Bandit Alley
GENERAL MOTORCYCLE FORUMS => GENERAL MOTORCYCLE => Topic started by: chippi on June 09, 2005, 01:53:30 PM
-
Hey all!! Got a question for anyone that wants to chime in.
It is getting pretty hot and humid. Past couple of days my 3/4 length riding coat is just too warm. Even an hour on the superslab with the AC set at uhm 90 I was soaked.
(I know, I know an hour on the superslab :annoy: but it was late in the day and dinner was on the table)
Anyway in my cruiser days we would dump the leather coats for T-shirts and vest as soon as possible. After Upgrading the the B12 the leather coat just didn't go (I'm tooo cool for the old leather). So I moved into the high tech, PADDED, waterproof good venting bla bla. I was further convinced this was a good purchase after taking an advance riding course that got me thinking safety safety safety. BUT NOOOOW it is too hot to keep the coat on. After preaching the safety of the new coat to the banker/wife I feel silly to say "It's too hot, I'll go without it". Becuase she comes back with the what about the all so important PADDING? :soapbox:
HOT WEATHER RIDING: WEAR MESH PADDED JACKET or T-SHIRT?
-
Mesh jacket, if you have one.
Worse comes to worse, any light jacket is better than just wearing a t-shirt.
Whatever additional layer of material you add over the t shirt, helps.
In a minor slide, even a light, non-motorcycle jacket helps a bit.
Plus...you have bugs, flying gravel and sand to deal with on bare arms.
If you're going to ride at 'highway' speeds, it's not worth it....
-
Yup, I agree with Pete, Mesh Jacket time.
I don't find mine, a Joe Rocket Alter Ego, (http://www.newenough.com/joe_rocket_alter_ego_jacket_page.htm) to be any hotter than just going in a T-shirt, though I don't get a lot of >95* weather around here. And with a wet T-shirt underneath the jacket, actually cooler.
-
:thanks: Guys
Trying to explain my new philosophy on safe riding to the group was starting to make me feel like a stuffy old old dude with no sense of adventure.
Paul... I like the new avitar. Were is that ( want to make sure to stay out of that town) :beers:
P.S. I just spent a year in the Tacoma area love your roads!!! :motorsmile:
-
I don't know... the pic is in the avatar gallery.
UK maybe?
-
I'm not only a new member, but a new rider as well. I have only ridden a few times in mid april here in VA where it was in the 70's and sunny. I took a spill and bent my frame and just the other day got a donor bike for the rebuild. Anyhow I have the Moto GP 3-in-1 mesh jacket. It has the quilted inner liner, rain jacket liner and then the padded mesh on the outside. I wore nothing but a t shirt underneath it and from time to time was chilly at 65-70mph. I have always had the thought of wearing good safety gear as soon as I decided to get a bike. It gets hot here in VA the next several months with temps in the 90's and humidity to match, BUT I'd rather sweat a bit than trade skin with the asphalt anyday!!! My other gear consists of Scorpion EX0-700 helmet(only one I've owned, but love it), mesh/vented gloves. I was wearing Timberland steel toe boots, but after my spill I will be looking into the more race inspired all black boots for the added protection.
-
No matter how hot it is, I always wear my JR riding jacket(padded-textile) gloves and helmet. After reading some posts about textile riding up during a spill, I'm looking for a well vented leather I can use for at least most of the season without being too uncomfortable. Sweat does exactly what it is supposed to! Get a little sweaty and get moving and all is good. Small price to pay. If I lived in the South I would be looking into perf leather instead of vented solid. That damn asphalt is hard.
-
It may be getting hot for you guys, but downunder it's SKI SEASON.
The mesh jackets, vented gloves and hydrapacks have made way for thermal underware, lined jackets, wool socks, thick gloves, neck socks/balaclavas and dreams of Hydrapacks capable of holding HOT coffee.
-
I'm thinking mesh jacket. I've never ridden with one, but they look like just the ticket. It was in the high 80's-low 90's all week, so I've started looking. Newenough.com has a couple on closeout for about $70.
-
Bike Week in Lake George :banana:
Found a pretty good deal on some mesh jackets and made the plunge. It was in the upper 80s and HUMID (got a couple of thundershowers). The jackets are awsome. Beleave me I was still hot but when we stopped, wipping off my jacket was not the first thing I thought to do. On a couple of stops I left it on while watching the sunburns on my friends start to peal. Found a Jacket from First Racing that was under $100 in store. padding sewn into the jacket and removeable padding on the inside. Also picked out one from OSC added another $30 but this one comes with a long sleeve liner ( and it's not the same as my riding buddy :monkeymoon: he like the First Racing one so much he bought the same one). Wife was looking at the OSC but looked beter in the Joe Rocket, everyone does, well maybe not everyone.
All of my main group is now riding with the mesh jackets.
-
Just got back from Lake George. Rode up in the leather Teknic, it was great that ride up, great at night, but too hot for the day, ended up not wearing a jacket at all. Wished I had my mesh jacket, but how many jackets can you carry? Soemtimes it is too cold for the mesh.
