| Author | Message | ||
     Advoutlander |
I'm planning on riding through the Mojave, Nevada, Joshua tree etc. The uly is an 08 so it has the comfort kit and this weekend I'm going to wrap the header. I'll be bringing spare throttle/clutch cable/drive belt. Is there anything to be aware of riding in seriously hot places on the Uly? | ||
| Britchri10 |
Well, I ride in Florida. No real problems unless I end up stuck in traffic, then the bike gets a little warm. Realistically, you should be good to go with what you have. Just remember to stay hydrated. Chris C | ||
| Froggy |
The bike will be fine, you will be the one that craps out first. Bring a boatload of water, make sure you have extra gas and gas up more often if you are going in the more remote areas, and take more frequent breaks. | ||
| Dmcutter |
I was stationed at 29 Palms back in the early 80s and bought my first bike, an 82 Kawi GPz 550...air cooled, of course. I rode that thing through Joshua Tree, to Phoenix, Palm Springs and LA all the time. Yeah, getting stuck in traffic is way hot but I never had any issues with it, although granted it probably didn't put off as much heat as the big twin. Everyone is right, though, the heat will kill YOU. You'll never even feel wet from sweat because it evaporates so quickly. Wear a 3 liter camelbak and carry a second bladder for it. | ||
| Advoutlander |
I'm planning on bringing a rotopax and filling up every 100 miles, I'm bringing 2 camel backs, multiple emergency water rations and a aqua pro filtration straw, the latter is probably useless out there unless I can secure a water source. (Message edited by advoutlander on June 06, 2013) | ||
| Desert_uly |
I live in the High Desert in Southern Calif. (Lancaster, Rosamond, Mojave area).Lots of heat, too damn windy much of spring. 2008 xb12x no comfort kit.Fan runs often,leg gets warm but you just learn to live with it. Bike is so much fun the heat issue is not a big deal. | ||
| Dmcutter |
I can't specifically recall how the fall weather was-fairly moderate, I think. I remember it getting up to 108-110 during the summer and dropping into the upper 70s at night and it would feel freezing because of the temperature delta. Winter could be cold and rainy. It wasn't as temperate as LA or the coast because it was at a higher elevation. It's unbelievable how much nothing there is out there...the base was fan shaped with Mainside at the little end and then extending out into the desert; it comprised 900some square miles, if I recall correctly. We'd go out into the great wide open for live fire exercises and I remember one tale, after I left, of a poor Marine road guard being forgotten by his unit and dying, probably of dehydration or exposure. When I was driving out there for the first time I remember the only sign of life I saw from like Barstow to the Stumps was a huge tarantula crossing the road. | ||
| Dr_greg |
I've ridden my '06 Uly through Needles, CA when it was 117 degrees. The bike did fine; I was a little haggard. --Doc | ||
| Glenn |
Glad to see you still visit us on occasion Dr! | ||
| Skifastbadly |
If your ECM isn't relocated, it's possible for the seat plastic to soften enough during very hot days to sag a little and give you problems. On exceedingly hot days, you may experience the weird phenomenon of your gas boiling while you're parked. | ||
| Advoutlander |
How warm will it be in July at night time? We were planning on camping but now you mentioned tarantulas I don't know. Are there gas stations with 91 out in the desert? How long between gas stations will I have to travel? I know all to well to be a forgotten road guard. Where do I relocate the ecm as there is not much space under the seat. | ||
| Fltwistygirl |
Do a search on ecm relocation. There are threads here that will walk u thru it. Imo it is a good preventative move. | ||
| Brighton |
The onset of heat illness can happen quickly in extreme heat, and without the sufferer realizing it. Once on an unusually hot day I realized I was riding several miles past my turnoff and couldn't remember getting there. And this was a twisty mountain road. I was told that I probably suffered one of the early symptoms of heat illness. Along with drinking a lot of water also soak your long-sleeved shirt every so often | ||
| Stevem123 |
I live in Joshua Tree and work on the base. My 06 Uly does OK as long as I stay moving. It's been 105-109 here the last couple of days and drops to 65-70 at night. Like everybody else says, STAY HYDRATED! Gas is not a problem here in SOCAL but once you head east into Nevada you can run into probs as there are fewer between so carry extra just in case and top off when you can. | ||
| Dmcutter |
