Bonneville America Forums Forums Rider Safety Forums Helmets and Gear 100 Degrees - Full Leathers

100 degree plus, sunny dry days this weekend. Rode my wife's America for about 150 miles. There were more riders than I thought there would be wearing chaps, leather jackets, gloves and full-face helmets. Some go-fast riders were wearing full-face helmets and patch emblaisoned leather suits. I wore my usual hot weather gear: tank top, sunblock, jeans, boots, shorty helmet. Sweat was dripping down my head.

Wouldn't overheating of the body be just as dangerous as the opposite - hypothermia? I would think you would loose your edge either way. Overheated, not thinking as sharp, thinking too much about how hot you are.

How do you guys survive wearing full leathers?

Bob

If they are ventilated, and you are moving, then it's not that bad. I also read somewhere that you can actualyl dehydrate yourself a LOT faster than you think by just wearing a T shirt because the sweat evaporates too fast, and you actually sweat more. If you have a ventilated jacket, and you get your t shirt damp, it's like AC for the bike as you roll.

Around 90 degrees here today and that was plenty warm wearing leather jeans and jacket with full face helmet!
I did ride some way without the gloves which helps keep you cool (something about the blood vessels near the skin surface at the wrists? stick your hand just out of the window in a moving car to see how it cools you down) but having fallen off mountain bikes while wearing gloves and still managing to chew up my hands, I thought it wise to put 'em back on after a while.

I was on the ST today and that thing gets WARM!!
Especially when stationary or in slow moving traffic.
Underseat exhausts might look good but combined with the heat from an enclosed engine, man does it fry your tackle!

A couple weeks ago we were out in a group ride and this guy pulls something out of his jacket - pours 12 oz of water on it and shoves it back inside the jacket.........what's the deal with that?

Dehydration is an issue regardless of how or what we wear in the hot months. Especially if you are touring.

I have yet to use my Speedie for more that local hops around town and for commuting.

I find that on a typical July day of around 105 to 108 degrees and elevated humidity associated with the monsoon season that a twenty minute ride will leave me thirsty even if I started the ride well hydrated. A road trip to Phoenix at mid- day would necessitate at least two stops to rehydrate I figure.

In the low 90's still here and coming out of the gym today, I was thirsty and I remember something I was told many years ago at school, when you're thirsty, you're already dehydrated, to a degree.
Athletes will drink when they're not thirsty for this reason.

A long ride can be quite physical.
Especially in the heat you guys have to ride in.

Keep the fluids up guys .. *hic* ..

Cool Vests

Another style of cool vest

Kool Rider

The cooling vests help a bit. I bought one last summer from www.techniche-intl.com

They're effective for about 30 minutes in Vegas heat, but it's a nice 30 minutes.

I'm just back from a trip including several 90 degree days and a bit of rain. I wore a triumph integra jacket (mesh with a rain cover) and kilimanjaro Air overpants (mesh with a liner).

the jacket was great, cool enough even in extreme heat and the rain cover is easy to zip on and off.

The pants, however were awful. In extreme heat i found myself pulling the "armor" out of the knees and hips to improve airflow but even then the flat-black pants were brutally warm even at speed. When it rained I had to get off the bike, take off the pants, put in the liner etc. The liner kept me dry except in really extreme rain when some misstep on my part dumped a liter of water into my crotch. In that same extreme rain the mesh overpants soaked up so much water that they were unwearable off the bike (weight!). I would have given up on the darned things and gone with jeans but they are so bulky I had no place to carry them except on my butt!

The jacket I'll wear again but the pants... I dunno, maybe on a day ride from home where it's modestly hot and not likeley to rain.

Smaller but still brilliant for hydration, CamelBak's are great.

I used to use one when mountain biking and I think Gina uses one when on the America.

Just noticed they are used by military and law enforcement too .. can't be too bad then!

I have one but haven't used it on a ride yet. Might try it!!

I ride year round here. I've taken 200+ mile trips in the full heat of summer, always wear a jacket, Draggin' Jeans and full face helmet. Mesh jackets above 70 degrees. The trick is keeping the sun off your skin and keeping hydrated. Like Adey mentioned, drink water even if you're not thirsty. I drink about a quart every 15 minutes to half hour when I'm riding in the heat, plus grab a large gatorade every couple of hours. You know it's hot when you've drank three gallons of water over a three hour period and don't have to pee.

Draggin Jeans, Triumph Integra jacket (the one with mesh in...) and a rehydration pouch (not a camelback - this was cheaper...) However I feel it with Ribena (Blackcurrent cordial) I'm not a great fan of water. I also replaces the sugar I'm burning up, and therefore keeps me somewhere near awake.... and I take regular sips. Just takes a bit of time to rinse out when I get home. On the motorway I get funny looks when taking a drink but I don't care. It's easier to take a drink with an open face helmet though...
Just means I keep putting sun cream on every 2 hours or so... (don't forget that either....because the air at 40+mph is quite cooling, you can be burning and not realise - and it hurts. Been there, done it.)

Expecting 100+ degrees here tomorrow... I'm stopping in out of the sun.