Martynn Randall is technical editor at Haynes and has been with us for 30+ years. He's written more than 60 Haynes publications and has owned more than 85 cars and 60 motorbikes... so far!
Riding a bike in the heat isnât something we normally have to think about much in the UK, but heatwaves seem to be becoming more frequent here at home and itâs easy to get caught out during those dashes across Europe.
So here are tips to help you stay safe when riding a motorcycle in high temperatures, wherever you are in the world:
1) Stop and rehydrate regularly
Our riding gear is chosen to protect us and keep us warm, but on a hot day itâs easy to overheat riding slowly or when stuck in a jam.
With ambient temperatures in the shade exceeding 25 °C, even in the UK, it gets really warm in that helmet. Itâs fine if you can keep a good pace up, but it quickly gets uncomfortable at lower speeds.
There have been times, particularly in Southern Europe, when Iâve been close to fainting due to dehydration, and itâs very difficult to spot the symptoms until itâs too late.
I recall riding into the centre of a town in Northern Italy on a blisteringly hot day. It was early afternoon, and I hadnât stopped since breakfast.
As I came to a halt at some traffic lights, the world started spinning, and my vision started to blur. I managed to make it to the side of the road, put the side stand down, then fell onto the pavement. Some kind passerby helped me with my helmet and made me drink some water. After about 15 minutes, I felt much better, convinced them that I didnât need an ambulance, and got back on the bike.
2) Protect yourself from the sun
Itâs tempting isnât it? The sunâs shining, the locals on their scooters are riding around in t-shirts, shorts, and beach sandals, and youâve got a jacket, jeans and gloves on. Surely, itâs better to be cool?
Well, being cool is better than overheating of course, and no one is ignorant of the consequences of falling off wearing shorts etc. Weâre all grown up, and can imagine how much fun it will be to spend a few hours in the emergency room, having gravel removed from knees, hands etc.
However, I got caught out many years ago in southern France, 35 °C plus, and riding to a race meeting about an hour away with some locals. I knew the pace would be slow, so I reasoned that the risk of falling off was low, and the risk of overheating was high. Shorts and T-shirt it was then.
Riding along at 40 mph was just about comfortable, but when I got back I realised my mistake - no sun cream! I was the proverbial lobster⦠and very uncomfortable for days.
Obviously sun block/cream will hold back the sun burn, but seems to have a magnetic effect on insects.
3) Use the air to keep cool
If you can maintain a good speed, the airflow around you will help to dissipate some of the heat. At lower speeds, airflow can be increased by opening the various helmet vents, and maybe keeping the visor open a couple of millimetres. Most helmets these days have an integral drop-down sun visor, so the chances of getting bugs/dust in your eyes are pretty small.
If your helmet doesnât have a sun visor, some helmets have two slots in the visor aperture to facilitate the arms of a pair of sunglasses, but due to the movement of the helmet, they can still be a little uncomfortable - pressing into the side of the head.
Good quality jackets usually have air vents built into the design. These are zipped openings on the front, rear and arms of the jacket. Unzip the vents and the passing air can flow into, around and out of the jacket - makes quite a difference. Just donât forget to zip them up before the rain.
The price and design of these jackets varies enormously. From £60 to £1000, textile to leather. They all have their idiosyncrasies, strengths and weaknesses.
There are also some recent gizmos designed to increase air flow, particularly up the sleeves of your jacket. Check these out! Iâve never used them myself, but I canât see why they wouldnât work. Theyâre called Ventz, and cost less than £20.
4) Allow plenty of time for a journey
This last tip is important to me. If Iâm in a hurry and itâs hot when stuck in a traffic jam, patience can evaporate and tempers flare.
Just pulling over and sitting in the shade for a few minutes can greatly reduce the risk of doing something you might regret.
