Right Side Heat!

[tea6638]

Not sure if anyone has addressed this before but, today my wife was complaining about the heat coming up the right side making her right leg hot. I stopped, and felt an extreme amount of heat coming from the exhaust area. Anyone else ?

[Sopher]

Not sure if anyone has addressed this before but, today my wife was complaining about the heat coming up the right side making her right leg hot. I stopped, and felt an extreme amount of heat coming from the exhaust area. Anyone else ?

uh... yea. That's the RSBT. It comes on after the engine has been warmed up. Check the upper panel and make sure it's inside clips are holding the bottom kick panel near the foot pegs.








p.s. RSBT = Right Side Blow Torch...

[IWN2RYD]

We felt this today as well. But we felt it from the front area, not the exhaust

Our thought was this being the first time we drove over 100 miles in one stretch with the weather being over 85f... Contributed to the excess heat. This and possibly a part of the break in time?

However... Ours fluctuated... The analog Temp gauge went to one line from reaching the red area... Then cooled off a few moment later to about 2/3rds.

This process repeated about four times....

We spoke about it for a bit, and wonder what will happen when 100f weather hits and we are on a long ride.....

[2Gunns]

Not sure if anyone has addressed this before but, today my wife was complaining about the heat coming up the right side making her right leg hot. I stopped, and felt an extreme amount of heat coming from the exhaust area. Anyone else ?

my wife complained about the same thing this weekend....course she was not wearing proper gear, sandles & capri pants are not proper motorcycle attire.

[fastfraser]

Hot machine running even hotter after the last update .

[3Ryder]

Has anyone experimented with redirecting the "blowtorch" as it exits the right side? Fortunately, my RT runs in a very steady temp range (e.g. the analog needle ran just slightly above horizontal while riding in 113 degree heat yesterday), but that blowtorch is tough. And when I put my right foot on the ESI peg, it seems to be even more in line with the blast.

It's certainly something I can live with, but was curious to know if any creative types had figured out how to redirect the flow, possibly downwards.

[VaughnCat]

uh... yea. That's the RSBT. It comes on after the engine has been warmed up. Check the upper panel and make sure it's inside clips are holding the bottom kick panel near the foot pegs.

p.s. RSBT = Right Side Blow Torch...

Also suspected to be a major contributor to global warming . . . .

Seriously, we've experienced it on both the RS & RT (warmer on RS, however).... there are several posts where spyderlovers have come up with their own clever ways of deflecting and/or dealing with the heat.....

[wexgary]

we experienced excess heat on 2009 se5 rs.. local trike dealer developed a diverter that cuts about 85% of heat away from legs, looks factory, and does not cause bike to run any hotter..we're in Vegas, & driving in 110 degrees, is much more comfortable...you can contact Rick at Motorcycle Trike Toys in Las Vegas, Nv (702) 856-0308

[3Ryder]

we experienced excess heat on 2009 se5 rs.. local trike dealer developed a diverter that cuts about 85% of heat away from legs, looks factory, and does not cause bike to run any hotter..we're in Vegas, & driving in 110 degrees, is much more comfortable...you can contact Rick at Motorcycle Trike Toys in Las Vegas, Nv (702) 856-0308

Are you going on the ride on Saturday? Would love to see what they did.

[lawrenc454]

Would like to a photo if it is for the RT. Thanks in advance. Lonnie

[smoothride]

Hi guys,

these are not snowmobile!, i would imagine the engeneers from brp would to be smarter! it's goes very hot.

my body kit does save me a lot of heat transfer compare to my friend that doesn't have any. it's at least twice the heat on his spyder.

a body kit is the way to go!

is there anything else we could do to run it cooler?

[Marc Goldstone]

I am a fairly new Spyder owner. (Purchased our 2010 RSS bike two months ago)

In my humble opinion the SE5 Spyder has a design issue that causes excessive temperatures on the legs of the driver. This is most prevalent when the ambient temperature exceeds about 100 degrees F. In the desert southwest and Bullhead City Arizona in particular our summer temperatures have already reached 113 degrees and it is only the beginning of June. The right leg gets the brunt of the heat, except when the wind is blowing from the right side of the bike, then the left leg experiences uncomfortable temperatures. If stopped at a long traffic light, the initial heat appeared to be from the exhaust, (no leaks) but when the radiator fan kicked in the pain got really unbearable.

The following "fixes" describe an acceptable resolution of the engine heat problem:

First, I purchased and installed the Spyderpops "missing air dam" which seemed to help cool the engine more effectively (fewer bars while moving) but the leg burning continued at high ambient temperatures and while stopped. A partial fix at best.

