Best Hot weather riding gear

[The Flying Dutchman]

Having determined my ass deserves better protection after my recent get off and living in Florida (land of the ninety five degree temp and ninety five degree humidity summer days)....

What's the best hot weather riding gear? Mesh I guess but whose?

The Flying Dutchman

 

[SLK50]

The answer's simple really: Motoport.

 

[tmc]

Having determined my ass deserves better protection after my recent get off and living in Florida (land of the ninety five degree temp and ninety five degree humidity summer days)....
What's the best hot weather riding gear? Mesh I guess but whose?

The Flying Dutchman

Motoport.

If you can't afford (or don't want to spend the $$) the Motoport stuff, I really, really like my Olympia Airglide gear.

 

[ScottyUSN]

I will not argue Motoport is the best, but they sure are proud of it... I've read where the Motoport stuff was compared to Olympia, and again the Motoport won, but the Olympia was right there at a fraction of the cost.

Anyway, I'm very happy with my Olympia gear. For your climate (I grew up in S FL) I would checkout the Olympia Airglide line line.

You can probably fit the gear at a BMW shop. But do your price check online. I can highly recommend Motogearoutlet. I've bought with them a few times. I've never seen their prices beat, and shipping has been free on my orders so far.

 

[Patriot]

Tourmaster Sonora at New Enough...

Tourmaster Venture Air Mesh Pants at New Enough...

Improved Hip Armor to add to Tourmaster Pants...

 

[TCMike]

Motoport = $$$$$$ Holy crap, it might be cheaper to lose a leg by not wearing it. JK

 

[dcarver]

Yeah, MP is expensive. But so is my body. BTW, you should see the ripped to pieces TourMaster stuff Wayne has on display. Not pretty.

 

[07fjrTom]

I just purchased a Tourmaster "draft" jacket. It is my first mesh jacket and I really like it. I'm no authority on mesh gear, but it fits well, breathes well and has armor on the shoulders, elbows and across the back. At <$100, a value in my opinion. Here in AZ you are gonna sweat no matter what in the summer.

 

[El Toro]

It depends on how big or small you are. If you are the kind of person who can easily buy clothes off the rack in standard sizes, then most of the folks importing Chinese made armored mesh are going to have something that works.

If instead, you are the kind of person who might have dimensions beyond the 3 standard deviations from the mean that covers rack clothes, then you will want to have something custom made.

Vanson in Fall River, MA, has historically been one of the best for making armored mesh gear, armored textile and armored or plain leather goods. They are at www.vansonleathers.com. I just checked out their web site for the first time in a while, and they may not be doing as much custom work as they used to. The last time I was at the factory showroom (summer 2008) they seemed to be bringing more imports to their line, with less commitment to their on site production. Still, they're worth checking out whenever you want protective gear.

 

[flyingz06]

joe rocket alter ego 2.0 for me

 

[Pale Rider 07]

I have been riding with the Tourmaster Sonora for the past few weeks. I will post a detailed report when I get back from my long weekend, but I'll preview it by saying that I really enjoy this jacket. I purchased it from The Helmet Shop here in Orlando and the price was fair. Mine is the bright, almost florescent, yellow...which really stands out in traffic. There are a lot of good choices out there though. I had my heart set on the Rev'It Sirocco, but it was discontinued and I waited too long to get my size. That looked like the perfect warm weather 3/4 length jacket. Oh well...you snooze, you loose!

 

[MartyA]

I have a Tourmaster Draft air, a Joe Rocket mesh, and a First Gear mesh, all pass gas well. The Joe Rocket has the most armor, the Tourmaster is just as cool with nearly the same armor, and the First Gear has the least armor and the inner mesh is stretching a little.

And don't forget yer butt, you need [SIZE=14pt]beads[/SIZE]! I have not left home without beads for nearly 20 years, when I had to cut down a taxi seat.

