Be careful Riding When it's Too Hot! Hydrate & keep cool!!

[spyderider1]

As the temperature climbed Saturday to a record 128 degrees Fahrenheit in Death Valley National Park, a group of motorcyclists became distressed by the extreme heat, and one of them died, a park ranger said.

The motorcyclists were touring the park near Badwater Basin, a stretch of salt flats that is also the lowest point in North America, when — in the mid- to late afternoon — they reported being affected by the extreme heat, according to park ranger Nichole Andler.

One of the riders was pronounced dead at the site, and another person with severe heat illness was taken to Las Vegas, Andler said. Four others in the group were treated and released.

The name of the deceased motorcyclist, or other identifying information, was not released, and the specific cause of death will be determined by the coroner, Andler said.
"Yesterday it was 128 degrees, which was a record high for that day in Death Valley," the ranger noted, "and these folks were traveling through on motorcycles, and most likely they didn't have adequate cooling."

The heat also hindered the rescue effort. When temperatures exceed 120 degrees Fahrenheit, a medical helicopter cannot access the park. Air expands when it is heated, becoming thinner than cold air. So, helicopters can't get the lift needed to fly.

 

[Albec]

I feel badly for the dead guy and his family but it's not as if the riders didn't know that it was going to be unusually HOT the day of their ride, right?

 

[Bangorbob]

I live about 70 miles from Death Valley. It's unfortunate that he died. The heat in the desert is nasty. You ask how hot. It depends on the person. 5 years ago I would ride in 105 degree weather ALWAYS taking extra water and a gatorade or 2 just in case another person needed it cus they did not plan ahead. Now I don't ride when the temp gets over 95. Take breaks and hydrate when riding in hot weather. Also wear appropriate gear.

 

[baxter]

Back some 20+ years ago, I cut across Death Valley in the month of July (because that was when I got my vacation time) coming from the Nevada side. A sign said the temp in the Valley was 127°. I was on a Harley DynaGlide. It was like riding inside an oven, and it was hard to breathe. That wasn't the smartest thing I have ever done.

 

[vito1943]

Every rider needs to be prepared to change their plans based upon adverse weather conditions, and that certainly includes heat. Above 92 the moving air actually makes you hotter, not cooler. Even when planning I would never have thought to visit Death Valley during the summer months. The last time I was there it was late October and the temps at Furnace Creek were well over 100 degrees. I have never quite understood motorcyclists who strive for, or think it makes them noteworthy, to ride in terrible conditions or to do excessive mileage. I don't know if it is still true, but years ago the Iron Butt Rally averaged at least one death per year by riders apparently falling asleep while riding in their effort to cover the mileage involved. The same is true for weather where on any motorcycle forum there will be threads by people essentially bragging about how cold or hot it was when they went out on their motorcycle, and rarely is it stated that it was done because there were no alternatives.

I love riding and have ridden two wheelers, and now primarily a three-wheeler, for over 40 years. I'm 81 and don't intend stopping anytime soon. But I ride for the enjoyment of riding. When it gets really hot, where stopping for even 30 seconds at a stop light is pure agony, or so cold that all you really think about is how cold you feel, then I don't ride. As the years have passed, I'll admit that my riding weather has narrowed. I rarely will think of venturing out for a ride if it is below about 55, or above about 88. And I always look at the weather predictions because I have no desire to be caught out in a thunderstorm on a motorcycle. And I certainly would avoid places like Death Valley in the summer months.

 

[ARtraveler]

Good information. Riding in excessively hot weather can be dangerous. Make sure you have plenty of hydration with you, and make frequent stops to hydrate.

Been to Death Valley, and it is one of the hottest areas of North America.

 

[ES44AC]

Common sense is not common.

No way would I have planned a trip to Death Valley on a motorcycle this time of year.

 

[Allen42]

I just did this weekend at about 100 in Texas. Cooling towel around my neck and down my front, and plenty of ice water/gatorade did the trick. The nasty part about desert heat is that it's so dry, you don't feel/B] as hot, and it can get you before you know it. (And yes, I know there's a huge difference in 100 and 128 degrees, for sure!)

 

[BajaRon]

People do the exact wrong thing in the heat. They will ride with as little clothing as they think they can get away with. Bad idea. This will dehydrate and fatigue you many times faster than wearing what is needed. Especially if you are riding as wind increases the problem.

Here is my answer to hot riding.

