It's gonna be a bright, bright Sun Shiny day

How to stay happy on your motorcycle in hot weather

Lucy England

• Hot weather motorcycling

It's been hot, you may even have noticed. We've had a couple of heatwaves and have all had to adjust our lives accordingly. Not only ourselves and our riding gear is necessarily affected, but our machines themselves can get stressed and struggle in the heat and on the sticky baking roads. 

The likelihood of battery failure, overheating engines and tyre problems are all increased when the weather is hot. Add the increased risk of  breaking down in the ridiculously hot weather we have been seeing over the last few weeks, to the fact that really high temperatures are also really dangerous to us humans too and you could have your own perfect storm. This is particularly pertinent as we are not really used to it like people in hotter countries, and still think we can behave in the same way that we always do. Hot weather can be especially difficult on a motorcycle, where you are completely exposed in the event of a breakdown. So, at the risk of teaching your grandmother to suck eggs, here are a few suggestions to make you safer.

Get Ahead Get A Hat

Before you set off on a hot weather bike journey make sure that you have taken all the precautions that you can. Always take sunscreen, pack a hat and/or a folding umbrella to give you personal shade if there are no trees where you pull over (you can get small light ones which fold up very small that you can stick in a pannier), and, of course load up with plenty of water. 

Level Headed

Ahead of your journey, it is sensible to do a few checks on your motorcycle to ensure that it is really roadworthy. Make sure that your coolant and oil levels are good before your engine gets too hot, check that your tyres are properly inflated and in good nick and that there are no warning lights gleaming on your instrument panels.

Dress To Impress

To impress Ra the sun god that is. Don't be tempted to shed your proper motorcycling gear in favour of shorts and a vest – you will lose all your protection and expose yourself to A. too much sun and B. serious risk of injury should you have a tumble. The correct riding gear will actually keep you cooler by managing the flow of air around you with incorporated vents. It should stop you from losing too much moisture, and can actually carry heat away from your body rather than trapping it in. If your gear has adjustable vents, then fully open them all now to gain the full advantage.

Drink It In

Be super aware of the possibility of dehydration. We all need plenty of water  to stay healthy, it lubricates the joints and the eyes, flushes out toxins and keeps the skin healthy. We can easily become dehydrated and often don't notice it creeping up. By the time you feel thirsty you are already becoming dehydrated and this is something to watch, particularly if you are a more mature rider. As we get older our sensation of thirst can diminish so that we don't know when we need to drink, and the fluid levels in our bodies can already be too low.
A hydration pack in your backpack, which enables you to sip your water as you go, through an accessible tube is always a good idea so that you can drink little and often. But if you don't have one, then pack lots of water on your bike. Really the advice for hot weather is similar to the advice for cold weather re-hydration. Stop regularly for a drink. In cold weather have a hot drink, in hot weather, at risk of stating the obvious, have a cold drink. If you are at a petrol station then pop in for a cold drink from the fridge to get your core temperature down.

Take A Break

You may thrive in hot weather, and motorcyclists usually long for summer so that they are not riding along in a fridge with their noses running. But don't be tempted to cover huge distances and try and push through because it is sunny  - make sure that you take a good break and have a drink on a regular basis. Even a short break in the shade can work wonders and make all the difference to how you're feeling. Really cool down, take your helmet off , pour some water over your head as well as drinking some and stretch your legs out.

Become Crepuscular

In Greece for example where it is really hot, people fit their lives round the temperatures rather than just carrying on through. They get up early and get anything active done before the full heat of the day strikes, then they rest over midday and the early afternoon so that they are not out in the full sun, then they get active again in the late afternoon and early evening when the full heat of the sun has abated.

With this in mind if you are able to, alter your journey time so that it fits in with the temperature then it is really wise to do so. Travel early or late rather than midday. You may not notice how exhausted you actually are travelling in the full sun, until it is too late. If you start to feel wobbly, dizzy, sick or are struggling to concentrate then these could be symptoms of heat exhaustion and should be respected. A rest is in order, the problems which arise if you don't, are not worth the risk.

Summer Breeze Makes Me Feel Fine

We all enjoy not getting wet and cold when we are riding, and many of us long for summer all through the winter. Riding in the sun and heat of a long hot summer's day can be the best feeling in the world, but it is better to moderate your riding and take some steps ahead of time to ensure that it actually is a fun experience. So don't rush, chill and enjoy the ride, just listen to your body at all times.

Love the hot weather ? What steps do you take to keep healthy and enjoy riding on a bright bright sunshiny day?

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