newbie needs help

[zx girl]

when i ride my 2006 Zx 6r in shorts my right leg feels the heat from the exhaust is there anything i can do to make that better. i live in texas where the weather gets in the 100's. and again this site rocks.
norma

[Lawn Masters]

simple. I wouldnt wear shorts while riding ANY motorcycle, I've got a saying personally. "I'd rather sweat than bleed"

other than heat wrapping the exhaust, theres not a whole lot you can honestly do to help the heat issue. I've got my headers, and sooner or later I'll do my midpipe and everything up to the muffler with heat wrap on my ZX10A1.

[zx girl]

well tape was an option. i was thinking more somehow deflecting the heat with a homemade shield, but i thought i'd ask first.

[Lawn Masters]

No, not with tape, I meant heat wrap the whole exhaust from header to muffler with fiberglass heat wrap. it'll probably cost about $100 or so for the two 50' rolls of 2" heat wrap to wrap your whole system.

this alternative will also net you a little less heat absorbed by your radiator from your exhaust headers, which in theory means slightly cooler operating temps as well. its worth a try at least.

[Bubba68CS]

Exhaust wrap is known to cause corrosion on car exhaust systems (which are generally not made from materials like stainless steel). Header companies will void the warranty if you use the stuff. Someone else will have to chime in as to what bikes generally use (as I have no idea)...if bike systems are stainless steel, or some other corrosion resistant material, you should be fine using it...but otherwise I would recommend against it. It does, however, work really well at insulating the exhaust.

As for the heat shield idea...aluminum foil. Note: heat transfer nerdiness coming out now~

What you are feeling off your exhaust is heat radiation. This is the stuff that heats the earth from the sun. All materials have properties which affect how well radiation is absorbed or emitted (or if the stuff passes through). Now to the part you care about: aluminum foil will repel approximately 97% of the radiation that hits it. It will also only emit about 3% of the heat it contains. So, if you can figure out how to mount it so it doesn't tear and so it sits between you and the exhaust...you'll eliminate virtually all of that heat coming through. Other option, which would be quite a bit more sturdy, is a polished piece of aluminum sheet.

Beyond that though...I'm with Lawn Masters...don't wear shorts while on a bike. Just think about crawling across the pavement as fast as you can...then imagine going about 10 times faster.

[Bubba68CS]

Oh yeah...WELCOME TO THE FORUM!!!!

[zx girl]

thanks for the advice i ride the beach areas, that is why i wear shorts but only there. but it's in the 100's where i live and feels like 110. yes the heat radiates to my right leg (calf area). i have ridden several bikes but never felt such heat, bike runs very smooth and is in tip top shape.

[Box]

How often do you take food out of the oven without using an oven glove/mitt/cloth etc...
It's a hot place and you will get burnt.
The sun is also hot and that burns too.
As for gravel rash and the wire brush I won't comment.

It's your choice, but the only real answer, for me, is don't wear shorts.
Don't even wear jeans, wear suitable gear.

20+ years since I needed the gravel rash protection, but it keeps the sun off the scars and helps prevent melanomas.

[eidian]

I'm going to have to side with the members that said to not ride in shorts. If I can ride with riding pants over my jeans in 100* heat, I'm sure that you can too. Just make sure that you stay hydrated. If you're riding in shorts, put on a pair of mesh riding pants and that should protect you from the exhaust heat and help keep you cool as you protect yourself.

Trust me, if you have a minor spill and you end up grinding your skin on the asphalt, you will realize that being hot is worth protecting yourself. Don't let that happen.

[Stormdragon]

Mesh gear, at the very least, FTW. I'll admit that at one time I used to drive a whole ½ mile down to the beach in tennies and shorts so I could go snorkeling. I couldn't enjoy the ride however, because I knew someone would cause me to have an accident, and I didn't want to deal with skin grafts. These days, I can't even ride in jeans without worrying about my kneecaps.

Dress for the crash, not the ride.

[Charlie Gary]

Are you sure you want to wear swimming attire while riding?

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