I don't believe in riding with out gear, but summers get HOT in Oklahoma. So, I am now getting a BMW, so I need to get with this new fashionista movement that all my BMW rider friends adhere to. :) Thus, I am asking you, what is the best gear for temps over, say 95 degrees (f)? From 80 degrees and up? BMW gear preferable, but not required! What about the road crafters?? Thanks!
I live in north Texas, so share your weather related "warmth" issues. There are a lot of related threads; however, based on personal experience, I recommend the "Motoport" brand gear. The "search" function will provide you with a LOT of input on their gear.
May can find a used set as BMW doesn't make them anymore...the venting machine jacket and pants are nice.
soak what ever you have in water. repeat as needed. living in the very deep south nothing else works for me. too humid here
I live in Phoenix. My summers are warm, but generally low humidity. My summer gear is Rev'it mesh stuff. I use all mesh, not just patches or zippers. My jacket is out of production (Scirocco?) but they have a replacement called the Levant, or some such. I'd also look at the Olympia mesh gear if I was shopping for a new suit. I use a Camelbak bladder in my tank bag, but on your back would also work. If I'm going to be out over 105, I'll take an evaporative vest in a big plastic zippy bag. I also get lower windshields to have nice airflow in the summer. I recommend getting to know your own tolerance for heat. Dark urine means you're dehydrated. No urine means you're seriously dehydrated. Light headed or dizzy means pull over now.
BMW Venting Jacket or the older, discontinued Venting Machine for BMW. My buddy just bought a Joe Rocket Phoenix and it has some really nice venting mesh that's much better than my Revit Air jacket. My Venting Machine was the best summer jacket I owned for Phoenix and I'm sure it would be great in humid area, too. The newer venting Jacket is the same thing, only added a pocket. For non BMW jacket, the JR Phoenix is a good deal.
Another Phoenix rider and another plug for mesh gear. Personally, I've been wearing a Motoport Kevlar mesh jacket for over fives years now and still love it.
Definitely agree with previous posters suggestion of the venting jacket. My personal jacket is the now discontinued Venting Machine jacket. The Venting jacket is similar but more comfortable to wear. Revit Airwave is another option as well. Revit makes matching trousers as well.
I tried the klim mesh pants (forgot what they called them) and thought they were too sloppy and unprotective. The Klim Dakars are the meshiest I'd go. And i like them . Light color for me is better.
Somebody has to say it: Flip flops, shorts, wife beater (expensive underarmour for the BMW rider), and a backwards baseball cap for head protection. On a more serious note, I find my Rev'it Defender suit (in not black) to be quite tolerable, even in Texas summer. However, when I'm on the coast I often dream about their mesh gear. Summer rain snaps me out of that though, gore-tex is awesome. I would suggest though that light colored gear does make a heck of a lot more difference (to me) than I was expecting. I went from a Black Variant and Black Tourmaster suit to a white XD-4 and White Defender suit. Granted the new stuff is better designed, but I do feel like the color has helped too.
Motoport Air Mesh Kevlar gear. Mine beats the snot out of my Aerostich Roadcrafter for comfort in hot weather. And it beats the snot out of pretty much ALL other textile AND leather gear for protection. http://www.motoport.com
Mesh gear makes you hotter above 95 degrees. When it's over 100, the best way to stay cool is close all the vents on your gear and helmet. That hot air blast at those temperatures will overheat you quickly. I rode for hours last summer above 110 degrees in a Rallye 3 suit with every zipper and vent shut. It was hot, but not nearly as hot as it would have been in mesh. I don't think much of the IBA, but this article is spot-on.
I've used a Veskimo cooling vest for the past five summers. http://www.veskimo.com/ Used evaporative and phase-change vests before that. The Veskimo eliminated the issue of whether it's too hot to ride. Use the search tool, above, for "Veskimo" to see all the previous posts on this site, the K1600 site, and the ADVRider forums. I use an Olympia mesh jacket, and add a Windstopper or Goretex liner over the Veskimo to maintain the microclimate cooling layer against the body. Highest temp I've encountered has been 102 degrees. Consistent cooling over several hours.
+1 on the veskimo system. Depending on the situation - hot or unbearable - and the length of the ride I either use an ice+water combo or frozen water bottles (you leave the caps on)+water combo. The former giving more cooling for less time and the later less cooling for more time.
