Summer riding - how do you do it?

I feel like it's now officially time to ask the question - how do you guys handle the summer heat while you ride?

I'm getting my rear tire back on today and will finally be able to zip around town again after nearly 3 weeks off of it. I've already got a mesh jacket and a good selection of helmets that vent really well, as well as pretty nice gloves, but I still hate taking off the gear and finding myself practically drenched in sweat, namely my helmet matting my hair down almost as wet as when I get out of the shower.

To add to the problem, my girl likes to give off alot of heat from her side vents (see my user picture to the left), so I find my legs and knees burning from it's heat more often than not - unless it's winter time, then it feels good

Am I doing something wrong, or is this just how the game goes? Have any tips, suggestions, or secrets you've picked up along the way to make the heat a little more bearable for the daily rider other than to stay home?

Get wet in advance = evaporative cooling. Try to stay hydrated all day.

My commute is about 30-40 minutes on surface streets with speeds averaging 45-50mph and a bunch of well-timed stoplights, so I only have to stop a few times. My pores positively erupt with sweat when I hit a stoplight in the afternoon, but the upside is instant cooling when it goes green.

One day I decided to try wetting down my shirt for the ride home, which worked great. So the next day I made sure my shirt was completely saturated with water, and the effect was amazing. Except for my legs, which felt like they were on fire, so wet pants came next. I soak my shirt in the bathroom sink, and use a sprayer/mister for pants.

When I get inside at home, I immediately jump in front of a powerful fan. This helps me cool down and also makes removal of the helmet and jacket possible.

But in this heat I think you also have to be a little crazy.

Short hair helps with the sweat head issue. Dries fast that way. Heat from the motorcycle is a tough one. Going slow it you are probably going to have to live with it. Plan your routes and ride time to avoid sitting in traffic. Mesh and wicking shirts are fine in the summer at slower speeds, but at higher speeds they tend to have a reverse wind chill effect. Above 90 degrees and 30 miles an hour the wind actually will heat you up because it pulls the moisture off of you before it can cool you by evaporation. At that point you want to control ventilation and hold the moisture a bit longer. Which is quite the dilemma if you are commuting...mesh for dealing with traffic, less mesh and cotton for more moving. For a day in the saddle then you opt for controlled venting and moisture management.

And yes, some days you just have to decide just how sweaty you want to get.

WoodButcher said:

Short hair helps with the sweat head issue. Dries fast that way. Heat from the motorcycle is a tough one. Going slow it you are probably going to have to live with it. Plan your routes and ride time to avoid sitting in traffic. Mesh and wicking shirts are fine in the summer at slower speeds, but at higher speeds they tend to have a reverse wind chill effect. Above 90 degrees and 30 miles an hour the wind actually will heat you up because it pulls the moisture off of you before it can cool you by evaporation. At that point you want to control ventilation and hold the moisture a bit longer. Which is quite the dilemma if you are commuting...mesh for dealing with traffic, less mesh and cotton for more moving. For a day in the saddle then you opt for controlled venting and moisture management.

And yes, some days you just have to decide just how sweaty you want to get.

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Never thought about that, I guess that goes into the "I don't know what I don't know" file.

It is an acquired taste. I try to make it a one stop and back if I am gonna commute on it. Park in the shade. Don your gear inside or in the shade.
Stay away from traffic that is at a standstill, the heat from the road radiating is terrible. Think about a nice cold shower when you get home. Stay hydrated. Actually it really hasn't been too bad this summer............yet. Above 95 and I will take the car or van most days.

Ride in the mornings. It's not fun to ride when it's too hot, and I ride only for fun,

I use an evaporative vest under a mesh jacket when it is below 92 and a veskimo vest under a tight jacket when it is above 92. The veskimo pumps ice water through the vest.

Check out the propad.com and look at their air series seat pads. I have one and it's like AC for your butt.

Wear a mesh jacket, with a mesh polo shirt underneath for work. You get the airflow through both at decent speed.

