Just whining folks.
Just got back from a 5-day trip to South Padre Island. It was not as hot there as CenTX but more humid and somewhat miserable to be outside unless you were IN the water.
Now we're in a stretch of weeks of consecutive 100+ degree days with heat index near 110F. I considered riding to the grocery store yesterday morning at 6:30am when it was ONLY about 82F. But that was too hot and too much of a pain to get the bike in and out of the garage just for one quick trip. Today I thought about riding to work, which is a nice ride but going home today it's forecast to be 102F. With a perforated leather jacket and full-face helmet, that's just too hot by about 15 degrees.
Can't wait for fall. CenTX riding season is from about October until the end of May, with about three or four days in there where it is borderline too cold. Then you're basically nuts to ride most days between June 1 and the end of September. :( Problem is with school in session during CenTX riding season, traffic is too horrific to make riding to work anything but drudgery.
i was in the dfw are during july last year for a month. step out of the ac and instasweat. i know what youre going through..
Aaron
Thankfully it is only too hot to ride very rarely here in PA. Gets a bit sweaty above 80 if I get stuck in traffic or something, but other than that its no problem.
Winter can be a different story though... I do try to ride at least 1 or two days per month in the winter though, just to keep the bike from sitting for too long. Anything above freezing is manageable, with the right gear.
Quote from: mr72 on August 18, 2017, 11:04:29 AM
Problem is with school in session during CenTX riding season, traffic is too horrific to make riding to work anything but drudgery.
It's been consistently over 100° for months by me, and I don't mind it. I truly don't. Today's high is 105° and I just got called in for OT, I'll be suiting up and riding down during the hottest part of the day.
But airflow is what makes it bearable. If I was in bumper-to-bumper I think maybe I would be hesitant to go out in it, but traffic isn't so bad in my part of town.
i remember when i had both the gs as well as the sportie, i would ride during winter many times. as low as 25f. course id pack my leathers with trashbags to block the coldness. and wear a rubber latex glove under my riding gloves. (and put each foot into a trashbag, then into boots. work was 6 miles away so it wasnt terribly bad. always had a hot chocolate waiting on me lol when i got there. ohhh the memories lol.
Aaron
It's already getting down into the 40s F here...almost to the point where I'm making excuses to just hop in the truck rather than on the bike in the morning. The 70 degree ride home in the afternoon is perfection though...
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Is make excuses to ride. It was hellish at 30f. But a short ride, plus heater at work made up for it.
Aaron
Yeah, it's starting to get chilly here again :cry: Wonder if this winter I'll beat my record 19 degree ride I did months ago! Got my fancy heated gloves this time :icon_mrgreen:
Well the weather here has been perfect for riding over the past two or three days. I rode to work Tuesday and even went down to get coffee from the roaster near downtown, making for about 60 miles that day. It was about 70F in the early morning and about 85F coming home in the afternoon. Really this is perfect and we are starting the perfect-weather time in Central TX.
I know soon many of you will find it too cold to ride. For me, without cold weather gear at all, 50F is about the lower limit for me on a long ride (>30 minutes), 40s and I'll still take sub-30-minute trips as long as there's a warm destination at the end and the closer it gets to 30F, the closer I limit my rides to quick trips to the grocery store or to pick up donuts within a 2-3 mile radius of home and 40mph or under. When it's 30F outside, I just have no tolerance for >40mph wind or being on the bike for more than about 5-7 minutes at a time. That much is exhilarating but more is punishing. Fortunately this is very rare in CenTX. I know some of you have cold-weather gear that makes 30F look like a breeze, but you live far north of here :)
I'm surprised to hear it gets that cold in Texas, but then again it can get in the 30s here in Arizona. Though only during winter nights, those days are usually still in the 60s.
Quote from: Watcher on September 09, 2017, 09:27:07 AM
I'm surprised to hear it gets that cold in Texas, but then again it can get in the 30s here in Arizona. Though only during winter nights, those days are usually still in the 60s.
