Staying cool on a motorcycle

It’s summertime in the northern hemisphere, and motorcyclists pull their bikes out of the garage more often to go for a ride. But in some climates, the top temperatures can be quite high and make riding less comfortable. How can you stay cool on your motorcycle?

Unlike a car, SUV, or truck, which is blessed with UV-reducing glass and an AC, a motorcycle is fully exposed to the elements. With the appearance of so many more really hot days, figuring out how to stay cool on a motorcycle becomes more important than ever.

As I write this, the U.S.A. feels the effects of a heat dome across most of it.  In the northeast part of the country, where I live, it’s due to be a high of 92F today.  I tend to prefer cooler weather, so once it’s above 75F, I’m feeling quite warm, so in the 90s, it can be rather dreadful.

There are a few factors that contribute to feeling warm on a motorcycle.  Some you may have more control over than others, but I’ll share what I’ve found works across over 25 years of riding.

When you ride

The hottest part of the day is usually in the late afternoon. If you plan to arrive at your destination before then, you can avoid the worst heat of the day.

Not everyone is a morning person. I certainly wasn’t in my younger years.  But once I had kids, I started getting up earlier to get stuff done before the little ones woke up.  The coolest part of the day is the early morning, so I take advantage of getting my ride in very early.

This works very well for the coffee rides, too, even the longer ones, as I’m traveling before it gets way too hot. With a destination in the middle, I can escape the outdoor heat with a refreshing beverage in the air-conditioned comfort. Properly hydrated, I can then head back out for my return trip and probably still be home before the hottest part of the day hits.

Where you ride

I’m not referring to the geographic region you ride in, but rather where in your area you choose to ride.  I’ll break this down into land and road features that can affect the heat you experience.

Concrete jungle

There is a reason cities are often called concrete jungles.  With nearly every inch of available land covered by buildings, sidewalks, or pavement, a city has a lot of concrete or asphalt.  All of that creates a thermal mass that absorbs the sun’s warmth.  Temperatures rise dramatically in these heat islands, giving a jungle-like feeling despite the lack of trees.  On average, a city will be 2-5º F warmer than the surrounding area throughout the year.  The heat retention of the concrete at night can be even more significant as the temperature difference on a clear, cool night could be as much as 22º F!  So get out of the city to stay cool.

Interstates have high speeds and high temps

Like cities where the thermal effect of all the pavement increases temperatures, extensive highways and interstates have the same impact on a smaller scale.  The pavement absorbs all the heat from the sun, raising the temperature of the air right around it.  Plus, with a ton of traffic, the various cars and trucks are also concentrated heat pumps there, making it hotter.

So, get off the highway and hit the back roads with smaller pavement and more green surrounding them, and you’ll find the temperatures dropping.

Water has a cooling effect

If the road you are riding on is near a body of water, either a lake or a river, it can reduce the local temperature. Water takes much longer to raise and lower temperature, so it can absorb the local air temperatures to create a cooling effect. It’s an added benefit that river and lake roads tend to be fun ones, so find those cooling channels!

Your bike

The bike you are riding can significantly impact how hot you feel while riding. The heat from the engine can dump right onto the rider, and seeing as the engine’s temperature is well above ambient, this can make a hot day feel even hotter.

Air-cooled v-twins mounted in line with the frame have fundamental design issues that can make them feel hot.  In most V-twin bikes, the rear cylinder is physically blocked by the front cylinder.  As a result, the rear cylinder will tend to be hotter than the front one.  It’s also closer to where the rider sits, so all the heat from the cylinder dumps right in their lap.  The front cylinder is right behind the front wheel, so it doesn’t get as much airflow as other configurations, adding to the heat.

Inline engines can also have the same issue. The inline-four on my S1000R, while water-cooled, is tuned for high performance. If you aren’t moving at highway speeds, the water temperature climbs quickly, and all the heat dumps on you. On days like today in the 90s, I’ve found the difference in indicated temperatures ranging from around 220F when stopped or in traffic to around 180F at highway speeds.

While less common, engine configurations mounted across the chassis tend to have better cooling characteristics.  MotoGuzzi’s V-twins have cylinders on either side of the bike that are right in the direct airflow.  BMW’s long-running boxer twin, also used by Ural in their sidecar rigs, benefits from all the airflow on the cylinders.  See our review of the R18 & why a boxer motor doesn’t suffer from these.

If you have a couple of bikes to choose from, choose the one whose engine configuration is least likely to be dumping heat on you.

Myths

Fairing & windshield

Riders with large touring bikes often have a full fairing or a large windshield blocking the air from hitting their bodies. Many will argue that this feels more comfortable than riding a “naked” bike.

