Riding gear questions

I want to ride safely and come home in one piece. That said, I've never really had a riding suit other than a leather jacket, nylon mesh jacket, boots and a standard pair of Levis. I guess it's mainly because I live in the South and it's hot and muggy down here. But now I'm evaluating what I wear and thinking about safety and surviving a fall if, God forbid, I have one.

So how do these riding suits work? Do they slip over your street clothes or do you have to find some place to change when you get to where you are going? How do I deal with the hot weather and stop and go traffic?

I have a Frogg's Toggs rainsuit for wet weather and that is obviously to go over your street gear but should a riding suit (jacket and trousers) be weather proof?

How much money should I expect to spend?

Some input (especially from the Florida crowd) would be a big help.

Good riding gear can be expensive and it can be hot. However, taking a shower after a ride is cheap compared to growing new skin. That's crude but it's how I look at it. The term ATGATT is often used - All The Gear All The Time - and it is an attitude as well as a riding outfit. You get used to it and come to feel naked when riding in jeans and a tee shirt.

In the beginning I bought a set of mesh riding gear. It was fall in Florida and it made sense to buy a three season (for FL) set. That was a mesh jacket with a removable inner rain liner plus a thermal liner and a similar pair of pants. Tourmaster Intake and Joe Rocket 3.0 IIRC. I bought a pair of mesh gloves and some lace-up hiking type boots that covered my ankles. With additional base layers underneath and another pair of solid lined textile gloves this set up was good for a FL winter. On really cold days I would wear my Frog Toggs over the outer gear as a windproof layer until the temp warmed up. Later on I added a full textile pair of paints (no mesh) and a full textile jacket and waterproof riding boots and used Frog Toggs just for rain. When it's in the 20s and 30s I was wearing 3 or 4 layers under a jacket so I invested next in a electrically heated jacket llner and gloves. It saves extra bulk and for long rides in cold weather it is wonderful. Yes, we live in Florida but the mountains are a day's ride away and the difference from valley to summit, from shady side of the mountain to sunny can be 30 degrees. It's nice to be able to ride through the conditions without changing gear or enduring discomfort. Riding uncomfortable to the point of becoming cold and stiff affects decision making and safety. Electric gear can make a full day out of those days that start out at 25 degrees but warm up to 40s. I have a couple mesh jackets with pants in the closet now. I'll wear mesh usually over 60 or 70 degrees, add a liner or layer if colder, full textile under 50 degrees or so. Neck gaiters, wind stoppers, balaclavas for neck and head wear.

As I rode more and further I saw and met guys that rode a lot in all weathers on long trips wearing one and two piece riding suits made by Aerostich, Olympia, First Gear, and others. As my riding trips grew longer it made more sense to me to try one. With a layer or two under a suit you can deal with a 70 degree temperature swing and also cope with rain wearing just one suit. You just keep riding after shutting or opening the vents. They are very versatile but expensive. These are worn over a set of street or casual clothes and with intelligent placement of zippers they slip on and off in a few seconds. Because they take the place of two or more items of two piece gear it saves packing space on trips and of course are very protective - jackets don't ride up or separate from pants when sliding down the road - and most come with a full set of inner protective pads for spine and hard bony spots. I found a used Aerostich 1 pc Roadcrafter for $400 in a BMW forum (cost of a decent mesh jacket and pants) that fit me and wore it for 8 years. I could wear it in FL from Nov/Dec to May/June and all year round on trips to more temperate states. These are decidedly pricey but if you ride alot they are cheap in the long run, at least my Aerostich Roadcrafter was. After 8 years of use I sold it for $220 when I ordered a new fitted one last winter. I expect the new one to last 10-12 years. I'm 60 years old and been riding for 10 years after a long hiatus.

I currently have a two piece mesh suit from Tourmaster. I paid 350 for the set. They have removable rain and thermal liners. They have worked really well for what I paid.

Next time, I will bite the bullet and get some good goretex or equivalent gear. I don't want to deal with removable liners any more. I'm currently looking at Revit, or maybe Scorpion's new stuff. Probably going to be $1k this time around.

I wear Motoport mesh kevlar handmade to your body. I like the two piece, because I can take off the jacket, and have the tee shirt on under the jacket when going into places to eat. (Purchased in 2005): Motoport USA | Custom Motorcycle Apparel

Under the kevlar I wear Warm and Safe Waterproof Heated Liners: Generation Waterproof Heated Liners - Warm & Safe Heated Gear, LLC

The liners are skin tight, light weight, waterproof, and serve as both my heated gear and my rainsuit year round. You can set the temperature to how to want it with heated gear. So, you do not need to purchase the rain gear from Motorsport.

