Hot Temp Riding in Las Vegas Area ?

[GolfVenture]

There is a chance that I could be riding to the Las Vegas Area around 19 June to 2nd of July.

 

I would like to ride to the Grand Canyon area and into maybe a bit south, kind of want to experience the Arizona landscape.

 

Question 1) How do you ride in the heat, yet still have adiquate protective riding gear.

 

My riding gear consist of Tour Master Transition 2 Jacket with the matchinig Tour Master Venture Pants.

 

Obviously I'll remove the thermal and waterproof lining and have all the jacket and pants air vents open.

 

I also have the Clearview shield with the air vent.

 

Will being lots of bottled water.

 

Question 2) Leaving Las Vegas I would like to ride thru Death Valley going towards Sauramento. But leaving Las Vegas means that I would be going into Death Valley late morning.

 

My 91 MKII gets the normal 40 mpg +or - 2 mpg depending on how I twist the throttle. Being that it looks pretty straight and flat I'm thinking that I should be getting the plus 1 or 2 mpg at about 65 mph. Where are the gas stops? Would I really need to bring an extra gallon of gas?

 

Most of my life I've been able to handle heat better than the average, and not normally a complainier of uncomfortable environments. Except I do complain of high humidity.

 

I just want to ride safe and would appreciate your heat riding experience advise.

 

Also if there are any members that would like to take me on some local rides, I'd be open to that.

[JohnMidnight]

I think Tourmasters "Flex" pants are like the Flex jacket that is, its a mesh OP with a waterproof shell on top, and a insulator liner on the opposite side of the mesh. That'd work great.

 

But actually, any mesh OP with the padding would work. My OPs happen to be FirstGears HT's and they not awesome in the summer... at...all....

 

Good place to shop: http://www.motorcyclegear.com/

 

Great people, reminds me of newegg.

[RedRider]

You actually will be more comfortable with a full riding jacket on. One item that works really well is to wear a long sleeve non-cotton shirt (like UnderArmor or LDComfort long T - really like the LDC stuff). Wet the shirt and keep your jacket closed with the sleeve cuffs loose. When you begin getting hot, move your arm out into the wind stream to fill the jacket. The evaporation will actually give you a chill. With the right undergarment and the jacket remaining closed, this will last for a couple of hours before you need to re-wet the T.

 

Some of the Long Distance guys have gone so far as to buy a bag of ice and set it on their lap while riding. However, that is a little over the top and the guy that did this was running all day (1000+ miles) in 100+ temps. There has also been guys using a homemade under jacket sprinkler. He perforated a length of clear tubing and made a loose necklace from it. Plumbed it to a jug of water and hooked up a windshield washer pump. When he wanted to add water to his undergarment, he turned on the pump and enjoyed a cool shower. This is likely a little extreme for your needs also.

 

A mess jacket or no jacket will actually pull water from you and make you much more uncomfortable. It will be like riding in a blast furnace. No fun.

 

You are on the right track with maintaining your armored gear and having plenty of water.

 

Have a great time. DV is amazing. Can't wait to go back (although, much more comfortable temps in March/April than July).

 

RR

[RedRider]

Forgot to add - gas should be no problem. Never more than 100 miles (usually much less) between gas stops. Just make sure you fill up before going into the National Parks since gas is usually less expensive on the outside.

 

Check the NP website for a map of DV (and any other NPs you will be visiting). They will show the gas locations within the parks.

 

RR

[KIC]

Just remember that the bottom of the Grand Canyon will be hot at that time of the year. I have just poured water over my mesh jacket to work as a evap cooler.

 

But it is a great ride. I might be doing that area in late July.

 

Bill

[wizard]

I can't imagine riding Death Valley in the summer. It's too damned hot. Early spring is the best time to ride. Its hot, but not like the summer.

[dogman]

Two summers ago I rode to Las Vegas and spent a week riding in the desert in July.

 

As RedRider said, you don't want the hot air blowing onto your skin. This will dry you and your lymph glands out. There are some great articles on the web about desert riding. There suggestions (which really work) are: Full face helmet with shield down, riding jacket done up, gloves and long pants. With all these clothes on you would think that you would over heat in no time, but it is the exact opposite. I wore a thermometer inside my jacket and my temperature stayed below 99.6.

 

If you are only riding for a couple of hours then you can get away without covering up, as long as you have sun screen on. However if you are doing some lengthy rides then you need to keep covered so you can keep that moisture against you which really acts like air conditioning.

