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Texas Summer Riding Gear?

Outstanding ATGATT: highly visible, completely armor/padding top to bottom is my first priority. I once slid down the road on my back when my 1970 English bike with rigid foot pegs lifted my rear wheel off the pavement. I've gone hands down first on dirt bikes. Gear isn't the place to save money. It's worth going into debt as far I'm concerned. I hate hospitals. Rehab in Brownwood is combined with a nursing home. I intend to avoid all three places if possible.

I found the hard way in the heat of the summer that I needed jeans under my riding pants for insulation. While wearing shorts the radiator heat from my Tenere burned my left leg. I still had three hundred miles to go.

Commuting 15 miles in the summer I will use mesh since I start sweating almost immediately. But I'm always riding with high vis yellow ATGATT. As far as I'm concerned. the motorcyclists I see riding with no helmet, T-shirts and flip flops haven't gone down yet. I hope they don't but that asphalt or someone's car sure can damage their heads or limbs. A grasshopper at seventy could put their eye out.

Last July I rode through the panhandle to Gunnison. I used my winter gear because it was going to be cold on the high passes and it's waterproof. I went through four heavy rainstorms in Colorado, New Mexico, and Amarillo. Stopping to put a rain suit on isn't always possible in heavy traffic or narrow mountain roads. I found that by opening the cuffs completely I got a stream of air up the sleeves that was cooling. I drank water whenever possible through the tube of my camelback. It was refilled with ice and water at most gas stops.

I take a lot of guff from local riders. "Aren't you hot, or, don't you sweat a lot." That's the reason for my rant :).
 
Def. get some mesh padded pants. You can get an evaporative vest or even one with ice packs. I don't use them but instructor for the moto safety class did and I was quite jealous.
 
I use the Klim Apex air jacket and riding jeans with Kevlar and knee and hip pads.
You have good gear but just need to protect those legs with some slide and impact protection.
Over 100* the wind needs to be blocked, you’re just blow drying yourself. The Apex Air has the ability to block the wind as well.
 
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Thanks for all the info so far.

I went to Moto Liberty in Dallas yesterday looking for mesh pants, but they didn't have any. The saleslady there told me just ride in jeans. I opted to keep looking for something with more protection. I found some Klim Fifty 1 Jeans that fit well. I'll start wearing those until I can't stand the heat anymore. I'm looking for the Klim Voyage Air (mesh) Pants, but they seem to be out in my size everywhere.

I was surprised at how much different a cotton shirt versus an Underarmour type shirt was. I rode one day this week with a cotton shirt and got hot, then wore the same stuff the next day in the same weather but with an Underarmour type shirt and was nice and cool. Actually got a little cold as the sun was setting. Good to know.
 
Just for the record , the gt-air is not named for air flow coming in to the helmet. To me it doesn't flow any more air than my older shoei helmets. BUT it does cut through the air much better. Even when I turn my head I don't feel any wind drag.
 
Something I've recently considered is replacing jackets as they age. I don't know if there's an industry standard for replacement age but I realized that I have a couple jackets that are well over 10 years old. I'm not sure how UV and perspiration have affected their ability to do their job in a crash.
 
I'm ATGATT, and that doesn't always work so well down in Houston. So let me put in a vote for the Motoport air mesh -- it's outstanding. The protection is incredible, the armor is about double the armor I have in my leather riding jackets, and any time you're moving it feels like somebody turned on the air conditioner. This summer will be my first summer season with it, the hottest I've been out in is about 87 so far, but as compared to my highly-perforated leather jacket that I got for summer riding, this Motoport stuff seems like it'll extend the riding season another 10 degrees. I think 90 would be reasonably comfortable (as long as you're moving; at a standstill it's awful of course). 95 might be about the limit, I don't know, but in years past I just haven't bothered riding past about 85 degrees, so -- summing up, very very very happy with the Motoport stuff.
 
If you don't ride when it's over 85 degrees, you'll be missing half the year.
 
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Once we hit the triple digit days I just ride in the mornings and then take a siesta with coronitas and tacos for the rest of the days.
 
I can only tell you what works for me.

Short ride of 1 hour or less. Temps of 75 - 90 degrees = mesh jacket.
Longer rides of any temp = full textile jacket.
Pants are ALWAYS full textile regardless of the temps.
Undergear is ALWAYS long sleeve turtleneck and full long tights by LD Comfort.
Hydration is ALWAYS Geigerrig.


