Riding In The Heat

There's things you can do to make the heat bearable, from wearing dirt bike jerseys down to coolmax socks and undies. The mesh jackets with pads are going to be tested in the Sept. issue of Sport Rider mag. the general consensus is they will be ripped off in a crash and are no substitute for leathers or cordura, and that any area of the body not covered with protection will be at least turned into hamburger. It's hot in south Texas in the summer. My question is which is better, ride only morning and evening hours with full gear or be extra careful and ride all day in cooler attire? I think if your going to be at anything above 50% of your ability it's leathers time. A lot of guys don't ride when it's this hot. I think for touring or putting around leathers aren't nessesary but those could be famous last words.

It amazes me to say this, but I'm thinking about selling my JR Reactor jacket and Phoenix pants, simply because my 'stich Roadcrafter works SO WELL, even in the heat. As long as I'm moving, the venting is good, and (I've convinced myself that) being fully covered from the sun ain't so bad. I rode in 105 degree heat last week, and I'll admit that's the upper range, at least without a Coolmax shirt or summat, but I think a 30-105 degree temperature range is pretty doggone good!

And when I stop, it only takes about 15 seconds to get out of what has become a portable sauna...

I wuv my woadcwafter....

I wuv my woadcwafter....

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I gotta get me one someday. Been on my wish list a long time but I hate the idea of guesstimating my size, having one shipped, having to ship it back, having another shipped, etc,... I wish they had places around the country that were setup so you could go in and get measured for them or have suits to try on so you could skip the whole ship/reship thing. I'm leaning towards the two piece suit.

One point of view is accident prevention vs. accident survivability. I for one believe in wearing as much protective gear as I can, however if I am transiting weather that is creeping into the high 90's I believe there is a point when the full leather gear actually begins to be so uncomfortable that concentration and fatigue might contribute to the very accident the equipment is designed to protect me from.

Ain't no perfect gear for every occasion, that's why I need more money and more room for all the different jackets, suits, boots for track days, long distance touring, Sunday morning locals and commuting!

I went down with my Joe Rocket Meteor jacket at about 35mph +/- and had no road rash. The Meteor is like the Phoenix with leather on arms/shoulders and part of the back. Still wear it today even though scuffed up a bit. Gives off a good Road Warrior look.

If it wasnt for my JR Phoenix, I wouldn't be able to ride. I currently live in the CA desert where daytime temps are over 110 daily, and usually between 115-120. It's the only thing that keeps my wheels from getting square. I can't WAIT to move to TX, 90 sounds like great riding weather to me!
TR
El Centro CA
(soon to be Central TX)

David Bowman said:

The mesh jackets with pads are going to be tested in the Sept. issue of Sport Rider mag. the general consensus is they will be ripped off in a crash and are no substitute for leathers or cordura, and that any area of the body not covered with protection will be at least turned into hamburger. ..........

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I imagine its already been mentioned somewhere but Motorcycle Consumer News has reported on several occasions about the crash protection of the JR Phoenix gear. Since the gear was introduced (early 02?) there have been many reports of riders going down with the gear and it fared well. The gear was damged so as to not be usable again but it did its job and did not wear through. (the fabric is woven around a steel mesh)

I am confident that my JR Phoenix jacket, pants and gloves will do their job if the accident that I try hard to prevent ever happens.
I have been riding with the Phoenix gear for a year now and the stuff works so good I wish it had been around for my 13 previous years of riding without it.

I would be surprised if Sport Rider doesn't say that the mesh stuff is great for hot weather STREET riding but for track days there is no substitute for leather.

I bought the JR Sahara vest a month or two ago. It's like strapping a wet Pampers to your person. Can't say it was worth the 80 bucks I got hosed for.