In frustration I next tried two additional modifications implemented at the same time. The first was to wrap both exhaust pipes with 2" width graphite black exhaust insulating wrap from the engine exhaust port down to the spring loaded exhaust flange on the left side and beyond the spring (spring not covered) down to the bottom of the bike on the right exhaust pipe. The wrap was applied dry with about 1/2" of overlap. I didn't bother to wrap the exhaust pipes located at the very bottom of the bike as the frame adequately deflects that heat. I found the stainless steel "cable wraps" difficult to install and tighten so instead I used some steel wire like the type used to tie rebar. Looping one or two turns around the Fiberglas wrapping material and twisting tight with a plier was much quicker and far superior at clamping the pipe wrap to the exhaust pipe. I read about this pipe wrap on the forums.

Lastly I fabricated an air dam extension for the right side cowling to deflect more air from the cooling fan out the opening on the right side of the cowling. I got the idea for this from several forum posts (Australian and Domestic) Rather than using a "notebook cover" plastic material I chose a piece of aluminum roof flashing and was able to gradually cut it to size in place. It was then screwed to the standard plastic air dam and for good measure was also siliconed in place. I added a strip of "continuous grommet" made of nylon material and siliconed it on the edge that is closest to the fan shroud because the cut aluminum edge was sharp. Since the radiator host runs along the top edge of the plastic air dam I was careful in the screw placement to avoid puncturing the hose.

The first test took place today and in 109 degree heat the only heat on the right leg (wearing shorts) was when my thigh touched the torx body panel screws. They were somewhat hot but easy to avoid by adjusting my leg position. There was absolutely no uncomfortable heat felt on either leg even in stop and go traffic.

My Wife and I will be driving 750 miles next week through southern Utah, Zion National Park, Page Arizona, the south rim of the grand canyon and finally old route 66 back to Bullhead City. The temperatures can be expected to be well over 110 degrees at times so this will be a good test, though I am confident that the problem has been solved.

It took about an hour of driving to burn off the silicone coating on the "cool it" Thermo Tec exhaust wrap which I purchased from Auto Zone for about $50. During that time the bike give off some smoke but not to worry, there is no chance of a fire during this out gassing.

My next redesign project of a much lesser priority will be to resolve the brake squeal. I plan on trying some 3M VHB high temperature tape between the piston and the brake shoes. Again the idea came from several forum posts.

[IWN2RYD]

I am a fairly new Spyder owner. (Purchased our 2010 RSS bike two months ago)

In my humble opinion the SE5 Spyder has a design issue that causes excessive temperatures on the legs of the driver. This is most prevalent when the ambient temperature exceeds about 100 degrees F. In the desert southwest and Bullhead City Arizona in particular our summer temperatures have already reached 113 degrees and it is only the beginning of June. The right leg gets the brunt of the heat, except when the wind is blowing from the right side of the bike, then the left leg experiences uncomfortable temperatures. If stopped at a long traffic light, the initial heat appeared to be from the exhaust, (no leaks) but when the radiator fan kicked in the pain got really unbearable.

The following "fixes" describe an acceptable resolution of the engine heat problem:

First, I purchased and installed the Spyderpops "missing air dam" which seemed to help cool the engine more effectively (fewer bars while moving) but the leg burning continued at high ambient temperatures and while stopped. A partial fix at best.

In frustration I next tried two additional modifications implemented at the same time. The first was to wrap both exhaust pipes with 2" width graphite black exhaust insulating wrap from the engine exhaust port down to the spring loaded exhaust flange on the left side and beyond the spring (spring not covered) down to the bottom of the bike on the right exhaust pipe. The wrap was applied dry with about 1/2" of overlap. I didn't bother to wrap the exhaust pipes located at the very bottom of the bike as the frame adequately deflects that heat. I found the stainless steel "cable wraps" difficult to install and tighten so instead I used some steel wire like the type used to tie rebar. Looping one or two turns around the Fiberglas wrapping material and twisting tight with a plier was much quicker and far superior at clamping the pipe wrap to the exhaust pipe. I read about this pipe wrap on the forums.

Lastly I fabricated an air dam extension for the right side cowling to deflect more air from the cooling fan out the opening on the right side of the cowling. I got the idea for this from several forum posts (Australian and Domestic) Rather than using a "notebook cover" plastic material I chose a piece of aluminum roof flashing and was able to gradually cut it to size in place. It was then screwed to the standard plastic air dam and for good measure was also siliconed in place. I added a strip of "continuous grommet" made of nylon material and siliconed it on the edge that is closest to the fan shroud because the cut aluminum edge was sharp. Since the radiator host runs along the top edge of the plastic air dam I was careful in the screw placement to avoid puncturing the hose.

The first test took place today and in 109 degree heat the only heat on the right leg (wearing shorts) was when my thigh touched the torx body panel screws. They were somewhat hot but easy to avoid by adjusting my leg position. There was absolutely no uncomfortable heat felt on either leg even in stop and go traffic.

My Wife and I will be driving 750 miles next week through southern Utah, Zion National Park, Page Arizona, the south rim of the grand canyon and finally old route 66 back to Bullhead City. The temperatures can be expected to be well over 110 degrees at times so this will be a good test, though I am confident that the problem has been solved.

