Too hot to ride?

Scottso · June 02, 2004, 11:54:05 PM

Another sweltering Summer is coming, what to wear? The humidity here in New York gets pretty bad and I know it gets miserable all over the US as well. I'd like to play it smart and dress for a crash but it just makes it miserable. I switched to wearing a Levis Jean jacket: still too hot. And forget about the pants.. and then the boots. I nearly melted waiting for a traffic light. Yeah, I know it would suck if I went down, but shorts and a T-shirt- and a helmet... is pretty invigorating. LOL, I feel like a tourist in the Bahamas on a scooter. Seriously, I'd like to dress responsibly but it just doesn't seem possible in a heat wave. When it gets really hot and sunny, going out on the bike seems the thing to do. Is there such a thing as "too hot to ride" or have I lost the ability to cope with the heat???Hehe.. maybe I'm just becoming a grouch! :x

June 03, 2004, 02:17:44 AM

Hi Scottso,

I live in Brisbane Australia - humidity here during summer is extreme, couple this with the heat (100+ in American numbers) riding can be unbearable at times.

Its never too hot to ride!!!!! Its my only transport so I don't have that luxury - the weather makes you tougher. And I am a better rider then the weekend warrior for it.

I have a solution for you - its pretty simple and works for me really well...

I bought a Joe Rocket 2.0 Ballistic Jacket Brand New off eBay. In summer I just wear a t-shirt under it - the jacket is fantastic, has the best armour along the arms, shoulders and back. And let me tell you, there is not much difference between just the shirt and the Joe Rocket and the shirt.

When it comes to my legs - Draggin Jeans - an Australian company that makes carbon kevlar lined jeans, cargo pants, chino pants, 500% better then normal Jeans and the same sort of heat. I honestly don't get to hot in the summer around my legs - there is no fairing to worry about, therefore you get airflow.

Boots!? Well I have great ankle boots, designed for motorbikes, better then shoes with the same sorta heat. Actual boots like Sidi's or Alpine Stars or something are over kill in light traffic, in the twisties boot up - otherwise get yourself some ankle high boots, look great with jeans - just like timberlands or something.

Gloves are a must, and there are 1000's of great summer gloves that are as good as not wearing anything at all, and they will save your hands.

Of course - if I am just going to pick up some milk 1km away in a 50 zone I wont wear anything but a helmet and shorts, but I know the risk and respect it. Otherwise, I am in full gear, even if its a 10000% humidity and 120 Fahrenheit!!

Stay Safe

jkstyle834 · June 03, 2004, 02:30:58 AM

i only recommend leather because its safer.... and if it gets too hot... just pull the throtle open all the way... you will be air-cooled just like our bikes... ^^

SmoothDave · June 03, 2004, 04:22:55 AM

I got some of the FirstGear mesh stuff myself a few weeks ago. The airflow is excellent, although I have to admit, it really hasn't been much above 80 since I got the stuff, so it's not truly tested yet. I do, however, like it. The pants have zippers up the sides, and I can get them on in less than a minute, so it isn't even inconvenient.

Ask me again in mid July.

Smooth Dave

goat · June 03, 2004, 07:08:33 AM

I recently bought firstgear mesh pants and jacket, too. It was somewhere in the range of 60F this morning, and I could feel the wind through the "windproof" liners. I think that come summer, they will be great.

The only thing I have to worry about is come fall, what am I going to wear for warmth since this is the only riding gear that I have.

I could start in onl the stories of people losing 70% of their skin when they crash without gear, but I think we've all heard them before. Probably more than once

aslam · June 03, 2004, 07:15:20 AM

I too would recommend leather in all circumstances, but I can understand the dilemma. I've been stuck inland Los Angeles on a hot day and ended up dripping inside my helmet and jacket. Nothing like a leather jacking sticking to you like a suction cup. :lol:

ASLAM.

chupacabrah · June 03, 2004, 07:15:21 AM

QuoteWhen it comes to my legs - Draggin Jeans - an Australian company that makes carbon kevlar lined jeans, cargo pants, chino pants, 500% better then normal Jeans and the same sort of heat. I honestly don't get to hot in the summer around my legs - there is no fairing to worry about, therefore you get airflow.

i thought www.dragginjeans.com was a subsidiary of fast company, which is based in hickory, nc, usa?

