Until they isolate the exhaust system heat from the rider and passenger, the various engine cooling "solutions" are just that, solutions for keeping the engine itself from melting down, not the rider.
I can't help but wonder how many of the folks bitching about heat on this forum have ever owned a water cooled bike. The engine itself loves the much more consistent operating temperatures, but when the air flowing back from that radiator hits you, or you're sitting in the hot sun at a traffic light and the cooling fan kicks in and bathes you in hot air from the radiator, you find out real quickly that better engine cooling doesn't exactly translate to better rider comfort. At least some water cooled bikes also incorporate engine shrouds that not only hide much of the mechanical stuff, but also add a barrier between the hot parts and the rider. I don't forsee Harley ever covering their engine, nor to I forsee them doing an effective (but ugly) job of keeping the exhaust system heat away from riders. They are too heavily invested in "style" and the "look" to do what is really necessary.
Coming to a Harley catalog near you, new asbestos lined riding pants with a reflective external coating, $199.95 in your choice of blue or black.
Jerry
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Topic: To be or not to be? (Read 1056 times)