Hot Weather Riding Gear

Lineslinger

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In my area of the midwest daytime temps are in the mid to high 90's.
I will usually wait until evening for it to cool a bit but my old leathers are way too hot for riding in these ugly hot/humid conditions.
I won't ride without some form of protection between my skin and the asphalt or concrete. I have seen the results of motorcyclists going down while riding in shorts or short sleeves.

My question is with all the new synthetic offerings for warm weather riding what are you using/wearing and how do you rate it.
There is a lot out there to choose from and I often question some of the ratings various sites offer regarding the quality and performance of their product.

Any expereince or recommendation appreciated.
 
I have draggin jeans denim top and bottom, one low speed spill so far but rider and clothing escaped in good condition.
Wouldn't use it for racing mind you (not that I race!)
Also modern Belstaff wax jackets, though how bulletproof they are I wouldn't/couldn't say....
 
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Here in East Texas, summertime temps are in the 90's and often hit low 100's.

I have a Joe Rocket mesh jacket, which is comfy as long as one is moving. It comes with a liner for cooler temps.

Dunno how it performs as far as its primary purpose .... have to go down to rate that.

Slick
 
As Slick says, you need mesh gear.

I have a Rukka Force Air mesh jacket, I had shied away from buying one previously. They’re not cheap and, well, I live in England ! But I bought it for my R66 trip. And boy I’m gland I did.

It is as close to riding in a t shirt as you can get. But with body armour and abrasion protection. It’s comfy too. Worth every penny.

I haven’t bought the trousers (pants) as I’m happy with my Kevlar jeans. But I imagine the mesh trousers would much better.
 
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The mesh trousers are chilly up to about 80- 85f then very nice above that.
If it's going to be very hot at some point of the day, the mesh gear is a lifesaver. One can start off in the cool of the morning with rain gear over the mesh gear, then peel off the rain gear when it gets hot later on.
Between the rain gear and the heated vest( I always bring it just in case) my mesh outfit works comfortably from 45f to 100 f.

Glen
 
Just got back from an 11 mile test run .... 88F outside (that's cool for these parts in July) ..... a comfy ride, but once I parked the Atlas, I could not wait to get out of that jacket.

Slick
 
I invested in Aether stuff a few years back for when I'm out doing licensing, it's a bit pricey, but worth it in the heat. The Navigator jacket I have has a UV reflecting quality which (they claim) gives it the thermal properties of white cotton

 
The mesh gear is what I have been researching...Its a PITA having to change out into protective clothing ( and way too hot) every time I get the urge to take a ride in the summer months.

What I am looking at is a set of pants and a jacket I can pull on over my shorts and t shirt. Something that will give me decent protection against road rash when the "textingwhiledrivingdumbass" pulls out in front of me.

I want the mesh offerings that can be pulled on over my riding jeans and LS shirt as well. Cooler weather brings back the leathers.

I pay attention the sizing guides but curious how you went about estimating the proper sizing and did it fit the way you hoped?

There is no shortage of expensive gear, a lot of which seems to be associated with name brand.
Sometimes brand merits the extra cost, sometimes. I don't care so much about appearance as I do protection.

Thanks for the good feedback guys...Ill have more questions.
 
I had a set of J. Rocket mesh jacket and pants , came with warm , waterproof liner .... wore it 2 seasons and found while it did allow lots of cool air on the move it like all gear was hot when not on the move , the downside was trying to get jacket off ,and liner zipped in when caught out in sudden thunder shower which we all know is a soaking event , passed the JR stuff along and got a set of Klim goretex gear , yup it hot when stopped like all of it but once underway the wrist , and shoulder vents do an amazing job with the air flow on a faired bike , rarely do I need to open the 2 large cross body vents all the way , the gear works in all conditions , no liners , if it rains just close your vents and good to go , so far from 2017 on the Klim Apex jacket and latitude pant set has been my fave gear , just add layers when cold or subtract layers in hot weather , works as advertised , I have never been wet with it on .... the armour provided is the high end soft stuff that hardens on impact , thankfully have not tested the gear in that way ..... lifetime warranty on entire kit which is great as it not inexpensive ....
 
day glo yellow/green long sleeve tshirt/day glo orange metalflake helmet/engineer boots for me in summer
 
day glo yellow/green long sleeve tshirt/day glo orange metalflake helmet/engineer boots for me in summer

Alan, do you wear pants or just sport the butt-krak' full moon?:cool: o_O

Looked up your gear choice Craig, quality stuff.
 
