Talk about hot

[SeaCat]

Took the bike out for a ride yesterday. When I asked my wife if she wanted to go along she looked at me as though I were crazy while informing me she was heading for the pool.

Ahhh well.

I pulled on some jeans, my boots and a T-shirt, grabbed my gear and wandred out to the bike.

The Beast fired up on the first crank and rumbled beneath me as I finished gearing up. Denim jacket with the vest over it, Helmet, Sunglasses and gloves and I was ready. I was also sweating. I kicked the bike into gear and putted down the short stretch of road to the entrance and the main road. On the way past the pool I meeped the horn at my wife.

Pulling onto the main road I rolled on the throttle and loved the feel of the bike made breeze against me. A short distance away from the park I banked left onto the next road and rolled on the throttle again. As soon as I hit the speed limit I had to roll off the throttle and grab the brakes. For the next five miles I was never out of first gear and was often stopped in heavy traffic.

I finally reached the hardware store, parked the store and went inside to the wonderful feel of the A/C. Oh man did that feel good. AS I was standing just inside the door in my sweat soaked jacket the owner comes up to say hi. He takes one look at me and my bike sitting in the parking lot and without saying a word reaches into the fridge in his office and grabs a bottle of water.

He hands me the bottle of water and tells me to hang my jacket on the back of the cashiers chair. We talk for quite a while and it turns out he too rides. He can't believe I was out riding in the heat. We talk about riding and bikes for a bit then he heads back into his office as I wander the aisles.

Now I found what I wanted right off but I hung around a bit longer just soaking up the cool dry air. Finally though I couldn't put it off any longer, I paid for my screws and grabbed my jacket before heading back out into the heat.

For the ride home I tried a different rout hoping to avoid the traffic I had hit on the way there. It was a good plan that didn't work. Instead of the eight miles to get there I was now in twenty miles of stop and go traffic sitting on top of a heat producer in high heat and humidity. To say it was miserable would be kind. BY the time I got home I had sweat through me leather vest, which is worn over my denim jacket. The Terry Cloth band under my Do-Rag was soaked and the sweat was running down my face.

Eventually I get home, park the bike and head inside. It takes me all of a couple of seconds to realise my wife isn't home from the pool yet so I decide to join her. Skinning out of my boots and jeans is no fun, they stick to me like glue. Finally I pull on a pair of swimming trunks, grab a towel and head for the pool.

I didn't bother saying hi or anything when I got to the pool. I kicked off my Flips while dropping my towel on a table and stepped right over the edge of the pool. There must have been a cloud of steam coming off where I hit the water.

For the next half hour I didnt leave the water. I just soaked. When I did get out the sun was going down and it was time to head for home. My wife was laughing at me and how I went straight for the water as we walked back to our place.

When we got home I checked the thermometer. Well gee, no wonder it was uncomfortable in the heavy traffic. The thermometer was reading 89° with 80 percent humidity.

Ahhh well, at least I got a ride in.

Cat

 

[glynndah]

Cat: Have you tried these? They work pretty well for cooling you off. Our local WalMart sells something like these in the sporting goods section.

Cooling Bandannas

 

[emap]

You should move to Arizona you silly, it routinely gets over 110 in the summer, but it is not humid except for a grand total of two months, maybe three, starts getting humid in July or so and stays there until the end of september. Does rain some over the winter but not that often at least in Phoenix.

You also get used to the heat, over the summer there are BBQ's all the time, some don't do anything but cook in the back or front yard, some have parties outside for hours. It's a great place for bikers, you can ride it year round, assuming you got cold weather gear, drops to low 30's at night in the winter here.

 

[matriarch]

You should move to Arizona you silly, it routinely gets over 110 in the summer, but it is not humid except for a grand total of two months, maybe three, starts getting humid in July or so and stays there until the end of september. Does rain some over the winter but not that often at least in Phoenix.

You also get used to the heat, over the summer there are BBQ's all the time, some don't do anything but cook in the back or front yard, some have parties outside for hours. It's a great place for bikers, you can ride it year round, assuming you got cold weather gear, drops to low 30's at night in the winter here.

NOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!

Arizona summer - EVIL !!!!!!!

Joking aside, I couldn't cope with either of those scenarios. I have a very narrow comfort zone, 65-70F. Anything above that and I start suffering. So the 6 months I spent Arizona between November and August........as a Brit, was like nothing I have ever experienced before. The rules in this family now, are no visits to the family in AZ between April and October. Ain't gonna happen.