A mesh jacket really helps with the air flow. But not all mesh jackets are created equal. The unfortunate thing is you may have to try several styles to find the one that works best for you.

I am now sporting a First Gear Adventure mesh. I get a lot of air through the arms and upper chest. But the adventure style, with pockets galore, seem to block the air, even though they too are perforated.

For the trip to Arkansas, I knew the temps would be high. I invested in this ...

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B016MX19Y4/?tag=twowhetex-20

along with the wicking compression shorts. If you are a tweener like me order at least 1 size larger than you normally would. If an XL is a bit too tight and a 2XL is a bit loose, order a 3XL.

I had good results. We stopped 60-90 minutes on average and hydrated. I always rinsd my face and neck with cool water and allowed the water the wet my shirt. After about 45 minutes, the air had evaporated the water and it was time to repeat the process.

WoodButcher said:

Above 90 degrees and 30 miles an hour the wind actually will heat you up because it pulls the moisture off of you before it can cool you by evaporation. At that point you want to control ventilation and hold the moisture a bit longe

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This is actually the nugget that most readers of this thread will skim right over, but it's the key to very hot summer riding or riding in places in the world where it is always hot and humid.

This confirmation came directly from the horse's mouth, RTW Paul, Paul Stewart. We had a discussion where told me about hot desert riding, hot humid riding etc. and how he does it is....

Create a Micro Climate in hot humid weather with a solid, non-mesh jacket.

Ok what he described to me was just like Rusty said, you want to go counter-intuitive, which means shut down the vents and close up the jacket (Paul uses one of the Klim Badlands variants) and reduce moisture loss to the max extent possible by stopping exposure to wind.

While going jacket-less or using a mesh jacket sounds like a good idea, in really hot weather somewhere along the temperature continuum it is a bad idea.

I guess it also depends upon how much fairing/windshield one has.
Bottom line ... staying out of the wind is key.

I'm weak and I know it. It's hard enough to wear my gear all the time as it is. Add in a 90+ degree day next thing ya know I'm riding in shorts, flip flops and a half shirt.


In the summer I do early breakfast rides and try to be home by 9AM. That eliminates the temptation to shed my gear.

Overlooked is something we can't change: road surface temps.
On a lovely day like today, temps 30 inches above the road surface may approach 125 degrees, so many bikers are really riding in an oven.
Hydrate and hide always seems to help. Stay overly hydrated ( if you don't have to go you aren't fully hydrated ) and cover up, hide from the sun.
Long trips, frequent breaks. You make the most time before noon, then ramp up the rest stops in the afternoon. Find someplace to rests in the shade, sit down, take off your boots and socks. Feet are amazing heat wicks and this will help you cool off.

DancesWithCurves said:

Get wet in advance = evaporative cooling. Try to stay hydrated all day. ...

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Through bad planning (and finding a bit of a wiring mess I had to correct before heading West on the ol' Magna to pick up the cool TrailTech headlight I scored from ekms377 months ago before my CA/MX "adventure," but forgot about until he reminded me), I found myself on 114 in the Dallas evening mess . . . and it was HOT and I was thirsty (and out of smokes). So I peeled off and hit a Racetrac on W. NW Hwy (near that dirt road road and, after a rain, water crossing in Big D) to buy a couple quarts of Powerade and couple packs of ciggies, and two guys were working on the ice machine in the drink dispenser, and they had a big trash can abt half-full of frost (the drain on the ice maker wasn't, I surmised, and it rocked up).

I asked if I could have some of the frost and was told to "take it all, but don't eat it" so I grabbed a couple handfuls, rolled 'em in my "ridin' towel," squooshed 'em into shape, and wrapped it around my neck, tucking the ends into my shirt so they dripped melted frost onto my central lump, AKA belly and sides.

Instant Coolth!

No fancy, pricey cooling vest needed, just an old hand-towel and a source of ice . . . every convenience store, everywhere . . . . . and bars, and cafes, and coffee shops . . . . . and they'll usually give you enough to keep you going, un-heatstroked.

It works better and lasts longer if you keep your jacket zipped most of the way up but open the vents so the Swamp-Cooler effect is most effective.

