The heat of summer, plus the return of rush hour traffic, combine to result in a deadly mix that could result in overheating for both the rider and his ride.
While it is true that most modern bikes are liquid-cooled and can withstand the tropical heat of summer in the Philipines, the heat out there can be merciless.
Already, MMDA traffic enforcers have given 30 minute breaks to prevent heat-stroke.
So alot of you may wonder, what kind of damage can the summer heat do to your ride? Plenty.
Your motorcycle engine has a heat threshold that when exceeded can cause the pistons, gaskets and even the oil inside to operate at dangerously destructive levels. Performance will definitely change and some internals may be damaged if you continue to run your bike at high temps.
If this is the case of liquid-cooled engines, imagine what happens to big bike engines that are advertised to be air-cooled. It’s not that hard to guess. You probably passed a few of those European and American designed bikes – which are basically built for cool weather.
For Asian designed bikes, the heat is already factored in to the bike’s engineering. But still, summer heat is still summer heat. So if you are stuck in traffic under the hot, hot sun, its best to take a short break and wait until the traffic eases up or the temperature becomes a bit cooler.
The heat of the sun will actually roast the paint on your bike and will definitely soften rubber parts. Plus the hot metal body of your bike will remind you often why its not a good idea for your flesh to come in contact with a sun-baked metal part.
And while you are at it, while cooling your bike down, try to cool off yourself. Drink lots of water, even if you dont feel thirsty. “Refuel” your body with good ole H20, so that your own internal engine would simply stop dead while you are off riding in the hot, hot sun.
