Unprepared!

[C. Lee]

My wife & I went for a day trip to Velvet Ice Cream plant in Utica, OH yesterday, it was our 30 wedding anniversary and thought a nice ride was a good way to spend the day together. The temps here in OH yesterday and today are well in the 90's. We set off on our journey with what I thought was plenty of water. However, as the day progressed it became painfully obvious that the 6 bottles of water wasn't nearly enough. My wife began to suffer from heat exhaustion on the trip home. We decided to push through it which in hind sight was not the right call. We should have stopped more frequently and found places to cool down and rest. I know what we did wrong on this trip and I just wanted to let others know not to mess around with the hot weather. When you ride in this heat make sure you cover up so you don't bake in the sun, and stop frequently to hydrate and cool down. Chris

[JayBros]

Camelbak!!! Can't beat 'em.

[Easy Rider]

I hope both of you have recovered with no lasting ill effects.

How far was this trip ?

And the advice to "cover up" needs to be qualified a bit.
Good air flow is as important as good hydration.

Living in Florida, I sometimes think my RT does TOO good a job of keeping the wind off of me.

[BoxyLady]

I hope both of you have recovered with no lasting ill effects.

How far was this trip ?

And the advice to "cover up" needs to be qualified a bit.
Good air flow is as important as good hydration.

Living in Florida, I sometimes think my RT does TOO good a job of keeping the wind off of me.

Indeed! we pulled the windshield off our 2016 F3L until the cooler weather gets here. the windshield aerodynamics work TOO good....

[Chupaca]

First off hope you both recovered well...Great reminder to folks now that the weather is getting hot. Dress for it hydration is most important. When getting gas re stock water supply....

[Bob Denman]

If you always prepare for the most severe conditions that you might encounter: you'll never be caught unprepared.
I hope that you both recover quickly and completely!

[AeroPilot]

First off hope you both recovered well...Great reminder to folks now that the weather is getting hot. Dress for it hydration is most important. When getting gas re stock water supply....

We usually carry a six-pack of cold water bottles when we leave out as well as ice in the softside cooler and some wetted down neck wraps. Like you said, sometimes the water is used up, and we take advantage of gas stops as well as refill water bottles if at a restaurant stop. Long days in the heat take the liquid out of you--must replace to avoid heat exhaustion, and sometimes it requires extra cooling stops in the AC somewhere. Glad you're recovering!

[Deanna777]

My significant other( vtrider) and I before we leave to go riding, we take water or Power Aid with us. Even if we are on the road, when we gas up/ we get more water/ or Power Aid/ Gator Aid.


Everyone out there stay hydrated,( water or other liquid) and take breaks, when riding in the HOT Weather.


I hope you folks are ok. P.S. Happy anniversary!

Deanna

[UtahPete]

We can never be reminded too often of the need to stay hydrated. Thanks for the reminder and glad you're okay.

[Explorer]

Camelbak!!! Can't beat 'em.

Filled with ice cubes and one cup of water at home. You will have ice cold water to drink all day. Remember to blow into the tube, to blow the hot water in the tube back into the bladder, before sucking the ice cold water.
Ride Safe,
Roger

[Navydad]

And the advice to "cover up" needs to be qualified a bit.
Good air flow is as important as good hydration.

Too much airflow can contribute to dehydration and you don't even realize it. What with the heat making you sweat (losing hydration) and the airflow wicking the moisture away faster than normal you can find yourself in trouble rather quickly. Wet your hand and place it in front of a fan. Feels cool doesn't it. It is also drying quickly isn't it. This is happening to your body while riding. I wear mesh jacket and pants which give nice airflow and I wear a LONG SLEEVE lightweight shirt under the mesh jacket. You lose a lot of fluid from bare skin and the long sleeve shirt helps slow this and yet allows airflow. Break out your National Geographic mags and check out the photos of folks who live in hot climates. They cover up for protection from the sun and for protection from dehydration. Riding nekkid on a hot day may feel great, but you had better be taking in a lot of water.

[Motorcycledave]

Hi Dave here
My wife Julie and I when we travel in the heat always take plenty of water along,
We have 3 soft sided Colman coolers that fit into the side bags on all out motorcycles
each of the smaller ones hold 6 but you can cheat and put one on top of the others
and get 7.... we always freeze 3 for each cooler and that way on the trip up we each
have 3 or 4 and on the way back hours later the frozen ones are ice cold to drink.
When I still had my GoldWing I had one of the racks that plugs into the trailer hitch receiver
that way we could take a large ice chest with just about anything we wanted to drink
and eat...
The collapsible coolers are easy to find at Target, WalMart, Kmart even Walgreen's.
Get a large neck scarf dunk it in cold water ring it out and wrap it around your neck when it is
super hot say 115 or so it will help a lot.
Ride safe
Dave

My wife & I went for a day trip to Velvet Ice Cream plant in Utica, OH yesterday, it was our 30 wedding anniversary and thought a nice ride was a good way to spend the day together. The temps here in OH yesterday and today are well in the 90's. We set off on our journey with what I thought was plenty of water. However, as the day progressed it became painfully obvious that the 6 bottles of water wasn't nearly enough. My wife began to suffer from heat exhaustion on the trip home. We decided to push through it which in hind sight was not the right call. We should have stopped more frequently and found places to cool down and rest. I know what we did wrong on this trip and I just wanted to let others know not to mess around with the hot weather. When you ride in this heat make sure you cover up so you don't bake in the sun, and stop frequently to hydrate and cool down. Chris

[Motorcycledave]

BOB I bet you were in the Boy Scouts.....

If you always prepare for the most severe conditions that you might encounter: you'll never be caught unprepared.
I hope that you both recover quickly and completely!