-
Wished I had my mesh jacket, but how many jackets can you carry? Soemtimes it is too cold for the mesh.
That's the beauty of the Joe Rocket Alter Ego and others like it (Teknic Spider, I think is one). You can zip it down from a normal riding jacket to a mesh jacket. With the JR version, they even give you a lightweight backpack to stuff the rain liner and removable panel in and the pack stores in the jacket when not in use.
-
Interesting little tale about a guy who hopped on the bike for a local errand. Sounds like gear saved his arse.
FZ1 Crash (http://www.yamahafz1oa.com/forum/showthread.php?s=231378e01a9ff91029a65506a3f8158f&threadid=38259)
Makes you wonder about the idiots who don't wear helmets -- sounds like his helmet saved his noggin. I'm spending some time in Ohio, where helmets are optional, and it just gives me the willeys watching people riding m/c without helmets. :stop:
-
I'm sure we all hate to hear when somebody goes down. Even worse, this crash happened in my neck of the woods.
:banana: :clap: Big cheer for the right gear :clap: :banana:
-
Sometimes I let out an audible moan as I put on my jacket in the low 90's outside temperature :shock: (Did I do that out loud?)
But once I'm at highway speed it's not nearly as uncomfortable. I ride off rode alot (ATV) and insist that the family wear ALL the riding gear (pants/long sleeve jersey/boots/gloves) regardless as to the temperature level. I've crashed many times on the MX track and I can deal with the bruises and sprains much better without the open wounds associated with Road Rash.
I see guys riding in shorts and tennis shoes with a tank top...more power to ya if you have the gnads...I just want to recover as quicky as possible from a wreck and get back out there. I can't anticipate when I'm going to go down (unlike Monika :banana: ) so I want to be "dressed for the occasion" :beers:
-
I'll say it.. I sometimes ride in a T-shirt!
Usually I only do so when it is at it's hottest and most humid out. And then I skip the helmet too. In my mind the safety gear is all or nothing. Can't get over the guys I see riding in shorts, t-shirt, sneakers.... ...and a $900 Arai helmet!
However if I'm leaving town or expect to do any substantial speed (> 40 MPH), on goes the whole works. The long pants, sturdy boots, the Tourmaster jacket and full-faced helmet. As has been said, it isn't that bad once your up to speed..
-
SHorts, T-shirts, and sneakers are usually what they wear around here.... SInce I live on the border of two states, one with a helmet law....one without, the helmet use is kind of variable.
Since I've returned to riding.....(6 years ago...) I've had 3 minor spills on bikes.
One, not my fault, on pavement.......lady ran a stop sign, I essentially tipped over in an intersection avoiding her....didn't notice the scratches on my helmet until later. No real injuries, but I did hit my head. This was riding to work, about 10 miles from home.
The second....on pavement, was my fault....somehow.....I dumped the bike on an on ramp at 20-25 mph, 10 miles from home. I ended up with $1000 bike damage, a considerable road rash on my arms, and a little on my legs, MORE scratches on the back of a new helmet I didn't notice until later....(Gee, I hit my empty haid, again!) and a hand I thought was broken, but wasn't. I was wearing jeans....some sort of light hiking type boots, summer type riding gloves....fleece jacket, and a Helmet.
The last, and most recent 'wreck' occured last month on a gravel road, and was my fault. I was riding my DR650, a little tired, and sore....and dumped it on a steep, gravel road in Colorado. I was wearing combat type boots, jeans, fleece jacket, summer gloves, and a helmet.
It WAS hot, in the upper 90's....I was tempted to take the jacket off just a few minutes earlier at a rest stop. I didn't......
I ended up with a little road rash on wrist and knees, an ankle that was almost sprained, and again....scrapes on my helmet.
What I'm leading up to....every little wreck I've had on a bike, I've been GLAD I was wearing what I was, and would have been less damaged if I were wearing 'more'.
Proper riding pants would have avoided the road rash on my legs.....
and the extensive road rash on my arms in the one accident would have been prevented by an armored riding jacket.
In the last little wreck, I felt around the back of the helmet for scrapes, but didn't feel any. Later Kent pointed out the scrapes on the side of the helmet....
These have been fairly minor wrecks. In each, I'm convinced the damage to my helmets would have ended up on my head....which I can't afford.
Even though I wasn't wearing 'riding' gear at the time of the wrecks, what I was wearing limited the injuries.
If you've got to ride when it's hot, take more breaks, alter your riding times....heck, drink a lot of fluids.....but wear your stuff!
Look at it this way, do you want a short trip to the store on the bike, to keep you off of it for months?
It's expensive, and possibly embarassing to take a little 'dump', but most of us will at some time. It's a lot less painful if you can stand up, brush yourself off.....survey the damaged bike...and ride off!
So endeth the sermon.......
95% of the bikes I see locally in the summer are piloted by riders in shorts, sneakers, tshirt.....and usually no helmet.
They may be luckier than I, stupider, more skilled.....dunno.
I'm covering my butt! (I have enought brain damage as it is...)
Oh yeah, when i was a teenager, I did ride in shorts...tshirt.....and even sandals!