While some may prefer the “quieter” noise levels of sitting in the relatively calm bubble of air, this helps make you feel warmer in warmer weather.  We are acutely aware of the impact of wind chills on those who ride year-round.  Heat moves from warm areas to colder areas.  The faster the air moves, the more effectively it moves that heat.  Essentially, the faster you ride, the lower the apparent temperature.  For example, riding your motorcycle at 60MPH when it is 35º F will feel like it is 17º F.  Those fairings and windshields greatly help extend our riding season.  The same principle applies to warmer temperatures.  A breeze will always feel cooler if the ambient temperature is below body temperature. This becomes grey in the upper 90s and above as we get to body temperature.  However, the humidity level also plays a role.  As long as it isn’t massively humid, the sweat on your body can evaporate, taking heat with it.  Air movement helps with evaporation, so even when the temperatures are over 100º F if it is dry, it still may be better not to have a fairing or windshield to remove the heat from your body.

So, if you have a fairing bike & a naked bike, it’s probably better to take it out on scorching days. If your motorcycle can remove the windshield, like my R18 Classic, try taking it off in hot weather for more airflow.

Riding Gear

One of the worst myths about motorcycling is that riding without gear will feel cooler than wearing a jacket. This is why, in warmer weather, you’ll often see riders in shorts and a T-shirt without gloves. In helmet-optional states, it’s not unusual for those same riders to leave their helmet at home or on the back of the bike.

Here’s a couple of thought experiments.

• Would you feel cooler sitting outside in direct sunlight or shade on a hot summer day?

• Would you feel cooler wearing a black shirt or a light-colored shirt?

The air temperature is the same in all the situations above, so what is different?  What makes us feel hot?  If you are in direct sunlight, all the sun’s rays generate radiant heat directly against your skin in a t-shirt and against your face and head without a helmet.  The infrared heat directly goes into your skin, making you feel warmer.  If you have dark-colored clothes, that infrared heat from the sun’s rays is absorbed.  It’s not the air temperature that is different; the direct sunlight on you can feel much warmer.

In a car, you have a roof and UV-reducing coatings on the windows. Combine this with airflow from either some open windows or an AC, and you can see why it can be much cooler in a car than on a bike.

Everyone loves the look of the classic black leather motorcycle jacket and black helmet. They are great for keeping warm in cooler weather, but when it’s really hot, you want to look at other options.

The materials also have an impact.  Cotton clothes will feel warmer & hold more moisture than synthetics.  We’ll discuss some gear that may help you feel cooler.

Recommendations

Helmets

I find that keeping a cool head is the most critical part of summer riding, as it keeps you alert. Just like how riding gear is cooler than just a T-shirt, a helmet also provides shade to avoid direct sunlight on your head. Different helmets have varying cooling capabilities.

Generally speaking, cheaper helmets have fewer vents or less effective cooling channels. Better quality helmets will have channels for airflow between the entry and exit ports in the EPS liner. The exception here is 3/4 helmets and modular helmets. Both of these designs tend not to have as many vents as full-face helmets.

While I love modular helmets for convenience, most have a single chin vent and a single head vent, so airflow is limited.  When it’s hot, I leave the modular at home & reach for my dual sport helmet.  Mine is an Arai XD4.  I love this helmet so much. I bought another one when my last one aged out after five years.  This year, the Arai XD5 was released with several updates targeting more street-oriented riders.  Why are dual sport helmets great in hot weather?

For the same reason, they are excellent for off-road.  Off-road, you usually move slower than on pavement and are more physically active on the bike.  Airflow is the key to staying cool, and these helmets tend to have a ton of airflow.  The chin being spaced so far forward allows airflow from underneath as well.  Many are designed to be used with goggles, so you can leave the face shield up to get even more airflow.  The peak provides additional shade.

But they aren’t perfect. The extra airflow also makes them much louder.  But when it’s in the 90s or above, I’m willing to deal with the extra noise.  I always use earplugs designed for motorcycles anyway. These earplugs don’t block all frequencies equally.  Instead, they allow voice sounds to come through more clearly while blocking wind noise.  I can still hear music from my headset or audio directions from a GPS, but the wind noise is reduced significantly.

Jacket & Pants

You want riding gear with plenty of venting to allow airflow while avoiding direct skin exposure. Lighter colors help here by naturally reflecting more of the sun’s rays.