Yeah it gets cold enough here for sure. BTW last time I was in Arizona for anything other than a layover at the Phoenix airport was early spring in Scottsdale a few years ago and I was sorely regretting not bringing a jacket. The "shuttle" my company booked to get me to the airport in the morning when I was leaving was a "limo" made from a stretched Hummer H2 with the rearmost portion lacking a top much like a pickup truck bed with seats in it. Yeah, I rode back there. Froze. It was probably upper 40s.
Anyway, I once had to repair a car that was overheating (believe it.. BMW gotta love it) even though it was 10 degrees F outside with wind chill of zero. Fahrenheit. It was so cold that the anti-freeze was slush in the radiator, which was not the cause of the overheating. I pulled the radiator to take it to my parents' house to repair, and once in the car it melted and I wound up with a garbage bag with a couple of quarts of antifreeze along with the radiator when I got there. Then I couldn't solder it because it was so cold outside you couldn't get the metal hot enough to melt the solder. Fun times.
About 8-9 years ago I took my kids for our one and only family camping trip. We went to my parents' place out in Castell, which is kind of near Enchanted Rock if you know where that is. If not, well it's out in the hill country of Central TX. It got down to about 21F overnight that night. This was late October. Both of the girls bailed out of the tent and went into the cabin. I stuck it out and slept in the freezing tent.
Usually we have our first freeze in October and the last freeze in March. It's not at all uncommon to have a hard freeze many times throughout the winter and usually at least 4-5 nights that get into the low 20s or lower. Most years we have at least one episode of the teens. And there are usually a few days each winter when it struggles to get above freezing all day, either due to overcast or just a cold front. I routinely go bicycling or mountain biking on New Years Day in the morning and it's routinely in the 20s when we get underway.
Don't believe the "average" temps because they don't tell you much. Yeah, the "average" lows in CenTX don't go below the 40s or 50s in the winter and the "average" highs are in the 50s and 60s but we rarely have average weather here. Far more common to have extreme weather, like Christmas Day high in the 80s or Halloween with sleet and highs in the 30s.
Quote from: mr72 on September 11, 2017, 11:22:34 AM
...
Anyway, I once had to repair a car that was overheating (believe it.. BMW gotta love it) even though it was 10 degrees F outside with wind chill of zero. Fahrenheit. It was so cold that the anti-freeze was slush in the radiator...
10 degrees Fahrenheit? You think that's cold? You sweet summer child...
In all seriousness, it pretty regularly gets that cold in PA, though I wouldn't call it the "average" by any means. Its normally like 20s-40s during late December to early February, with some days been colder or warmer. And it has been known to dip into the single digits on occasion. And we don't even have a reputation for harsh winters. Though, judging by the last few years, the real harsh cold snaps are getting fewer and further between.
I had to go to Wisconsin for a week In January of last year. It was awful lol. The high for one of the days was 4, the low was like -5 or something, not including wind chill. I think with the wind chill it was like -15 or so. Luckily, I didn't have to spend too much time outside.
my fingers were getting numb this morning,.... :bstar:
Don't hate me but...
It's 76°F right now.
yup ive done my time in the armpit of hades. (2001-2002) went thru shoes so often i would buy them from goodwill. december was fun 75f daytime, and 30f at night.
Aaron
p.s. and thouse GORGEOUS sunsets, and lightning during monsoon season
Quote from: Watcher on January 02, 2018, 03:33:05 PM
Don't hate me but...
It's 76°F right now.
Well, my neck of the woods is sitting at a nice, balmy 1°F outside right now. I'm gonna hate you just a little bit.
Yeah it's 22F this morning. High yesterday here in CenTX was 29.
On the bright side, it's supposed to be in the 40s today and 50s by tomorrow. So I'll be putting in the new battery and going for a ride :)
69F right now, sunny, gorgeous weather in CenTX!! Why, oh why do I have to work?
Quote from: mr72 on January 09, 2018, 10:29:24 AM
69F right now, sunny, gorgeous weather in CenTX!! Why, oh why do I have to work?
Take some PTO and go ride.
