| Author |
Message |
    
Ratbuell
| | Posted on Wednesday, May 04, 2011 - 11:17 pm: | 
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Ya might want to stay away from the campfire.
But...that's where the 'shine is...!
(or maybe that's just a Buelltoberfest thing...and a WVBR thing...) |
Jphish
| | Posted on Wednesday, May 04, 2011 - 11:42 pm: |
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The 'shine' is actually the subcutaneous ooze on exposed skin from the burns... caused by peeing on the campfires. I do agree that there is a BIG difference between riding in SE & SW US. About 80% diff in humidity. Dont need no stinkin soaker vest in SE - already soaked, just from standing quietly. In SW in July - you can hardly drink fast enuf to prevent mumification. |
Stevem123
| | Posted on Thursday, May 05, 2011 - 12:17 am: |
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Here in the Desert SW a soaked vest is only good for about 15 minutes then its bone dry...I rode 500 miles in 115 degree temp. What would normally be an 8 or 9 hour drive in the car took me 12 hours on the bike in those temps. Had to stop every half hour or so to cool off and drink. It was pure hell.
Now I use a camelbak but id doesnt help much for the heat. |
Jphish
| | Posted on Thursday, May 05, 2011 - 12:31 am: |
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Steve - Someone noted ya gotta soak those things for a good 20-30 mins. Any less and the give up their cooling properties pretty quick. I had one last about 3-4 hrs in 95-100* temps in E Ore. 115* is just TOO hot for man or other beasts anytime!! |
Mark_weiss
| | Posted on Thursday, May 05, 2011 - 01:07 am: |
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I'm in Arizona. Regularly ride between Phoenix and Sierra Vista (SE AZ).
For really hot weather:
1. Camelback. Don't have to stop to drink & therefore drink more frequently.
2. Mesh gear with long sleeves underneath.
3. One of these: http://www.enterthecoolzone.com It really does work. I have a Large. It is effective for about 3 hours in 100F plus temps. Since it does not rely on evaporation, I don't get wet.
Mark |
Jphish
| | Posted on Thursday, May 05, 2011 - 10:42 am: |
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Mark - pretty 'cool' ! Had never seen one of those vests. Thanks for info. j |
Etennuly
| | Posted on Thursday, May 05, 2011 - 12:29 pm: |
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I generally wear a cotton T shirt under my Buell jacket. I open the back vents, arm vents, and remove the front zip strips. Once a bit of sweat gets going just a simple move will allow air to circulate around my torso inside the jacket. It works quite well actually. I like wearing cotton shorts under my mesh padded zip off riding pants also.
Having the Buell camelback was awesome a couple of years ago on my way back from the WV Buell rally. It seems I broke the bottom elbow that the suction hose fits to. The release of a quart of cool water down the back of my pants was welcome relief from the extreme heat of the Interstate after the surprise wore off !
Being from the old school, I do not necessarily dehydrate and need to rehydrate at stops . I ride in the heat, I sweat, I get thirsty, and I drink ! I like that since the advent of "special" fluids, everyone needs to speak in terms of their maker's commercials .
Water works pretty good now and then. |
Hughlysses
| | Posted on Thursday, May 05, 2011 - 12:29 pm: |
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About the best thing you can do is get in good physical condition- it helps a lot.
The suggestions about wetting bandanas and stuff won't help BeLinda much- she's in Florida with HIGH humidity. They won't work nearly as well (if at all) there as they do for you guys in Arizona, Nevada, etc. because the water won't evaporate.
What would be cool if you could find one- AGV actually made an "air conditioned" motorcycle helmet a few years back. It used thermoelectric cooling panels (used in some portable coolers) that get hot on one side and cool on the other when you run an electric current through them. I don't know whether the helmets didn't work that well or were just too expensive, but they only made them a year or two. It does sound like a pretty good idea this time of year! |
Road_kill
| | Posted on Thursday, May 05, 2011 - 12:37 pm: |
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Man, I like the cool vest idea. Thanks Mark
For summer days in the SE (south GA)I use Motoport airmesh, long sleeve cotton shirt, 70oz camelback with 1/4 strength Gatorade lite. I take a long sip every 15-20 min. If you drink when you're thirsty, it's too late. I have a small bag of snacks in the tank bag as well; grapes, apple/orange slices, cookies, non-melt candy ... anything easy to get at. I eat and drink the whole day long. No caffeine though. When I get to the fuel stop, I usually rush to the bathroom - first things first! Then, another bottle of water and some gas. I used this technique on my longer trips; WVBR (840 mi) or Key West (600 mi). Keeping the blood sugar right and staying hydrated helps me stay alert - especially in the 90F, 90% humidity.
I also carry a small water bottle from my bicycle. I simply put some water on my jacket and let it soak through, the evap works fairly well.
Finally, I stretch alot. Hand exercises mostly but every hour or so I stand up on the footpegs for 15-30 seconds. This REALLY gets the blood moving a bit and provides a great view. I do not recommend this to others as some might think it's dangerous at hwy speeds. I have 2" lower pegs and 2" ROX risers so ergos are good for me. With quite a few miles under my saddle riding dirt and trials bikes, it seems kinda natural and very stable. |
Road_kill
| | Posted on Thursday, May 05, 2011 - 01:17 pm: |
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Hugh,
I went to buy one of those AGV thermo-electric air-conditioned helmets back in the day when I lived in Phoenix. The glue used to keep the heat exchanger (bladder) in the top of the helmet was not up to the task in extreme heat so I did not buy it. Really a shame. It looked cool and reportedly worked well above 40mph. It also worked in the winter as a heater. They discontinued soon after due to very low sales. The dealer told me 6 of the 8 sold in the US that year were in Arizona. Go figure. I can't remember for sure but I think they were something like $600-800 20 years ago. |
Bttrthnwrk
| | Posted on Thursday, May 05, 2011 - 03:30 pm: |
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My vest was a Cycle Gear Motoboss (?) one too, although it wasn't on clearance at the time.
I tend to start out the day (temps in the 80s) with the vest in a big plastic bag with about a gallon of water in it. Once it warms up to around 100-ish, I'll take it out, brush it off (not wringing it, just brushing off the excess water) and put it on.
It's good for 2-3 hours then at back-road speeds. At freeway speeds, it's only good for about an hour and a half under the mesh jacket. That's why I'm thinking about trying it under the vented textile jacket this year, instead. Remember, that's when the humidity around here is in single digit territory, though. |
Bttrthnwrk
| | Posted on Thursday, May 05, 2011 - 03:46 pm: |
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PS. There's also these folks at Techniche for both evaporative and phase change cooling gear:
http://www.techniche-intl.com/en/home.html |
Babired
| | Posted on Thursday, May 05, 2011 - 04:08 pm: |
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Thank you for the info on the cooling vests!
I just got the TechNiche vest
AMA wants me to do a write up on it only thing is I'm gonna freeze doing this they want the eval in 3 weeks! |
Sayitaintso
| | Posted on Thursday, May 05, 2011 - 04:48 pm: |
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Babired;
Run down here (Florida) for a quick visit, we've already had a couple days in the 90's. That way you can give it an "extended" test. I'm sure you could talk your boss into a few days off. |
Babired
| | Posted on Friday, May 06, 2011 - 08:23 am: |
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I would love too! |
Fltwistygirl
| | Posted on Friday, May 06, 2011 - 09:55 pm: |
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Some fantastic ideas on here. Thank you all for your contributions.
"we've already had a couple days in the 90's"
Man, I would have loved to have only dealt with a couple days in the 90's. It's been a few weeks of 90's for us here in Central Florida. Yuk-o-rama! |
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