It is getting hot. For my gear, I have a teknic chicane cordura jacket (lots of armor, cordura, couple of vents), as well as an Icon TiMax mesh jacket--this thing is awesome. it's got armor, but it feels as though I'm not wearing the thing. after riding to school in my teknic, i'd be sweating (40 min ride), but w/ the icon i didnt even get hot. it's great.

for legs, teknic supervent mesh pants (havent tested yet, but have turtle armor in knees, and soft armor in hips, with cordura overlays).

gloves: joe rocket phoenix 2.0. they're leather underside, mesh top, then some other stuff. but they're not hot as long as i'm not clenching the throttle with a deathgrip.

boots: i just wear some timberland leather shortboots. they're higher than a tennis shoe, but not a full boot. 5in high, maybe. i dunno.

then my helmet is an hjc cl14, but when i'm going under 50 i just leave the visor open a little to get more airflow when it's hot.

if i'm not going too far, i'll wear shorts/tshirt/helmet/tennish shoes. i rode up to my brothers house in sandals once (he lives right around the corner). sometimes i'll ride w/o a jacket, and just a tshirt. you just have to accept the risk.

aslam · June 03, 2004, 07:17:23 AM

I saw draggin jeans website before and thought it was Austrailian product myself. :dunno:

Anyways, make sure you have eye protection when riding with the visor open. If you don't, you'll get slammed by a bug or rock etc etc before too long directly in the eye.

Not that I know anything about that.

ASLAM.

scratch · June 03, 2004, 07:50:35 AM

Just to coin a few remarks made by others on other forums:

I'd rather sweat than bleed

I'd rather look silly in my leathers than sitting on the side of the road bleeding.

The best summer leather jacket that I have experienced was the Hein Gericke V-Pilot. It has four verticle zippered vents that just FLOW air. I could actually get cold at 25mph in 100 degree weather. Vanson has now copied that jacket and is now available with armor. Hooray!

I recently tested and bought a Fieldsheer Monza II, two chest vents and one back, flowed pretty good.

dgyver · June 03, 2004, 07:57:38 AM

Quote from: scratchJust to coin a few remarks made by others on other forums:

I'd rather sweat than bleed

I'd rather look silly in my leathers than sitting on the side of the road bleeding.

I agree!

glenn9171 · June 03, 2004, 03:23:56 PM

It regularly gets to 100+ degrees here in Louisiana with 90% humidity. All for long periods of time. Yesterday it was 92 degrees already this year.

I loved my Phoenix jacket and jeant with my helmet. Yes, it's hot when I come to a stop, but it feels like air conditioning when I get moving again. I can stand still waiting for the bike to warm up in the driveway and feel even a small breeze through the jacket. I actually felt cooler with the jacket since I get the same amount of airflow without the sun beating down on me and no wind-burns.

June 03, 2004, 11:22:52 PM

Draggin Jeans are Australian....

Not everything is from America

Stay Safe

mes_423 · June 03, 2004, 11:50:55 PM

ok
TODAY WAS 110 DEGREES in good old arizona. i rode in hotter and well your friend down below (for the guys) is burning against the tank.

it really sucks!!!! :lol:

ashman · June 04, 2004, 12:21:38 AM

not the safest approach but you could always just wear a smile. you will most likely have a run in with the law tho.
:dunno:
-ash

nl_carey · June 04, 2004, 12:29:07 AM

It's never too hot to ride!

Agree about Draggin Jeans - bought my first pair even before I had my license. I decided I would buy a set of gear for summer, and a set of gear for winter. The jeans are slightly hotter than normal jeans but not too bad (Yes - they are australian, the American one is a distributor, but they didn't seem to less expensive than buying direct? They also have great customer support!) Note that Draggin jeans also have kevlar lined jackets, and they even have a sort of kevlar sweater (we call them jumpers, buggered if I know why) if you really need to have ventilation.
I also use mesh gloves (a brand called Dririder I don't think you guys get), a mesh jacket, and vented Gore-tex/Lorica boots (Oxtar TCS Sport Goretex). Really cool in less than ~38 degrees, as long as you're moving, and not too bad when you aren't. I normally kept my jacket on when waiting around, while most others stripped off as much as they could anytime we stopped.
I actually had to buy some winter stuff as it's getting below 20 degrees (centigrade) a little too often now!
It's also not my style, but you could get an open-face helmet if it bothers you that much, seems to make a big difference in getting rid of heat.

panik · June 04, 2004, 12:49:33 AM

I thought they were an Aussie invention myself.
But I think that Draggins were originally American, and that the US ones are still manufactured in the US, but everywhere else in the world gets them from Australia.
Mine say "Made in Australia"

============================================
Mr Mackintosh, an accountant turned "rag trader", discovered an American product, Draggin' Jeans, on a trip to the United States a few years ago and has built a successful business around them. The original hi-tech pants were developed by Hal Baxter, a North Carolina motorcyclist, textile technologist and Nissan car dealer.

Mr Mackintosh has developed a range of Kevlar clothes to suit the Australian market. Draggin' Jeans are made in Brunswik and marketed through 160 outlets around Australia. Mr Mackintosh has also set up a British outlet and sells them in Holland and Scandinavia. He has plans to expand throughout Europe. "The market there is 40 times as big as ours, so there should be some opportunities for us" he said.
============================================

I wear my Draggin jeans, and a Agvsport mesh jacket, with mesh summer gloves when it gets hot.
I'm not going anywhere in a t-shirt and shorts.

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Too hot to ride?