Burning my legs

[ttc]

(yes it still smokes - different topic)

This thing burns my legs.. I put the blocking kit on the RHS and it is a bit better, but it's also burning my left leg.
The panel gets so hot I can't touch it.
I had the exhaust wrapped today and within ten minutes on the ride home i had a sore leg again.
I'm starting to hate this thing.
Has anyone had this and been able to fix it? It was smoking and I hoped it was on fire, but it was just the wrap.

[Chupaca]

I see from your profile your talking about a 2013 RSS. They were not the ones with the major heat issues but there are several updates you should have had done. You can search the threads here but I believe there are modified panels you can get and by vin# you can see if updates have been made. If you still have the cat eliminating that help reduce the heat in that area. Hope your wearing good ryding gear cause regardless there will be heat there. You can also have the Y gaskets checked if leaking will generat heat about the calf and knee area. Just remember it will never be as cool as ryding a bicycle...

[latony007]

apparently its all models, my brother has a 2012 RT that had the same issue, on the right side anyway. putting the block off plate helped but still wont ride it when its too hot outside. I have not had my 2008 during a summer yet but i am fearing the same issue.

[Dan_Ashley]

http://www.spyderlovers.com/forums/s...highlight=foot

[Cez]

I had the same issue. My machine was so hot I couldn't ride when temperature outside was over 80F.
First I had the panels replaced for 2014 style under warranty; it helped. Than during the winter i got rid of the CAT converter (heat generator) and wrapped the entire exhaust including CAT bypass. Also, since I was there I insulated the fuel tank to further eliminate fuel smell - I did have gas smell problem as well. I'm not riding yet, but when the weather breaks I expect significant improvement.
And yes I had software update done, but it didn't help much with the heat.

[latony007]

I had the same issue. My machine was so hot I couldn't ride when temperature outside was over 80F.
First I had the panels replaced for 2014 style under warranty; it helped. Than during the winter i got rid of the CAT converter (heat generator) and wrapped the entire exhaust including CAT bypass. Also, since I was there I insulated the fuel tank to further eliminate fuel smell - I did have gas smell problem as well. I'm not riding yet, but when the weather breaks I expect significant improvement.
And yes I had software update done, but it didn't help much with the heat.

Tons of threads on this issue and i dont want to beat a dead horse, but i just think having to do all these things to keep your leg from being burned off and or blowing up from gas is ridiculous. I have gotten the gas smell a couple times but i do have a tendency to overfill when i know i am going to be riding a while right after fill up, which i wont do anymore. Just hoping for the best when the temp gets up. Apparently in the great white north they never considered the fact these would be ridden in temps higher than 80.

[coz]

I see from your profile your talking about a 2013 RSS. They were not the ones with the major heat issues but there are several updates you should have had done. You can search the threads here but I believe there are modified panels you can get and by vin# you can see if updates have been made. If you still have the cat eliminating that help reduce the heat in that area. Hope your wearing good ryding gear cause regardless there will be heat there. You can also have the Y gaskets checked if leaking will generat heat about the calf and knee area. Just remember it will never be as cool as ryding a bicycle...

Remove at least one pair of the splash pans from under the bike. This will make a huge difference, letting heat out underneath the bike. AND it's FREE.. Another tip that is almost free it's so cheap to do. Take off your right side radiator/ fan cover off . Enlarge the " scoop " area inside the cover. It's too small and lets a lot of hot air blow straight back on your leg. I used a piece of vinyl siding. It's very easy to work with. Make the scoop as big as you can, and still get the panel back on. I think spyder pops sells a kit for this. If you do your own, use small nuts and bolts and locktite to attach the new piece to the original scoop. Screws could vibrate loose and end up in your back tire.

[Cez]

(yes it still smokes - different topic)

This thing burns my legs.. I put the blocking kit on the RHS and it is a bit better, but it's also burning my left leg.
The panel gets so hot I can't touch it.
I had the exhaust wrapped today and within ten minutes on the ride home i had a sore leg again.
I'm starting to hate this thing.
Has anyone had this and been able to fix it? It was smoking and I hoped it was on fire, but it was just the wrap.

You should definitely work with your dealer and have the panels replaced. They'll do it under warranty.

[PistonBlown]

Firstly I've only heard of a couple of cases of 2013 RS's having heat issues but that could possibly be because most members of SpyderLovers etc have RT's and so has been a lot of noise about those.

My understanding is that there wasn't that many changes between the 2013 RS's and the earlier models. The main alterations were:

1. Changes to the front suspension mounts and frame
2. New front wheels and guard's
3. A different mapping for the engine
4. CAT was separated from the exhaust and put under the engine

It's the 3rd and 4th changes that had some impact on heat.

There was a problem with the 3rd item that was identified quite early on and was supposed to be fixed by a Buds update. So first recommendation is to make sure with the dealer that all those updates have been applied.

As already mentioned the 2014 RS's had new body panels with extra air scoops. Again I have heard of some 2013 ST and RS owners getting these fitted for free by dealers so that's also worth pursuing. Someone posted on here that the kit costs about US$280 if you did have to buy it - though probably in Australia you get ripped off on pricing for parts like we do here in NZ.

The 4th item, the CAT change, seems to be another likely cause of heat problems. Martin (http://spyderryders.net.au/products.html) sells CAT bypasses but I notice he says they are for the RT not the RS which does suggest it's not normally an issue. I have also heard of the exhaust gaskets causing more heat when they start failing, meaning the ones between the pipe and CAT etc.

I've got to say this sounds as if there's something more involved here than would be fixed just replacing panels etc. Obviously you have hotter temps there than here but I did 15 hours riding the other day with temps from 27C (80F) to 33C (91F) - though the right panel was warm from the exhaust it wasn't hot and certainly I didn't notice any heat through my jeans. I have an 2011 RS but even with the difference in the exhaust/CAT I wouldn't expect that much difference in the heat generated. I have no heat related mod's to my RS.

[Cez]

CAT inside the body is a major problem. This is a big object abstracting air flow in the engine area, beside that it's hot like hell. This is like having a fireball right under the fuel tank. So far everyone who decided to bypass the CAT reported big improvement. The CAT bypass for RSS will be the same as RT as long as we talk about v-tween engine.

[PistonBlown]

CAT inside the body is a major problem. This is a big object abstracting air flow in the engine area, beside that it's hot like hell. This is like having a fireball right under the fuel tank. So far everyone who decided to bypass the CAT reported big improvement. The CAT bypass for RSS will be the same as RT as long as we talk about v-tween engine.

Thought that would be the case but good to confirm they are the same. Martin only mentions the RT on his site but I suspect that's because he only had requests for it from RT owners. The unfortunate part of this is ttc would have to spend a fair bit of money out just to see if this makes a difference or not.

[Cez]

Thought that would be the case but good to confirm they are the same. Martin only mentions the RT on his site but I suspect that's because he only had requests for it from RT owners. The unfortunate part of this is ttc would have to spend a fair bit of money out just to see if this makes a difference or not.

Too bad that she is not happy with her . She looks great on that machine.

[Paula(Butch2025)]

Definitely start a conversation with BRP Care regarding your heat issue. They will refer to your dealer, then the process to get the new air flow panels can begin. My husband has a 13 STs and they have greatly helped him and I have a 12 RS that we were able to get the new panels for also. Both of us are now able to touch the tank and side panels after a long ride without lots of heat, only what you would expect from a combustion engine after a long ride. Good luck and start that conversation/communication with BRP Care soon.