 

[tmc]

I have a Tourmaster Draft air, a Joe Rocket mesh, and a First Gear mesh, all pass gas well. The Joe Rocket has the most armor, the Tourmaster is just as cool with nearly the same armor, and the First Gear has the least armor and the inner mesh is stretching a little.
And don't forget yer butt, you need [SIZE=14pt]beads[/SIZE]! I have not left home without beads for nearly 20 years, when I had to cut down a taxi seat.

Beads - good call especially for distance touring on the stock seat. Need to get me some of them.

I'd worry at least as much if not more about the type of fabric used as the armor. I've stated this elsewhere, and Motoport has a good writeup about it on their site (albeit they are a bit biased), but most mfgs are using materials with low abrasion and tear resistance. The most common fabrics used are nylon and polyester, which are nowhere near as strong as Kevlar, or even Cordura. Many mfgs have taken to creating BS names for their products to imply strength (like "Rock-Tex" or "Carbolex"), but do not be fooled. They are not nearly as strong as Cordura or (the gold standard) Kevlar.

In the end, it's your skin. YMMV, and all that. Better something than nuttin.

https://www.motoport.com/save-your-hide

 

[FJR919]

The Motoport not only flows air well, it won't be a shredded mess of polyester after a get-off. If you happen to slide on an unarmored area of a lesser jacket, your odds of getting road rash or melted polyester in your skin is high compared to a Motoport. Having owned a Joe Rocket Phoenix jacket (which I loved) I just don't feel any where near as well protected as I do with the Motoport.

 

[beemerdons]

Joe Rocket Phoenix mesh gear for this old coot! But what do I know, I just live in the middle of the Sonoran Desert where it never gets above 128F degrees. By the way, what in the hell is humidity?

 

[Solo]

Motoport for me too. Yes, it is expensive, but it is not a yearly expense. It is something you can wear for years so you really need to consider that. (And it will stay together a lot longer than that Joe Rocket Phoenix!) Don't know about you, but if it saves me from road rash once, it will be the best money I ever spent. All my gear is top of the line, and if it is expensive, so be it.

 

[Bounce]

These people have their recommendations.

--update--

apparently NANMRA allowed their domain registration to expire. so much for the funny link.

 

[MartyA]

I have a Tourmaster Draft air, a Joe Rocket mesh, and a First Gear mesh, all pass gas well. The Joe Rocket has the most armor, the Tourmaster is just as cool with nearly the same armor, and the First Gear has the least armor and the inner mesh is stretching a little.
And don't forget yer butt, you need [SIZE=14pt]beads[/SIZE]! I have not left home without beads for nearly 20 years, when I had to cut down a taxi seat.

Sally pointed out the Fieldsheer mesh in the other closet. Sheesh I gotta take inventory! Elbow, back and shoulder 'armor' like the Tourmaster and First Gear. The Joe Rocket Phoenix has some extra pieces of armor in the back.

 

[Happy Rider]

I've been using a Tourmaster Intake jacket for the last 2 years. It flows air well but I don't think the air mesh material they use is up to par during a slide across the asphalt or dirt. The mesh is starting to tear in spots from normal. I take care of my stuff and its never been used in a slide. I know that clothing won't last forever but I think a material that is suppose to save your hide on a get off shoud be much tougher. Around by neck of the woods it gets to 100+ degrees in the summer and down to 20 and lower in the winter. I don't have loads of money for several different riding suits so I have been doing a lot of research for different gear that would work in summer and winter. I know its expensive but I just ordered a set of the kevlar mesh jacket and pants from Motoport. I also ordered the waterproof liners. I talked to the owner, Wayne, a bit and he promised that his stuff will offer some of the best protection, flow air well in the summer and keep the rain and wind out in winter. Their guarantee says alot about how sure they are about the level of protection that should be provided. I dropped just over $1000.00 but my hide is well worth it. Try one trip to the ER and it been paid for several times over.

I see a lot of motorcycle crashes at work and bellieve me the nylon mesh and nylon gear does not come close to the level of protection provided by leather and kevlar. If you ride in jeans you might as well wear shorts. Jeans will keep you from getting a burn on a quick touch of the pipe but shread in about 1 foot during a slide.

Just my 0.02 cents