Reasoning:
ATGATT
The textile pants and the LDC tights keep me warmer in the winter and help to shield my legs from the heat of the engine and the asphalt when it's not winter.
Go to the LDC website and read the FAQs on why (and HOW) their gear is the best at what it does.
The pressurized GeigerRig allows me to wet down the LDC while I'm on the move, as well as provide cold drinking water for myself.

Keep in mind that proper gear is a SYSTEM, and you'll learn more about that at the LDC site.
Also bear in mind that Beadrider and LD Comfort are the only two "Friends of the IBA" vendors. They do not pay anything to be on the IBA website. They are on the site because we as riders use their products more than any other of a similar nature.

Let me know if you have specific questions.


And before the naysayers jump in, yes, I did wear the same gear when I lived in Houston.
 
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The lower the humidity the better it works. And your coat needs to be loose enough to let the air circulate. In your sleeve and out your neck.
Bob

Thanks, I will be trying a few vents in the mix as well.
One thing that I have noticed is that to much air flow over the mouth will chap your lips and make your voice sound funny when you get home. LOL.
 
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I find my leather motorcycle shirt to be cooler than my mesh gear on the road. Most people don't believe me, but the cuffs scoop in the air and the shirt fills up and air blows through. Just make sure to not sit on the shirt tail, there needs to be an exhaust.
 
I was thinking about checking the Kevlar jeans out but if they get that hot i'm not interested.
 
If you don't ride when it's over 85 degrees, you'll be missing half the year.

I won't ride without ATGATT, so yeah, last year it meant missing out on a few months. It's not always over 85, there's time in the mornings and last year I even did some late night riding when it still gets down in the 70's, but ... frankly, that's why I sprung for the Motoport outfit this year, to extend the riding season. And it was much nicer in 87 degrees than the ventilated leather jacket ever was, and even though I don't feel it nearly as much I have to assume that the kevlar mesh pants are making a big difference over the AGV cargos I normally wear, so -- hopefully, yes, the riding season will be extended by several months using this new gear!
 
The lower the humidity the better it works. And your coat needs to be loose enough to let the air circulate. In your sleeve and out your neck.

If you read the FAQs on the LD Comfort site you'll see that you're almost 100% correct. Your goal is to allow the air to circulate long enough for the evaporative cooling effect to work, and then you CLOSE up those cuffs and keep the cooler (than the ambient temps outside your jacket) air trapped close to your body.

As that air begins to heat you repeat the process.

The more you just have air flowing through your jacket, the more you are feeding the evaporative process with your own body fluids. That's why I use the Geigerrig to keep my forearm sleeves and my chest wet. Remember, the LDC garments are dual layer to keep the moisture on the upper layer and keep the layer next to your skin dry.
 
If you read the FAQs on the LD Comfort site you'll see that you're almost 100% correct. Your goal is to allow the air to circulate long enough for the evaporative cooling effect to work, and then you CLOSE up those cuffs and keep the cooler (than the ambient temps outside your jacket) air trapped close to your body.

As that air begins to heat you repeat the process.

The more you just have air flowing through your jacket, the more you are feeding the evaporative process with your own body fluids. That's why I use the Geigerrig to keep my forearm sleeves and my chest wet. Remember, the LDC garments are dual layer to keep the moisture on the upper layer and keep the layer next to your skin dry.

Any tricks to keep the funk down when rolling out?
 
I'm ATGATT, and that doesn't always work so well down in Houston. So let me put in a vote for the Motoport air mesh -- it's outstanding. The protection is incredible, the armor is about double the armor I have in my leather riding jackets, and any time you're moving it feels like somebody turned on the air conditioner. This summer will be my first summer season with it, the hottest I've been out in is about 87 so far, but as compared to my highly-perforated leather jacket that I got for summer riding, this Motoport stuff seems like it'll extend the riding season another 10 degrees. I think 90 would be reasonably comfortable (as long as you're moving; at a standstill it's awful of course). 95 might be about the limit, I don't know, but in years past I just haven't bothered riding past about 85 degrees, so -- summing up, very very very happy with the Motoport stuff.


Hello! If you've posted an intro I missed it. So, Welcome!

Are you a foreigner here?

Or were you a foreigner in the land of the rising sun? ;)
 
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