 

My longest ride in the the desert was 15 hours with my wife on the back. 117 degrees. We managed and thoroughly enjoyed it. My wife did not like it when we stopped for gas and she remained on the bike while I went in to pay. The sun was beating down on her without any air movement.

 

I have a modular helmet and like to ride with it up. I could not ride with it up in the desert. The hot air dried my throat out in no time and I thought my was face was in an oven.

 

The gloves I wore, where a bicycle glove with the fingers exposed and mesh on the back. They where very comfortable.

 

I wish you all the best.

PS. The heat does eat away at the tread on your tires.

[friesman]

Ive found that a lighter coloured helmet help keep some heat off you a bit too. But a helmet with all the features I want in white or silver just wasnt available when I bought mine about 4 years ago. I am starting to look for a new helmet now, and will definitely go to silver or white helmet if I can find what I want.

 

Brian

[GolfVenture]

I like the idea of hoseing down the entire riding outfit.

 

And I do have a light silver helmet.

[MikeWa]

A second cup holder with a spray bottle doesn't hurt either. You can give yourself a misting every now and then. Especially if you get stuck in traffic.

Mike

[XV1100SE]

Taking a trailer with you? Wire up one of these and run an insullated tube to the front of the bike. Could take the cassette out and put a vent where the cover is to blow air conditioned air at you.

http://www.cruisencomfortusa.com/brochure.php

 

:-D

[XV1100SE]

Okay.... better idea... personal cooling vest

http://www.veskimo.com/microclimate-body-cooling-vests.html

[GolfVenture]

Taking a trailer with you? Wire up one of these and run an insullated tube to the front of the bike. Could take the cassette out and put a vent where the cover is to blow air conditioned air at you.

http://www.cruisencomfortusa.com/brochure.php

 

:-D

 

BTU 4000

Low Amps 18

High AMps 35

 

I'd end up standed with a dead battery.

[KarlS]

Rode thru death valley in 2006, Goldwing said highest temp was 118F. Didn't really feel that hot until we stopped. Here is a two pictures. Some reason won't upload the others. The 108F in Vegas felt a lot hotter, with all the pavement got baked from the bottom up.

[Condor]

I picked up one of THESE before the trip to Cody last year. Had a chance to give is a try coming back thru Nevada with temps up around 100. It works, and impressed the 'H' out of me....

[Tom]

I picked up one of THESE before the trip to Cody last year. Had a chance to give is a try coming back thru Nevada with temps up around 100. It works, and impressed the 'H' out of me....

I will second this..I bought 2 sets with extra gel packs. I have no issue with heat now. I have a small cooler I strap to a rack on my trailer hitch and I put the extra gel packs in there with ice water and when my gel packs I wear start thawing I simply switch them out and they refreeze in 20 or so minutes in 65 degree water temp. Expensive? Sure but if you want to stay cool without being soaking wet this is well worth the money.Some worry about the gel packs busting if you lean back on them too hard..It dont happen and if it does they will replace at no charge. Deb abd I rode ALOT in 105 degrees last year and we never got hot.

[AKRefugee]

We spent a bit of time desert riding and went thru Vegas when it was 117F on the pavement. We use a mesh jacket with a wet vest underneath it. It's like riding in front of an air conditioner when you are going down the road.We also keep an extra wet vest in water in the trunk and swap them out about every hour.

 

Also make darn sure you keep hydrated. Every stop to swap the vest should include drinking at least a liter of water. If you aren't urinating every stop then you are not drinking enough water.

 

We also freeze up a gallon of water to throw in the side back in the event we should get stranded out in the middle of no where. Ran across someone out in the middle of nowhere one time and they were really happy to see us break out that gallon of water for them. They had been there over an 1 1/2 waiting for a tow. That could have been us with as simple a thing as a flat.

[GolfVenture]

We spent a bit of time desert riding and went thru Vegas when it was 117F on the pavement. We use a mesh jacket with a wet vest underneath it. It's like riding in front of an air conditioner when you are going down the road.We also keep an extra wet vest in water in the trunk and swap them out about every hour.

 

Also make darn sure you keep hydrated. Every stop to swap the vest should include drinking at least a liter of water. If you aren't urinating every stop then you are not drinking enough water.

 

We also freeze up a gallon of water to throw in the side back in the event we should get stranded out in the middle of no where. Ran across someone out in the middle of nowhere one time and they were really happy to see us break out that gallon of water for them. They had been there over an 1 1/2 waiting for a tow. That could have been us with as simple a thing as a flat.

 

 

hmmm... maybe a couple of small umbrellas would be in order incase of a break down to create shade.