Texas Summer Riding Gear?

I'm a new rider and trying to wear as much protection as possible, but also understand how hot it gets in Texas summers. I'd like to get input on the best way to go to get good protection and stay as cool as possible on the bike in the heat.

When I bought my bike (Africa Twin) on Saturday, the dealer also sold me a Klim Induction jacket, some Klim Dakar Pro gloves and a Bell Vortex helmet. I purchased some Milwaukee riding boots from a local shop and have just been wearing Levi's on the bike for pants.

Is this a good Texas summer setup or are there better options to be more protected while staying cooler on the bike in the heat?

Thanks in advance.

Mesh jacket, kevlar jeans, full face helmet with good air flow....under neath what helps a lot are Heat-Out type sweat wicking underpants, sometimes shirt. Gloves with airflow.

Ride early in morning. Use sunblock on exposed skin. Do not peel off your safety gear!

Stay hydrated, and always-always carry water.

Jarrett said:

I'm a new rider and trying to wear as much protection as possible, but also understand how hot it gets in Texas summers. I'd like to get input on the best way to go to get good protection and stay as cool as possible on the bike in the heat.

When I bought my bike (Africa Twin) on Saturday, the dealer also sold me a Klim Induction jacket, some Klim Dakar Pro gloves and a Bell Vortex helmet. I purchased some Milwaukee riding boots from a local shop and have just been wearing Levi's on the bike for pants.

Is this a good Texas summer setup or are there better options to be more protected while staying cooler on the bike in the heat?

Thanks in advance.

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Jarrett, first of all welcome to the TWT Community. You'll find a lot of great, helpful people here on the TWT formum. I'm fairly new myself. Secondly, great choice in motorcycle. I too have an Africa Twin of the DCT variety.

The Klim jacket is a good start. A lot of the guys on this forum with whom I've spent most of my time have always suggested a good pair of pants with protective padding in addition to the jacket.

I went down on my AT a year ago Easter and was wearing a good jacket and boots but only had on jeans. While I did break some ribs, the injuries on my knees and legs were worse. Between the bike laying on me and sliding a short distance on the pavement, the jeans offered me no protection. I scraped up my knees really badly and had some severe bruising on my lower legs between to top of my boots and my knees as well as my thighs. I ended up with an infection in my knees that took a few weeks to clear up.

I would suggest searching for a complimenting pair of pants with built-in protection. Several of the manufacturers offer "Four Season" pants for year round riding. Klim makes nice gear. But for almost the same money (depending on the pants and options), you can also get custom made gear from Motoport. There are a few threads here on the forum about different gear as well as Motoport http://www.twtex.com/forums/showthread.php?t=71786&highlight=motoport specifically.

Good luck - Stay safe out there!

UncleBuck said:

I went down on my AT a year ago Easter

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UB, I didn't know that ...


Jarrett,

Good info and Klim makes good stuff. But it is pricey.
I have some Klim gloves that after a couple years, a finger seam began ripping out. After some discussion and trading a lot of photos, Klim sent me a new pair at no charge. Many manufacturers will do that, but just sayin'.

In Texas, the ONLY jacket you need is a cool weather jacket. LOL

If in the market, I would suggest shopping here .... http://www.motorcyclegear.com/

They are a Texas company and been around for as long as I can remember.

I have a First Gear Adventure Mesh in Day-Glo. I have convinced myself that Day-Glo has saved my butt in traffic on more than one occasion. Zip out the liner and there is a significant air flow. It doesn't have state of the art armor, but it does have a pad in the elbows, shoulder and back.

I have a pair of RevIt Airwave pants and they flow air very well as well.

Helmet ... my life changed when I got a Shoei GT-Air. Just sayin ...

Last June, I road from San Angelo to Granbury. The AIT showed 115*. As long as I was moving, it was tolerable for 30-45 minute periods. I would find some shade and drink water.

I may be preaching to the choir, but I'll say it again ... nothing dries out the body faster than 90*+ heat and 60mph winds. The key to maintaining body temps is hydration.

The mesh riding gear helps in the evaporative cooling of the body. But you got to keep replenishing the source.

Welcome to TWT and I hope to meet you soon at one of the gatherings. If you see a ride being organized that blows up your skirt, jump in.

Thanks for all the info thus far.

As far as the pants go, are the kevlar jeans cooler in the Texas heat than the pants that are similar to the jacket material?

Seems like the jeans look a little more normal off the bike, but wondering if they are super hot by comparison to the pants in other fabrics.

Uncle Buck, I'm not sure about the etiquette but is it ok to ask what happened in your crash? I'm trying to learn as much as possible to be safe.

