I always make sure I ride with all my gear on. When it's really hot I might compromise and wear motorcycle jeans with knee protection instead of leathers.
As it's baking hot today, what do you guys do? Do you still wear all your gear, give up and wear a t-shirt and shorts or something else?
The underseat exhaust on my VFR (that I lived in winter) is not doing me any favours today.
Cooking balls!
Posted Jun 3, 2018, 4:20 PM UTC
I compromise by not having enough cash for more than one set of gear, so I will always wear said gear.
Absolutely ATGATT. My Armr jacket has zips with vents everywhere, it works well as an all-season jacket.
Saw a bloke on a CBF125 yesterday: shorts, t-shirt, trainers, no gloves, open face helmet. I cringed.
I never understood the open face helmet thing. Come off and land wrong. You're left with no nose.
I have been trying to get my daughter on the bike but she gets claustrophobic in a full face helmet. Her mum was happy for her to have an open face helmet.
As much as I want to stop hiring cars when she comes to visit, I can't bring myself to let her wear a helmet with so little protection.
T-shirt, shorts and trainers is a million miles away from being a sensible option, it makes me cringe when I see people riding like that.
I suffer with claustrophobia and a full face helmet its a full blown panic attack if I think about it before I get on the bike. I have an HJC FG-ST at the moment but I will be going back to a modular/flipface helmet as I had no issues at all with my old one.
It may be worth looking into one for your daughter?
All the gear.
Thiugh i always wear Kevlar jeans. Never been a fan of leather trousers.
Vented gear, got some perforated leathers but mesh textiles would be fine too.
Vented? I've been riding with my bloody vents CLOSED! FUUUUUUUUU
Mesh textiles is the only thing bearable for me when in direct sunlight. Works really well.
I have vents on my jacket, does fuck all good.
What do you have. Bizzarely there is never much hot weather gear when you go to the shops.
Probably coz there's a such a limited window in the UK when it might be useful.
Bought some of the rst tracktech, the older version. They've bought out a newer version so the older stuff is slightly discounted.
It's o.k for the price. Vented boots are a nice change :)
Where are you going? The first mesh stuff I bought I just wandered into a shop in springtime, tried some options on and walked out with a jacket and trousers.
But it's generally kept in-stock ont the online places, too. Rev'it do some £120 mesh trousers that Get-Geared seem to keep in stock.
I always wear my gear, as hot as it gets. If the heat bothers you that much get some more vented gear.
One thing I do when I'm going through slower areas for a while or stuck in traffic where the wind isn't cooling me, I unzip my jacket a little at the top to let some air in, but that's about it.
The way I (and I think most other people here will) see it, better to have sweaty skin than no skin.
I think mesh/vented gear is the way to go. If anyone has any recommendations then that would be good. I think I'll have to buy online as the shops don't stock much of this stuff.
I picked up an RST raptor textile jacket when I started a couple years ago: had a removable liner for winter and zips to open mesh vent holes in a few places for summer. Worked a charm and fairly waterproof too. Had to wear a goodie underneath once or twice on long winter journeys but otherwise it was great.
Also survived a crash and a slide in the wet with only a minor graze on my arm.
Ooh thanks will have a look at those.
I like RST gear. I've had RST blade leathers since I got my bike. They are still looking good after 2 years of every day riding.
My boots, textile jacket and trousers and winter gloves are all RST and are pretty decent and not too expensive. I got the jacket at a discount J&S too so it was a steal.
After being in the same predicament as you last year, I spent some time hunting for some decent perforated leather gear.
Managed to get a tidy second hand Frank Thomas leather jacket for £50 on eBay. I'd say about 70% of it is perforated, great in the hot weather!
Most "adventure" stuff is pretty vented, and I think all the manufacturers do something in mesh. If you've already got a brand who's fit you know, I'd look at what they have.
FWIW, I've a Dainese Air Mesh jacket that I've been wearing daily for 3-4 years, and a few pairs of mesh trousers. The Frank Thomas ones are awful and never worn, the Triumph Adventure ones are great but they stopped making them a few years ago, and the Rev'It Tornadoes were ~£120 and are great.
I've bought a dainese air crono just for this, and with it I wear my normal gloves and boots i just wear normal jeans with it
Will have a look. Dainese gear always looks good.
I got it for about £117, it's pretty cheap for a dainese jacket:)
I've got a dainese air frame jacket and drake super air trousers which feel like wearing nothing on hot days, I just wear a thin base layer underneath.
You'll still get warm at a standstill, but as soon as you get moving the air cuts right through.
I find that black/dark coloured track suits make me bake in the sun, so I move to lighter coloured ones
You going full stig?
Not sure I could pull it off!
Go faster.
The underseat exhaust on my VFR (that I lived in winter) is not doing me any favours today.
Ice cubes in underware
I'm thinking that might be a bit of a distraction whilst riding.
not if you clench all the time
Clench what? Where exactly do you keep your ice cubes?
🎵🎶 I'm all about the base about the base layers 🎵🎶
I have lots of base layers from years of cycling. They do help!
I always go all gear unless I go for a short local ride to get petrol or nip to the co op then ill go just jeans and trainers on the single lane back roads for a leisure cruise but with my regular all year jacket which has vents. If I take the main road I wear proper gear because going the limit.
Always. Yes it's disgusting and hot but I'd rather be protected (and hopefully more visible) than lose my skin.
I've got summer gloves which are a lot more ventilated, which makes a surprising amount of difference. I still wear a leather jacket, partially unzipped (which is fine apart from a very occasional wasp), but I do ditch the leather trousers in favour of kevlar jeans.
All my gear is decent summer gear; I add waterproof or thermal layers when it's cold (which, really, just means a goretex jacket over the bike jacket for winter).
In my experience (which is now quite dated) bike jeans aren't necessarily any less-warm than normal textiles, and often warmer.
if I'm doing a trip that is <2 miles, 30pmh limits with no multi lane roundabouts or any complicated junctions I will relax my gear down to trainers, jeans but keep armoured jacket/gloves. If its like it was yesterday I would consider going tshirt and shorts, maybe wear a hoodie so my elbows are covered, and ride very carefully
But yeah if its more than 30mph I'm going full gear
I open my jacket yolo
A simple but fashionable loin cloth and nothing in summer.
ATGATT
I unzip my jacket to get some air in the if its really hot take my hands off and make a star shape.
Oh, and I wear "technical underlayers" (basically just leggings). They make my legs a bit hotter but at least I don't have to peel leather pants off afterwards.
Tshirt and shorts
Boat shoes are optional
Beware though, no one will want to return your nods
They can't see you nodding anyway, when your front wheel's three feet off the ground.
You fucking know it, mate
I rode to a wedding dressed like this once:
http://pics.avi.co/picture.php?/1963/category/38
and I got nodded at.
Well you were in Thailand so the experience does not count!