Over the last couple of weeks highs in the teens (fahrenheit) have been pretty common, with lows below zero. The cold streak broke on Sunday, and we're headed for a high of 60 on Thursday. It's supposed to rain, but it should feel like summer relative to recent weeks so I'm going to try and get the GS fired up tomorrow afternoon and maybe ride to work on Thursday. Friday night temps are getting back down into the teens and they're talking 5-8 inches of snow and ice. Talk about a brief window of opportunity!!!
You guys should come over to Australia for a ride in our summer. The road surface was melting yesterday. Bats were dropping out of trees when they died because the heat had boiled their brains. That's not even in the far north where it gets real hot!
You Aussies have even been kind enough to export some of that sun/heat our way the last few weeks.. been in the low 30's (C) (~90F) here in Wellington which is kind of unusual for us, but the riding has been pretty nice during the holiday break.
Back to the commute however, the rain has now arrived and temperature dropped back into the mid teens this week (60F).
Thankfully we got the previous months rain in one afternoon - so the roads are free of that usual greasy no-rain goodness..
What's the actual temperature reading during those days?
Here in Arizona, USA, it got to be ~115°F (46°C) many days during the summer, may have actually peaked higher but that's what I remember looking up some days while riding to lunch.
Quote from: Watcher on January 10, 2018, 11:51:49 AM
What's the actual temperature reading during those days?
Here in Arizona, USA, it got to be ~115°F (46°C) many days during the summer, may have actually peaked higher but that's what I remember looking up some days while riding to lunch.
115°F?
(https://media.giphy.com/media/SpxsSxXG6uxxe/giphy.gif)
I can barely stand the summers here in PA and it hardly ever gets above 95°F.
I charged up the battery yesterday, rolled the GS out onto the driveway, and with a bit of coercing, got her fired up. It was pretty cold, and my wife wasn't home from work yet to keep an eye on the kids while I took a ride, so I just let her run for about a half hour before rolling her back into the garage. It's looking like rain all day tomorrow, so I won't get to enjoy the 60 degree weather, but I'm trying to take a short ride this evening. The forecast is now calling for up to 15 inches of snow Friday night into Saturday, then back down to 5 degrees Saturday night...
wow. Yesterday was gorgeous here. I took a ride to the grocery store and back. Didn't strictly need to get that stuff that day but I did anyway.
Today is not nearly as nice. low-mid 50s, windy, overcast. But I rode to the office today. It was chilly with my perforated jacket and gloves. Around here we buy riding gear to work well in hot weather. Hopefully going home it will be nicer.
We have a front coming in for the weekend and it's supposed to get real cold again and then rain a ton on Monday.
But still winter is the best weather time in CenTX.
Quote from: qcbaker on January 10, 2018, 11:59:24 AM
Quote from: Watcher on January 10, 2018, 11:51:49 AM
What's the actual temperature reading during those days?
Here in Arizona, USA, it got to be ~115°F (46°C) many days during the summer, may have actually peaked higher but that's what I remember looking up some days while riding to lunch.
115°F?
I can barely stand the summers here in PA and it hardly ever gets above 95°F.
Take it from someone who lived in Chicago for all his life, 115°F and <10% humidity isn't as bad as midwestern 95°F with humidity >60%.
I won't tell you it isn't hot as hell, it is. The difference is your sweat actually works to cool you off instead of just soaking your shirt and making you stink, and shade isn't mere protection from the sun, it's tangibly cooler out of direct sunlight. When the air is thick, the hot just permeates everywhere. When the air is thin, it's petty localized.
Also, when you've got 115°F days you end up with nights in the 80s, and nights in the 80s are wonderful for... just about everything, really.
Plus in PA when it's 95F it's 95F everywhere, including indoors, since a lot of places and homes don't have air conditioning. Around here when it's 95F (and 80+% humidity!) in the summer, it's only hot when you go from indoors anywhere to your car. Air conditioning is absolutely ubiquitous.
But of course no AC on a motorcycle.
TX is worst of both cases, it gets real hot (over 100F often in summer) and is very humid. Overnight lows in the 80s are actually kind of miserable when it's 95% humidity.
