This is my first year with a bike, I got it in December and also bought a air something jacket from Dainese, here in Miami it's never really too cold so it fits well for now. I rarely ride without a jacket ( short rides if it's hot) but it's getting really hot already. Do you guys always have your jackets on?
yes. length of ride won't matter if you go down.
gear on always. not worth the risk without gear. even in freaking hot days, I wear my gear. The asphalt doesn't care that it is a hot day when you go down.
i wear full gear here in texas sitting in traffic jams with 100+ degree heat.
the discomfort of full gear in summer heat is nothing compared to skin grafts
(go search YouTube for "motorcyclist skin grafts". Ughhhh [puke])
Always, don't be "that guy".
look for a textile mesh motorcycle jacket
it's like wearing air conditioning while moving
I wear an a* summer jacket around the city when it's hot, but always full leather on a spirited run...
Im that guy, to be honest, the ONLY reason i wear a jacket in the hot summer heat is because of sun burn.
a mesh jacket will keep the skin off your arms so you dont have a farmer tan. oh and it protects you on the FIRST bounce. anything more and it will pretty much blow apart.
Quote from: Raux on February 26, 2012, 12:36:45 AM
look for a textile mesh motorcycle jacket
it's like wearing air conditioning while moving
Thats what i got and yes it does feel like a portable ac when moving but when stopped at a light feels like a oven, but i'll keep it on just to be safe since its still my first year in the streets.
With a mesh jacket, (any jacket actually), I make sure it has quality armour. If it has cheap foam inserts, I replace them with road race quality pieces, because the armour will be doing all the work, once the mesh tears.
I always wear a back protector. As He Man said, the mesh wears through quicker compared to heavier textiles or leather, so you'll be surfing on the armour and not your skin.
Living in Melbourne, I have three jackets, all amoured and a hard armour back protector which fits them all. Also have kevlar jeans with hard shin/knee armour and winter pants with armour.
I had some old kevlar jeans that had worn through the denim so that your balls hung out, so I thought I'd test the kevlar with an angle grinder. I was really impressed! The grinder vapourized the denim, but only mildly scuffed the kevlar. Amazing stuff.
It's a balance to make sure you are as comfortable as possible as well as protected because getting too hot or cold ruins your concentration and alertness.
You can't eliminate risk, but you can work the odds.
always ride with protective gear, when it is aussie hot i add
http://www.coolweave.com.au/cooling_neck_ties.htm. (http://www.coolweave.com.au/cooling_neck_ties.htm.)
amazing how much cooler you feel
Quote from: koko64 on February 26, 2012, 10:05:58 AM
I had some old kevlar jeans that had worn through the denim so that your balls hung out
If you're saying that you wore thru a pair of jeans using just your nads, I gotta' tell ya' - I'm impressed! [laugh]
for the heat, get some underarmor long sleeves/tights to wear under your gear. that + a vented jacket will basically solve most of the issues. you'll be amazed at the difference btwn wearing the wicking compression stuff vs not wearing it... you wont be able to go back to normal after.
Quote from: sofadriver on February 26, 2012, 08:17:57 PM
If you're saying that you wore thru a pair of jeans using just your nads, I gotta' tell ya' - I'm impressed! [laugh]
It's that bloody Monster seat sliding me into the tank! [laugh]
Well, in Greek my surname means" hard core", in Spanish it gets translated into, well , you know, its confused with another word. Explains why everyone in Spain was laughing at my surname. [laugh]
AGATT
All Gear All The Time!
Dress for the crash not the ride
You get the picture. Not sure who to attribute it too, but i go by "leather's cheaper than skin grafts"
There's plenty of option out there depending on budget, material(s) and air flow. There's a few leather jackets other there that are almost entierly perf leather - for example this:
http://www.motostrano.com/MVD-Racewear-Motard-Jacket-p/mvd-jkt2.htm (http://www.motostrano.com/MVD-Racewear-Motard-Jacket-p/mvd-jkt2.htm)
- Aimed at the motard/supermoto set - but it's leather, perfe'd all over and armored.
There's a number of options that mix materials like the Ignition (new version for 2012) from Rev'it A buddy has it and quite likes it. Textile chest back and inner arms flows a good bit of air.
As commented, the all mesh jackets are pretty much one- shot'ers but far better than nothing. And the one and done nature isn't terrible if they protect you and then insurance covers replacement.
