Most riders take their longest rides during the spring, summer, and early fall. However, in recent years, summer temperatures have been hitting exceptional peaks with greater frequency, creating a dreadful experience for any rider outfitted in a helmet and riding wear.

How could rides outside in the heat be made more comfortable? The development team at RS TAICHI had long been searching for a solution comparable to our e-HEAT electric heating products that would allow riders the freedom to enjoy longer rides in stifling summer temperatures. After trying several different approaches, the team finally arrived at a system which lowered temperatures underneath the riding gear, on demand, using the evaporative cooling capacity of moving air, simply by supplying liquid to the user’s undershirt. Although it sounds obvious in retrospect, this mechanism for “liquid-cooling” the rider turned out to be a huge innovation.

As the development team began repeatedly testing this system, they soon ran into one problem: which fluid to use as a coolant. Although easy to procure, water on its own provided insufficient cooling and gave off an unpleasantly damp odor, which resulted in a less than satisfactory user experience. RS TAICHI had plenty of expertise making motorcycle accessories, but fluids were an unfamiliar subject. The development team felt that they had arrived at an impasse.

Then the team had an idea. Why not seek help from another industry possessing more experience with such fluids? Top on the list of candidates was hair and skin care product manufacturer Mandom Corporation.

ot just any skin care product company would suffice for such an undertaking. A close examination of the various skin refreshment products on the market led RS TAICHI to decide on Mandom, proprietor of the famous men’s cosmetic brand Gatsby.

When approached by Mr. Kurisu from RS TAICHI’s development team, Mandom expressed mutual interest in the project.

“We were initially a little perplexed by their proposal to collaborate on product development,” relates Mr. Yamashina of Mandom. Their own research and development team had absolutely no experience or knowledge relating to the motorcycle industry. However, any confusion quickly vanished once RS TAICHI explained what it was hoping to accomplish for the riders. Mandom had a long history of researching skin refreshment and related skin sensor technologies, and their team felt certain that Kai-tech, which was born from those efforts, would meet the necessary demands.

Development turned out to be a real challenge. Mandom had yet to create any products intended for use in such extreme environments. Working closely with RS TAICHI, their team soon learned how unimaginably hot and unpleasant riding conditions could become. Once that environment could be reproduced, development began in earnest with the team repeating trials using existing product formulas to establish a baseline while they determined how to make improvements. Although more cooling could be achieved by altering the active components and increasing their proportions, this would result in unpleasant sensations and accompanying discomfort. The fluid also became more prone to evaporation under extreme heat, limiting its longevity as a coolant. This was where Kai-tech Air came into play. A unique technology developed by Mandom, Kai-tech Air mediates the unpleasant sting of menthol while prolonging the period airflow will produce a pleasantly cooling sensation during the ride.

According to Ms. Saito from Mandom, “We made sure our deodorizing components were all naturally derived.” In addition to their proprietary Kai-tech Air technology, the development team included odor fighting components from green tea and persimmon. The two of them work together to eliminate the musty smell of damp clothing, another unpleasant drawback to riding in the summer heat, while also contributing a little “made in Japan” flair to the product image. Now Mandom had a fluid capable of producing a pleasantly cool sensation over prolonged periods while simultaneously fighting odors. Developed specifically for motorcycle riders, they named this new fluid LIQUIDWIND WATER.

The development team at RS TAICHI followed up with repeated road tests during which LIQUIDWIND WATER performed as expected, right up until the daily temperatures began to peak. They were surprised to discover that it was exceeding human body temperatures while sitting in the bottle strapped to the rider’s waist. Warmed by both direct sunlight and heat reflected off the asphalt, this overheated cooling fluid failed to produce the same cooling sensation when applied to the undershirt.

In 2022, two years after LIQUIDWIND WATER first came to market, the latest model received a brand-new, vacuum-insulated cold-preservation bottle designed to prevent overheating. This new bottle design successfully keeps the cooling fluid temperatures down even during the hottest days of summer.

Practical tests revealed one other point for improvement. Greater comfort could be achieved when LIQUIDWIND WATER was also distributed to the rider’s back, even though it did not receive direct wind. Continued trials allowed the team to establish an ideal layout for the undershirt and the fluid delivery tube. Developing the cooling fluid and its delivery system side by side enabled them to construct a more effective cooling system.

Condensing RS TAICHI’s years of experience producing the motorcycle gear riders need and the extensive expertise of respected men’s cosmetic brand Mandom into one product, the LIQUIDWIND system finally allows riders to ride comfortably and stop worrying about the heat.