Yesterday's ride home was pretty near perfect, as the sun was going down it went from 69F when I left the office to 65F when I got home. Unfortunately traffic was not nearly perfect so the first half of the ride was a drag. But the second half was pretty sweet.
OTOH weatherman says today we can expect wind gusts up to 45mph and the temp to drop from where it is now about 63F (and damp, rained overnight) down to the 30s by evening as a front comes in, we have another front coming Saturday bringing overnight lows into the teens and highs only 30s and then another front behind that on Monday, we have snow in the forecast for Tues-Weds.
Gotta love TX weather. Keeps you on your toes. Swimming one day, ice skating the next.
It's above freezing (~45°F) here today for the first time in weeks, so I finally got to start my bike up and ride to work. Might really still be a bit on the chilly side, but after weeks of freezing temps and wind chills below zero, 45 feels awesome lol.
Quote from: qcbaker on January 11, 2018, 10:49:58 AM
It's above freezing (~45°F) here today for the first time in weeks, so I finally got to start my bike up and ride to work. Might really still be a bit on the chilly side, but after weeks of freezing temps and wind chills below zero, 45 feels awesome lol.
Yep! It hit 56° in western PA today, so I had to take the GR out:
(https://s17.postimg.org/mt50h61r3/20180111_135542.jpg) (https://postimg.org/image/su2pe8od7/)
Awesome pic Rich!!! And to hear from ya! I didn't manage to get my GS out today, I missed my chance :cry:
Where is your nose fairing?? I am thinking you need to update your project thread! :D
sweet pic
I really envy that bike, Rich!
Thanks fellas! That parking lot was the sketchiest part of the whole ride - I had both legs out as downriggers because of the icy tire ruts.
Biz, I still have the GSXR fairing and all the bits..... but I wanted to go with higher bars (for a more relaxed cruising position). Next thing I know, I had the hand guards, TKC / Shinko dual sport tires.....haha. It's nice to have the option to explore a fire road when I see one, ya know?
Thanks Josh! As fun as it may be however, I really do baby it. Only because there's not to many "off the shelf" parts on it. If I could find a cheap GS500, I'd probably jump on it (but still keep the old GR.....).
Resurrecting this topic after two years!
You know what? It's STILL too hot to ride. But I found an interesting article that makes a ton of sense. h/t the advrider forum for linking to it.
http://www.ironbutt.com/ibmagazine/ironbutt_1002_62-66_hot.pdf
Basically this supports what I found on my own, which is that 93F or below and I'm fine. I ride in my mesh jacket over a wicking t-shirt with jeans and boots and all is well. But above 93F is miserable like this. The article suggests I need entirely different gear for >93 riding, a non-mesh, non-perforated jacket; one with vents but which is "wind proof". Any of you have this same experience?
Yesterday afternoon I went to go check on a jacket to buy and it was a 20 minute ride each way, it really was about 102F and typical CenTx high humidity. It was like standing in front of a blast furnace. 60+mph 102F air blasting me, the air was not helping cool at all but actually making me much hotter and I realized that the mesh jacket was making things worse. Since I have gone down a size or so on my riding gear I was planning to replace both of my jackets with a Klim Induction or a Rev'It mesh jacket for hot weather and a perforated leather that I can wear over a down vest for cooler rides, but now I'm reconsidering, maybe I need THREE jackets? Maybe a light color perforated leather will work for 50-93F and I should get a non-mesh vented jacket for >93F.
Thing is, there are three months out of the year in CenTX where it is >93F between about 11:00 am and 8:00 pm.
Quote from: mr72 on August 01, 2019, 05:09:46 AM
{snip}
That's pretty logical.
(https://media3.giphy.com/media/iXTrbbYMQBCMM/giphy.gif)
Look at any desert climate region outside of the western world and you'll see people cover up, not dress down. The notion of adding layers to beat the heat is counter-intuitive to most of us but functional. That hot wind is dehydrating at best and cooks you at worst.