Edit: Oh, yeah . . . if you need to cool down quickly, ice on your wrists is the trick or, if there's no ice handy, cool water; you'll feel it immediately.

First sign of pending trouble from serious dehydration: Haven't urinated in a long time and don't need to, or urine is dark and stinky and there's not much of it. Hydrate right THEN, and cool down, and rest, and hydrate again, and keep hydrating until you have to urinate and it's not dark orange. You're potentially talking about saving your own life.

Next sign of serious dehydration: You stop sweating. It's fixin' to get really serious, right quick.

Oh, yeah, while you're in the bar (or wherever), hydrating in A/C'd luxury, wet your towel and lay it on your bike seat (your towel is white or light colored, isn't it, like your helmet is?), then, just before rolling outta there, get your ice and turn your towel into a super-effective Augmented Swamp Cooler. Your butt will thank me.

And soak your gloves before rolling off, too; water out of a faucet will do. The collar and sleeve ends of my jacket were still damp when I got home at 0325 this morning, having been out & about, mostly on the road, since abt 1P, >400 more miles on the Magna's clock.

I've had some recent health issues that have really impacted my body in both high and low temp regulation areas. I start cooking AND freezing too easily now.
Am primarily a traveling rider and usually in the west and southwest US; I'm having to relearn what works now. I used to ride in hot weather mainly with white or light colors and hight spfs(long sleeve shirts) and fabrics supposed to wick moisture, but not mesh. I was considering mesh this year until reading comments of other desert area riders about riding in mesh at very high temps; so I'll probably stay away from mesh for summertime in the badlands. Alpine areas, of course, might be a different case.
Current plan for this year is to buy an example of several types of clothing, including some of the new type fabrics; trailering (probably a rental truck actually) to the nearest "altitude" (for me even Lubbock or Roswell might work), turn in the truck, and get an early start first day so as to get into some mountains or high plains. Planning on staying out until the weather breaks, so may not even have to rent another truck on return.
I figure I can spend $100 to $250 on some spiffy "experimental"duds that may really help me at this point in riding. Lots of good advice on these threads...

BTW, Pacific Coaster, two years ago I got a "deal" on a 1000CC Concours, but had to sell it because above about 70 degrees ambient temperature I could have sold my shins at the county fair as turkey legs. I had never really looked to the heat exhaust setup on the PC, but it's really similar to the zg1000.

I have a WHITE mesh jacket which feels like shade in full sun. I wear long-sleeve cotton under it, and have a full WINDJAMMER fairing on my '81 Virago. I carry a spray bottle to mist myself at stoplights and such. Wetting down the cotton is good. Riding early or AT NIGHT in the desert is my preference. Full moon rides my favorite- despite the deer.
On long runs through west Texas and Arizona, I have a denim jacket that I soak down at each gas stop, and sometimes in between. And my jeans, too.
Behind that 'JAMMER, I can stop the 117* Terlingua oven from baking my eyeballs.
And SIESTAS! They call me MID-DAY for a reason. Find that creek or river and CHILL.

Solid advice!

Cover your seat when parked in the sun. I've stopped wearing shorts under my riding pants. Just underwear since it hit the 90s. I burnt my uh self on the seat the other day because I didn't cover it. My cover is the torso of a tyvec suit. Works well.

joy riding during summer is done early or late. daily commute, sure, but its a short one.
after a couple weeks i'm accustomed to it & actually prefer this over unpredictable weather.

Humzah, you're doing basically the right things. But at best, summer riding is somewhat uncomfortable. At worst...... well, you know. I'll expound on some things already said, and add a new thought or two.

You're gonna get hot when stopped. Deal with it. Movement keeps you cooler, so plan your routes - especially urban routes accordingly. But also realize that freeways can be very hot places even at speed. Hwy 360 is especially bad. When temps are hovering at 100 and I'm still finding I20 survivable, 360 is so hot that my face is melting. It's so hot that I feel convection currents radiating upward and literally buffeting the front end of my VStrom.

