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Heat and other issues

34K views 266 replies 32 participants last post by  BBob 
#1 ·
Here's my setup: 2013 XC / Miller slip-on mufflers / Lloydz AF and ATS gear set at +4 / 1/4 turn ring / PC-V tuned-mapped by KMC (94hp/113tq)

The story: I completed the setup at the start of this season(April). Right after doing this stage1, I started adding wind management. First Goody's fork mounted lowers, then moved to CCT hard lowers. With both, I noticed excessive heat issues....to the point that I almost tossed my cookies after a 45mi ride in 90 degree+ temps last Sunday. Last year without the lower wind management and when I removed them after Sunday's ride I don't notice any of that heat and can ride as normal. In addition, since the stage 1 my bike has had some random stalls and there is a slight surging at some steady speeds.
I've been in contact with KMC but they are busy and more or less want to pass the blame to the wind management. I'm leaning toward the tune, plenty of us ride with wind deflectors and hard lowers in summer and are not getting heat stroke after an hour in the saddle.....Something is not right. I'm open to hearing other ideas and thoughts on this, thanks
 
#2 ·
I have no useful knowledge to offer, but have you considered getting a temperature gun and checking the difference with varying options, i.e. no wind protection, some, all? At least at this point you may have a good idea of how to manage this situation if you can't put the blame on the tune, and see if you are doing any excessive damage to the engine.
 
#3 ·
I have no experience with the Victory hard lowers, but I do have a set of the Goody's lowers and offer this experience.

I received my Goody's lowers the night before a long weekend run. I immediately noticed a huge reduction in dirty wind coming up from below the tank and a huge reduction in head shake. Exactly what I was after. However, I also noticed a huge increase in the heat build up...especially at my right leg. We hit rain the second day of the trip so I also installed my soft, crash bar mounted lowers/chaps and combined with the Goody's lowers, I stayed dry down low.

Last weekend a group of us from MD and elsewhere went to PA to ride with PJRo. I used the Goody's on the highway run to and from PA, but took them off during the day rides while there. Simply too hot. It's a PaiN (pun intended), but I'll be mounting and dismounting my lowers depending on my ride plans. Takes about a minute to do and I just put them each in an old tube sock and stick them in my saddle bags.

Night and day difference in both wind management and heat. No wind across the jugs = massive heat.
 
#4 ·
Night and day difference in both wind management and heat. No wind across the jugs = massive heat.
I'm completely aware...but why do some bikes have very little heat and others, like ours, become intolerable?
 
#5 ·
I rode the Goody's for about 9000 miles , NEVER taking them off , never felt excessive heat but after speaking with PaiN and his heat problems I became paranoid , and was constantly feeling for heat buildup while riding , and I had rode in some high temp and high mileage rides ... The Goody's performance on my bike was nothing short of spectacular , they work the balls . Because they are not a Victory part tested in a wind tunnel and such like the Victory factory XCT hard lowers , and after Kyle telling me my engine may run up to 20 degrees hotter with the Goody's on there I decided to make the swap . I would like to point out , I removed my Goody's based on paranoia with no hard evidence to the contrary . I never felt the immense heat Pain did with the Goody's . Ok , with my new XCT hard lowers on yesterday , I did 44 miles , no Highway all back roads with lots of revving and stop and goes .... Vents all wide open the whole ride , when I left my house :
Gauge Odometer Measuring instrument Auto part Vehicle


After the ride it registered 95 , so we are talking major warm temps . I had no ill effects at all , other then some added warmth to the underside of my upper legs , and I may have only noticed this because of my strict attention to heat in general. Cant wait to get out on the highway and let 'er rip today ! All I all , I'm more worried about my engine running hot , more so then how hot I get , which wasn't much different before the XCT lowers . Knowing the hard lowers are meant to work on the bike and are a factory part , I'm not giving it another thought , case closed .cheers
 
#6 ·
Mags..you're the reason I made this post. If you can install hard lowers, then ride comfortably in 100 degree temps.....then something is not right with mine.
 
#7 ·
With the XCT hard lowers, less is usually more. Start with them open about 1/4 inch and work it out from there. Stock, running hot, and now running cooler makes no difference with them, you have to get the air flow right. Many times I'll shut mine completely when it is real hot.
Too many things to factor in, and heat tolerance for the rider certainly is one, so it is hard to figure out over the internet if you have a real problem or just don't have the tolerance that some do.
Sounds like you may want to remove the lowers in warm weather until you can get it looked at.
As for the stalls and hiccups, is this new? Seems like even the better of the tuners want to pawn "the nature of a V-twin" on some things. Not saying they are without their qualities, but some things I won't tolerate and my bike doesn't do. If it did it would be fixed or gone, so you have to decide from there.