 

[chris 44]

Not something we've been troubled with too much this summer over here Cat, heat and sunshine that is. Now when it comes to cloud... and rain... and wind... and...

Chris

Took the bike out for a ride yesterday. When I asked my wife if she wanted to go along she looked at me as though I were crazy while informing me she was heading for the pool.

Ahhh well.

I pulled on some jeans, my boots and a T-shirt, grabbed my gear and wandred out to the bike.

The Beast fired up on the first crank and rumbled beneath me as I finished gearing up. Denim jacket with the vest over it, Helmet, Sunglasses and gloves and I was ready. I was also sweating. I kicked the bike into gear and putted down the short stretch of road to the entrance and the main road. On the way past the pool I meeped the horn at my wife.

Pulling onto the main road I rolled on the throttle and loved the feel of the bike made breeze against me. A short distance away from the park I banked left onto the next road and rolled on the throttle again. As soon as I hit the speed limit I had to roll off the throttle and grab the brakes. For the next five miles I was never out of first gear and was often stopped in heavy traffic.

I finally reached the hardware store, parked the store and went inside to the wonderful feel of the A/C. Oh man did that feel good. AS I was standing just inside the door in my sweat soaked jacket the owner comes up to say hi. He takes one look at me and my bike sitting in the parking lot and without saying a word reaches into the fridge in his office and grabs a bottle of water.

He hands me the bottle of water and tells me to hang my jacket on the back of the cashiers chair. We talk for quite a while and it turns out he too rides. He can't believe I was out riding in the heat. We talk about riding and bikes for a bit then he heads back into his office as I wander the aisles.

Now I found what I wanted right off but I hung around a bit longer just soaking up the cool dry air. Finally though I couldn't put it off any longer, I paid for my screws and grabbed my jacket before heading back out into the heat.

For the ride home I tried a different rout hoping to avoid the traffic I had hit on the way there. It was a good plan that didn't work. Instead of the eight miles to get there I was now in twenty miles of stop and go traffic sitting on top of a heat producer in high heat and humidity. To say it was miserable would be kind. BY the time I got home I had sweat through me leather vest, which is worn over my denim jacket. The Terry Cloth band under my Do-Rag was soaked and the sweat was running down my face.

Eventually I get home, park the bike and head inside. It takes me all of a couple of seconds to realise my wife isn't home from the pool yet so I decide to join her. Skinning out of my boots and jeans is no fun, they stick to me like glue. Finally I pull on a pair of swimming trunks, grab a towel and head for the pool.

I didn't bother saying hi or anything when I got to the pool. I kicked off my Flips while dropping my towel on a table and stepped right over the edge of the pool. There must have been a cloud of steam coming off where I hit the water.

For the next half hour I didnt leave the water. I just soaked. When I did get out the sun was going down and it was time to head for home. My wife was laughing at me and how I went straight for the water as we walked back to our place.

When we got home I checked the thermometer. Well gee, no wonder it was uncomfortable in the heavy traffic. The thermometer was reading 89° with 80 percent humidity.

Ahhh well, at least I got a ride in.

Cat

 

[Lisa Denton]

I pulled on some jeans, my boots and a T-shirt, grabbed my gear and wandred out to the bike.

The Beast fired up on the first crank and rumbled beneath me as I finished gearing up. Denim jacket with the vest over it, Helmet, Sunglasses and gloves and I was ready. I was also sweating. I kicked the bike into gear and putted down the short stretch of road to the entrance and the main road. On the way past the pool I meeped the horn at my wife.

Pulling onto the main road I rolled on the throttle and loved the feel of the bike made breeze against me. A short distance away from the park I banked left onto the next road and rolled on the throttle again. As soon as I hit the speed limit I had to roll off the throttle and grab the brakes. For the next five miles I was never out of first gear and was often stopped in heavy traffic.

I finally reached the hardware store, parked the store and went inside to the wonderful feel of the A/C. Oh man did that feel good. AS I was standing just inside the door in my sweat soaked jacket the owner comes up to say hi. He takes one look at me and my bike sitting in the parking lot and without saying a word reaches into the fridge in his office and grabs a bottle of water.

Cat

What?

Cat, we all know you just need to think. You come up with all kinds of ideas.

Neccesity breeds ingenuity .... or sumpthin like that.

Now, you just need one of them things that plugs into a car cigarette lighter to power up an electrical thing like your hair dryer on the way to work (?) ... no, not me, other peoples.

You do have a cigarette lighter on your bike I assume cause you have it all tricked out and tweaked up.

Now, mount a small house window air conditioner on your handlebars, but be careful at high speeds you could get frostbite.