Full Face Helmet. An open face helmet will be hotter and dry you out faster. Your brain is what can't take the heat and why people perish. I recommend a mirrored shield (hopefully with added UV protection). This keeps the sun off of your face/neck area. Dark smoke shields are a reasonable alternative. But I've had a few serious issues going this route and have opted for the mirrored.
Long sleeve, 100% cotton T-Shirt under a mesh jacket. This allows your sweat to stay close to your skin and evaporate in a controlled manner which maximizes the cooling effect.
Cotton, knee length shorts under mesh pants.
Mesh gloves or gloves that will breathe.

Keeping the sun off your skin will go a long way towards keeping you from fatigue and overheating. Also, it takes 24 hours to properly hydrate yourself. Just drinking water when you get thirsty isn't enough in these conditions. You need to start taking in water a day before you ride.
DO NOT drink anything carbonated or alcoholic before or during hot rides. These 2 things will greatly increase your danger of overheating and limit your body's ability to keep you cool. Go easy on electrolyte drinks like Gatorade. These are fine in limited quantities, but can reduce your ability to stay cool if overdone.
Do not take extra salt. While salt helps you retain liquids, it does so by inhibiting your ability to sweat. You need the sweating function to stay cool. The answer is more water, not retaining the water you have.

Yes, this configuration is hotter when you are sitting still. But how much of your trip is sitting? Once you get moving you will start to reap the benefits and it will keep paying off for the entire trip. You may not be comfortable, but you'll be much cooler than those riding with limited protection.

 

[Dasmoetorhead]

Good advice Ron.

 

[Allen42]

People do the exact wrong thing in the heat. They will ride with as little clothing as they think they can get away with. Bad idea. This will dehydrate and fatigue you many times faster than wearing what is needed. Especially if you are riding as wind increases the problem.

Here is my answer to hot riding.

Full Face Helmet. An open face helmet will be hotter and dry you out faster. Your brain is what can't take the heat and why people perish. I recommend a mirrored shield (hopefully with added UV protection). This keeps the sun off of your face/neck area. Dark smoke shields are a reasonable alternative. But I've had a few serious issues going this route and have opted for the mirrored.
Long sleeve, 100% cotton T-Shirt under a mesh jacket. This allows your sweat to stay close to your skin and evaporate in a controlled manner which maximizes the cooling effect.
Cotton, knee length shorts under mesh pants.
Mesh gloves or gloves that will breathe.

Keeping the sun off your skin will go a long way towards keeping you from fatigue and overheating. Also, it takes 24 hours to properly hydrate yourself. Just drinking water when you get thirsty isn't enough in these conditions. You need to start taking in water a day before you ride.
DO NOT drink anything carbonated or alcoholic before or during hot rides. These 2 things will greatly increase your danger of overheating and limit your body's ability to keep you cool. Go easy on electrolyte drinks like Gatorade. These are fine in limited quantities, but can reduce your ability to stay cool if overdone.
Do not take extra salt. While salt helps you retain liquids, it does so by inhibiting your ability to sweat. You need the sweating function to stay cool. The answer is more water, not retaining the water you have.

Yes, this configuration is hotter when you are sitting still. But how much of your trip is sitting? Once you get moving you will start to reap the benefits and it will keep paying off for the entire trip. You may not be comfortable, but you'll be much cooler than those riding with limited protection.

Excellent advice.

I am recently learning this myself. I always wondered why the Arabian desert movies showed them covered head to to toe. It turns out a loose breathable outer layer, with a tight-ish underlayer keeps me much cooler than shorts and a t-shirt. The inner layer, such as swimmer's rashguard or any number of cooling products on Amazon, gets wet with my sweat, then then cools you as the wind passes over it. An outer mesh riding jacket keeps the skin and inner layer shaded, but allows for the wind to cool you. The difference is amazing. When it gets really hot, I bought some of those cooling towels, which I keep in an icy thermos. I'll wrap one of those like a scarf around my neck, and tuck the tails into the front of my neckline so they lay on my chest. This keeps my neck (and the blood in those arteries going to my head) cool, and keeps the front of my shirt wet for an hour or two for even more cooling.

I also have one of the stretchy face sleeves to cover my nose and mouth that keeps out dust, some of the wind, and can be moistened for cooling. I don't use it very much though, tbh.

Don't forget sunscreen lip balm!

 

[Peteoz]

Another approach to very hot weather is the one by LD Comfort, Ron. I use them out here in Oz on hot days. They recommend wetting their base layer and putting a solid jacket over it. That helps to maintain core cooling for a fair period, much longer than a mesh jacket. They also recommend a stop every 30 minutes or so, where you rehydrate plus pour water down the sleeves and on your helmet layer. If the temp was going to be over 110 though, I would not be heading out. That’s just crazy.

