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Riding in the hot seat?

7K views 39 replies 22 participants last post by  blbace 
#1 ·
I have test-ridden the R9T twice now and the only thing stopping me from pulling the trigger on this fantastic bike is heat that I'm feeling from the seat. It gets toasty after 30 minutes or so and the top of the seat is warm/hot to the touch when I dismount the bike.

I cant see what could possibly be heating the seat from underneath...am I feeling hot air from the cylinder heads getting trapped between me and the seat? Is it the catalytic converter?

Do any of you have this experience? Any ways to make it cooler? I'm supposed to be picking up a new Urban G/S tomorrow and desperate to make this awesome bike work.
 
#2 ·
I have test-ridden the R9T twice now and the only thing stopping me from pulling the trigger on this fantastic bike is heat that I'm feeling from the seat. It gets toasty after 30 minutes or so and the top of the seat is warm/hot to the touch when I dismount the bike.

I cant see what could possibly be heating the seat from underneath...am I feeling hot air from the cylinder heads getting trapped between me and the seat? Is it the catalytic converter?

Do any of you have this experience? Any ways to make it cooler? I'm supposed to be picking up a new Urban G/S tomorrow and desperate to make this awesome bike work.
I've ridden my bike for two hours straight (non-stop) and I haven't experienced what you're describing. Perhaps it could be the climate you live in (your information doesn't state where in the US you reside).

Ask to test ride another model to see if you experience the same thing.

However, you're not the first to say they experience this phenomenon.

 
#4 ·
Sorry I live in Minnesota. I rode 2 bikes from 2 dealerships and it was the same both times. Once I wore regular street pants and once I wore riding jeans. Weather was 80-90 degrees F both times and fairly humid, but I can tell it's from the bike, not the ambient temps.
 
#5 ·
Heat radiated from boxer jugs sometimes leads people to think the bike is hotter than it really is. The legs will get warmer than bikes with cylinders tucked in, but as with so many other things BMW, one gets used to the quirks.

I also own a BMW F800S. If you want to experience a bike with a hot seat, try one of those.
 
#6 ·
maybe you feel that warm tingling feeling so many of us experience on our favourite boxer bike - isn't that why we ride them for in the first place ? ;-P
Try riding a Yamaha deltabox framed bike like a YZF1000R Thunderace or an older FJR in the heat of summer - I positively burned the inside of my thighs on the rising heat on those. On the FJR it got so bad one had to put a layer of insulation under the fuel tank to keep the fuel somewhat "cool". But what came out between frame and slightly raised fuel tank was a blast straight from a hot air blower......
Boxers keep the top of your feet and lower legs toasty, and yes there is some rising heat, but nothing really serious.
Directly under the seat there are only some electronics, the charcoal cannister and, a bit lower down, the battery.
If they start getting too hot things would get kind of exiting......
 
#7 ·
Interesting answers. I know I felt the heat on my feet/legs from the jugs, but am not really worried about that. What I don't like, is the warmth/heat directly under my arse. The thing is, I have NO idea where that is coming from since there seems to be nothing directly under the seat that could cause heat. My theory is that the air from the jugs is getting swept up and trapped between me and the seat. I definitely want the bike so I'm hoping somebody has dealt with this already so I know if there is a solution or not.
 
#8 ·
I've definitely experienced what I'd consider a "warm seat" but only on very hot days. I don't usually notice while I'm moving unless I get stuck in sudden low speed traffic or when I stop for gas on a hot day with a long ride. I think it is just general heat soak where everything on the bike eventually warms up, because in those instances my tank is also warm to the touch. Besides, a giant foam pad is going to trap heat more than most other stuff on the bike that are also more directly in the wind.

Personally it has never been an issue to me as soon as I get moving.
 
#13 ·
I am only aware of the heat when I am stopped somewhere and the wind blows from the side.
@mikemill, go for another test ride, stop on the side of the road and remove the seat.
Feel the underside of the seat.
If that is hot, then you know it isn't your imagination.