Under the Warm and Safe I wear underwear and a tee shirt. When the temperate gets hot, most times I only wear the underwear, tee shirt, and a Bilt Cooling Waterproof Vest under the Motosport gear: BILT - Cooling Waterproof Vest - Tops - Base Layers - Biker - Cycle Gear

When it rains the underware and tee shirt just get wet, and it is a wonderful cooling off factor when added to the cooling vest.

When warm I wear Motoport racing gloves: Motoport Racing Glove | Motoport USA

When cold I wear Warm and Safe Ultimate II Touring Heated Gloves: Heated Gloves - Warm & Safe Heated Gear, LLC

I have gone down so hard that I have dislocated bones, but never a scratch.

When I get home everything goes into the washing machine. Very easy to clean all this way. I do have to spray the kevlar with a UV sun protectant after washing.

Like Dave said the good ones are expensive (around $1300). Also like Dave said "all the gear all the time", which I have to admit I do not do for some local rides but need too. After so many years of wearing the gear, I have to admit I do feel not safe when I ride without the gear.

Forgot a must have for bikers: The Buff - Stops sunburn of face in summer and cold air in the winter.

[video=youtube;foi0llVgOjw]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=foi0llVgOjw[/video]

I always feel bad when commenting in these types of threads, because my "intolerably hot" riding condition, is anything over 85F lol. I just have no real credible thing to say when someone wonders about how hot a certain item or type of gear will be, where they live. (and to me, it's already fairly advanced in the ring level spec sheet of Dante's Inferno, in their winter conditions...)

The only thing I can really say is I have developed an intense dislike of anything non-GoreTex or suitably similar in $$ performance knock off waterproof breathable design, and having inner liners to put in, or outer layers to put on are quite a pain compared to a good pant and jacket with a built in membrane all in one set up.

Since I rarely have to deal with conditions continuously hot and muggy or hot then thundershower, it's more difficult for me to think of how mesh gear and over layers work out in the long term for best comfort/protection.

I did get my Firstgear Kenya textile jacket with the specific intent to try and maximize my wish list for: a one piece built in water proof breathable membrane, as many air vents as possible when the temps did rise, my personal fetish for pockets, and something that wouldn't break the bank. I will despair when this thing wears out and I have to find a replacement.

Now, it does come with a zip in thermal liner, which one really does have to compromise with, as far as riding in cold versus hot conditions in a "do it all" jacket, but I don't ever really use it. If it's that cold outside, then I will put on my Powerlet heated jacket liner underneath anyway.

With the pants, I went with the Aerostich AD-1 GoreTex model that I got because of the 100% full length side zippers, allowing install/removal of the rain pants without taking off boots.

I got the pants large enough size to wear over jeans or thermal longjohns or other textile warmer weather riding pants. I have been happy with the AD-1's except for the very low cut on the waistline at the front. It allows a gap in between the bottom of my jacket, and the top of the pants, which can let in windblown rain right at my belly button if it's really heavy rain and I'm on the highway. Don't care for that, lol

I've already got a mesh jacket with a removable liner so I think I may ease into the riding gear by buying a pair of mesh over pants to cover my jeans. I don't see me riding in extreme cold weather because there is a reason that I live in Florida - I hate the cold. But I never say "Never."

I hear what you guys are saying about not feeling safe without some gear on. I remember being one of the guys with the sneakers, Tee shirt and maybe shorts back when I was a kid. I was lucky that I never had a spill back then. But I did center punch an oak tree while riding an enduro and flew over the handle bars and bounced my thighs off the same tree. My Levis didn't protect me too good that day, for sure. Now, I have to have at least the mesh jacket on if only for UV protection.

How do you guys feel about colors. It amazes me that so much of the gear is black. Maybe on a cold day but I would think I would want some extra visibility at night. Maybe white or some bright color. I don't know if I can go the day glow yellow but I could learn to like it for a little more hi-viz.

Good call on the Motoport OCR! I live very close to the Motoport facility in San Diego. After a decade of dilly dallying I bit the bullet and got a Motoport suit. Wayne made me sit on my bike and took the measurements. The gear just fits perfect! I could not be any happier with the fit.

When you get the overpants be sure and get the armour for the hips. Most overpants will come with knee armour but only thin filler foam for the hips. You can buy additional armour to go into the pouch where the filler foam is. If you go down on your side then your hips will likely be what contacts first and take the brunt of the blow.

If you want to add some hi-viz you could consider adding a vest to go over your existing gear. You could even make that vest an air bag vest to give even more protection. I have one of them in hi-viz yellow with reflective striping. Airbag vests

During the summer I wear mesh jacket and pants, TCX vented waterproof boots, and summer gloves. Under that depends on where I’m going/what I’m doing. Commuting I wear my work cloths which thankfully can be shorts. Mornings aren’t bad but the afternoon commute can be hot. If I had to wear nicer cloths for work I’d probably strip to my skivvies under the mesh for the ride home. If I’m just out for a ride I wear moisture wicking shirt and underwear under the mesh and over 95f I use a cooling vest. I’ve also used the Cycle Gear Heat Out shirt and long johns and Like them. They allow the sweat to evaporate but keep direct wind off of you so you don’t dry out. The mesh gear doesn’t seem to make me warmer than going without it. Air flow is great through it and it does block most of the sun.

