Riding Gear and the weather

[madmax-im]

I have riding gear for all seasons...In the summer its an Olympia Airglide mesh jacket with armor in the elbows and shoulders and along the spine in back...I also wear Olympia Airglide mesh pants...soft armor on the hips and hard armor on the knees...Olympia leather mesh summer gloves armored on the knuckles only..boots were from Cabelas...Danner GTXll Military/Police duty boots 8" with side zips...I have 3 helmets...In the summer its either a Nolan N102 modular or its my new HJC Symax ll modular...in the winter its my Shoei TZ-R full face.
My winter gear is an Olympia AST 3/4 length jacket and Olympia Rangerll pants and winter gloves...as with all the other comments about hot weather riding...my mesh gear works great and keeps me protected...I too have highway pegs to stretch the legs out and catch more air...and as long as I am moving i am comfortable but warm..with that said I do prefer Spring,Fall and Winter riding more than Summer riding...thats when I do most of my riding. I tend to look like a power ranger because my Olympia jackets are hi-viz lime yellow...and anyone here who has ridden with me will attest to that...peopl often ask me if I am a policeman or a fireman...and the comments "aren't you hot in that stuff"? I tell them only when I'm not moving and that I would rather sweat than bleed... YMMV

[DenyP]

The long and the short of it - You've got some gear. Please stay away from ridding with shorts, t-shirt and tennies! If the leather is too hot, at least cover your legs and arms and wear decent foot ware (helmet is a no-brainer) being hot beats bleeding and long recoups!

Live long and prosper!!!

Deny

[trbig]

I wear gear of some sort most of the time now, but there's those days... it feels so dang good to just have the wind all over you.

Some on here call it stupidity to not wear gear, I call it personal choice. Some think it's stupid to ride at night, stupid to speed, stupid to scrape pegs, stupid to ride more than XXX number of miles in a day (Usually juuuust a tad more than whatever they have done), stupid to not carry every tool THEY do, stupid to have cheap tools versus Snap-on or Craftsman, stupid to split lanes even where legal, stupid to only carry liability insurance, stupid to use Dunlops, stupid to run tires at a higher PSI than they do, stupid to use non-motorcycle oil... the list is endless. I'm glad I still live in a place where it's a choice and I don't have someone else's idea of how I should be doing things shoved down my throat. That's happening more and more now.

I make a choice and take a chance every time I get in/on ANY vehicle. Sure, cars are safer, but people dieing all the time in cars are just as dead. Is it safer with gear on a bike? To a point, but if you get hit head on, you can be in a suit of armor and you'll still be dead.

Some days, the weather is just right, the wind is just right, and I look at my bike and get to decide for myself what I want or don't want to wear for gear, no matter what YOUR opinion is. Ain't that cool!!


Tod

[madmax-im]

Tod I dont think anyone here including myself is being critical of one's personal choice...just riding a motorcycle is inherently more risky than being in a cage...and theres no doubt that all the gear in the world does not guarantee you couldn't be killed anyways...as it can and does happen... I just personally feel ATG will minimize my injuries if in fact I do go down..but in this case the original poster is asking for opinions...and he has to weigh the options for himself...there are days when I feel as you do about not wearing all the gear and feeling more comfortable without it...its true it does feel better...I just dont do that too often. FWIW whenever I go on trip of more than 100 miles I am ATGATT... I do this of my own free will and I respect the decisions others make in what their personal choices are. I would expect no less from others...

[Bigge_al]

Took Trbig advise and bought a Mesh HD Jacket off Ebay last night for 59.00 shipped. Same coat that I was looking at. Downside it has HD on it. But in small print may have to get a XS patch.

[CatatonicBug]

Good for you! I didn't know HD riders wore mesh. Might be worth a sewing job and replacing that HD patch with an XS one. I have a Vetter patch I'm trying to find a place to attach it to...

[fredintoon]

Took Trbig advise and bought a Mesh HD Jacket off Ebay last night for 59.00 shipped. Same coat that I was looking at. Downside it has HD on it. But in small print may have to get a XS patch.

Hi Al,
good bargain but yeah, the only option with an H-D logo is a patchover.
Got me a black leather gorblimey cap out of a leather boutique's bargain bin a while back at a price I couldn't resist. The only downside is that it has a red rose and "lady rider" embroidered on the back. If anyone asks, I tell them I had to have that on there because of the truth in advertising laws.

[BIG MIC]

No leather

I just got back for northern ill caught up in the rain friday and baked on saturday . i don't have a shield on bike wind brunt badly...
don't have a clue on how to keep from lest a shield and or faring but that those are for old riders lol ....

[CatatonicBug]

...wind brunt badly...
...those are for old riders lol ....

I beg to differ! A shield is the minimum requirement for anyone riding any kind of distance at highway speeds. Unless you want to get windburn, dehydration, cuts and bruises from flying debris, or cramped hands and arms from fighting the wind...

I learned that the first time I hit the highway last winter. I could hardly hang onto the bike until I got a windshield on the thing!

[Ivan]

I beg to differ! A shield is the minimum requirement for anyone riding any kind of distance at highway speeds. Unless you want to get windburn, dehydration, cuts and bruises from flying debris, or cramped hands and arms from fighting the wind...

I learned that the first time I hit the highway last winter. I could hardly hang onto the bike until I got a windshield on the thing!

What kinda miles we talkin'? I have done several 1500+ mile weekends with breakneck speeds and loooooong stretches of hiway with my nekkid scoot. Dehydration hasn't been much of an issue, flying debris isn't that big a deal if you aren't tailgating, and the cramped hands and arms are nothing compared to the azz after 6+ hours on the seat. Well, ok, after a weekend trying to keep pace with Tod, Russ, and Harry both on the bikes and the drink, dehydration can be an issue, as well as a headache, body aches, and generally not handling the HOOCH like I did in high school.

Still haven't tried the Iron Butt thing yet... maybe a fairing would be good on that. Dunno. Hope to tell you sometime next year.

[CatatonicBug]

Just riding for 20 minutes at 65-70mph was enough to cramp me up. I felt like a human parachute, with my chest catching a huge amount of air, and I could hardly hang onto the grips. After I got the windshield, then later the fairing, I could relax at any speed, and even ride one-handed without fear of falling off the back of the bike.

Riding 200 miles was enough to dehydrate me considerably, and that was WITH a fairing. I can only imagine how dry I would have been if the wind had been hitting me directly. I get nailed with some decent sized stones on the highway here. I never tailgate, but the hangtime the rocks get off the tires of the cars in front of me is plenty enough to smack right into my windshield, and even my shins! I'll be doing a "half iron butt" next Saturday with a local Meetup.com group, from St. Louis, to Paducah, KY and back. I'm glad I'll have the fairing for that. I do wish the seat was a bit more comfy though...

[DenyP]

I love my Windjammer. Wouldn't want to be without it. I am old and fat enough not to give a care if someone doesn't find it sexy. I put a fairing on my XS850 special for the same reason (a more sporty and cutdown version). I have done my riding in the rain for 150 miles+ many times and have endured the smack of a bumble bee at 90 + through a t-shirt. Never again!
I also carry rain gear now in my saddle bags if the ride is long or questionable.

Deny