Boiling fuel, hot legs & feet, melted boot glue & passive limp home modes

[shelbydave]

Precisely.

And I wonder. What makes one riders experience so different from another.

Seems it can only be one thing.

How they use their equipment.

Meaning, whether their personal experience is based on short jonts around town in high temprature conditions, or long hours of continued use in those conditions.

One does not compare well to the other.

We have used our for both... 11,000 miles in a year. We have been on short rides, and some 5 hour ones.
Have I noticed the hot right foot? I do notice the heat, but not to the point of discomfort, or concern until I started using highway pegs. After the Spyderpops install, I haven't noticed it yet.

I certainly would be concerned by the fuel boiling, or the tank building pressure (I did hear something about that one too), but it hasn't happened to me yet.

As for reduced fuel mileage in during the hot weather, try this: Check your mileage and fill up when the fuel gauge is still at 3 bars, or around 1/3 tank. Don't let it get too low. My theory is that the reduced volume of an empty tank allows the fuel to evaporate at a higher rate, so filling up at 1/3-1/2 tank would result in better fuel mileage than letting it go close to empty.

 

[Bob Denman]

2010 RT...
Summertime temperatures MIGHT reach into the mid-nineties...
no limp modes...
no boiling fuel...
no melted boots...
no riding gear bursting into flame...

But I'm not riding in the temperatures that some of you are experiencing.

I still wonder how many folks with "Hot-Foot" complaints are riding with highway pegs or boards that put you right up in the radiator's airflow? :shocked:
I have ISCI 'Boards, and have them dropped to the lowest mounting position; it keeps the airflow nice and cool! :thumbup:

 

[Ga Blue Knight]

There is no doubt that a significant percentage of us are having heat issues and another group seems to not have them. What needs to be done is to try to analyze the situation without blame or thinking the other groups is nuts. From what I can see from the threads it seems to be independent of location though of course in hotter climes it would be much worse. It may or may not be related to how you ride, not enough information yet. Also while it seems to be an issue with the 2013's it was also present in the rest of the Spyder line for some folks. I am just a backyard mechanic but if the timing of a motor is off it could lead to more heat generated by the motor. The same goes for the fuel richness/leanness function. I am just guessing here but I think that the setup of then electronics controlling the timing and the leanness of the fuel management profiles may be different for different folks. That could explain why some have excessive heat and others just have moderate heat. Any ideas?

 

[Bob Denman]

I don't think that the leanness/richness would affect it in a signifcant matter:
Too lean... the motor POPS! :yikes:
That's too expensive for any c=Company to take a chance on...
Too rich... you'd foul plugs and lose a cylinder. It'd run like crap!
Again; the warranty would come into play...

I honestly think that it's airflow management under the Tupperware... exacerbated by ambient temperatures... :shocked:
YOu need a way to get the heat out, and directed to the rear and/or out the sides in a manner that doesn't fry the passenger and operator.

More ducting up front maybe??? :dontknow:

 

[Tierhog]

I'm in prime heat territory... And I stay cool as a cucumber. Central Valley of California...going to be 105-107F this Friday/Sat. I stop riding at 105F

I ride hard and shift high, have a juice box pro turned up, green filter, aftermarket exhaust, no cooling mods etc. Heck, I even have the bottom skid plate still on.

I believe you guys if you say your overheating, I just presume your fan relay is out or coolant bottle is cracked/low coolant.

Heck...I even have an old 2008 GS.

Is it more of a RT issue?

 

[SpyderAnn01]

We have used our for both... 11,000 miles in a year. We have been on short rides, and some 5 hour ones.
Have I noticed the hot right foot? I do notice the heat, but not to the point of discomfort, or concern until I started using highway pegs. After the Spyderpops install, I haven't noticed it yet.

I certainly would be concerned by the fuel boiling, or the tank building pressure (I did hear something about that one too), but it hasn't happened to me yet.

As for reduced fuel mileage in during the hot weather, try this: Check your mileage and fill up when the fuel gauge is still at 3 bars, or around 1/3 tank. Don't let it get too low. My theory is that the reduced volume of an empty tank allows the fuel to evaporate at a higher rate, so filling up at 1/3-1/2 tank would result in better fuel mileage than letting it go close to empty.

If i had stopped at 1/3 to 1/2 tank on my trip I'd still be in Oklahoma someplace filling up. I was lucky to get 20 mpg on my trip which meant filling up every 100 miles.

 

[shelbydave]

If i had stopped at 1/3 to 1/2 tank on my trip I'd still be in Oklahoma someplace filling up. I was lucky to get 20 mpg on my trip which meant filling up every 100 miles.

That was just a general suggestion, and not directed at any one person.... It has worked for me.

If you are only getting 20MPG, you should have it looked at... There is a tolerance to be expected due to driving conditions / habits, but that is outside those limits IMO.

 

[StanProff]

2011 RT-AC in Missouri and Florida summer weather. Trips up to 1200 miles in heat.

No boiling fuel (if I had actual boiling fuel the machine would be gone in a heartbeat and I'd have either a Lehman Crossbow or HD TriGlide).
No melted boots.
No limp modes so far.
Heat coming off the engine on hot days no worse and usually much better than the heat off of a HD Heritage Soft Tail...which actually singed my right thigh in St Marrten a couple of years ago.