Good Luck
 
#8 ·
I haven't experimented with the vents yet , just got these installed yesterday , and since it was well over 100 I opted for fully open as I have no experience with these lowers yet . But if opening the vents LESS means more cooling , then I will have NO issues with these lowers at all . I was perfectly content on my ride yesterday .
 
#9 ·
Riding with the lowers open feels like I'm sitting next to a blast furnace to me.

I rode for many hours in 90 degree heat (with high humidity) all last weekend and kept the lowers closed the entire time.

I rarely open them.
 
#10 ·
I have to believe that all motors produce the same amount of heat at least within a few degrees. With any kind of lower your going to get more heat because of the way the wind rushes around or thew them.
Like I said with all my harley baggers I would pull my lowers for summer months and yes I would be a little cooler but still hot. Its just part of riding when we all sit on top of a motor.
Yes some say doing xxxx makes them cooler but they're the ones that were short in the middle of winter.
The number one trick to riding in the heat is to stay out of stop and go traffic.
 
#11 ·
Ive experimented with every possible vent position....that's not what is going to fix heat issues.
 
#16 ·
1) For me, the major help was turning the fairing winglets inward much more than I had been doing... almost as if it looks like they'd be blocking the wind. But instead, they shoot some nice clean air along the side of the engine. I wrote about this a couple of months ago, here: http://www.victoryforums.com/showthread.php?t=133129 . Because of that, this year I've changed from having the lowers opened only a bit, and now keep them fully open on hot days; with the jet stream of the winglets, that seems a good combination to me. That is, I used to play around a lot with the lowers, checking out assorted positions. Now, I leave them open, and do my playing around with the winglets.

2) About a year ago, I had Lloyd & Co. put in a PC-V, air filter, and do a dyno run. This was geared SOLELY to make a cooler running engine. It helped a bit. It would be -- and was -- a very expensive way to save a few degrees, by making the engine less lean. The pain of cost-per-degree was lessened by the fact that I also gained more torque and HP (except just off idle), and got a higher red line.

3) The engines are going to be fookin hot, especially when not motoring along, on a fookin hot day. I mean, 1731CC is a very big engine to be only air- and oil-cooled. Most engines anywhere near that size are at least partially water-cooled. And H-D has that "parade mode," where the rear cylinder is just shut down under certain slow-going conditions. One of the things I liked about the Cross bikes was ease of maintenance, e.g., no coolant to change; but the flip side of that is the heat. Sometimes -- IMHO -- it's just too hot to ride, unless you can be guaranteed of not hitting any traffic, any lights, any stop signs...

Those are my thoughts, FWIW.

And I'm pretty sure my next bike is going to be water-cooled.
 
#17 · (Edited)
What I experienced Sunday was not "just a little extra engine heat".
I had the winglets full open and I could feel air coming over the lowers. I tried the vents open, closed and cracked. It didn't cool me enough.(I also have one of BBob's rear heat deflectors installed) I felt like I was in a heated room and the temp kept getting turned up. I got to the point where I stopped sweating and got sick, that's when I got off, into A\C and hydrated.

What could be causing that much engine heat to be coming up into the riding area like that when ever I have lower wind control installed?
:confused:
I ride mainly with my legs extended, toes to the sides of the lowers, occasionally I'll pull them back to tuck in and change position, but I'm most comfy with them out in the "cruiser position"
 
#18 · (Edited)
As difficult as interned diagnostics are, if it is that gawd awful hot, you may have lost some data in the PC. Sounds really suspicious.
 
#19 · (Edited)
Pain,
Go to your local hardware store and buy some of this:


grab the OL's scotch tape and scissors from the drawer and head out to the bike. Tape a few 6 inch long pieces along the edges of the lowers and on other surfaces where they can't contact anything hot.
Put a passenger on the back with a camera or phone and ask them to take pictures of the ribbons once you get up to speed.

Once you get a look at the pictures you'll know if the lowers need to go in hot weather. Make sure the ribbons are taped on securely. The shorter the better.
 
#21 ·
That's exactly what I did Sunday and it was like night and & day. I'm perfectly comfortable without the lowers.
 
#22 ·
When I open my lower vents air blasts in ... I don't see how just cracking them open keeps you cooler , it defies the laws of physics . I agree with Mr. Pollack , in heat , lowers WIDE OPEN .
 
#23 ·
The theory behind that is probably that it directs a stream of air more directly at the motor and toward the back rather than at your legs and more upward into the bubble. Could also keep air turbulence and thus mixing of hot air off the engine down.

Not sure that's what people are feeling but it would make a bit of sense.
 
#24 ·
I have the XCT - and foot position and amount of opening is critical. So, if you put your feet in the stock upright middle of boards riding position - you get the best cool air blast on legs with lowers opened approximately 2"! Since I stretch out and have feet 1/2 on board and 1/2 on highway pegs - I find I need to close slightly or approx. 1 1/2".
I have played with them and you can move the air flow around by opening and closing. However, that is if there is no wind!!! IF there is a wind on either side the opening distance can change dramatically. I think this set up is way too finnacky!! Also, playing with the upper wind wings also changes the way the air flows from the bottom vents! Wide open just blows hot air in the lower area! Just saying!
 