The whole "blowdryer effect" is pretty strong here in Arizona, and there's extra emphasis on keeping the sun off your skin. I've found that a good combination for me day to day comes from a very large gauge mesh jacket (Dainese City Guard) and a long-sleeve base under that and I'm usually good around town. Having the garment cover my arms makes the sun feel less hot, and as I sweat into the garment the wind, though hot, will evaporate the sweat from the garment quite quickly and cool me down. Wearing this, I don't really notice the "blowdryer effect" unless I'm going at higher speeds for prolonged periods, so for commuting this seems perfect. In other words, I can outrun the evaporative effect and then I get the hot wind making things worse, but a metered pace is comfortable. I also don't have to consider water retention when I'm taking a 15 minute ride to work, so the dehydrating effect of the dry wind exposure isn't a deciding factor.
I wear a less meshy jacket when my plan is to ride all day. It's vented under the arms, across the back, and across the torso, but solid outside the arms, at the sides, and along the chest and shoulders. It's also a tighter gauge mesh so it doesn't flow as freely. This way I still have the nice vents for if I'm in traffic, but am more covered for when I'm at higher prolonged speeds. It seems like a good balance, as I've never been particularly uncomfortable after a long ride, but when I commute in this jacket in summer weather it doesn't seem quite as effective as my full mesh.
The amount of wind you're expecting might be the deciding factor here. In traffic you want something to keep the sun off you but promote evaporation to keep you cool. On the interstate you want something to keep the hot wind from dehydrating/heating you like a blowdryer. In-between seems to require an in-between option.
At least, that's been my experience so far, but I haven't actually tried a windproof jacket in summer yet.
I do have a nice leather with some vents on the back, perhaps I'll give it a shot one day when I'm not working. I imagine I might feel cooler when moving, but will "stew" a bit inside the jacket. This seems less than ideal when you've got a nearby destination, especially a professional one. If I show up at work sweated through my clothes I'm sure I'll be an absolute pleasure to be around.
Quote from: Watcher on August 01, 2019, 12:27:34 PM
I do have a nice leather with some vents on the back, perhaps I'll give it a shot one day when I'm not working. I imagine I might feel cooler when moving, but will "stew" a bit inside the jacket. This seems less than ideal when you've got a nearby destination, especially a professional one. If I show up at work sweated through my clothes I'm sure I'll be an absolute pleasure to be around.
Showing up to work sweaty was a huge problem for me when I rode to work in the summer before I got my tank bag. My jacket is perforated and flows air decently when I'm moving, but sitting in traffic can get oppressively hot. I used to just throw the jacket on over my work clothes, and when I got to work I could barely get my jacket off from how sweaty I was. Now, I stuff my collared shirt in my tank bag and wear the jacket over my undershirt. Can still get hot and a little sweaty, especially in heavy traffic, but at least now the sweat can actually evaporate and cool me down rather than just soaking into my shirt and making me feel even hotter lol.
Grain of salt: I don't live in literal hell like you guys do, so I'm talking about 85-95F temp range, usually with 60-80% humidity lol
85-95F with 60% humidity would be heaven.
Today was pretty nice. 96F but only 42% humidity now. I should go ride. After a full month of July, a 90F high day comes along every so often in August in CenTX with lower humidity and we all think it's October.
What I've noticed here is that it's extremely pleasant to ride between about 75 and 85F, all in my perf. leather jacket (which I will not be able to wear this fall..). Below about 75 and long rides get to feel pretty cool. Below 60 and it feels downright cold on a naked bike. Below 50 and this Texan is not going to ride a motorcycle outdoors. I'm close to adopting the same rule when it's >93. It's just hardly worth it.
Anyway, I just dropped four bills on a new helmet, and now I have another $500-600 worth of jackets to replace. I'm going to look at a white Vanson perforated jacket (used) in a couple of weeks, and I hear those vent really well. That might be my 3-seasons jacket (fall-winter-spring). Then maybe the real harsh summer will be something entirely different. I really don't want to have to have three moto jackets. What I NEED is an air-conditioned moto jacket, like the air-conditioned seats in my wife's car.
Quote from: mr72 on August 01, 2019, 02:20:04 PM
85-95F with 60% humidity would be heaven.
Noooope!