You definitely want visible colors. I happen to love the day-glo. Anything that comes in that color I feel I gotta have - t-shirts, hats, etc. If the whole motorcycle came that color I'd buy it in a heartbeat.

As you're out and about, observe other riders (and even bicyclists) and take note how visible they are with certain colors. Based on your observations, decide what it would take to make you more visible. Black gear is almost invisible. I notice that white helmets stand out well if you can't live with day-glo.

Dave Modisette said:

I've already got a mesh jacket with a removable liner so I think I may ease into the riding gear by buying a pair of mesh over pants to cover my jeans. I don't see me riding in extreme cold weather because there is a reason that I live in Florida - I hate the cold. But I never say "Never."

I hear what you guys are saying about not feeling safe without some gear on. I remember being one of the guys with the sneakers, Tee shirt and maybe shorts back when I was a kid. I was lucky that I never had a spill back then. But I did center punch an oak tree while riding an enduro and flew over the handle bars and bounced my thighs off the same tree. My Levis didn't protect me too good that day, for sure. Now, I have to have at least the mesh jacket on if only for UV protection.

How do you guys feel about colors. It amazes me that so much of the gear is black. Maybe on a cold day but I would think I would want some extra visibility at night. Maybe white or some bright color. I don't know if I can go the day glow yellow but I could learn to like it for a little more hi-viz.

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My mesh gear is black and silver with added patches of fluorescent yellow that I sewed on myself. The Roadcrafter is hi-viz. From a head-on view a motorist mainly sees a rider's upper torso and head. I wear white helmets.

I didn't want to wear a hi-viz vest over jackets but I want the contrast of light colors against dark. There is one study that corelated light colored helmets and clothing with fewer car/bike collision accidents. Once I was driving in the car and a rider wearing a black jacket with a white bar across the shoulders passed me. I idly watched him in traffic ahead for many miles. The combination of his white helmet atop a horizontal bar contrasting against the background stood out in traffic for a long way. After that I went to a safety supply store and bought a 3XXL fluorescent tee shirt for $10 or so. it is very light weight material with ventilation holes almost like mesh. I've cut it up and got enough material to sew patterns on the upper front and across the back of two mesh jackets. This is what one looks like in natural indoor light and with the camera flash on:




EDIT TO ADD: My ST1300 has a three LED Whelan strobe head mounted below the OEM tail/stop light and another 6 LED horizontal light bar flashed randomly. The Whelan Lin3 is what police, fire, and rescue vehicles mount. It's bright. Still, I've had a couple of close calls where I was almost run down from behind when I was the only vehicle stopped at a traffic light in the middle of a sunny day. All the High Viz and flashing strobe lights won't alert a driver that's texting or slapping his kid in the back seat. Hi-Viz is a tool to help us stand out. Developing foresight, looking ahead, "seeing" developing situations in time to make positional lane changes or lateral movement light patterns to draw attention to ourselves probably count for more than clothing style and color. Still, we need all the tools we can get to become more visible.

a mix of riding pants and jackets is more versatile (and cheaper) than a full suit.
A good Mesh and Rain Jacket are a MUST for a long tour.

same old advice I always give:
on a really hot day, stop at a gas station and soak a cotton sweat shirt in cold water.
Put it on.
put your mesh coat on over it.
Ride.
The wind blowing over it at 70 MPH will cause the water to evaporate and cool you down.

In 110F weather, it makes a huge difference.

I forgot to mention a very important piece of riding gear that all bikers should have - The Buff

Stops sun burn in the summer and cold air in the winter.

[video=youtube;foi0llVgOjw]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=foi0llVgOjw[/video]

There is good science that supports keeping wind blast off of skin when ambient temperatures exceed 93 degrees F. In other words, ditch the mesh for solid textile or leather when it hits mid 90s F.

In these hot temps a human being cannot literally take in enough water to keep ahead of water loss through the skin. In really hot temps it's actually cooler to wear solid textile vented over base layers of clothing that wick sweat away from the body.

I comfortably crossed 1000s miles of desert in temps at and just above 100 degrees in a solid 1 piece suit. I wear synthetic heat gear wicking clothing under an evaporative cooling vest. Cotten works but not nearly as well as synthetics and if riding for day after day cotton tends to hold too much moisture against the skin causing rashes - the so-called monkey butt of long distance riders. Cotten is also heavy and clammy in humid conditions. Heat gear isn't that expensive, think Under Armour and the like.

http://www.ironbutt.com/ibmagazine/IronButt_1002_62-66_Hot.pdf

Just a quickmbu to let you guys know that I am reading and digesting the info you have posted. The link to the long distance riding in the heat article is going to take a few readings so that I can understand it fully.

