I like to ride. In fact, my mechanic says that I'm piling so many miles on Spinner that he wants to check my rear spokes, my drive belt and my tire. He encourages me to bring her in for the 10K check-up despite having only +8 on the odometer.

Now, Spinner is spotless. It's a matter of 'wear.' I do not over-rev or drag race. I think Spinner has been over 85 MPH only once--or twice.

The problem, he states, is that I actually ride my bike. He doesn't see that much. Our newspaper is filled with creampuff bikes for sale with only 2K on them.

I tell you that because I quit riding yesterday at 2:00PM because I wasn't having fun. The day started nice, not a cloud in the sky. Yikes, did it get hot fast! By the time I left the gym yesterday morning I was already regretting wearing a jean jacket. As the afternoon progressed I actually asked myself if it was logical to burn premium gas for something that simply wasn't fun.

I came home. Now, as a younger man I deliberately started out in a pouring thunderstorm to get to a tavern to celebrate my birthday with friends. Yesterday I quit riding because various nether regions of my own personal body were being slowing roasted over an open fire--which happened to be a Sportster. No kidding, I jumped three red lights so I didn't have to sit through them.

Two things. I'm going to look at oil coolers. I'm also going to ask my doc about HGH supplements before I start watching home interior decorating shows...

Hey Tourist you forgot the BBQ sauce!

Oh, that's all I need! Sitting at a stoplight pouring sauces, creams and lotions on my groin. Ya' know, I have a crazy enough rep in this part of the woods without deliberately adding more!

Don't forget to wrap those potatoes in tin foil, you don't want them drying out

Oh, we're past that idea. I rode this Sportie last year when the engine was tighter--and ran even hotter.

Yikes, according to the wrench, this new download is correct, the performance is flawless and the engine is a goodie. It does run beyond my expectations. However, if I would have felt heat like this coming off a V-twin back when men-were-men, I would have jumped off and sprayed the thing down with a fire extinguisher!

It doesn't stumble idling at stoplights, it lopes up a ramp with plenty of beans, and the engine doesn't sound wheezy like it's leaned out. Oy vey, it's scalding.

Oil cooler.

Fire proof pants

And maybe a fire-proof garage.

When I return from a ride, I pull the bike into an open area of the garage to both let it cool and give me some room to wipe it down. I usually start just by wiping the bugs off of bike immediately before they get stuck on really solid. I'll get something to eat, catch the news, spend some time with my wife or simply do other errands. Then after sundown the bike is cool enough to touch and polish.

This new Sportster stays pretty toasty. Even last autumn when the weather was beginning to chill you could feel the waves of heat dissipate from the engine. And after years of MoCo offering the new 96-inch and 110-inch engines (assuming that they make constant minor upgrades) I still see heat shields on the big Glides to channel heat away from the rider. Those engines are designed to be driven all day, so heat is recognized as an issue for the rest of their client base, as well.