Riding Gear

[Mark]

I am beginning to think about riding gear. At 33 riding gear consisted of shorts and a wife beater. At 43 it was blue jeans and teeshirt. But now at 53 I find that I don't want elbows rubbed off and the thought of road rash keeps me awake at night. So I started looking and there is more out there than I ever thought possible. I am completely overwhelmed. I need something for all seasons (in S. Miss that it hot and humid and cool and humid). Any suggestions. Most of my riding will be done during the hot and humid season. At times like this I just wish my momma would lay my clothes out for me.

Mark

 

[FuzzyRider]

Mark, the unfortunate reality is that even good mesh gear with armor will be hotter than no gear. There's no such thing as a free lunch. My recomendation is to find a motorcycle shop that carries a good variety and try stuff on. My wife has Olympia Airglide gear which is very nice and I have Fieldsheer Mach II which I also like. There's no substitute for trying on the gear to make sure it fits you comfortably.

 

[thompsonian]

In the warmer weather, I have a Fieldsheer Congo jacket and use Alpinestars SMX2 Air gloves. Both flow a decent amount of air thru them and to ME, are only hot when stopped. As for the pants, being 31 I still wear jeans on my local jaunts but need to find a more suitable pair or riding pants. I have heard good reviews on the Icon Recon pants if you MUST wear jeans. A friend went down wearing a pair of them and had no tears and very minimal rash.

 

[kulwen]

I have used my MotoPort mesh Kevlar gear as low as -5 (with rain and thermal liner) and all the way up to 95 degrees. My high of 95 is no were near the limit, it is just the hottest I have been in since getting the gear.

I also rode though hail slightly smaller then golf balls for 4-5 minutes in Oklahoma, before I got to a underpass. The armor is great protection.

In my opinion the MotoPort mesh get with the jacket and pant rain liners will handle your temperature requirements. If, you start riding in temps below 45 degrees I would consider the jacket thermal liner as well. In addition, it the gear is rock solid and will save your elbows in a crash.

 

[panayoti]

Hey John how ya doing ?

I just got motoport jacket and pants delivered today. They look to be very well made.

They feel a little stiff right now but I am sure over time they will loosen up.

I have some textile mesh gear but never felt as safe as i did with my old leathers, until the motoport stuff.

 

[madmike2]

MotoPort Kevlar Mesh..Period... Linked here: www.motoport.com

Crash tested by 'yours truly"....just for the benefit of FJR owners everywhere.

Yes, its a bit warmer than my Kilimanjaro air, but its also more protective and the armor is better (IMO). No rips, no tears, the only damage was where a spike slightly penetrated the inside of the left leg and the scissor cuts the EMTs mnade to remove the jacket while my neck was in restraint.

Spend the extra money for the best mesh gear! Dress for the crash you never want or plan to have.

I've ridden in temps down to the high 30s and as high as 108. I do have a MiraCool vest and bandana that I use in higher temps and the mesh helps immensely. I also bought the rain and insulating liners for the outfit I chose from Cycleport/motoport.

 

[Silver Penguin]

Add another vote for Olympia. You can go out in the morning with the liners in the top and pants. When the sun gets up, remove the liners and wear the mesh. If you ride where it's really hot, add a cool vest under the mesh. The liners can also be worn as a casual jacket and pants. Perhaps not the coolest fashion statement, but if you're camping it beats having to pack an extra set of clothes for the evening.

Jill

 

[jekirby]

I also have Cycleport's mesh gear. I opted for black pants and jacket after Wayne assured me that it was not much hotter than the silver/gray. I have only had it out to 85-87, but I must say I am impressed at how cool it is. Stopped, I do start to heat up slowly. The kevlar does not heat up as fast as say a black shirt. Wayne swears that the kevlar does not trasfer as much heat as cotton or cordura or polyester -it does seem to be true. When moving, it really does feel like wearing a t-shirt temp wise as air really flows though extremely well. My back gets a little wet due to the armor, but think that is unavoidable. I have found how i can arch my back to get air inside and it is quite tolerable. I am not going to say that it is perfect, the stuff has some aspects that I don't like, but I can get used to them. I bought into the technology and feel that I got almost all my money's worth.

 

[kulwen]

Panayoti - I am glad to hear you like the gear. It took mine about a month of riding six days a week to loosen up.

I sent my jacket back to Wayne to repair a snap I busted. Holy smoke, I feel like I am riding naked without my motoport jacket. I have tried my other three older jackets and I still feel unsafe.

When at a stop light my old Joe Rocket mesh is only slightly cooler the the MotoPort gear. However, when I am riding over 10mph the MotoPort gear feels to allow just as much airflow as the Joe Rocket. It appears to me that the Joe Rocket jacket is so thin that the back and sholder armor sits closer to the skin reducing airflow in those areas. The MotoPort jacket armor is still close to the skin, but when I am in motion the gear does a great job letting the air flow under the armor.