On a sidenote, my brother lives in Miami so I go there occasionally. It's amazing to see all the people with no gear or helmet. So, I can understand why you are questioning wearing a jacket. It makes me cringe when I see a squid on a sportbike hauling a** over the bridge with barely even a shirt on. I actually rode around on my brother's harley with no helmet or gear to see what it was like. I won't lie, it's nice. I was only going super slow speeds though around the beach though. I don't see how anyone could ride on the highway with ho helmet or jacket on though. Sends shivers down my spine.
i'd like to say that I don't ever ride without my jacket... But I occasionally do. I know it's stupid. But 90% of the time, I'm wearing my Teknic Mesh Super-Vent. Plenty of CE approved armor on all impact points, a decent foam back protector (a better one would likely be a good investment on my part), and PLENTY of air flow. Proper gloves and boots are always on.
A good mesh jacket will be just as good as not wearing a jacket (unless stuck in traffic... and at that point, you're make the beast with two backsed either way).
A nice trick i like to do on the toastiest of toasty days is buy a gallon jug of water and just COMPLETELY soak my t-shirt. Once you get moving, it's like A/C on wheels.
Quote from: corey on March 05, 2012, 02:32:58 PM
A nice trick i like to do on the toastiest of toasty days is buy a gallon jug of water and just COMPLETELY soak my t-shirt. Once you get moving, it's like A/C on wheels.
I have never thought of this I will try this next time it's blisteringly hot here in Colorado, which is only like 4 days a year.
Quote from: lawmaster891 on February 27, 2012, 07:17:39 PM
Dress for the crash not the ride
I'm using that quote. I ride with all types of riders as pretty much every neighbor I'm friends with has a bike. I'm the only one in full gear. They all ride Harleys and custom choppers and keep saying "man when its hot you'll loose that jacket" lol, I keep telling them its mesh and isn't that bad and not even close to the heat I experience in a house fire so I'll manage. They wear a brain bucket helmet 50% of the time and I always rip on them "hey, not wrecking today huh? Thats cool"
I've seen my fair share of grown "tough guys" screamin like a little "B" beacause their skin just ripped off on hot FL pavement at 60MPH. And I don't know if its the handling characteristics of the bike but I've had maybe 12 harley bike wreck scenes and only 6 or so sportbikes. The catch was about half of the harley guys died and all the sportbike guys died. The Harley guys were drunk and the sportbike guys were going triple digits. I guess we have our own demons to contend with no matter the bike type. :-\
I rode in West Palm for years. If I was going to the corner, I might just wear my helmet and gloves. If I was getting on the highway, I would wear my mesh jacket in the summer. "Winter" would see me change to the leather jacket. Most people here don't consider mesh "gear", but most people here have not experience the joy of near 100 degree 100% humidity weather either. So take everything with a grain of salt.
Quote from: corey on March 05, 2012, 02:32:58 PM
A nice trick i like to do on the toastiest of toasty days is buy a gallon jug of water and just COMPLETELY soak my t-shirt. Once you get moving, it's like A/C on wheels.
Someone makes a neck cooler scarf - think Aerostitch sells it. It's got a layer of absorbant gel or similar so it stays damp for quite a while and functions like a swap cooler for your neck.
While back saw an amusing exchange at a local HD shop. Sales person is showing jackets to a new(er) rider. A stereotypical road pirate interjected that he doesn't wear and didn't think the noob needed to either.
Sales person: 'What if you get into an accident? A jacket will help protect you.'
Road pirate: 'I don't plan to have an accident.'
SP: 'No one plans to have an accident - that's why they are called accidents, not planned crashes.'
- I couldn't help but let off a loud snort
To begin with 20 yrs ago I would dress to suit the weather and trip duration but now as I get older as stated I dress for the crash as I have had two reasonable off's both out of my control and both less than 2 km from my house! So the short ride theory should not enter the equation in my eyes....if you talk to an insurance agent they will (used to) tell you the same thing that most accidents occur in close proximity to your residence. I was lucky with the first one and it was winter and I had all my gear on with the exception of leather dress shoes as I had been out to dinner with my girl friend at the time (not riding pillion thank goodness) and they both got ripped off during the launch sequence which resulted in quite substantial damage to my feet! My leather jacket wore through on the shoulders and elbows but did not sustain any injuries there and just a few burns on my legs from the heat generated though my pants. All in all a very lucky boy as it could have been so much worse. The second one was a fairly low speed job and I was in a t-shirt and boardies but no road rash occurred but tore the tendons in my knee! Again could have been allot worse.