Pete

 

[Peter Aawen]

Excellent advice.

I am recently learning this myself. I always wondered why the Arabian desert movies showed them covered head to to toe. It turns out a loose breathable outer layer, with a tight-ish underlayer keeps me much cooler than shorts and a t-shirt. The inner layer, such as swimmer's rashguard or any number of cooling products on Amazon, gets wet with my sweat, then then cools you as the wind passes over it. An outer mesh riding jacket keeps the skin and inner layer shaded, but allows for the wind to cool you. The difference is amazing. When it gets really hot, I bought some of those cooling towels, which I keep in an icy thermos. I'll wrap one of those like a scarf around my neck, and tuck the tails into the front of my neckline so they lay on my chest. This keeps my neck (and the blood in those arteries going to my head) cool, and keeps the front of my shirt wet for an hour or two for even more cooling.

I also have one of the stretchy face sleeves to cover my nose and mouth that keeps out dust, some of the wind, and can be moistened for cooling. I don't use it very much though, tbh.

Don't forget sunscreen lip balm!

If your face isn't covered by something like one of those stretch face sleeves and even if it IS shaded by your helmet/some other head covering, don't forget the sunscreen - and NOT JUST for your lips!! You might be surprised by how much REFLECTED light gets to the parts of your face that are usually forgotten when it comes to sunscreen &/or other sun protection, and how much damage can be done in a pretty short space of time!! :shocked:

So sunscreen your lips, sure; but also your upper eyelids/under your brow; your nose, including the parts that face DOWN; the bottom of and under your chin - even if you have a beard, cos while long, thick beards can be just as protective as a full head of hair, shorter beards &/or not bushy beards in particular can be as risky & expose as much skin as that thinning spot of hair on the top of your head!! And if they aren't fully covered, also do your ears, including the lower, downward facing bits & behind them - they too can get badly burnt if left unprotected! Lotsa people always forget their ears, or if they do remember, they often just do the top & outside bits; but one of the fairly common spots for skin cancers to occur due to over exposure to the sun &/or repeated burning is the inside of the upper part of the ear, where you'd think it's all protected cos of that little curl-over sunshade bit that runs around the top of your ear!! That bit might be protected from direct exposure to the downward travelling sun rays, but just like it happens on the snowfields, reflected sun rays bouncing off the concrete or asphalt can quite badly burn anything not protected, even if it is covered from above, but not protected from anything coming up from below!

And as others have said, once the ambient temps get above about 95°F/35°C, moving air can reduce the ability of your sweat to cool vital parts of your body off sufficiently; that is, IF you are still sweating & haven't de-hydrated to the extent that your body starts saving that important liquid content; and especially if the humidity is low... so the risk of heat caused problems increases accordingly for people riding machines like ours who don't really understand or follow the widely applicable concept of ATGATT! :lecturef_smilie: :gaah:

 

[JB62]

I look at weather and temps, if its above 85 to 90 degrees I don't ride - that's what I have a car for. If I'm not comfortable, I'm not going. My Spyder is my fun machine, not my transportation.

 

[Deanna777]

Also add to riding in hot weather - Ride with other Spyder Riders for safety reasons. Just in case something happens. Also, take water or Gatorade with you when riding, and do take breaks!

Deanna

 

[canamjhb]

Be prepared! Even when I was very young and relatively fit, we all prepared ourselves for physical activities (sports) by practicing and working out to get "into shape". No different dealing with excessive heat. It's too late if you start hydrating when you're hot and thirsty. You need to start hydrating AT LEAST a day ahead of time. I live in the desert and have had some experience with heat related issues. Every single day this time of year there are news reports about people succumbing to our heat. Last year there were 649 heat related deaths in our county alone! I will not ride or spend any length of time in temperatures above 105. When it gets above 95, I always tried to wear a cooling vest and neck cooler. They are effective in keeping your core body temperature in check. Exposed skin will fry. Keep it covered. I kept a spritzer bottle of water handy and would spray myself down often......even when riding. Take advantage of convenience store beer coolers. Take a break and cool down in one before you make your Gatorade purchase and thank the clerk for their accommodation. And realize you are not Superman (or Superwoman). The heat is a loaded pistol just waiting for you to underestimate its effects. It WILL kill you. And...... Unfortunately, I've seen it happen first hand. Stay safe..... Jim