Hi,
I'm In India Heading to Pakistan. I've seen the forecasted temperatures on the BBc website reaching around and over 45 Celsius in the Islamabad area.
Any tips to avoid overheating (engine and rider!).
I have a temp clock. What temp is worringly hot?
Bike: BMW Dakar
Thanks
Fernando

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Smile

To me afer 35 C is hot. For bike too. You can put an oil cooler to the bike (u can search it at the Hubb) and for yourself you can give more stops and drink more liquid. You can put some salt to your drink water.
I can recommend to look at what locals drink and drink the same. Avoid coke and drinks with gas. Behave like locals. You will see it will be easier.

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"where the traveller goes, nobody knows ! "

Use engine oil with proper viscosity too.

20W-50 sounds reasonlable to cope with the contrasts you'll have there, note that you'll probably head for the high mountains, there temperatures can be near to freezing.

Drinking too much neutral water based drinks will "wash" salts out of your body. This can end up with increased heart rate and even its failure.

We used a special body re-salter added to water - we bought it from pharmacy back home if I remember correctly. Shouldn't be hard to find. Tastes like s***, but does the job well it proved. Me and girlfriend as northeners swet badly over +35C temperatures, it took us over 2 weeks to adapt with it. First days were a nightmare, and this was a DRY HEAT! Try to avoid humid locations like big lakes or sea areas, there it's a real killer heat for any northener! I.e. on the Caspian sea side I couldn't sleep whole night because of the humid heat, it was hard to breathe and swet madly.

Tip: if you want to get some relief from the excessive heat - ride into the mountains, this will feel as heaven for you and you feel as a human again. But you have to come down again sometimes anyway...

Cover your body, especially your head from sunlight if can't find any shade, ride alot (moving air is cooler), if not riding, take it all very easy - just "chillout" with locals, they'll inspire you to anyway.

Ride safe, Margus

I've just come down from Islamabad to the border yesterday: 47C in the shade, according to a fellow biker I met. Riding on the highway it's over 50C. Last night I stayed at the PTDC motel at the border and I couldn't sleep, either: everything I touched was hot, bed, chairs, walls... Ended up slkeeping in the hall, as it was aircon. The manager insisted on supplying a large bucket of COLD water, as the shower was too hot!

Oil cooler or not, I don't think your bike will have any problems. Drink lots. I do drink a lot of fizzy drinks, simply because they are safe and contain sugar = energy. I found my Platypus pack extremely useful, I can drink without stopping. I don't want to stop. I put a rag inside the pack and soak the whole thing, so the evaporation stops the water from heating up too much.

Stay in aircon rooms when it's that hot. If heading for Islamabad and the mountains there is a very nice hotel/restaurant about halfway by the Jhelum river bridge. Probably too expensive to stay, but the restaurant is aircon and good food, plus very friendly.

I'm now in Amritsar and it's become a little humid to boot, not good. Leaving for Kashmir very early in the morning.

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Cheers,
Peter.

Europe to NZ 2006-10

I see you´ve crossed the Pakistan/India border, how was that, and did it take you a long time to get thru all the formalities?

Regarding heat, and as I think youve gone partly the same route Im thinking, what are the longest distances in Iran & Pakistan where theres no water available, especially in the desert areas? How much water do you carry? Im planning to be there in late September or early October, probably still quite hot in those areas I think.

Watch out for vapour lock in your feul filter. It caused me days and days and days and days of head scratching in the nullabor(oz) at temps +/- 45degC.
Got bald patch to prove it!
orrin

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Cover your body, especially your head from sunlight if can't find any shade, ride alot (moving air is cooler)

Ride safe, Margus[/QUOTE]

All posts with sound advice , to I would like to add a bit.
If you ever need to stop aim for any available shaded spot.
Moving air does often feel cooler as Margus notes but that is only true up to the point at which the air temperature starts to rise above the human body temperature. Below 37C the body can shed heat to air moving across the skin and for several degrees more the evaporation of sweat will also carry off body heat. But when the air temp rises farther direct air blast will evaporate sweat the instant it comes to the surface and before it has absorbed any body heat. It is then like a hot air blower, a hair dryer , and it will be adding heat to your body. This is why you should keep bare skin covered with loose fitting light coloured cotton clothing- the light colour will reflect some of the radiant sun heat and the textile will absorb the sweat which then has a marginal chance of absorbing some body heat and removing it. This is the same principal as was used in the first evaporative-style air conditioners.
At feul stops ,and any chance in between, if you soak your riding clothes with any available water you will in effect be creating your own evaporative air conditioner (Icecap) And as a1arn suggests "wetting the bed " is also effctive. (Just hope the old stains were from the same clean water cause)

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http://advrider.com/index.php?thread....207964/page-5 then scroll down to post #93

here's a practical rehydration recipe for everybody and very cheap. can be prepared by yourself anywhere on the world-if only there is some place to supply those: a table spoon of (just to the brim of the spoon-brimful) table salt (the ordinary salt you know), a teaspoonful (heapfull) of bicarbonate (it is also known as table soda -a white powder and tastes salty,ok?), a teaspoonful of ordinary lemonjuice (just squeeze the lemon over a teaspoon), again a tablespoonfull (heapfull) of ordinary table sugar-regular sugar ; all added to 1(one) liter of water (bottled or boiled if you have to/depends on the regional circumstances of course). if there's excess amount of sweating, this liquid can be used instead of plain water. this is also recommended for rehydration for the children (and all) diarrheas. you may find it useful and it is widely commonly used in medical practice.

and, never-yes never go on coke etc. sugar added fizzy drinks; it is not good for health under hot weather. adding some mineral water maybe helpful, but not sure how much is enough.

That solution is what most ORT (oral rehydration therapy) solutions are based on. Easily available at any chemist, OTC, I prefer to purchase 5 or so pouches before setting out, and chilled bottled water as and when I stop.

Takes a minute to empty the contents of the pouch into the bottle, and you get a chilled, balanced soln, pretty refreshing if used within the first 2 hrs (before it gets hot). And no chance of salt imbalances, cramps and the like.