Now all gear all the time but I just bought an A*s perforated jacket and perforated Ixon gloves and the difference in comfort is astounding even with the upgraded CE back and chest inserts it is sensational. For here in Australia where it is hot and humid this would be my minimum as I just can't get my head around textile jackets! If it's hot chuck on a camel back with a spare t-shirt rather than remove levels of protection! Although hospitals are air conditioned the nurses here at least are make the beast with two backsing ugly (my cousin is one, and he's big......and hairy.......) and show no mercy when cleaning gravel out of your flesh if you tick the 'No' box on form that's asks "were you wearing appropriate protection".
Cheers,
Scott
Full gear. Jacket, pants, helmet, boots, and gloves.
I just picked up the Rev-It ignition jacket and gear pants. I plan on wearing it whenever I commute or go on long day trips. If I'm going around the corner for gas or to the store to pick up something quick, I will skip putting on the pants and ride with jeans. But that will be on a rare occasion. The bike is for commuting. I have the cage for those "quick" trips.
Pick up a good textile jacket in a light colour.
I have an AGVsport jacket in bright yellow (which is great for my acid yellow S2R).
The light colour rejects some of the heat and it sheds very quickly when you're moving. Just wear a T shirt underneath it
Human skin will come off at 5 mph on pavement. That's all it takes.
The more gear you wear, the better you'll feel when you make that inevitable dump. I will wear jeans with a jacket, boots,gloves and of course helmet, but i feel better wearing the pants.
Being sweaty is part of the joy. If you need AC, buy a Goldwing. Or a Toyota.
Wicking wear as was mentioned can make a difference, perforated leather for the hot summer days and non perf otherwise. Short trips in a tee shirt is all it will take one time.
if you are a bicycle racer you know full well how it hurts to clean out road rash and most of those crashes occur at under 25mph, ok if you are going downhill or you are really fast maybe you can get up to 35-40mph.. and you are only wearing spandex shorts.
on a motorcycle in the sujmmer, i wear the bmw mesh neon yellow jacket and revit overpants over a pair of jeans, or the bmw city pants instead.
Ive ridden in 118+ and I still wear good gear regardless.
I've has the skin grafts (regardless of gear but that's another story) and I tell ya everyone here is right. AGATT.
Mesh melts when you slide though, I wear leather all the time...
I live in Fresno, CA....100+ Degrees almost every day during the summer and usually until late at night....I always wear gear. I've seen too many accidents at work where riders are abiding by every law and some jackass makes a left hand turn right in front of them and they go superman. No boots??? No top of foot left!!! No jacket...hmmmm, that'll be skin grafts....Bottom line...WEAR YOUR JACKET, a FULL FACE HELMET, and everything else please. [beer]
i went down yesterday on my friend's bike, and i had all my gear on, thankfully it saved my skin, unfortunately the bike developed more cracks in its fairings, i think its repairable but we will have to see what my paint guy says, that being said, so glad i landed mostly in grass after sliding about what seemed like 30 ft, probably closer to 20, but yea, could have been a LOT worse but i will be buying a new cold weather jacket soon along with pants that connect to it
Quote from: wannabfast on April 15, 2012, 04:55:53 PM
i went down yesterday on my friend's bike, and i had all my gear on, thankfully it saved my skin, unfortunately the bike developed more cracks in its fairings, i think its repairable but we will have to see what my paint guy says, that being said, so glad i landed mostly in grass after sliding about what seemed like 30 ft, probably closer to 20, but yea, could have been a LOT worse but i will be buying a new cold weather jacket soon along with pants that connect to it
Glad you are OK!!!
Just jeep in mind, we live in the "smart phone" generation. Smart phones = stupid drivers. As if we weren't hard enough to see before [bang]. Because of this, drivers ( especially young drivers) are more distracted than ever. Also remember, the first thing they do to road rash in the hospital is scrub it with a brillow pad!!!! Pre-painkillers!!!! :-X
Decided to take my chance with no jacket on short rides if it's hot. But if I'm going for over 10 miles I'll wear the jacket.