To me, this is the absolute worst time of year -when the summer temps are coming on but the spring humidity is still there. I won't say I like Jul and Aug riding a lot, but they're more tolerable to me.

If you're pleasure riding, go early or late. Riding at dusk is actually quite nice. If you're commuting, you just have to suck it up.

Next week I'll be towing my bike to Denver behind a UHaul truck, then riding home a few days later. The last couple of hours into Amarillo I'll be a beating - no getting around it. Next morning, I'll be leaving at the butt crack of dawn to make it through DFW traffic, heat, and humidity before the worst part of the day.


Don't get fooled into riding without gear to stay cooler. That only works when you're sitting at a light. At speed on a 100 degree day, you'll actually be more comfortable in mesh because you have airflow while keeping the direct sun off your skin.

Stay hydrated. Get a Camelbak.

Be glad the PC8 is water cooled. If you think you're hot now, try riding an air cooled Honda inline-4 in this weather. It's like sitting with your legs dangling in a campfire.

tricepilot said:

This is actually the nugget that most readers of this thread will skim right over, but it's the key to very hot summer riding or riding in places in the world where it is always hot and humid.

This confirmation came directly from the horse's mouth, RTW Paul, Paul Stewart. We had a discussion where told me about hot desert riding, hot humid riding etc. and how he does it is....

Create a Micro Climate in hot humid weather with a solid, non-mesh jacket.

Ok what he described to me was just like Rusty said, you want to go counter-intuitive, which means shut down the vents and close up the jacket (Paul uses one of the Klim Badlands variants) and reduce moisture loss to the max extent possible by stopping exposure to wind.

While going jacket-less or using a mesh jacket sounds like a good idea, in really hot weather somewhere along the temperature continuum it is a bad idea.

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Trice and Woodbutcher nailed it.

Basically mesh gear has a very narrow temp range where it's actually effective. I wear a gore tex suite with good venting (original Klim Badlands Pro) year round on my 45 mile commute. The venting can be closed or opened depending on thr speeds I expect to be moving at. I've moved away from cotton in favor of technical synthetics (or merino wool on long trips). The wicking seems to help with the evaporative cooling once the "micro-climate" is created.

Another trick is to wear a dualsport helmet with the peak adjusted down to keep the sun off your face. Coincidentally this also makes it easier to use the peak for its intended purpose imo.

I find that a cooling towel around the neck helps a lot. Keeping the big arteries in the neck cool is the trick with that. Some of the guys at work have been using those absorber towels around their necks and just love them. I think I'm going to give that a shot this year instead of my little bandana with the water absorbing beads. The purpose built bandana things just don't store enough water imo. I envision a big glass of ice water getting poured over the Absorber towel and rolling the crushed ice up in it before heading off.

I don't wear gauntlet style gloves in the summer. RS Taichi makes some short road race gloves with a fair amount of mesh and I find they work best for me. This allows most of my venting to be accomplished with the sleeve openings and the sleeve vents.

There is a Noel Coward song in there somewhere. Maybe it's the sailor in me, but there is no reason to ride at dangerously hot times of the day.

Meriden said:

There is a Noel Coward song in there somewhere. Maybe it's the sailor in me, but there is no reason to ride at dangerously hot times of the day.

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"Mad dogs and Englishmen go out in the noonday sun?"

garfey said:

"Mad dogs and Englishmen go out in the noonday sun?"

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That would be correct!

[ame="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z2YvYiWtovM"]Mad Dogs and Englishmen[/ame]

Meriden said:

That would be correct!

Mad Dogs and Englishmen

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I liked Joe Cocker's rendition. First time I heard ol' Joe was his MD&E album, c.1968-69, along in there somewhere. Had it on 8-track, copied via the neighbooger's Reel-to-Reel. Her BF let me ride his DT-1 whenever I wanted to, had the kids sitting on the rear of the tank, holding onto the bars, not long after they could walk. I'd be locked up for such "Child Abuse" now . . . . . but they both still love bikes, nearly 50yrs later!