I was just in Chicago last weekend visiting family, the first couple of days we saw highs in the low 80s and it was nice, but by the third and fourth day it was in the 90s with 50% humidity. I also had to help my dad cut down a tree in the yard during that heat, and it was totally gross.
Reminds me why I left in the first place. Sweating in the shade, my shirt sticking to me, night-heat, "
swamp ass..." It's monsoon season in Tucson right now so we see similar conditions on occasion, like
the day after a heavy rain, but typically humidity is <20%.
I'd compare a 115° desert day to a 100° humid day, except in the desert you can sit in the shade and feel cooler and count on that temperature dropping 20° once the sun goes down. When it's humid it's inescapable.
I'll stick to the desert.
Quote from: qcbaker on August 01, 2019, 01:33:50 PM
Quote from: Watcher on August 01, 2019, 12:27:34 PM
If I show up at work sweated through my clothes I'm sure I'll be an absolute pleasure to be around.
Now, I stuff my collared shirt in my tank bag and wear the jacket over my undershirt.
Yeah, I do the same thing. In the hot months I wear CycleGear's CoolR shirts as undershirts almost daily (think UnderArmour but looser fit), and I pack my uniform shirt. It's comfortable at work, so typically I can get a couple of days use per shirt before I rotate it out. Unless it's a tire day. I get filthy on tire days.
Quote from: Watcher on August 01, 2019, 11:20:19 PM
Quote from: mr72 on August 01, 2019, 02:20:04 PM
85-95F with 60% humidity would be heaven.
Noooope!
Well, compared with our CenTX summer weather it is!
I was also just in Chicago like two weeks ago and I thought it was magnificent. Then we had this crazy three or four days of weather setting record overnight lows and highs in the upper 80s to low 90s and low humidity back home. Felt like I had gone to Paris for the summer.
My dad did call yesterday at about 5 pm and asked if I wanted to go ride, I hate to say no to my dad. We did a 2hr ride, lots of 60mph. It's a ride I did on a Saturday morning when it was under 80 degrees a couple of weeks ago. In the morning, this was a quite pleasant ride. Yesterday, it was 96-97F and only like 50% humidity but by the time we were half hour from home I was just flat out ready to be off the bike and inside the air conditioning. Just too hot!
I must be getting old. I also thought winter was too cold last year.
Quote from: mr72 on August 01, 2019, 02:20:04 PM
What I've noticed here is that it's extremely pleasant to ride between about 75 and 85F, all in my perf. leather jacket (which I will not be able to wear this fall..). Below about 75 and long rides get to feel pretty cool. Below 60 and it feels downright cold on a naked bike. Below 50 and this Texan is not going to ride a motorcycle outdoors. I'm close to adopting the same rule when it's >93. It's just hardly worth it.
Glove liners dude. Seriously, its such a night and day difference how I feel in the same temperature, but without my fingers feeling like they're gonna fall off. Makes riding in temps below 50 way more tolerable, especially when paired with something to protect my neck. Just a few cheap pieces of cold-weather kit have greatly extended my riding season here in PA.
Quote from: Watcher on August 01, 2019, 11:20:19 PM
Reminds me why I left in the first place. Sweating in the shade, my shirt sticking to me, night-heat, "swamp ass..."
100% why summer is my least favorite season
Quote
I'd compare a 115° desert day to a 100° humid day, except in the desert you can sit in the shade and feel cooler and count on that temperature dropping 20° once the sun goes down. When it's humid it's inescapable.
I'll stick to the desert.
I feel like I lived where you do, I'd have to become nocturnal. I'd melt at 115, I'm sure of it.
Quote
Yeah, I do the same thing. In the hot months I wear CycleGear's CoolR shirts as undershirts almost daily (think UnderArmour but looser fit), and I pack my uniform shirt. It's comfortable at work, so typically I can get a couple of days use per shirt before I rotate it out. Unless it's a tire day. I get filthy on tire days.
(https://i.imgflip.com/373br0.jpg)
Quote from: qcbaker on August 02, 2019, 06:39:59 AM
{snip}
Off topic, but the last meme in that format that I absolutely loved was regarding Hotel California by The Eagles.