Quote from: sebastienb on April 26, 2012, 10:29:39 PM
Decided to take my chance with no jacket on short rides if it's hot. But if I'm going for over 10 miles I'll wear the jacket.
Most accidents happen closer to home, just some food for thought...
Quote from: NAKID on April 26, 2012, 10:39:47 PM
Most accidents happen closer to home, just some food for thought...
Both mine less than 3 miles from home, all gear all the time. Seriously!
Here is an interesting skin graft method.
The Skin Gun (http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=eXO_ApjKPaI#)
If this technology becomes widely available it would be pretty cool.
To the OP, if your looking for someone on the board to say" go ahead, don't wear your gear" I pray no one will. Whether we all do all the time, well that is most likely a different story, I'm sure you've heard this from your elders, " do as I say not as I do." You know right from wrong, its up to you as to whether or not you heed the warnings. But to get our approval, nay nay.
dress to crash, dont dress to ride. always wear full gear... it's just not worth the risk
I just sold my Dainese Leather Pants which were race ready in terms of protection. I've never seen anyone wearing leather pants on the street. I go with Kevlar Jeans and I do wear Dainese Knee-Shin Pads and Dainese Racing Boots under the Kevlar Jeans. I had the Dainese padded shorts for a whiel which I would wear under the Kevlar Jeans but they were way too uncomfortable. I always wear a helmet and gloves. I have been guilty of not wearing a jacket on short local rides when it's above 90. (after reading through this thread probably not anymore :-[)
I have two jacket's a Dainese Leather and a Dainese Textile both padded but obviously the leather is better including titanium shoulder pads. I have one removable back protector that can go in both but sometimes I'm lazy and dont take it out of one to put in the other. Both black so both get hot at a standstill but are okay when you're moving as they are fairly well vented. Anyone try a white jacket? Wondering if that would make a substantial difference in heating up under the sun. Also what do you guys wear pants wise? I believe Kevlar jeans offer minimal protection only slightly better than Levis.
Quote from: Duck Off on August 10, 2012, 06:32:50 AM
Also what do you guys wear pants wise? I believe Kevlar jeans offer minimal protection only slightly better than Levis.
This
Quote from: Duck Off on August 10, 2012, 06:32:50 AM
Dainese Leather Pants which were race ready in terms of protection.
I also have some Dainese textile pants that I wear from time to time, but don't like as much as they slide around on the seat/tank. Last I have some Kevlar jeans worn with T-pro knees used for around town stuff when I know I'll be on and off a lot.
Around here, it's quite common to see folks wearing sport leathers pants and it gets damn hot in the mid atlantic
For me I wear mesh Jacket and jeans for riding in the Atlanta Heat. It's hot sitting but as long as I'm moving its not too bad. I tried a leather Jacket when I first started riding but after stuck in rush hour for over an hour thinking I was going to pass out I got a mesh one.
But aside from that do whatever you want knowing the risk that is involved.
An anecdote I've heard is that a well-known trainer (forgot who) was asked "Do I always have to wear my gear?" to which he responded, "No, only on the day you crash." I suppose if you could predict that day . . . but even then, crap comes up and hits you when you're riding, so that doesn't apply.
I went down on April 15, maybe 3 miles from my house, on a beautiful day looking forward to a ride, because of my own dumb errors (I will not blame anyone else). The only reason I left the hospital two days later, and was riding two months later, was that I was wearing full face helmet, track suit, armored gloves and armored boots. Every time someone tells me "you were lucky," I correct him or her, and say, "No. It's because I wear the gear, every time I ride."
Normally, I wear armored textile but on that day, I was even more geared up. Regardless, I always thought beforehand going out without protective gear was foolish: based on that event, I have changed my opinion: it's moronic.
Wear the gear!
but really... who wears leather pants when riding? From MotoGP to Rockerbox I never see guys wearing these unless they're heading to a track day. I want to know honestly who wears Leather Pants when they ride?
Quote from: Duck Off on August 10, 2012, 03:26:03 PM
but really... who wears leather pants when riding? From MotoGP to Rockerbox I never see guys wearing these unless they're heading to a track day. I want to know honestly who wears Leather Pants when they ride?
I've seen folks (and I did when I crashed) but regardless, there's plenty of protective textile pants out there.
