no more parade rides for me

[tom w]

our group did the 4th of july parade in poplar bluff. the weather was great . a cooler than normal 89 degrees. it being an election year ,we had walking people in front of us so the pace was stop and go. we started with 8 bikes and my trike. 2 Hondas , a new ultra, and a 2013 street glide. the rest were older but well maintained bikes. I have a le nale fan and I turned it on from the start. the problem came in about 2/3rds of the way thru. things got really heated. all 6 of the Harleys cut off from the parade on to a side street.

I was no way going to let the 2 Hondas finish without me, and not having any real problem, continued on. By the end ,the under side of my thighs were burning like fire and the motor didn't sound like it was running the same. I was afraid to shut it off and just rode off into the wind. I learned later that every one who had left the parade were having problems keeping their bikes running due to the heat. the guy on the new ultra said it was the first time he had heard his cooling fan kick on.
As a group vote , the parade is out of the question for next year.

[bayoudave]

We had the same experience a couple of years ago. We had been leading parades but this one they changed after we got there. We were right behind the band and they stopped every few blocks and played. By the time we were done so were most bikes and riders. The two wheelers were tired from holding the bikes up for the hour and a half it took to make the route. We decided that if we aren't leading the parade we don't ride. Lesson learned the hard way.

[GARYD]

Our chapter use to do parades - we got paid $100 for each bike, but as you said the bikes would overheat. The next year we stipulated we had to ride up front where it wasn't as much stop and go. The bikes still got hot. We don't do parades anymore.

I had a similar situation on my 2003 Ultra at the US/Canadian border. It was stop and go - mostly stop and stop. Bike got very hot - I checked the temp dipstick and it showed 300*. It got so hot that the bike kept creeping forward even with the clutch lever pulled all the way in. Pulled off to the side for about 10 minutes then it was ok to go a little farther. Change all fluids immediately when I got home.

[msocko3]

Stop and go traffic, parades or anything that makes for a slow pace is bad news for an air cooled engine. You need about 30 mph to get enough air flow across the engine for cooling. A couple weeks ago my dad overheated the heck out of his 09 Triglide when we got caught in a traffic jam while passing through Chicago. His started pinging, chugging and bucking. I serviced it when we got back home and found the derby on the primary had loosened up and begun to leak a little, the breather screws on the air cleaner backing plate has loosened up also.

[dogman513]

"Hondas" just like the energizer bunny, just saying!

[Pegasus1300]

Our riding group here still does parades but we have learned to ask that we be in the front so we can keep moving. Of course the liquid cooled bikes don't have problems and some of the Harley's especially the older ones that are not so lean make it thru alright. We will have our acid test next week on the 24th of July parades here in Utah.

[BinIdaho]

our group did the 4th of july parade in poplar bluff. the weather was great . a cooler than normal 89 degrees. it being an election year ,we had walking people in front of us so the pace was stop and go. we started with 8 bikes and my trike. 2 Hondas , a new ultra, and a 2013 street glide. the rest were older but well maintained bikes. I have a le nale fan and I turned it on from the start. the problem came in about 2/3rds of the way thru. things got really heated. all 6 of the Harleys cut off from the parade on to a side street.

I was no way going to let the 2 Hondas finish without me, and not having any real problem, continued on. By the end ,the under side of my thighs were burning like fire and the motor didn't sound like it was running the same. I was afraid to shut it off and just rode off into the wind. I learned later that every one who had left the parade were having problems keeping their bikes running due to the heat. the guy on the new ultra said it was the first time he had heard his cooling fan kick on.
As a group vote , the parade is out of the question for next year.

Did the 4th parade locally.....same situation, honor guard and rodeo queen on horseback.....slow as molasses. It was hot, engine was hot and burned inside legs. Didn't have the rear cylinder shut-down activated. No more parades for me!

[rap47]

"Hondas" just like the energizer bunny, just saying!

I knew there was a reason to have one, parade duty. Then, after the parade, go home and get on the Harley and go riding!!!