Seat Heat

Radiant Heat and the Seat

Web maintained by JohnnyRide

Well you pulled the trigger on a new/used ST1300 in the fall or early spring and now that it is summer your wondering if you made a mistake. After a bit or riding, you notice that your a bit uncomfortable with the seat even though you also picked up an aftermarket seat or perhaps had your stock seat modified for comfort. It's not the seat design, it the heat that is filtering up from the engine area and seeping through the seat to the bottom of your thighs and butt. You may notice it the worst sitting for extended periods in traffic or at lower speeds. You sure didn't notice it on the test drive did ya? Well first off there isn't anything "wrong with the bike" and there isn't anything wrong with you either. The bike, as it heats up passes a lot of heat through the fairing, the tank and the frame as well. It's just a fact of life and it is the way things are. You are riding on top of a V4 engine so don't expect it to feel like you are riding in a Honda instead of on top of one. If you have a Honda Accord or Civic at your disposal, try this. During hotter weather, drive the car for an hour in traffic, come back home and allow it to idle in the driveway for 10 minutes or so. Good, now exit the vehicle and carefully sit on the hood in order to not dent it. Sit there for ten minutes and tell me it isn't hot after ten minutes. Ok perhaps a bit extreme, but you get the point, now sit inside the Honda and cool off. So, what can be done to help us out on the bike?

Before we head that way, When riding on the plain seat, I do want to say that I do not notice the heat near as much when I am wearing touring pants as compared with Draggin Jeans or other comparable jeans. While the Kevlar in the jeans does offer insulting qualities, the touring pants seems to isolate my butt better. Jeans by themselves offer no insulation what so ever.

Until they try a seat made of wooden beads, most people do not believe they can be omfortable. Well we can tell you, from our own personal experience nd that of our satisfied customers, they do work. BeadRiders allow air to flow between the rider and the saddle, keeping you dryer and cooler. If you really want proof of the airflow, just use a set of BeadRiders on a cool day, and it won’t take long to convince you that cold air is flowing beneath you. Beaded seats also allow for the dispersion of your pressure points over a larger area. A customer relayed an interesting story to us. He had purchased a set of BeadRiders at Americade this year. He then went to another vendor who was selling an expensive seat pad. This vendor had set an electronic seat pad connected to a computer to measure the pressure points in the saddle with and without his seat pad. The vendor allowed our customer to compare our set of BeadRiders to the pad he was selling. Well the customer found his BeadRider seat, as measured by the computer, was much better at reducing pressure points than the much more expensive ($150.00) seat pad.

Finally, we also found that our comfort level while riding in the rain is helped by a set of BeadRiders. The seat allows you to stay high and dry, while water drains through the seat below you, instead of pooling underneath you.

My take on them is they work great you don't feel like you are going to roll off the seat or anything like that. They move air under you and reduce the heat build up very nicely. This is a must have item for low speed and in city riding. For $35 for the driver seat, you can not go wrong.

Cons- I have very little rear padding and after 2-3 hours in the saddle, assuming I am wearing regular jeans, the beads feel like I am sitting on top of rocks. So if I am moving down the road on the interstate at speed, chances are the beads will come off the seat and go in the saddlebags until I need them again. I didn't notice the "rocks feeling" with touring pants or with Draggin Jeans on however.

http://www.bvmjets.com/Tools/heatshield.htm

Heat Shield +
brush-on ceramic coating

High Temperature exhaust gases from both turbine and piston engines are sometimes unavoidably close to parts of the airframe. Tailpipes and mufflers contain the flame but the convective heat can be too much for the surrounding balsa, plastic, or fiberglass structures.

Two to three brushed on coats of this water based, ceramic material, "Heat Shield" will protect those exposed parts of your model. Simply treat the inside of the engine cowl (piston engines) or the inside of the aft fuselage (turbine) and the surface temperature of the model will remain cool. In the unusual case of a turbine tailpipe fire on start up, you will have several seconds longer to extinguish it before any damage to the model occurs.

Heat Shield comes in an 8 oz. can and is easily applied with a brush, clean up with soapy water. For extra protection the thickness can be built up with additional layers of fiberglass cloth and Heat Shield.

BVM #PA-MA-1940 - $15.95

I used a whole can on the bottom side of the seat. It is messy and goes on thickly. It comes in white so you really have to be careful not to contact areas with it you don't want white paint on.

Did it help? Yes I would estimate it reduce the radiant heat by 60%. Maybe a little more.

I have yet to paint the underside of the tank and inner fairings yet. I will probably do the tank since it gets pretty hot on the insides of the legs.

http://www.bvmjets.com/Tools/heatshield.htm

Ceramic Heat Blanket

Ceramic heat blanket is used to protect your model from excessive heat and is ideal for use in engine bays and near tailpipes. Package includes (1) 12"x24" sheet of Ceramic Heat Blanket.

BVM Ceramic Heat Blanket (12x24") $11.00

I haven't tried it under the seat, custom cut and so forth, just an idea.

I did buy a space blanket, cut it down and taped it to the frame under the seat. It helped a little but was a complete mess to deal with... tape ..blah.

http://www.dragginjeans.com/

Everyone ought to be familiar with these jeans if not, read up on them. Kevlar itself is an insulator and they will help reduce seat heat. I have not tried the full length "under the pants" version shown to the left, but I will just about guarantee they would help with all the ST1300 leg heat concerns. Even their "regular Kevlar jeans" will help insulate you from the not only the seat heat but the shins blasts from the engine as well assuming your wearing a tall pair of boots. But keep in mind, the Kevlar in the jeans, is going to make wearing the jeans warmer in general on or off the bike. Insulation works both ways.

Combining these with the Bead Riders will help a good bit.