Quote from: Duck Off on August 10, 2012, 03:26:03 PM
but really... who wears leather pants when riding? From MotoGP to Rockerbox I never see guys wearing these unless they're heading to a track day. I want to know honestly who wears Leather Pants when they ride?
i leather up when i know im going to be riding on the twisties, otherwise i wear my leather jacket and jeans
Quote from: Duck Off on August 10, 2012, 03:26:03 PM
but really... who wears leather pants when riding? From MotoGP to Rockerbox I never see guys wearing these unless they're heading to a track day. I want to know honestly who wears Leather Pants when they ride?
Every time i step over that bike i have my rstaichi leather pants on EVERYTIME. Let me reiterate something that just happened to me and it will make you think twice about not wearing gear. Took a walmart pedal bike and threw a motor kit on it. Was riding it doing a test run, making sure everything was good with shorts, sandals, and no helmet. Rear sprocket locked at 20mph. Threw me 25 feet, split my head open 4 inches, concussion, road rash on my arms, legs, feet, both shoulder blades and where the laceration on my head was. THIS WAS FROM A PEDAL BIKE. Do me a favor, dont be stupid wear you freaking gear every time you get on your bike.
So this thread has had me re-evaluating my approach to gear which had historically been pretty conservative but has recently been getting a bit lax especially in this years summer heat. Leather pants are just not a realistic option for me when cruising around the city but Kevlar Jeans (Dainese D6 Kevlar are my next purchase) or Textile Pants (e.g. Dainese Drake pants) both worn with Dainese Knee Pads and Torque out boots (which are my standard riding gear) . The hot summer had me doing t-shirt and helmet + gloves and boots but I dont think I'll be making that mistake again. Yes.!! Jacket every time!! Cause I dont plan on learning that lesson the hard way. I wish they made something more comfortable that protected the hips and waist because the Dainese hard shorts I had were super uncomfortable so I sold them. The Dainese Knee/Shin pads are do-able. I'm going to buy a back protector to keep in my textile jacket so I dont have to swap the one back protector I have between my leather and textile cause I'm lazy and it's a pain. All the gear all the time! Why wait to learn this lesson the hard way. I like to think I'm smart and this seems like the smart thing to do.
Glad to hear about your decision. There's actually some summer jackets that provide good protection but aren't too bad in the heat. I've worn the RevIt AirWave jacket (and before that their lower end Air jacket) in 100+ temps with 90+% humidity, with Underarmour Heat Gear under and mesh armored pants, and it's really not bad even doing a day of parking lot drills in Total Control. Once moving, it's fine. In fact, the Transitions 2 in similar temps wasn't bad when I did Stayin Safe a few years ago.
I have a summer 3-way mesh from this company
http://www.leatherup.com/c/Mens-Motorcycle-Mesh-Jackets/3/124.html (http://www.leatherup.com/c/Mens-Motorcycle-Mesh-Jackets/3/124.html)
Quote from: Duck Off on August 10, 2012, 03:26:03 PM
but really... who wears leather pants when riding? From MotoGP to Rockerbox I never see guys wearing these unless they're heading to a track day. I want to know honestly who wears Leather Pants when they ride?
- This guy. Hell I've even seen a couple cruiser guys in sport leathers. Oddes look was a dude in a 1 pc sport suit on a cruiser... but I digress.
As noted, if I'm going out for a real road ride it's leather pants and jacket. When it's an off the pavement day, things dow switch out to a set of Klim Dakar pants over impact stuff and an ADV sort of jacket. Not leather... but those Klim pants use higher Dernier materials than my Dainese textile pants so presumably would hold up better during a slide.
Glad to see you're rethinking. While leathers as much as I do them might not be the option for you, there's plenty of *very* ventilated gear out there that will protect you a lot more than a t-shirt.
This is an old thread, but I figure I'd chime in anyway...
I do ride now with leather all the time. The more you do it, the more you get used to it. Now, even if it's hot, it's just habit to me. If I ride with anything less (even mesh), I feel "off". As for the pants, I do have Rev'It leather riding pants that I use every day for commuting the 100 miles to work.
During the weekends (I rarely ride since I'm so bored of riding during the week), I'll usually just wear jeans.
I mean, it's a risk right? If you want to take, it take it. I'm getting older, and just jumping off a 3 foot ledge makes my body all achey. :P I can't imagine taking a dump on a bike at speed wearing anything less than leather.