How hot is too hot to ride?

I love the Texas hill country, it's one of the cooler locations and a wonderful place indeed, I agree around a 100'f it gets to be a bit of a puff, however the winter here in Nebraska puts it's in the barn Nov-April, so if i cant ride in the winter because it's too cold, and i can't ride in the summer because it's too hot, when can i ride it? Out on the open road it's ok but in town that rear cylinder can be a tickler, on very hot and humid days i typically take the car for a round town stuff and then go for a cruise out in the country later. I'd say 110f would be all i'd deal with, with our humidity index, but as far as comfort, i think we all agree 75f is human happiness.

I wrote 90, but sometimes 80 can be too hot for me to enjoy riding. One reason is that I will never ride without my full set of leathers, the other reason is that bikes with fairing bring the experienced temp up by at least 10 degrees, and finally, sun strength and humidity play a massive role in comfort. So for me, 90 would require ideal conditions; not so bright a sun, low humidity and no fairing/wind protection together with vented leathers.

I voted for 105 but it's not like I really have a choice. The hottest I've ridden is 112 and it was like riding into a hair dryer.

Friday evening I was stopped at a red-light and the marquee on the corner said 99 degrees. I didn't realize it was that hot and I'm not very heat tolerant

Chapdawg said:

i think we all agree 75f is human happiness.

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Personally, I prefer around 65 on a sunny day, and about 70 if overcast. Those temps are OK both riding, as well as stopped for a while without having to remove my gear.

anything above 98.6 is starting to cook you. I can tell a big difference between 97 and 99.

Bucfan11 said:

anything above 98.6 is starting to cook you. I can tell a big difference between 97 and 99.

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Above 98.6, and the higher you get above, you will actually be cooler the more layer of clothes you put on. Below 98.6, you will be warmer than the surrounding air, so the air will try and steal heat from you. This will cool you. Above that temp, you are cooler than the air, and the air will try to cool itself from you. This will make you warmer. Very, very simplistically explained. If you isolate yourself from the air around you with many layers of clothes, it will be easier for your body to retain its desired temperature. The effect is very slim around 98.6F, either way, but the further you get below or above, the more effective it will be to put on insulation.

bevo1981 said:

i don't really get the question.

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At what temperature threshold would you not prefer to ride in or not enjoy as much due to heat.

lesblank said:

At what temperature threshold would you not prefer to ride in or not enjoy as much due to heat.

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i know the question. i was making a point that it's never too hot to ride

When I did my camera test ride it was around 98 and I was fine even when stopped. I was a tad warm when I got home but not so much that I had to turn my swamp cooler on high. Of course I had to wash the clothes I was wearing because I was a little sweaty. I'm not sure I would want to spend an entire day riding in that heat but relatively short distances aren't a problem.

I went on a Poker Run Saturday, heat index 112. I was fine until... A big wreck on the interstate, we had to take the only open secondary road to get back to Pensacola. We had over 5 miles of 1st gear stop and go. With the heat coming off the engine and no breeze I was toast by the time we made it back to town for the last stop. I am still feeling that one today.

no suitable vote iption so never voted .... hotter the better

I voted 100°F. It's not for certain, but if the forecast is for 100°, I'll probably lounge in the A/C. Or, head to the beach which isn't far. Or head to the mountains, which isn't far. Either way I will only have to endure the real heat for an hour, and then the rest will be pretty nice.

Gotta love So Cal.

bevo1981 said:

i know the question. i was making a point that it's never too hot to ride

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Bevo your too young to understand

I like how there is an adult content label saying you have to be 18+ to see the pic of Bevo's feet ( Don't look Ethel)

He was right there in the middle of the pole beans

faffi said:

Personally, I prefer around 65 on a sunny day, and about 70 if overcast. Those temps are OK both riding, as well as stopped for a while without having to remove my gear.

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I'm with @faffi here, 60/65 is a great temp when the sun's out and no wind. I enjoy wearing leathers and light to medium gloves. So that gives me the most protection along with comfort. When it gets hot I may only ride with boots, jeans, t-shirt, and helmet. At that point as long as you're moving temps nearing 100 are still bearable. But I don't have many cities to deal with stop and go traffic. If that were the case I'd lower my top end temp.

bevo1981 said:

...through Death Valley last summer and ended up like this:
View attachment 117958

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But did you die? No! Because Death Valley is just its name, not a goal.

Proper footwear would have prevented this. Just sayin'...

I posted 100°F in the survey, but it's really a moving target for me. If just riding to nowhere/scavenger hunting/etc. I think 90°F or a little over (in SE Texas humidity) is about all I will subject myself to. On the other hand, if traveling or something needs to done/delivered I will consider higher temperatures, assuming that my arriving soaked in sweat is acceptable for whatever task is at hand. The wife's tolerance, however, is probably 5° to 10° lower than mine before she reminds me we have other transportation at our disposal that have functioning air conditioners.