It took about an hour of driving to burn off the silicone coating on the "cool it" Thermo Tec exhaust wrap which I purchased from Auto Zone for about $50. During that time the bike give off some smoke but not to worry, there is no chance of a fire during this out gassing.

My next redesign project of a much lesser priority will be to resolve the brake squeal. I plan on trying some 3M VHB high temperature tape between the piston and the brake shoes. Again the idea came from several forum posts.

Excellent post!!!

Do you have any pictures for my braincell to better comprehend what you did?

[3Ryder]

Are you referring to your fix on an RT or an RS? Avatar suggests RT and a "design flaw in the SE-5", but you also refer to RSS and it was my understanding that the "missing air dam" was for the RS. Can you send a picture of the metal deflector you crafted? Thanks.

[Marc Goldstone]

Next time I disassemble the cowling I will take photos of the aluminum extension. Earlier in this thread someone had posted photos of the plastic version and it looks pretty similar, though slightly longer. I forgot to mention that the aluminum was spray painted flat black so that it could not be seen from outside the bike.

My bike is the 2010 SE5 RS-S configuration NOT the touring bike. I understand that the touring model already had made great strides to keep the rider's legs comfortable via its new body design.

[VaughnCat]

Next time I disassemble the cowling I will take photos of the aluminum extension. Earlier in this thread someone had posted photos of the plastic version and it looks pretty similar, though slightly longer. I forgot to mention that the aluminum was spray painted flat black so that it could not be seen from outside the bike.

My bike is the 2010 SE5 RS-S configuration NOT the touring bike. I understand that the touring model already had made great strides to keep the rider's legs comfortable via its new body design.

Rick emailed me some pics but I still can't figure out where it mounts and how it deflects the heat . . .
Sounds like a great concept, can't wait to hear how it works for you, and see pics of yours. . . . at your convenience (no pressure ).

Cat

[Spydeb]

I am a new 2009 SM5 rider and I too am experiencing significant right side heat. Our temps have only hit high 90's here, I too will be looking for a solution if anyone has one.

[1VENOM]

Pics please

[Tee_racy]

RTS SE-5 Touring Spyder - with all these posts surely BRP has come up with factory mods for this heat... I know they likely expect proper riding gear to make it tolerable but with a great bike there should be great comfort - the heat has to and needs to go somewhere else - I was pretty sure yesterday riding in 98 degree Houston weather I was getting a second degree burn. I had to look several times.. both sides were putting out very hot air flow (hair dryer on high) onto my shins... I am not the most mechanical guy and that's why I bought extended warranty and maintenance agreements... somebody could make some money here putting together a kit - I know I would buy it!

[Tee_racy]

I bought my Spyder about a month ago and within a week experienced squealing of the brakes and a number of stall outs when slowing or breaking..... my dealer told me BRP had come out with the 3rd set of brake shoes to solve the squealing and they would contact BRP for the stall problem but that BRP had already known about it and had a clutch kit to correct it.... yesterday I picked up my bike and no more squealing and no stalls whatsoever and no drop in RPM below 1300... the heat from the front exhaust is still kicking my behind ... but I love riding that bike!

[spyder_RT]

So Marc Goldstone in his post for his RS he wrapped the pipes to cut some of the heat. So if I wrap my pipes would that make the engine hotter. The fiberglass on my bike gets vary hot and it is from the pipes. The glove box even gets hot and there is a lot of air flow from there to I will have to look into that to.

[bikeguy]

The same insulated boots that keep your feet warm in the winter will help to keep them cool (well, bearable, at least) in the summer. My wife and I both wear denim jeans winter and summer. I would burn up with shorts on from the sun as well as from the Spyder's engine heat. Also keeping your feet and legs in close to the bike will help on the Spyder RT as the air vents from the radiator and oil cooler away from the bike.

Cotton

[AnthonyG]

Not sure if anyone has addressed this before but, today my wife was complaining about the heat coming up the right side making her right leg hot. I stopped, and felt an extreme amount of heat coming from the exhaust area. Anyone else ?

I have bad legs and poor circulation and my legs get a little hot, but boy is it nice in the winter.

[manoman14]

I took the plastic air diverters that live under the mirrors off once it got hot. Lets the air circulate a lot better, so I don't notice near as much engine heat. Once the weather cools down this fall they will return to their original position.

[Spydeb]

Hey Spydeb we are in Cleburne my wife and I each have a
I was going to post that we should be wearing boots while riding as per you pic looks like you are. Another thing that will help some until we can come up with a mod to fix the heat is to get some cool max socks they do seem to reduce some of the heat as they help draw the heat away from your feet.

As you know already TX gets nasty quick
hope we can hook up sometime the Wife and I were thinking of a meet and greet, eat and then a ride out from the house, to see how many we could see

Hey whats the 90s thing we have been hitting 100 down here

Just saw your post... sorry I didn't respond sooner.
We have a few Spyder Riders meeting in Godley in the morning at 8:30 am and then riding to Cranfills Gap and back if you are interested. We would love to have ya'll along.