 

[john-the-author]

NOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!

Arizona summer - EVIL !!!!!!!

Joking aside, I couldn't cope with either of those scenarios. I have a very narrow comfort zone, 65-70F. Anything above that and I start suffering. So the 6 months I spent Arizona between November and August........as a Brit, was like nothing I have ever experienced before. The rules in this family now, are no visits to the family in AZ between April and October. Ain't gonna happen.

I lived in Tucson for some years. I love the desert beyond words, but I couldn't take the heat. I, too, have a very limited tolerance for heat. I loved Seattle all the time I lived in it because it very rarely got warm (nor sunny) and I was a Truly Happy Man.

 

[sutherngent985]

You should move to Arizona you silly, it routinely gets over 110 in the summer, but it is not humid except for a grand total of two months, maybe three, starts getting humid in July or so and stays there until the end of september. Does rain some over the winter but not that often at least in Phoenix.

You also get used to the heat, over the summer there are BBQ's all the time, some don't do anything but cook in the back or front yard, some have parties outside for hours. It's a great place for bikers, you can ride it year round, assuming you got cold weather gear, drops to low 30's at night in the winter here.

I lived in Phoenix for 20 years and rode a bike for alot of them. When I was there (left in 98) there wasnt any helmet law...dont know if they have one now. But everytime I got on my bike, I had long pants, sneakers (not boots), a long sleeved shirt or jacket and a full face helmet. Talk about sweating..and this was in the days before removable/washable helmet liners. Lets just say at the end of the season, they got pretty rank. I tried everything, fabric fresheners, hosing with soap and water, nothing worked all that well.

 

[Corylea]

Joking aside, I couldn't cope with either of those scenarios. I have a very narrow comfort zone, 65-70F. Anything above that and I start suffering.

I hear you! I'm most comfortable at 65 if still and at 55 if moving, much to the consternation of my friends. I get heat stroke more easily than anyone I ever heard of, to the point where I pass out if it's over 75. I live in Boston, and friends from far away always say, "Oh, you must hate the winters there." Nope. I tell them I hate the summers, and they look at me funny. I think I was meant to be British or Scandinavian, and the stork mis-delivered me.

 

[SeaCat]

LOL

You know it's kind of funny. I actually don't mind the heat. I have been known to do those incredibly stupid things like splitting wood or digging ditches in high heat and high humidity.

For some reason riding the bike in these conditions with the addition of stop and go traffic. Maybe it's the heat plus that generated by the cars around me. Maybe it's the sitting in the sun in the heavy gear. Maybe it's the heat coming off the engine of the bike. Maybe, just maybe it's the combination of all of these that tries to kill/cook me,

One of these days I'll rig a thermometer with a memmory or a remote display under my jacket for one of these rides. It might be interesting.

On the other hand I have been known to throw on all of my gear and hit the road in high heat and humidty and be completely comfortable. On those days I was in constant motion with constant airflow. (Oh don't get me wrong, I do get warm but it's no where as bad. The helmet does get warm. The Full face is much worse than the 3/4 helmet. I call the Full Face the Coconut Cooker.)

Cat

 

[sutherngent985]

The helmet does get warm. The Full face is much worse than the 3/4 helmet. I call the Full Face the Coconut Cooker.)
Cat

I agree a full face is much hotter altho I havent worn any of the new ones with the flow through vents, but I wouldnt ride with anything else. I am much more worried about my face losing the argument with the pavement if I go down than how cool I look.

I was in a wreck one time (highsided) and broke my collarbone. My helmet...full face...had really huge scratch marks on it going from one side around the back to almost the middle of the chin bar. Some might say if I hadnt been wearing it, I might not have broken my collarbone, but I would rather have that then what my face would have surely looked like if I hadnt been wearing it.

 

[emap]

I think Arizona still doesn't have a helmet law, actually it almost seems like a law that to ride anything beyond a harley or one of those big cruiser bikes, you have to be a complete moron. I see people all the time roaring around on those speed bikes that are always red or neon colored wearing shorts tshirt and flip flops, sometimes a baseball hat backwards.

The guys on harleys always have pants and a leather jacket, sometimes a vest depends on how hot it is, the cruisers always have that whole get up ya'll are mentioning. I've heard they have air conditioners though.

If you can stand heat you should live in Arizona, you especially sea I mean obviously you can deal with idiots and assholes quite well, we got tons of those here. The first summer in Arizona is horrible, second is bearable, after that your used to it and doesn't really bother you anymore.

Ok I'm lying badly it always bothers you but you learn to deal with it.