Lineslinger , yes I thought so too , since it last ride gear I will be buying ,figured might as well have good stuff and be comfortable for my last years on two wheels
 
I bought an older pair of AGV SPORT SOLARE VENTED MESH MOTORCYCLE PANTS on fleabay for $30. Very straight forward road rash protection for summer, not expensive nor contemporary.
I decided before making the investment to modern day protective gear I should get a better handle on what I need.

I see my fleabay purchase as part of the overall investment and as Craig mentioned above, at my age this will be the last riding gear purchase I make, so it needs to last another 40 to 50 years. :cool: ;)

When the antique pants come in I'll post a pic or two and then offer up what I am considering in case someone out there owns the same or uses gear that shares the brand.

You know who has been, surprisingly, fully supportive about buying riding gear, although she was cringing a bit while asking if this was going to cost as much as the Shoei. I told her more.
 
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I'm on my 2nd Tourmaster Flex set. (First was ruined in a crash 10 years ago) The Flex II jacket has an overjacket and rain and quilted liners, although I don't use them. The pants have zip-off panels that turn them to mesh and also come with quilted and rain liners, so it's not just a one-trick pony but a true 3-season outfit. Plus, I lost zero skin sliding down the road at 60mph, so it's comfortable AND protective. This me modeling the gear on US 129.
Hot Weather Riding Gear
 
Comfy looking bike , the gear looks good as well ! Assume that a Duke GT ? or The Beast !
 
I've got several mesh jackets and pants with the certified pads. What I wear mainly depends on who I'm riding with; yesterday it was supposed to be hot and we did 120 miles of coastal canyons at quick but safe pace; I took a chance and rode in a long sleeve T shirt, jeans, and dress boots.

I often wish that it was legal to ride without a helmet - for short trips, errands and such on hot days - shorts, T shirt and sunglasses. But can't, feels dumb to wear a helmet that way.
 
Leather jacket from Pagnol. Fully armored with D30 with large areas of perforation and additional venting via zipped openings. I reached out to the manufacturer and they found some light colored leather and made it from that. Excellent.
I havent found anything I like for pants tho. Had mesh ones and found them too scratchy and protective jeans too hot. Still looking in that dept.
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08_12_2015_pagnol_M2_jacket_04.jpg
 
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That is a good looking jacket ! While I use the Klim stuff mostly... on hot dry days I have a pair of pekev jeans from Resurgence Gear very good protection through out , downside is quite hot when not on the move , not as hot as some , much hotter than a pair of Levi’s .... I do wear them and look for shade or A/C places for coffee ....
 
I often wonder about how the padding shifts upon impact and the ability of the garment to hold the padding in its proper place

The tighter the garment, the better it is at holding the pads in place but that increases the heat

Leathers, being stiff, naturally hold the pads in place and if they do shift the leather is itself a form of padding. Mesh garments, on the other hand do not have that quality
 
The pekev jeans are completely lined with the pekev , from belt line to just above ankle ,testing on asphalt rates jeans as best performer @ 7 seconds that longer than leather tests , the jeans have removable, adjustable D3O pads in hips and knees , I left mine in bag , Doc I ride with say they can fix bones but can’t replace what you lose to pavement friction .... the Klim gear has same type of padding (D30) in ride pants , the jacket has , arms, shoulder and back same features , removable & adjustable , plus straps on arm to tighten to keep pads where you want them , have read some reviews stating arms to narrow on Klim jackets , I like that feature ...
 
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