[Chiisai]

Most everything that has been written here is true and very important. One thing that is almost always overlooked is your preparation for your summer riding. Well before you take that first summer ride you need to start preparing your body for the heat. Hydrating on a daily basis is the key to not getting into a bad situation with dehydration. Water is so important to your body all year round but in the summer it is even more essential. Drinking half of your body weight in ounces daily is recommended year round and not just on the day of your 12 hour riding trip in 90 plus temperatures. Stay prepared by drinking water all day long and all year long and you won't get into a heat related situation that might turn deadly quickly. Stopping and cooling off frequently on your ride is also a good habit to get into. It not only cools down your body but it also keeps you from developing fatigue. Covering up (not only for road safety but also in hot temperatures) to keep your skin protected and hydrated (from your sweat). I never go out for a ride without my large insulated cup on my Spyder, even in the winter when the temps are colder. Your body is 85% water and that water needs to be replaced on a regular basis.

[CMA/IBA_rider]

Happy anniversary. 30 years that's a good start

[PrairieSpyder]

Besides drinking plenty of water and stopping along the way, I have an evaporative vest I wear under my mesh. It really helps keep me comfortable. When it dries out, I can wet it down again whenever I stop.

[Easy Rider]

Too much airflow can contribute to dehydration and you don't even realize it. Riding nekkid on a hot day may feel great, but you had better be taking in a lot of water.

While that is all true, a really LOT of people don't absorb or understand all that they read.......so some of what you said can be dangerous to some people.

Your body needs to COOL. The only way it has to do that is by evaporating sweat from your skin.
The only way that happens is with air flow.

I think it would be hard to pinpoint whether too MUCH air flow or too LITTLE might be the worst.
There needs to be a balance and I think it is better to err on the side of more air flow and not less.

When I ride with a mesh jacket, I have only a T-shirt under. The jacket provides more than enough protection from the direct sun.
When I ride without the jacket, then long sleeves are required.......for a ride of more than a half hour or so.

YOU SHOULD NEVER WEAR A NON-VENTILATED JACKET IN REALLY HOT WEATHER.

[jaherbst]

Be prepared that's the Boy Scouts marching song, be prepared as the Boy Scouts march along etc. etc. ( now we have to make up a new

song right girls?)

Jack

[PMK]

While that is all true, a really LOT of people don't absorb or understand all that they read.......so some of what you said can be dangerous to some people.

Your body needs to COOL. The only way it has to do that is by evaporating sweat from your skin.
The only way that happens is with air flow.

I think it would be hard to pinpoint whether too MUCH air flow or too LITTLE might be the worst.
There needs to be a balance and I think it is better to err on the side of more air flow and not less.

When I ride with a mesh jacket, I have only a T-shirt under. The jacket provides more than enough protection from the direct sun.
When I ride without the jacket, then long sleeves are required.......for a ride of more than a half hour or so.

YOU SHOULD NEVER WEAR A NON-VENTILATED JACKET IN REALLY HOT WEATHER.

Excess airflow is always best in hot conditions, BUT it does mandate that the person drinks to replace fluids.

Some off the most painful off road bicycle races I have competed in were 6 hour events. Never fun when hot with no breeze, but hot with a light breeze hurts the most. It requires huge amounts of water, bannanas, Gatorade, energy stuff, pickles and pickle juice.

Until you experience true dehydration, most people just blow it off as nothing. After becoming truly dehydrated, wirh foggy head and cramps plus more, you never want to experience that again. One easy tip to consider, if you ever feel goosebumps for no good reason on a hot day, you are or very close to dehydrated and overheated.

Also, smart folks drink water or stuff, not beer, prior to getting thirsty at the mouth. Once you become thirsty, that too is a warning sign to continually drink more.

[PMK]

Filled with ice cubes and one cup of water at home. You will have ice cold water to drink all day.
Ride Safe,
Roger

Good method no doubt, done it many times before myself.

Ensure you have the insulated tube option for best results.

The Camelbak is great, but can also be a curse limiting airflow. Years ago, Camelbak made the Icebak version. Very little insulation on the back pad. Was nice with cold stuff in the bladder, kept your core temp lower.

[Deanna777]

If you are traveling alone, stay hydrated and stop often, and take stretch brakes. Bring extra water,& liquids, wear light colored clothing.


Before leaving on a trip if you can get an other spyder rider, just in case if something does happen.

Deanna

[Navydad]

I think it would be hard to pinpoint whether too MUCH air flow or too LITTLE might be the worst.
There needs to be a balance and I think it is better to err on the side of more air flow and not less.


Just like many other aspects of riding you need to find out what works for you when it comes to riding in extreme heat. I nor anyone else can do that for you, all we can do is offer up what works for us as individuals. Many people have a cutoff point for cold weather riding, but few have one for extreme heat. I took my first cross country trip at age 18, that was forty five years ago. I know what works for me and at what temperature extremes I stay off the bike. If I ride 100 miles and don't need to visit the little motorcyclists room than I increase my water intake. Extreme cold usually makes you uncomfortable enough to call it a day or to seek warmth. Extreme heat doesn't always give warning until you are trouble. Know your limits.

[ThreeWheels]

Hi Dave here
My wife Julie and I when we travel in the heat always take plenty of water along,
The collapsible coolers are easy to find at Target, WalMart, Kmart even Walgreen's.
Get a large neck scarf dunk it in cold water ring it out and wrap it around your neck when it is
super hot say 115 or so it will help a lot.
Ride safe
Dave

I just came back from a business trip to Las Vegas.
I had planned to rent a Harley and ride out to Hoover Dam.
Instead, I elected to rent a car.
I think that was a wiser decision.
My philosophy regarding riding:
Wherever you go, you prepare for the worst weather, you never know if you might get caught.
But you don't LEAVE in bad weather.

Just my opinion, I could be wrong.