 

[Capt. Bob]

Another vote for Motoport mesh kevlar. I recently broke a zipper pull on the jacket, contacted Wayne and then received 5 pulls a couple of days later.

Two ways to soften the gear. Throw it in a commercial dryer with some old tennis shoes or wear it every time you ride (and ride often!).

 

[RiderCoach Lar]

Add another vote for Olympia. You can go out in the morning with the liners in the top and pants. When the sun gets up, remove the liners and wear the mesh. If you ride where it's really hot, add a cool vest under the mesh. The liners can also be worn as a casual jacket and pants. Perhaps not the coolest fashion statement, but if you're camping it beats having to pack an extra set of clothes for the evening.
Jill

What she said ^_^

Also, kudos to you for realizing that road rash hurts...a LOT...and taking a step toward protecting yourself :thumbsup:

There's some great mesh gear out there. IMHO, some of the better stuff has been mentioned already; Tourmaster has a nice mesh jacket too (I believe it's called the Intake). You might find that unless you're sitting still, mesh is actually cooler because it shades your skin and allows air to flow too. Much cooler than having the sun beat down on naked skin.

 

[BikerGeek99]

Tourmaster has a nice mesh jacket too (I believe it's called the Intake).

Yep. I have a TourMaster Intake Air 2 jacket. So far so good. To me, the liners (rain liner <which also doubles as a good windbreaker> and colder-weather liner) makes this jacket an all-in-1 purchase.

I'm also a noob to wearing riding gear beyond jeans and a t-shirt. I have historically worn a helmet (most of the time), but not the riding jacket. I do have a couple of leather riding jackets, but none that are armored.

A couple of weeks ago, my GF was taking a MSF beginners course. She had a low-speed-spill - she panicked and hit the throttle when she needed the brakes. Just as she figured out what she was doing wrong and tried to stop doing it, she ran off the pavement, into the dirt and dumped the bike. Even through she was in dirt, the knee of her jeans split open like a hot knife through butter and took a -huge- chunk of skin off her knee. (She also broke her big toe in 4 places!)

Up until that moment, I thought denim jeans provided plenty of protection.

My latest gear investment is TourMaster Venture Air riding pants.

 

[Bungie]

Yep. I have a TourMaster Intake Air 2 jacket. So far so good. To me, the liners (rain liner <which also doubles as a good windbreaker> and colder-weather liner) makes this jacket an all-in-1 purchase.
My latest gear investment is TourMaster Venture Air riding pants.

I've been riding with the _exact_ same pairing since late last summer. I've ridden it at -4C and up to +27C so far. Its handled it all perfectly. Excellent for the price. (newenough.com - can't recommend them highly enough).

-Steve

 

[Silent]

I'll toss in another vote for Motoport/Cycleport (same company) Kevlar mesh. Mine was crash tested by a friend recently and had no more than sore muscles himself, and no damage to my gear. Low speed highside, but definatly would have rashed without.

 

[Foxhuntr]

I have a wardrobe!

Summer: Tourmaster mesh jacket and pants.

Fall/Winter/Spring: Tourmaster Transitions jacket/venture pants (these have a thermal liner for those 15 degree mornings)

Long trips (to avoid having several jackets): Tourmaster Flex, which works in most all conditions.

Also for long trips, a rain suit.

 

[Neil San Diego]

I had my Motorport mesh kevlar jacket and pants out in 100+ degree heat over the weekend. I was wearing shorts and short sleeve cotton shirt underneath. As long as I kept moving, I was fine. Actually, the worst part was the boots, them things were warm!

I've also worn the jacket and pants with the liners down to 40 (actually, the temp readout on the bike said 39) and I was plenty warm. I expect it would be good down to freezing and points south, but I personally don't like to ride in icy conditions anyway.

 

[luvtoride]

Edit

 

[stormrider]

www.motoport.com

air kevlar mesh

 

[Mark]

Thanks all, you have been a great help. As it turns out a friend was moving and had a Joe Rocket almost new that he gave me because he didn't want it and was just going to throw it away. That will give me the money to buy a proper pair of pants.

Again, thanks. It is nice to know that I can get good advice in the FJR community.

Mark

I am beginning to think about riding gear. At 33 riding gear consisted of shorts and a wife beater. At 43 it was blue jeans and teeshirt. But now at 53 I find that I don't want elbows rubbed off and the thought of road rash keeps me awake at night. So I started looking and there is more out there than I ever thought possible. I am completely overwhelmed. I need something for all seasons (in S. Miss that it hot and humid and cool and humid). Any suggestions. Most of my riding will be done during the hot and humid season. At times like this I just wish my momma would lay my clothes out for me.
Mark