I have seen mine get as hot as 320f before but soon as I get moving again she cools back down.
It all boils down to how bad do you want to ride? I am use to it and been in the south Texas all my life. That doesn't mean I like it though. I have days where I just would rather not deal with the heat, like today........lol
But the drop in engine temp from those mods is minor.
I have Power duals, 4" slip ons with 2.25" baffles, high flow A/C and Power Vision tuner. I run my AFR's @ 13.8 in the cruise range and all the way down to 12.1 @ WOT.
But my bike still runs HOT as hell. I rode some this last Sunday. It was 100f here in Houston. My head temperature runs around 270f cruising and when I stop at a red light it shoots up over 300f depending on the traffic and how long I am sitting in it.
Hot is hot and there is nothing you can do to cool an air cooled engine except to keep air moving across it.
You can reduce "hot spots" bu getting rid of the stock head pipe with the cat in it. Once you do that, that area of intense heat under your right leg will be gone. But it is still hot, just have to deal with it.
Older bikes run cooler but these 103" motors get friggin hot! I have seen mine get as hot as 320f before but soon as I get moving again she cools back down.
It all boils down to how bad do you want to ride? I am use to it and been in the south Texas all my life. That doesn't mean I like it though. I have days where I just would rather not deal with the heat, like today........lol
Also, if you run ( not an oil thread here ) a good synthetic oil that will help.
I ran a Feuling oil pump on my 07 FLSTF which helped cooling, and Baker makes a extra capacity oil pan that helps to drop temps some. And an oil cooler can help as well.
In my area we maybe get a few weeks at most where it is 95-100. If i lived in an area of HOT summer temps I would seek out the cooling modifications to mitigate the engine temps.
Air cooled engines are what they are.
HDF Community Team
Joined: Oct 2010
Posts: 902
Likes: 152
From: Georgia
There is not much you can do about the heat. You can get rid of the catalytic converter and that will help some. Open up the exhaust and breather and add a tuner, that will help a little more.
But the drop in engine temp from those mods is minor.
I have Power duals, 4" slip ons with 2.25" baffles, high flow A/C and Power Vision tuner. I run my AFR's @ 13.8 in the cruise range and all the way down to 12.1 @ WOT.
But my bike still runs HOT as hell. I rode some this last Sunday. It was 100f here in Houston. My head temperature runs around 270f cruising and when I stop at a red light it shoots up over 300f depending on the traffic and how long I am sitting in it.
Hot is hot and there is nothing you can do to cool an air cooled engine except to keep air moving across it.
You can reduce "hot spots" bu getting rid of the stock head pipe with the cat in it. Once you do that, that area of intense heat under your right leg will be gone. But it is still hot, just have to deal with it.
Older bikes run cooler but these 103" motors get friggin hot! I have seen mine get as hot as 320f before but soon as I get moving again she cools back down.
It all boils down to how bad do you want to ride? I am use to it and been in the south Texas all my life. That doesn't mean I like it though. I have days where I just would rather not deal with the heat, like today........lol
But the drop in engine temp from those mods is minor.
I have Power duals, 4" slip ons with 2.25" baffles, high flow A/C and Power Vision tuner. I run my AFR's @ 13.8 in the cruise range and all the way down to 12.1 @ WOT.
But my bike still runs HOT as hell. I rode some this last Sunday. It was 100f here in Houston. My head temperature runs around 270f cruising and when I stop at a red light it shoots up over 300f depending on the traffic and how long I am sitting in it.
Hot is hot and there is nothing you can do to cool an air cooled engine except to keep air moving across it.
You can reduce "hot spots" bu getting rid of the stock head pipe with the cat in it. Once you do that, that area of intense heat under your right leg will be gone. But it is still hot, just have to deal with it.
Older bikes run cooler but these 103" motors get friggin hot! I have seen mine get as hot as 320f before but soon as I get moving again she cools back down.
It all boils down to how bad do you want to ride? I am use to it and been in the south Texas all my life. That doesn't mean I like it though. I have days where I just would rather not deal with the heat, like today........lol
My highest is 325 in traffic.
Road Warrior
Joined: Sep 2011
Posts: 1,308
Likes: 3
From: Central Texas
Member jason.. has a fan cooling system for touring bikes. I have one on my SG... Makes a huge difference!
This what I have... Jason offers forum members a discount
http://www.wardspartswerks.com/
This what I have... Jason offers forum members a discount
http://www.wardspartswerks.com/
Last edited by HD Jim; Jun 26, 2012 at 11:03 AM. Reason: added web site
Road Warrior
Joined: Jun 2009
Posts: 1,943
Likes: 3
From: NYC
I have a new 2012 Ultra Classic. My wife and I tried to go for a ride but the engine heat buildup was so bad that my wife could not take it. The temp outside was 100, but she said the heat off the engine was just too bad. Anyone else have this problem and if so any solutions??
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Road Warrior
Joined: Jun 2012
Posts: 1,672
Likes: 18
From: Orange, VA,
Ok, sorry for voicing my opinion, believe me I know about the heat, when I climb in my race car in a full drivers suit when it is over 90 degrees it gets over 130 degrees in the car. I was just saying why can't HD come up with the same solutions everybody in the thread has? To me I am sure they know how hot the new engines get with cats in them, and is it not illegal to remove them? I just think for $25k they could come up with some solution and make it an option on the bike so the guys that would rahter roast and not take away from the look and experience of their HD, again, just my opinion. And yes, i do own a HD, a 99 FLHT that I love.