It went:
HC is about drugs.
HC is about the music industry
HC is a real place and The Eagles are still trapped there.
HC is a negative Yelp! review with a 2-minute guitar solo!
I thrive in the heat, I absolutely love it!! I put in about 30 hours a couple weekends ago at my dad's garage, working on my van, and it was ~95F in the building the whole time.
On the flip side of that, I'm always cold when it's comfortable temperatures for most people... and it sucks. In the lab at work, it's all temperature monitored and stays right between 68F and 72F... and I'm always in layers just to keep comfortable.
The up side to that is when I'm riding to work in the winter, when it's ~20F outside, I can leave some of my layers on to stay comfortable in the building LOL!
Motorcycling is an inherently uncomfortable sport. I'm always surprised when the temperature/humidity lines up well enough with my gear to leave me comfortable.
I basically wear vented leather year round because its equally uncomfortable in all weather and temperature. Mesh doesnt seem worth the trouble and decrease in safety when it's only more comfortable in a 20 degree temperature zone.
I wrote a blog post on this topic. TL;DR, I think Texans can ignore most of what the moto press and reviewers say about "hot weather gear".
https://joshkarnes.blogspot.com/2019/08/august-sucks-or-why-there-is-no-way-to.html
In related news (and mentioned in my blog), I did buy a new jacket and a used one as well because my old ones were too big. The perforated leather one I got was stupidly cheap from Amazon:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B079G12J1X/
I say stupidly cheap because the quality is way above what you'd expect for that price point. I only have one complaint with it, and that's the pointy shoulders when in riding position, but besides that minor niggle that will probably go away once it's broken in, that jacket is legit. 100% perforated. I rode with it today (you can see it in the picture I posted on the picture game thread), and while I didn't exceed 85 degrees in it, it did prove that it flows a ton of air. It's not 100% like a mesh jacket, but it's maybe 75% as much airflow as my mesh jacket.
And speaking of which, I bought a used Bilt Techno mesh jacket. It's a tighter weave mesh than the Power Trip Gauge that I was using before, so it is not quite as breezy but it's cooler because it's white.
Anyway, I will probably ride the mesh jacket when it's >85F for the entirety of my ride. I actually think I'll be cold in the perf leather jacket if it under 70F, so I'll have to wear something under it (like the liner it came with!) in those conditions.
104F right now but the high tomorrow is only 98. Gonna feel like a cold front blew in.
The Bilt Techno Mesh is 100% the most popular jacket we sell at my store.
It's light, it's cheap, it's breezy, and it seems to be made well for what you pay since I get few to no warranty claims on it.
Definitely a decent buy.
I got the Bilt Techno mesh for $40. It needed cleaning, so I took the armor out ( :police: ) and threw it in the washer, came out looking 100% perfect and brand new.
It's got the same crummy foam rubber "back protector" as my Cafe jacket has, which I might upgrade to a D30 or something at some point. So far I've only ridden with it once, just a 4 mile round trip to the grocery store and back. Seems to work fine. Flows less air than the Power Trip but stays put much better and definitely fits better. Seems similar in quality besides that back protector. I'm sure it's a keeper. Glad to hear it's AZ-heat-certified :thumb:
One thing, though, just like my Cafe jacket, the frikin zipper is backwards. what's with Bilt and putting the wrong zipper? we all know men's clothing has zipper pull on the right in America. It's just a silly annoying oversight. I guess they are being European.
Quote from: mr72 on August 13, 2019, 12:28:09 PM
One thing, though, just like my Cafe jacket, the frikin zipper is backwards. what's with Bilt and putting the wrong zipper? we all know men's clothing has zipper pull on the right in America. It's just a silly annoying oversight. I guess they are being European.
They're trying to be, lol! When most of the industry is doing it "backwards" they are trying to follow suit.
Icon stuff is still "American", as are brands trying to cater to our market like Street and Steel (Speed and Strength) with their "cruiser" apparel.
I've got a good mix of both in my closet. After a while you become ambidextrous, in a manner.
Are you wearing the Sedici Luca glove? That's a pretty good choice. Looks good with that jacket.