Is there any solution for leg roasting heat on an 08?

[Rich in Arizona]

Hey guys and gals. I havent posted in quite some time so I was due. I did search the forums and other than gripes, I didnt find if there is any known solution to the problem in the title topic. I live in Denver and we get very nice Summer's here and it frequently gets low to mid 90's. Riding my FJR for any real distance in those temps is just flat PAINFUL to my legs. This bike pukes out the heat directly onto my legs and even through the jeans, feels like it is 200 degrees! Not to mention, sitting in highway traffic in the high 90's could cook a rider. I am on the fence on keeping my FJR for this reason (only). Love the bike otherwise. PLEEEEEEASE tell me there is some kind of sorcery that I can apply to redirect this heat..... and NO, I am NOT going to wear a$$less chaps so don't even try

If there is no solution - anyone interested in a very low mileage '08?......

 

[Ignacio]

This bike pukes out the heat directly onto my legs and even through the jeans, feels like it is 200 degrees!

Heh. Complaining about a Gen 2 on heat management? Snerk.

Here are some choices:

• Quit riding with jeans. Ride with substantial motorcycle gear.
• Ride a Gen 1 and see how lucky you are with a Gen 2.
• Line your ass-less chaps with aluminum foil.

 

[rPGoatBoy]

Here's some other choices:

- Play with the vents on the side fairings. Maybe opening them up will redirect the air away from your legs. FWIW, they're usually opened in the winter to PUT heat on your legs, but there's been much debate on that topic on this forum. I'm on the open for heat team, but it may be different for you.

- Buy some heat shield material from McMaster.com or another website. Pull up the tank, and cut your own to size. Someone did that awhile back, and there should still be a thread about it somewhere. Maybe they did it to a Gen I, but it'd be pretty much the same.

Are you sure the existing heat shield under the tank is still there? Maybe a previous owner tossed it?

 

[El Toro Joe]

Gotta agree with Ignacio, lose the jeans and get some real riding gear.

 

[Hotboot]

Boots and riding pants help. In comparison, my Gen 1 during Texas summers is toasty but never painful, that's with boots and mesh pants only.

 

[MrZappo]

Bag of ice in each pant leg replenished hourly.

Ok seriously. I feel some heat on my 08 but never too bad. Proper riding gear and you will be fine.

But, don't expect it to be "cool" . FJR's are definitely not cool from a temperature perspective.

 

[Bounce]

Here's some other choices:
- Play with the vents on the side fairings. Maybe opening them up will redirect the air away from your legs. FWIW, they're usually opened in the winter to PUT heat on your legs, but there's been much debate on that topic on this forum. I'm on the open for heat team, but it may be different for you.

- Buy some heat shield material from McMaster.com or another website. Pull up the tank, and cut your own to size. Someone did that awhile back, and there should still be a thread about it somewhere. Maybe they did it to a Gen I, but it'd be pretty much the same.

Are you sure the existing heat shield under the tank is still there? Maybe a previous owner tossed it?

https://www.fjr-tips.org/mods/insul/insul.html

 

[gray ray]

Sell the FJR and buy a nice cool Harley

 

[Rich in Arizona]

Gotta agree with Ignacio, lose the jeans and get some real riding gear.

Thanks for the advice but when it is 90+ degrees, I wear jeans and my ballistic Joe Rocket mesh armor over them. Provides (some) knee and thigh protection but seriously - NOT gonna ride with leathers on in that temp. Oh and someone asked if the heat Shield is on the engine - yes, I have done valves and throttle sync and have seen and moved that shielding. Not complaining about the tank temp (my bike is black so it is sun magnet anyways), just the extreme amount of heat the bike throws off from the radiator fans pushing through the side vents. Soooooo other than ribbing - the answer is deal with it eh?

 

[Hotboot]

Probably. It is a warm bike to own, other big HP ST's throw the heat in different places. Swap with a buddy or test ride another bike when it's hot for comparison.

 

[Ignacio]

Soooooo other than ribbing - the answer is deal with it eh?

Ummmm.you missed post #7 that even had a link.

NOT gonna ride with leathers on in that temp.

Your presumption that ONLY leathers are real riding gear is faulty.

As has been discussed many, Many, MANY times before--there are a variety of great gear out there that work in temperatures FAR higher and FAR worse than a Gen 2 FJR. One example is Aerostich...and has zero leather in them. Add in a base layer of LDRider.com tights and you'd be set.

 

[TomInPA]

This makes me proud to ride a Gen I.

 

[Hudson]

Geez guys, RichinDenvver is trying to find a solution to a real issue that plagues the Gen 2. Stop hassling the guy and start providing some practical tips, will ya?

Rich, I too noticed the heat issue on my 08 FJR, and it took about 2 years for me to find the most effective solution. I am guessing that since you are rich, in Denver, this would work for you too.

My first step was to buy and ride a KTM 1190R, which ridden in traffic is like bull-riding a pizza oven. You can try to remove the cat, or ceramic coat the exhaust header, but you'll still get roasted, and the $250 carbon fiber "heat guard wings" will mostly just lighten your wallet.

While that worked a little bit, the second step was even more effective.

Step 2 - I bought not one, but two MV Agusta F4s, and tried to ride them around as you would your 08 Gen 2. I even replaced the water pump fan blades and coolant (with Engine Ice) but the heat rising from the bike still roasted my chestnuts. I even tried riding one of them on its side, briefly, but it didn't help. Luckily I wasn't wearing jeans like you when I tried that one.