I was stupider, quicker to heal......and traffic was 'different' 35 years ago. :duh:
-
SInce I live on the border of two states, one with a helmet law....one without, the helmet use is kind of variable.
As do I. Half the riders I mentioned riding in shorts, T-shirts, and full-faced, race style helmets are from Mass, which has a mandatory law. NH, where I live and do most of my riding, does not. I find it ironic that such states will go through the trouble of mandating a helmet, but not mandate any other form of riding gear! While I'd prefer they drop the law altogether from a personal freedoms perspetive, if you're going to do it, you might as well do it right.
Although said state also lets riders get away w/ affixing a 'DOT' sticker fabricated using an inkjet printer to their 'benie' style helmets. Somehow this qualifies as a legally acceptable 'helmet'..
-
It sounds like the law states 'must have a DOT sticker on it', instead of 'must be a DOT approved helmet and bear a sticker'......or someting like that.
-
I split the difference and voted "long sleeve shirt". With the temps in the mid-90s and commuting to work or joy riding, I have been good about wearing my 1st Gear mesh. A couple weeks ago when we were at 100+, I was wearing just a short sleeved shirt. But other times I just wear an overshirt. We have a helmet law, and I don't know that the lack of one would change my behavior, but I'm more willing to risk a few scrapes than I am willing to risk brain-damage for life. For a quick hop up to the corner Costco, I'll just wear a t-shirt if it's really hot, as it tends to be after work.
-
It sounds like the law states 'must have a DOT sticker on it', instead of 'must be a DOT approved helmet and bear a sticker'......or someting like that.
I actually believe that the law is specific, mandating a DOT approved bucket. I think it's the enforcement that is lacking. All of the HD types (my father included) get away w/ their 'beanies'. Yet they will sick you like a pack of rabid dogs if you venture across the boarder w/o any bucket whatsoever on!
-
Also picked out one from OSC added another $30 but this one comes with a long sleeve liner ( and it's not the same as my riding buddy :monkeymoon: he like the First Racing one so much he bought the same one).
If you noticed early on I said the ▲▲▲. Well that same budy of mine only wears it off and on. If it's too hot for him to feel comfortable he drops it. :duh:
-
Just hope he never drops it...
-
I now have spent 5 straight days and close to 500 miles back on my bike since wrecking it in mid April. It has been in the upper 80's to mid 90's here in northern VA. I have the Moto GP 3-in-1 mesh jacket, Firstgear Mesh Sport gloves and Scorpion EXO-700 helmet. The jacket has not been all that uncomfortable so far with the heat index at or just over 100 with the liners out. The gloves work well except the fingers on the right glove are just a tad to short as my fingers press against the seams. They don't go numb or such, just a slightly tighter fit than the left. The helmet is the only one I've owned and I love it. It is well vented for summer riding and my head has not gotten hot or sweaty yet. Overall not bad protection and comfort for $395 total. I now have a pair of the new SIDI B-Ones on order that will arrive the end of the month to replace my 6" steel toe work boots. Since the moment I thought of getting a bike I swore I'd always wear full gear no matter what the weather.
-
Well here in sunny Mississippi it's damn hot and very humid.
I wear a Cortech mesh jacket, army boots, and yes, it's a pain when you are stopped but at speed, no problem.
I have NEVER gotten on the bike without gear as I am allergic to roadrash (memories from my youth).
I came off the bike a couple of months ago, offramp on the interstate, it had just stopped raining, some guy decided to stop and look at his map :monkeymoon: ...it was either the drainage ditch, traffic merging to the left of me or dump the bike...sigh
Only a little road rash on the knees, nothing up top, $1245 damage to the bike (fixed a couple of days later). The sad thing is that I had just taken the Joe Rocket armoured pants off about 40 miles before as it had stopped pissing down with rain...woulda helped, but how was I to know?
Most of the guys that I ride with (Hayabusa, GSXR 600, etc) also wear armour, we shake our heads in amazement at the flip flop brigade...aaaah, to be young and dumb again...
There again, the guy who sold me the Bandit is an experienced rider (67 years old and has been riding nearly 50 years :shock: ) and he has been known to skip the mesh jacket that he owns every now and again...as he flies down the road on his Honda CBR 1100XX...who am I to say anything?
As far as the "no helmet" thing....madness I tell you.
-
All The Gear, All The Time!
I ride wearing JR Phoenix mesh pants and jacket and mesh gloves, Aria helmet and oxtar boots. I commute to work at least 4 days a week- even with a heat index of 100 degrees. At speed, its really not bad. At traffic lights, which I try to avoid, it can get a little warm.
Ever see someone go down without gear?
I'd rather sweat than bleed!
-
All The Gear, All The Time
I'd rather sweat than bleed!
100% correct !
Gear is eayser to replace than skin...... :beers:
-
As an absolute minumum, Denim Jeans with kevlar, Denim Jacket with kevlar and tall hiking boots, of course summer weight vented gloves and a helmet.
-
I didn't vote because I always wear my leathers and that wasn't an option.
A good perforated jacket with vents and armor.