I'll ride on days when the temperature is 100 plus but I wont do it wearing mesh.

What do you ride in for that?

Read this. There are lots of opinions on this topic.....

http://www.twtex.com/forums/showthread.php?t=109837&highlight=summer+heat+evaporation

I fall in between the mesh no mesh thought. I wear olympia airglide jacket and pants. It has mesh but not completely. The forward portion of the sleeves and front of the jacket are solid so it limits the air flow. I also think what you wear underneath comes into play. I usually have long sleeves under my jacket helping to not dry me out completely.

In the end it is hot in the summer. I try to keep moving to keep air flow and I drink lots of water from a camelback while riding.

Jarrett said:

Thanks for all the info thus far.

Uncle Buck, I'm not sure about the etiquette but is it ok to ask what happened in your crash? I'm trying to learn as much as possible to be safe.

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It's ok to ask me. A buddy and I were riding on a Hwy. 4, a two-lane road north of Granbury, headed toward Possum Kingdom to visit family and eat dinner on Easter Sunday. I was following an SUV at a safe distance, but the SUV decided they needed to turn left. However, they had to stop to wait for oncoming traffic, so I proceeded to pass them on the shoulder. What I hadn't noticed was that the shoulder quickly narrowed and I let my front wheel go off the paved edge. Without thinking, I immediately steered back toward the pavement and the wheel caught the edge of the pavement and threw both me and the bike straight to what was left of the paved shoulder on my left side. I wasn't going more than 20 MPH at most, but it still hurt pretty bad. My left arm got tucked up against my left side as I hit the pavement which is what I think caused the 4 broken ribs. At the same time, the bike slid a short distance and I rolled off of it, my left leg scraped the pavement. A few seconds later when I realized I wasn't dead and I was laying in middle of the road, I got up on my knees as quickly as i could and made my way back to my bike and out of traffic. Luckily I was riding with a buddy who was able to help me get the bike picked up and off to the side of the road. My jeans were shredded from the knees down, more so on the left side from how my left leg ended up between my bike and the pavement. The right side got torn up from me getting myself out of the road on my knees. It turns out I was a little dazed from my helmet hitting the pavement too.

The story continues ... After I gathered myself and realized i wasn't seriously injured, I climbed back on the bike and began to head back toward the road. However, because I was a little timid and I didn't go fast enough to get enough momentum to make it onto the pavement, the bike stopped at the pavement edge. There was about a 6" rise from the dirt to the pavement. At that point I wasn't able to get my right foot to find solid ground because of the slope of the dirt and the slight angle at which I was headed toward the pavement, so I fell down again this time on my right side. At that point I was about done. But then after a few more minutes I decided I was ok again and we were able to get the bike upright. We then made our way to a convenience store nearby where I could rest and take on some water... and advil.

All this to say - pay close attention to your surroundings and have patience with other motorists.

bwdmax said:

I drink lots of water from a camelback while riding.

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How do you keep the mouthpiece clean (like dust/dirt) while riding?

mitchntx said:

If in the market, I would suggest shopping here .... http://www.motorcyclegear.com/

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Thanks for that. Aaron spent almost an hour walking me through the various options.

bwdmax said:

Read this. There are lots of opinions on this topic.....
http://www.twtex.com/forums/showthread.php?t=109837&highlight=summer+heat+evaporation

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Gracias.

UncleBuck said:

It's ok to ask me. A buddy and I were riding...

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Thanks for sharing that. I know the area for sure. Glad to hear you are ok.

mitchntx said:

How do you keep the mouthpiece clean (like dust/dirt) while riding?

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That's easy! You clean it every time you get a drink......

It really doesn't get that much on it. I have never noticed it. I do it riding dirt or street. I figure the water does more good than the dust does harm.

Can you recommend one?

I have had several types. My current and favorite is a camelback brand bladder (I got mine at academy) that I carry in ogio bag. The thing I like about the camelback brand is the large opening. It makes it easy put ice in and opens and closes easily. I have had one with a small screw on lid and it was a pain to put ice in. I had one that was a zip lock type with a fold and clamp that was a pain to close.

The one I have is like the one labeled #3 in the link. The packs come in different sizes and styles. Mine is large enough to carry a few snacks in. JMZ straps his on like a tank bag and I have done this a few times also. It is cooler in the summer without the pack on your back. I have seen people buy just a bladder and put in their tank bag.

I've been internet shopping for a long while for an in-flight hydration system.
Now that I have an experienced user on the line, thoroughly hijacked Jarrett's thread ...

So that I fully understand ... you guys use this while riding or just while stopped for a break?

If while riding, the mouthpiece looks kind of big to use with a full-face helmet, like a GT Air. Any insight?