I use a RevIt Tornado 3 suit in a silver color, which looks almost white for typical street riding in summer.  This mesh suit has a removable liner that provides waterproofing and insulation for cooler weather. Both a jacket and pants are available & I use both in sweltering weather.  This series has continued to evolve; this year, it released the RevIt Tornado 4.  The significant improvement over my RevIt Tornado 3 is that there are now two liners instead of the combined liner in my generation.  One is Hydratex, which provides waterproofing, while the thermal liner is separate.  This allows you to have a waterproof suit in the summer months without all the heat of the thermal liner. I also have a RevIt Airwave Suit which doesn’t have a liner, so it is summer dry weather only.

While many riders love jeans, myself included, a good pair of mesh riding pants is significantly better at keeping you cool than jeans. RevIt makes mesh pants that match the Tornado & Airwave jackets. I have both & love them. Other brands like Klim also make good quality mesh gear.

Mesh gloves can likewise provide more airflow than thick leather gloves while providing shade compared to riding without gloves. I’ve used a set from RevIt that is similar in color to my mesh jacket and pants for many years. I would suggest a lighter color for the natural reflective properties, but there are options in black for riders willing to give up a bit of cooling capacity. For off-road summer use, I have a pair from Klim with less protection for street, but even more airflow.

Base layers

Many riders will probably say, I’ll wear my regular underwear and a cotton t-shirt.  While I don’t deny a fun cotton t-shirt has a style element you might prefer, this article is about staying cool in the hottest weather, not looking cool.  Avoid cotton!  It doesn’t breathe as well as synthetics nor dry as effectively.

Several brands make synthetic base layers for summer weather that can help wick moisture from your body to the air beneath your riding gear, where airflow can help evaporate it, thus cooling you down.  While a T-shirt may be an obvious choice, don’t ignore the long-sleeve options.  In addition to helping wick moisture from your arms, they provide a layer between your jacket and your arms to keep sweaty arms from sticking to the jacket or uncomfortable rubbing from the jacket on your arms.

It’s not just about replacing your t-shirt, though.  A good pair of riding shorts can help avoid that swamp butt feeling.  I like the MotoSkiveez riding shorts, which I wear year-round.  These have a chamois base like bicycle shorts to absorb moisture but also provide a bit of padding.  They are available in a few different configurations to match your bike and your riding posture.  So, whether you are on a cruiser, sport bike, or an ADV bike, you’ll have shorts that will give a bit more comfort to your seat and help wick moisture away.

Full leggings can help if you find the mesh riding pants directly on your legs uncomfortable. They have the same impact as a long-sleeve riding shirt on your legs, helping to wick moisture more effectively, reducing sticking to your pants, and keeping you cool.

I’ll also include socks in this group, as synthetic socks can help wick moisture away to avoid that damp feeling while ensuring a maximum cooling effect from evaporation. There are options targeted toward summer riding that focus on evaporative cooling.

Cooling Vest

I find the mesh suit combined with mesh gloves works great with temperatures between 80º F and the lower 90s. But I tend to run a bit hot, so once it gets to the 90s, I need additional cooling support. This is where my cooling vest helps. Generally, these come in two basic approaches.

One is the soaking style. The other is an internal bladder.  The first one I owned was a soaking style.  You run the vest under a faucet to fully saturate the material.  You then put it on over your base layer but below your jacket.  The water evaporates, keeping you cooler.  These work very well, but you will feel wet if you have the wetness directly against you.  You must also soak the vest again after a few hours, as it will dry out quickly.  Usually priced under $50, they are a cheap option for staying cool. 

I replaced my soaking style a few years ago with an internal bladder cooling vest from Macna.  This has a valve cap you open, filling the vest with water.  The interior material resembles the soaking one, but no water escapes from the vest.  You can put a lot of water into these.  The downside of this design is that water can add a lot of weight.  Make sure you close the valve fully, as you are carrying around several hundred milliliters of water.  But they last a long time.  I’ve found I need to refill them every few days rather than in a few hours, so I’ve seen them more convenient, but they are more expensive, often closer to $200.   

Both styles of cooling vests can make it feel as much as 15˚C (27˚F) cooler than not using a vest, so they are very effective.  I even use them around the campsite when I’m moto-camping, so I switched to the bladder style many years ago.

Boots & Socks

Finally, if you’re still running hot, I might look at your boots & socks. Some socks are aimed at riding in hot weather and will wick moisture more effectively than generic cotton socks. Likewise, some boots will have venting that can help keep your feet cool. Socks are cheap enough they are a good option to start with before moving on to summer-specific boots. Some summer boots are vented, so they aren’t ideal in wet weather, but I find wet weather makes me feel cooler anyway.