After these two essential steps, I got back on my 08 FJR and surprisingly the problem was mostly cured. The third step, however, was the most important and effective....so please don't overlook:

Step 3. I learned to SHUT THE HELL UP, cause the heat on the Gen 2 FJR is nowhere near as bad as the other bikes.

Thus far, I've not had any further heat issues on the FJR, so I'm pretty confident this would work for you too.

(For Step 2, you could try this with only one MV Agusta F4, but I can't vouch that it will work as well as two).

 

[sapest]

Cant fault Hudson's suggestions - but something a bit cheaper to try;

After you purchase some riding pants, ask someone that knows their way around a sewing machine to sew big pocket on the inside of the leg(s) (for me it was just the left ankle that was being cooked) in the right place. Then go to a sewing store and buy a chunk of the fabric used to make oven mitts. Cut/fold as required to fit the fabric in the pocket.

Another Hudson-like suggestion that I am surprised has not been made already- never travel at less than 30mph!

-Steve

 

[SkooterG]

Ok, so I am going to go out on a limb here and say it has much more to do than riding in jeans. Until about three weeks ago when the FUGLY R3 light showed up at my door I have been riding locally in jeans all the time. Daily in the Arizona summer of up to 119 degrees. Not proud of my exception to ATGATT but I was not going to deal with the hassle of m/c pants when running errands and doing everyday stuff. But now, finally, I have my one piece Stitch to make me a true ATGATT Nazi. Life is good.

I've owned a few FJRs. They are not all created equal. One 04 was hot. One was not. My guess is fuel injection and where it lands on the lean/rich graph. Just my SWAG as to the difference in heat in two identical bikes. And I don't think wearing m/c pants made too much of a difference over jeans. Some. Now, if you are riding in shorts (I see that here in the summer - dudes on FJRs in shorts!) you are a jackass plain and simple.

Now for my 09. It's HOT. Not like the '04s were. Different. The hot '04 blasted both shins with super-heated air. And the tank got HOT. Which is why I always sat a couple inches back from it. Non-issue now.

The 09 does not blast the shins, nor does the tank get hot. It takes a bunch of hot air from right side after it leaves the radiator and deposits it in my lap! NOT FUN. This is air going around the right side faring, and onto my right thigh and into my lap. M/c pants didn't help. Not one bit. Still sucked big time. A constant supply of hot air filling your lap/crotch while the miles and hours tick away while touring was not fun. The presence of my Yamaha tank bag may have made it worse, blocking cooler air from that area. I could never verify for sure. I have put 100,000 miles on that bike and many of them I was not as happy as I would have liked, but it wasn't ruining my enjoyment of the bike in the great scheme of things.

Oh, and then there are the riders. Some are pussies. A few are real, manly-men such as myself. YMMV.

So as for the OP.......... Perhaps you are a pussy. Perhaps your FJR is hotter than the 'mean'. There is not a whole lot you can do about it, but you can try a few things. I would try to ride another 08 or 09 FJR and see how it compares to yours. If it is bothering you that much, my recommendation is to try a fuel injection controller to richen up the mixture and see if that helps. Some FJRs come from the factory lean. Find a used controller so it won't cost that much to experiment.

Now, all that being said...... The hottest of FJRs I have ever had do not even come close to that 1987 Kawi Concours I had. It took me the longest of time to figure out why my thighs were getting so red. I though I had a rash. I don't miss riding that thing in the summer. Not one goddamned bit.

You're welcome.

 

[SacramentoMike]

Google Baker Air Wings.

 

[Happytrails63]

So are Gen III's cooler? Or does OP just have a hot bike? Just wondering because I had a short ride on a Gen III and didn't notice the heat. But it could have been due to me playing non-stop with all the gizmos on that bike.

 

[Madmudder]

https://www.ebay.com/itm/NEW-YAMAHA-FJR1300-FJR-HOT-TANK-HEAT-FIX-INSULATION-KIT-/191785005120?hash=item2ca746f040:g:aowAAOSw2s1UtJiM&vxp=mtr

This helped quite a bit on my 05. I also put some very dense foam between the frame and fairing closest to the rider area. I also put on a power commander to help with the low speed throttle issue but that may have helped like SkooterG mentioned it definitely run richier with the power commander but never hesitated again with it.

 

[Bobduster225]

I don't feel excessive heat on my gen III around the tank area, only near my shins and feet. Defiantly one of the hotter bikes I've owned. Most notable above 85 degrees.

Switching to mesh textile pants versus jeans helped but still the heat on the shins was not fun.

I don't like riding boots that go over my calves which could help with the heat, instead I wear fly racing m21 boots and paired them with a merino wool moisture wick over the calf sock.

The sock helps keep the heat build-up from occurring by removing moisture that traps heat in the boot as you sweat . The socks have some extra material in the front shin area to deflect heat and the socks design allows for moisture to escape which allows better breathing and cooling of the boot/calf area.

There are a lot of options for moisture wick socks tailored for different sport, work , hiking etc. some even are fire retardent. Race car drivers along with motorcycle racing wear specialty socks for this purpose to keep the feet drier and protected.

I picked up some wigwam brand socks and it made a big difference. I always thought wool was only meant to keep you warm in cold climate but found today's materials bring out the breathing properties and cooling as well.