#25 ·
Ok guys , Ok ... Let me play with them a while .... I rode in stop and go traffic at lunch today , Only way to get cool was wide open it seemed , course my temp gauge said 101 ! HOT OUT ! Ambient temp I mean .:crzy:
 
#26 ·
We need pictures guys :).

Today I rode 350 miles. This morning I started in MN and it was a great ride! This afternoon I was in construction south of Sioux City Iowa and I started to get cooked! My OAT was at 85. Once everything got hot I was pretty much screwed. I was sweating the whole way home. My crotch is still burning as I type this. The high temp today was 85. That's about my limit with lowers.

A couple of weeks ago when it was 90 I had no problems without the lowers installed. But like you said then the wind buffeting SUCKS. I was considering buying the heated seat when I bought my bike. I see no need for that thing lol.

I found the lowers pointed at engine to be the best. Then like someone said the air flappers pointing into the upper lowers. I am also running a Magnum seat. I thought that might be a problem as well. My worse spot is my inner thighs, like I said, they are still burning. I think I get heat rash or something. I got back two hours ago...


 
#27 ·
My worse spot is my inner thighs, like I said, they are still burning.
I felt something on my hamstrings , (under thighs ?) some heat but nothing unbearable , as long as my motor is getting air , that is all that concerns me , I guess the heat doesn't bother me , or my bike runs cooler then most , I do not know . Last two rides I have done have been in 100+ temps with my new lowers on , in traffic conditions . No complaints to speak of , and I love the extra storage , cant wait to put power and Ipod cable in there . + my bike looks kick ass with the lowers on and my blade screen .thumb up:nanana:
 
#29 ·
I really think my problem is my seat. I might try my the stock seat to see if that helps. My seat is narrower than the stock XC seat. I think that is allowing heat to come up on my crotch and roast me.

I was thinking today, "how do the guys down South ride in the heat"? Good to hear you can be out when its 100. I am not confident in the Dealerships dyno and tune. I might run over to Rylan one of these days so I know its right. That could also be some of my problem.
 
#30 ·
I am not confident in the Dealerships dyno and tune. I might run over to Rylan one of these days so I know its right. That could also be some of my problem.
I have a "professional tune" from Kyle at KMC.....Obviously, its not helping the heat situation. I am attempting to get my bike back to him for a check to make sure nothing has changed.

This is crazy....I wonder if BMW owners suffer like this :rolleyes:
 
#34 · (Edited)
For the summer:
Remove all your lowers. Buy a madstad shield and brackets to force air into the area behind the fairing to kill the turbulence from the fairing. That way your head doesn't feel like a bobbehead doll at speed without attempting to block all the air movement down low.
Wear a full face helmet or good eye wear that seals up to deal with the extra air movement from the Madstad brackets.
You'll be comfortable and your engine will be happier.
(sounds like your motor is feeling almost as hot as you are).http://www.madstad.com/s.nl/sc.7/category.2446/.f


For early spring and late fall:
Go back to whatever your running for lowers and a shield .
Enjoy the extra warmth coming off the motor and buy some heated gear to supplement it.

By all means have them throw it up on the dyno and double check that it isn't too lean or too advanced or both. Just for piece of mind.

Add salt substitute (get it at the super market next to the salt) to your water on hot days. Just enough till the water tastes slightly flat.
Probably about a large pinch to a 12 oz glass.
It will increase you resistance to heat fatigue. It's straight electrolytes. Not very expensive and keeps indefinitely as long as it is kept dry.
 
#37 ·
For the summer:

Remove all your lowers. Buy a madstad shield and brackets to force air into the area behind the fairing to kill the turbulence from the fairing. That way your head doesn't feel like a bobbehead doll at speed without attempting to block all the air movement down low.

Wear a full face helmet or good eye wear that seals up to deal with the extra air movement from the Madstad brackets.

You'll be comfortable and your engine will be happier.

(sounds like your motor is feeling almost as hot as you are).http://www.madstad.com/s.nl/sc.7/category.2446/.f





For early spring and late fall:

Go back to whatever your running for lowers and a shield .

Enjoy the extra warmth coming off the motor and buy some heated gear to supplement it.



By all means have them throw it up on the dyno and double check that it isn't too lean or too advanced or both. Just for piece of mind.



Add salt substitute (get it at the super market next to the salt) to your water on hot days. Just enough till the water tastes slightly flat.

Probably about a large pinch to a 12 oz glass.

It will increase you resistance to heat fatigue. It's straight electrolytes. Not very expensive and keeps indefinitely as long as it is kept dry.

Madstad is hideous...
 
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