One of my buddies and I rode to Phoenix for my 25th birthday, late June 1984. We took secondary roads instead of the super slab, which ever one that was (we came back that way and had to get back to the Stumps via Joshua Tree nat'l park). It was ungodly hot, 106, something like that, so we stopped at every little convenience store along the way to get something to drink. One place looked real run down and had several big twins parked outside. We walked in and the refrigerator case was empty except for like a quart of milk in a bottle and a wrapped half sandwich. I said to my buddy Bob, "man, this place doesn't have shit". There were a few big burly biker dudes hanging out, one in particular I remember with a bushy beard and a sheepskin vest. He said to us "hey, man, this is our house!" and we fell all over ourselves apologizing and running out...we kept looking behind us as we zoomed away to see if they were following us. Funny as hell. Regarding camping, I would be more concerned with scorpions than tarantulas. And while 70 at night may seem very moderate, remember that if it's over 100 during the day it will feel cold because of the large temperature difference. But on the bright side, as everyone always says, "but it's a DRY heat". | ||
| Stevem123 |
On a second note to my last post, I should be home in July convalesing from surgery so I have a garage, tools, and parts are only 1 day away via American Sport Bike. I will be glad to help if you run into problems while you are out here. Ping me at bcsteve@dishmail.net for contact info. | ||
| Mark_weiss |
Does riding in the Phoenix metro area count as a hot environment? Keep the tires inflated to prevent overheating. Pants made of fabric which does not retain heat is a plus. No adjustments to the bike. Max octane fuel during the hot season. Rather than carry water bottles (because then you only drink when you stop and you don't stop often enough) I use a Camelbak. This lets me get a quick sip anytime. One of the 90 degree ends just barely fits into a full-face helmet. | ||
| Electraglider_1997 |
I went to hell and back with Audie Murphy. Wait, no, that was just a movie I saw. | ||
| Portero72 |
Camp. Tarantulas are harmless. Scorpions can be mostly avoided by shaking out your shoes in the morning. There is NOTHING like a desert sky at night. Lived in AZ for 16 years and was never once had a scorpion issue. | ||
| Luso |
On my 3rd cross country trip 2 up I went trough Death Valley,120F at the rangers house...no problems with overheating at all,actually was surprised the fan wasn't even on when I stopped to fuel up...I have the headers wrapped,comfort kit including the under seat shroud and run Valvoline VR1 straight 50 or 60. | ||
| Zane |
I lived in Yuma AZ for almost a year. The summers where God-awful. Routinely rode in 100+ heat. Bike did fine but I would get a horrible case of swamp ass. As long as you keep moving everything should be fine. At 120 it feels like God is pointing his hairdryer at you. Bike did fine | ||
| Crempel |
I also live in a climate where we see large numbers on the thermometer (NM). I more or less stop riding during the hottest part of the year because my arse and right thigh will catch fire and if I get a cross wind one of my legs will join in. The Uly, let's admit it, is a heat generating machine. Sitting at a stoplight in town when it's 100 degrees (today), and the asphalt is 125 or more on a mobile heat generator is not my idea of a good time. The other 3 seasons here are miles of smiles. Bike never has given me any trouble other that occasionally pinging, I just don't like it. I know. I'm a puss, but growing up in the great white north does not prepare you for this. Best article of gear I've ever bought was a cool vest from a road construction equipment mail order website. Less than $20 and will keep you cool all day long. Variety of them on the market. | ||
| Los5445 |
I ride my Uly daily (almost daily) to work, I live south of Phoenix and drive to Casa Grande (66 miles round trip). The bike does fine as you've been told already. You wont fair as well unless you drink a lot of water, more than you think you need. The piece of gear I would recommend is to get beads. I have them, so do a few guys at my work who ride. They will provide air under your "junk" and further back. It will cure "baboon-ass." No amount of powder will keep up with desert heat and hydration and a vinyl seat. You'll only need the wooden ones ($36 or so). Save yourself the crotch rot. www.beadrider.com | ||
| Buellerxt |
What size do you recommend, Los5445? I notice that come 11x11, 12x12, 13x13, and 14x14. I ride with a sheepskin now. I think I'll try the beads on top of that. Thanks. | ||
| Los5445 |
To be honest, I'm not sure what size I have. I ordered the size that it says on their website's size guide. My wife has them as well on her bike. She went for a ride yesterday it was 102 here and she was fine. I would recommend them straight on the seat, ditch the sheepskin in the desert. (Try the beads with and without the sheep skin.) The one word of caution I will give you is that at first they are a little slippery, it takes a few rides to get used to it and then the beads "settle" a bit. I leave mine on year rounds here. I just measured mine, 14x12-ish. | ||
| Krabykarl |
Read the first bead post and I'm thinking, "My God where is he shoving those beads?" With trepidation I clicked the link and was relieved to see it's a seat cover. |