I appreciate your pointing out the one you seem to like best. I've had the Camelbak Rogue in my Amazon cart on several occasions.

I carry a geigerrig(hydrapak) in my tankbag. I can fit the mouthpiece under my full coverage helmet with little problem when I want a drink. I don't care for the weight of the water on my back, especially on multiday trips. The hydrapak/geigerrig has a full opening across the top and can be reversed and washed in the dishwasher.

Similar to this
https://hydrapak.com/shop/shape-shift-2

I use mine while riding. I have had both straight and 90deg. mouth piece and been able to drink with any helmet I've had. My wife wears a GT-Air and drinks from mine while riding pillion. JMZ also wears a GT-Air and consumes copious quantities of H2O while under way.

+1 for Motorcyclegear.com. They're a family enterprise, located on the northwest corner of Lubbock. Very friendly & helpful folks. If you look at their website and start checking out gear, you'll see that they have personally tested nearly every piece and have advice about comfort, fitment, what works, what doesn't. If you call, you'll find them very helpful on the phone in steering you towards the best possible fit.

Everybody has their gear preferences. I like Tourmaster - great bang for the buck, and have two TM jackets & one set of TM all-weather riding pants. But I also own a pair of Joe Rocket summer-only pants. A lot of TM's jackets have a zip-over shell for rain protection or, in cool weather, added warmth. Plus, of course, a removable quilted liner. I find the zip-over shell to be much more useful and comfortable overall than jackets that have a plastic zip-in rain liner. My $.02.

mitchntx said:

How do you keep the mouthpiece clean (like dust/dirt) while riding?

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I thought you were trying to be funny when I first read this.

We usually get pretty dirty when we ride our dirt bikes. So the nipple on my camel back probably gets dirty also. LOL.

I wear Olympia Airglide top and bottom all summer long. One thing you need to be careful of is pants, and what you wear under them. Some bikes give off a LOT of heat on the legs. I can get away with shorts under my mesh gear on some bikes and other bikes I've had would leave my legs burned. I have no idea bout the AT but something to consider.

Full Olympia Mesh and Hydrapak for me. And the secret to keeping you mouthpiece clean is to either pin it and stay ahead of Gary and JMZ (unlikely) or stay far enough back to be out of their roost. I ride in jeans far too frequently, but they are worthless in a fall.

Good point on the shorts under mesh. It can come back to get you with engine heat and with wind wicking moisture.

The main thing is to get a set that you are comfortable riding in. If you don't like your new gear, sell it and try again. I'm not kidding. If you're not comfortable you won't wear it and then it's worthless.

m

mesh riding pants over a pair of shorts, BOHN armored shirt

Jarrett,

Like you, I want to be safe (padded so to speak), but not be covered in my own sweat in 5 minutes. Its Texas and I've lived near Dallas pretty much my entire life so it gets hot.

Personally, I've had my Tourmaster Air intake 2 jacket for about 9-10 years now, but I've only started riding in the past 6 months consistently. It has the rain and warm liners that can be removed, but the rain liner doesn't have in pockets so you kind of lose those inside pockets if you only have the rain line, but not the warm liner as well. I also wear jeans currently, but I want to get some "over pants" so I can take off the gear when I get to work without having to have an extra bag of clothes to change in to.

Currently, my gear is about the same regardless of the weather (I have no experience in the rain yet) which is my easy on Oxford Boots, 30 dollar Cycle Gear/BILT gloves, TM jacket mentioned above, Icon Alliance helmet (not the best, but lighter than my old HJC) and "worthless" jeans. The problem to me seems to be finding the something that offers padding in the knees and hips rather than just helping with scraps/road rash.

Once you find what you are going to use, please update us all so we can compare and appreciate.

Sorry about the sidetrack hijack ... but thanks for the hydration tips.

I rarely zip in and zip out a jacket liner. Just seems too cumbersome.

When its in the low 60 and up, I might take a hoody and wear under my mesh jacket.
Down to the upper 40s, I have a Freeze Out brand zip up thermal jacket. Does a great job at blocking the wind that filters through the mesh.

This stuff is easy to pack, easy on and easy off. It's Texas .... Could be 40 at daybreak and in the mid-90s by 1500.

Lots of good comments and options here.

I had an Olympia GT Air Transtions suit till I wore it out in about 100K miles. Olympia is great stuff. Went with Aerostch two piece light though.

One thing, in the heat avoid all cotton. It just gets wet and clammy. I shop Acadamy for under garments. Also like Magellan fishing pants. They are light, convertible to shorts, dry fast.

Hope to see you at a pie run and of course,

Keep the shiny side up.

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