/ Tips & Advice
5 tips for beating the heat on your motorcycle
Summer is in full swing, be sure to stay cool on the road.
Summer is officially here. Although we can’t really go out and enjoy ourselves on the beach, we may still need to hit the road on our motorcycles, be it for a socially distant leisure ride, or commuting to and from work. That being said, summer can be the most physically demanding season for riding—both for yourself and your bike. It can be all too easy to succumb to the heat and end up stranded on the side of the road. To avoid this, we’ve come up with 5 nifty tips in order to beat the heat on two wheels.
Plan your rides ahead
A helpful way to beat the heat, especially when it comes to daily commuting on a motorcycle, would be to adjust your schedule of riding. You may be commuting to the office to punch in at 9AM, so leaving your house at 8AM, could already be too hot. Not to mention the build-up of traffic during the rush hour. Maybe instead, you could try leaving your house a bit earlier. Although you get to work a lot earlier, you could make use of the downtime meditating, preparing yourself for the day ahead, and brewing yourself a nice cup of coffee.
Wear the proper gear
It can be all too tempting to do away with a riding jacket and gloves, especially during the summer months. However, we must always remember that safety should always come first. With this in mind it’s very helpful to have different types of riding gear suited for different weather conditions. For summer, a mesh riding jacket complete with D30 armor can go a long way in keeping you cool, as well as ensuring maximum safety should things get a little sideways. The same goes for riding gloves. With many mesh options available, your hands can stay cool even in the heat of the summer months.
Stay hydrated
Sometimes the heat can get the better of you even if you’ve planned ahead and geared up accordingly. When this happens, it’s best to stay hydrated and take a quick rest stop in a shaded area like a gas station or a nearby coffee shop. It’s also very important to stay hydrated in order to prevent the effects of heat stroke getting the better of you. We suggest you carry a handy water bottle at all times—either stuff it in your backpack, or in your motorcycle’s storage compartment. That way, you can ensure you can rest up and recharge for the long road ahead.
Stay on top of your maintenance
The last thing you could possibly want on a motorcycle ride during a hot summer day is a breakdown in the midst of heavy traffic, or worse, in the middle of nowhere. Engines are inherently hot thanks to the thousands of tiny explosions going on every single minute, and the summer heat definitely doesn’t help cool things down even on bikes with highly sophisticated cooling systems. As such, it’s absolutely essential to ensure your bike’s fluids—oil, coolant, brake fluid—are all in tip top shape, and filled to the optimum levels. Not only does it help keep things just a bit cooler, it also helps ensure that the parts which depend on these fluids to operate properly perform to the best of their abilities
Keep a cool head
While the summer heat can undoubtedly be very physically taxing both on yourself and your bike, it can also affect your emotions, especially when caught in heavy traffic. With that in mind, it’s important to stay calm, relax, and keep a level head when riding, not only during summer, but all year round. This way you can enjoy the ride and get to your destination in a fun, stress-free manner. Nobody wins in road rage situations, and it only makes you look like a fool, with the potential of ruining your reputation thanks to how easily things go viral online these days.
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