OK, so I just bought this '89 Hurricane a month ago, and have already resolved a few issues (replaced a crap battery, frayed clutch cable, new rear tire).

One seemingly major problem still remains, however. The bike gets SO freaking hot that it will actually start to burn my legs and thighs through my jeans on longer (20min+) rides. I keep a close eye on the temp gauge, but it never goes higher than a smidge over halfway (and only that high when I'm stopped in traffic or at a long light)...

I'll admit that I am a heinous noob when it comes to sport bikes (previously owned 1960-70's CB160's), but this just doesn't seem normal to me. In all other aspects, the bike runs well for my needs (still intermittently a b*tch to get into neutral, but what old bike doesn't have quirks?). Why is my bike putting off so much heat???

Possibly related factors (I'm clueless, so I'm including everything I can think of here):
~ rear fairings?/cowls? are still off from when I replaced the battery (maybe they normally redirect the heat???)
~ checked coolant level, and it was maybe a half inch low
~ I never rev her higher than 6500 (regularly change gears between 3-5k depending on traffic conditions)
~ 95% of my riding is stop&go city with a few scattered higway trips (engine gauge reads cooler on freeway, but the frame still gets just as hot)
~ the "oil" light is usually on before I start it (maybe other times, too, but I just thought it was weird for it to be on at all...)

The heat of August is killing me, and this bike is my only mode of transportation, so any help on this matter would be a godsend!!!! Have any veteran Hurricane owners heard of this, or is my bike just too hot for me?

Thanks in advance!!
-Amanda (AKA Ivy)

 

mine burns the crap out of me too, legs and the rest of the lower anatomy is on fire after long rides in this texas heat. i think these models tend to get a little hotter than most others.

 

rear fairings do not redirect heat.

half inch low from the low line or the high line. either way as long as it's not bone dry, it's ok.

rev range does not matter.

frame rails will get hot. explaination below.

oil light will be on until bike is started and then should go off.

you've essentially answered your own question. but...

do you have all the fairings on the bike? mainly the left and right side? if not the heat generated from the engine will make things hot. given that it is hot in august does not make things better. but this is all simple thermodynamics. heat from the engine gets transferred to the next closest medium. that is internally the oil and coolent. and externally the frame and air. thus, the metal frame is absorbing heat from the engine and the engine is transferring heat to the frame. heat is also being transferred to the air.

so when you ride in hot weather, the heat is only being taken away by more heat, by that i mean the hot air around you. this is normal. when the weather cools down substantially, you will notice that the cool air will take away some of the engine heat and it won't be as bad. if you don't have side fairings, it will be worse because there is nothing between you and the hot frame and engine.

i'm in socal and i have full fairings and i can still feel the heat. but once it cools down it's not so noticable. i don't know about the women-folk and how the heat affects them but i do know the men-folk have their own particular problem to contend with when it gets hot.

 

Im in Toronto, Canada and i have the same problem but only on really hot days... when it gets to be about 86f outside but a lot of the time, like today we are only at 68f so im ok. the bike keeps me warm while riding!

Damn snow in August.......Just kiddin ;-)

 

Mine feels hotter with the fairings on as there are only the small holes in the side covers for the heat to escape. This has always been the case and I have had this bike for 20 years. The oil light is on before start because there is no oil pressure and they design it that way so you will know that the light works before you start the bike. It goes off once you start it. If it comes on while the engine is running then you will know you have a problem.

 

Try wrapping your header with some DEI:

http://www.motosport.com/dirtbike/pr...segment=badger

It's pretty effective stuff.

 

Wow, thank you all very much! I do have all fairing in place except the rear ones (the frontmost section being the area that SHOULD be protecting my knee/thigh area), so the FIRST thing I'm gonna do before I ride again will be get over my laziness and put them back on! I'm in central Los Angeles, and until this latest heat wave, evenings were typically 75F or lower - I can definitely agree with the "keeping me warm" comment

I'll also invest some time wrapping my header. Even on cold nights, long rides left me with what look like a sunburn on my ... "sensative" areas. I think this "particular problem" is gender neutral. Ow.

Still, I'm glad to hear that I'm not in for a costly repair! Again, thank you so much for your input. I'll give a quick update after I've taken her for a spin with all fairings back in place (attractive zip ties, and all...)

-Amanda (AKA) Ivy

 

After rereading the original post, it just seems to me that you may have an issue that is more than the normal knees being baked by engine heat. You replaced the battery... have you ever checked the voltage with the bike running and revved to about 3500-4000 rpm? Reason being that the battery is right under the seat and from your description of legs/thighs being hot through your jeans. Maybe your battery is being overcharged and is generating the heat the you feel. I have ridden my bike with and without fairings in very hot weather and have never felt heat in my crotch... only the knees/ lower thighs. You might want to check your regulator/rectifier which is under the gas tank and the connectors which are there as well. The regulator/rectifier ( R/R ) units are a common problem on these bikes and/ or the connectors become corroded. The R/R is what converts the AC stator current to DC current and regulates DC voltage. I had a bad R/R which overcharged my battery. May be a long shot but couldn't hurt to check.

 

Wow, a HOT chick on a sportbike! (sorry - couldn't resist )

Seriously, you can try finding some of the relective foil that they line some fairing parts with on other bikes. If has a little bit of fiberglass that is stuck to heavy gauge aluminum foil. Stick on the parts that get the hottest (I mean the bike here ).

If you can't find the right stuff, just actually gluing a little aluminum foil inside those areas will help some. Put the shinier side towards the engine.

Anything you can stick between the foil and the fairing will help further reduce the transmission of the heat through the fairing.

It won't be enough to cause overheating but may be enough to reduce your discomfort.

KongBastard

 

My hurricane has always ran cooler in stop and go traffic with the lowers off.
My legs would get really hot just after leaving a light when the heat build-up starts to flow out through the path the fairings allow. After a couple of stop and go's the temp would climb and the fan would kick in. The bike was "balky"- not accelerating smoothly until the temp drops.
When I was riding in town a lot I just left the lowers off. Maybe that is why so many people have made street fighters out of them. What you are describing has pretty much been normal operation compared to mine. I bought my hurricane new in 87.