I appreciate the recommendations for the gear.

I am another one who previously wore no safety gear other than a helmet, leather aviator jacket, a pair of cheap work boots and cheap, thin leather gloves. I went down once many years ago but fortunately it was a low speed drop (15 mph) so the road rash wasn't terrible, but I've got scars from it (left arm).

When I got the NC back in August I decided I was too old to be such a fool any longer. After a lot of research I was really tempted to get a Roadcrafter but the price ultimately scared me away. I ended up with a two-piece Olympia Airglide setup - Airglide 4 jacket and Airglide 3 pants. They do zip together at the back, and both come with liners. They are kind of a pain to get on and when walking around in them I feel a bit like the Michelin Man, but when riding it all feels great. I also sprung for some Forma Cape Horn boots and Cortech gloves.. Total for all of that was about $900 but I consider it money well spent. For color, I went Hi-Viz on the jacket, black on the pants.

As far as temperature comfort I haven't had enough experience yet to comment, other than to say I was very comfortable in high 40-degree weather with all liners in, and 90 degree weather (dry climate) with liners out, so long as I was moving. Definitely hot sitting still. I've worn a sweater under the jacket and Levis under the pants and that works well too. With no liners and only a T shirt under the jacket it feels a bit baggy but I don't notice it while riding.

I live in Pasco County, Fl. My comments apply to this area just 30 miles north of Brandon.

Mesh jacket. Mesh pants or mesh overpants if you plan on commuting or taking the bike someplace other than just for a ride.

I have a Gore-Tex jacket that I get to wear 4 months of the year and on trips. I love it. But I could not wear it all year round. It is just too hot and humid here.

I read that article. I don't think it applies to Florida. We rarely get above 93 degrees. And 5 months of the year we barely go below 80. And we stay at 80 percent humidity. Our sweat doesn't cool us like it does in drier climates. Our "feel's like" is always higher than the actual temperature because of that. Now toss in that we get most of our rain between June and September. And that, usually, is in the afternoon. Mesh will be cooler. At least feel cooler. And leave you drier.

If you can afford mesh and Gore-Tex, get both. You can pick and choose based on the conditions for just $1,500 - $2,000. But you will use the mesh at least twice as much. And with a liner or rain suit, year round.

In my case I have mesh overpants with a waterproof liner to go with either jacket. In the summer rains I will use the mesh with the liner. When it stops, I remove the liner and enjoy the wet jacket. Or I will just slip on the Frogg Toggs if it is a short rain. Now through late April it will mostly be the Gore-Tex jacket.

Again this applies only to this area.

Gibsito said:

I ended up with a two-piece Olympia Airglide setup - Airglide 4 jacket and Airglide 3 pants. They do zip together at the back, and both come with liners. They are kind of a pain to get on and when walking around in them I feel a bit like the Michelin Man, but when riding it all feels great. I also sprung for some Forma Cape Horn boots and Cortech gloves.. Total for all of that was about $900 but I consider it money well spent. For color, I went Hi-Viz on the jacket, black on the pants.

View attachment 27606

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The image below is what I wear during this season as the temperatures are still turbulent between hot and cold during the course of day.



The above image is me at the International Motorcycle Show at Long Beach on this past Saturday the 21st. I was Test Riding a CTX1300.

I have an Aerostich one piece Roadcrafter similar to the one dduelin wears. I love mine even tough it is a size too big because I misread the sizing chart on the Aerostich web site. I bought mine on Ebay 5 years ago for $400 shipped. My suit was crash tested on hot, newly laid asphalt in Alabama by the previous owner. It took me a few hours to wash the tar stains off of the suit with Dawn dish washing liquid and you can still see the scratches from sliding on the pavement on the armored sections of the suit. The only time I don't wear it is in very hot temps when I wear my mesh gear but only for short trips. Riding in hot weather without adequate protection from the wind will dehydrate you very quickly. To make riding bearable in hot weather I always wear synthetic base layers of clothing, never cotton. I wear LD Comfort shorts or leggings and a long sleeve polypropylene wicking shirt, sometimes with another wicking t-shirt over it to hold water that I spray across the front of my shoulders from my pressurized water bag to help keep me cool. The wicking layers are also great if your suit leaks during a torrential down pour, you won't notice the suit is leaking until you stop and take the suit off. If you're soaking the base layers on a trip and plan to stop somewhere to eat it's always a good idea to open the neck of the suit about ten miles before you stop to dry out the base layers. If you take the suit off in an air conditioned restaurant, you'll freeze. I also wear a Buff headband all year as a neck gaiter, basically to keep the leads for my ear plugs from getting snagged between the suit and the helmet.