Some people say that the gel seat inserts get very hot after a few hours of riding.
It might just be a case of the seat itself absorbing body heat, making it uncomfortable for you.
 
#15 ·
I have actually used my CAT S61 phone to have a look at rear drive shaft joints, after lifting the whole shebang by 70 mm.
The CAT S61 (no adverts here - I am just using one because I have to detect water leakages and floor heating pipes from time to time, and to control cable temperatures on concert power supplies :) This phone has a fully fledged FLIR camera built in which lets you read surface temperatures and shows temperature difference.
Firstly- the final drive nor the joints are running any hotter than before the raise of the chassis and hence the more acute angles :)
Secondly - the only heat I detected on the seat was some very clear indication of my buttocks. No more.
Unfortunately I didn't safe those images and the weather is too lousy right now to do it again. Maybe next time we have some warm and sunny weather (rather then the current 15°C and rainfall every 15 minutes) I'll remember to save those pictures.
By the way - looking at bikes with FLIR is generally quite entertaining. One can observe tire temperatures, rubbing brakepads, hot-spots in engines and sometimes even cables and switches quite clearly....
 
#16 ·
Thought I was crazy!! I feel the same & got the same answers. In fact, someone asked me if I fart a lot!! LOLLOLLOL. My seat gets hot. I live in New England so it's not the weather. I thought it might be the seat. I have a Sargent seat on it now & it's still hot. I come from a 2003 Aprilia RSV Tuono & a 2015 Norton Commando. & I traded in a 2015 EBR so I know I come from many hot bikes. Nothing makes the seat this hot! Must be some weird dynamics.
 
#20 ·
I am looking at replacing the slab with a separate rider and pillion seat which are several mm taller and covering the rider seat with a Cool Covers seat cover. And, more expensively, doing a decat full system with a rapidbike tu to hopefully have it run a little cooler.

I see up to 270 degrees F after riding for a while. Is that normal?

let me know if you find any solutions too!

seat:

cool cover

Exhaust
 
#26 ·
Like Blbace suggested, maybe put a layer of insulation under the seat.

I know the 1190 KTM's had a problem with heat from the rear cylinder.
Someone came out with plastic covers with vents, for the sides.
A lot cooler as the heat was sucked out the vents.
No time to sit around and heat up the fuel tank and seat.
 
#29 ·
what about a snorkel similar to the air feed to the motor on the right, placed on the left and direct it into your seat area. Would look 'cool' with twin intake snorkels !
You could maybe cut up and invert a spare intake snorkel somehow.
it would avoid the heat from the engine and oil cooler and direct it to where you need it. Put a fan in it and it would work when in slow traffic. Put a flap in it and you can control how much if its cold weather.
 
#30 ·
I was riding today during some very hot weather. At one point, I noticed that my, ahem, anterior bits felt rather warm. It got me thinking about this thread. When not moving, things seemed very warm, but the moment I started moving all was well. That was when I noticed that the seat seems to hold a fair bit of heat. The tank and frame did not seem warm, and the seat itself was not terribly hot, but my body parts on the seat seemed to grow warmer than I recall on most of my other bikes. I tested several areas with my hands and the bike itself did not evidence unusual heat radiation.

Just a thought.
 
#33 ·
I have test-ridden the R9T twice now and the only thing stopping me from pulling the trigger on this fantastic bike is heat that I'm feeling from the seat. It gets toasty after 30 minutes or so and the top of the seat is warm/hot to the touch when I dismount the bike.

I cant see what could possibly be heating the seat from underneath...am I feeling hot air from the cylinder heads getting trapped between me and the seat? Is it the catalytic converter?

Do any of you have this experience? Any ways to make it cooler? I'm supposed to be picking up a new Urban G/S tomorrow and desperate to make this awesome bike work.
Huh. My rides average 300 US miles at a time, usually around 6-7 hours. I haven't noted a heat issue on my classic, now at 18k miles. My Bandit? Yes, but the R nineT has been cool up to 98º days. But (pun) your bum might be different from mine.
 
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