I was going to say the same thing about V-twin heat. I have had 1500 plus cc's of heat between my legs in hot weather, the solution to that heat problem is to get off! My honda Magna will try and make a baked potato of you in town with temps above 90, the radiator heat has to go somewhere. I don't know why people accept heat on two wheelers and expect the Spyder not to have any at all. I'll take the hot foot for a hot singed crotch and thigh anytime. By the way, sometimes it is just too hot to ride.

 

[flamingobabe]

I kinda started this heat thing in another thread....my ST is 3 months old...have 7,000 something miles and I understand the heat problems...had some on the RS...but the heat I'm getting is excessive....can't hardy touch gas cap....have to wait a few minutes before fueling after taking off gas cap....one hour after I was home...parked in the shop....the handlebars were still very hot...not warm...hot...Mark will wrap my pipes, bought some lava heat shield the wrap gas tank...will install a vent on the bottom to flush air down and out...but the heat is more than warm air...as it was on the RS...that is great that most of you do not have this problem

 

[Elembytes]

Boiling gas----

All the comments lately about boiling gas in the Spyder tanks.

Wondering--is it STRAIGHT Gas or that stupid ETHANOL? That I'd think would make a big difference.

Just food for thought!

 

[flamingobabe]

mine is that stupid Ethanol...hard to find straight gas when traveling....and it is nowhere around where I live

 

[hotglue]

All the comments lately about boiling gas in the Spyder tanks.

Wondering--is it STRAIGHT Gas or that stupid ETHANOL? That I'd think would make a big difference.

Just food for thought!

Doesn't matter... can't buy NON ethanol gasoline here...... The 2013 ST has blockoffs that keep the hot air from hitting the rider, but that seems to build up the heat under the Tupperware to the point of boiling the gas..... these air block offs are not on previous year models, so folks with previous year models, not having the issues is non relevant to the boiling gas problem on the 2013's. Having hot air hit the rider is what happens on a motorcycle..... Any motorcycle!!!!! Boiling gas... not so much.

 

[quickster47]

The 2013 ST has blockoffs that keep the hot air from hitting the rider, but that seems to build up the heat under the Tupperware to the point of boiling the gas..... these air block offs are not on previous year models, so folks with previous year models, not having the issues is non relevant to the boiling gas problem on the 2013s. Having hot air hit the rider is what happens on a motorcycle..... Any motorcycle!!!!! Boiling gas... not so much.

Where are these blockoffs located that keep the hot air from hitting the driver/rider?

Carl

 

[NancysToy]

Because this problem is so widespread with the 2013s, there has to be a reason. The block-offs that were mentioned are a possibility. Slight changes in the bodywork that changed the air flow may be involved, too. A plastic gas cap should never get too hot to touch! I would suggest owners that are repeatedly experiencing the fuel boiling and fuel spewing contact the NHTSA and file complaints. Enough complaints may lead to an investigation.

 

[hotglue]

Where are these blockoffs located that keep the hot air from hitting the driver/rider?

Carl

On the ST , they fill in the gap that was between the covers for the radiator and the oil tank , and the main body of the bike. This gap was on the RS models. Not the RT.

 

[Netminder]

Because this problem is so widespread with the 2013s, there has to be a reason. The block-offs that were mentioned are a possibility. Slight changes in the bodywork that changed the air flow may be involved, too. A plastic gas cap should never get too hot to touch! I would suggest owners that are repeatedly experiencing the fuel boiling and fuel spewing contact the NHTSA and file complaints. Enough complaints may lead to an investigation.

Have to agree, a plastic gas cap so never be too hot to touch!:yikes:Something is not right??

 

[Bob Denman]

Doesn't matter... can't buy NON ethanol gasoline here...... The 2013 ST has blockoffs that keep the hot air from hitting the rider, but that seems to build up the heat under the Tupperware to the point of boiling the gas..... these air block offs are not on previous year models, so folks with previous year models, not having the issues is non relevant to the boiling gas problem on the 2013's. Having hot air hit the rider is what happens on a motorcycle..... Any motorcycle!!!!! Boiling gas... not so much.

This is why I say that somebody needs to be brave enough to cut some extra venting up in the front of the bike to try and improve the airflow under all of the Tupperware...

 

[Jeriatric]

stuff

Gasoline can reach its boiling point anywhere between 100 and 400 degrees Fahrenheit.

Refinery's can, and do, try to control boiling points by formulating it with different properties depending on the temperature and geographical location.

The exact boiling point will change with altitude and time of year. Winter and summer gas formulas, as an example.

It is possible to fuel with winter fuel in early summer and experience a lower boiling point due to tempratures being higher than the gasoline was formulated for.

Based upon the little research done it appears summer fuel for high heat areas is formulated to raise its boiling point to the high end of the 100/400 boiling point.

 

[Bob Denman]

Could the boiling fuel issue actually have something more to do with fuel tank venting than the actual temperatures that are reached? :dontknow:

 

[Jeriatric]

Could the boiling fuel issue actually have something more to do with fuel tank venting than the actual temperatures that are reached? :dontknow:

According to what I have read this afternoon. The higher the pressure of the container, the higher the boiling point will be.