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In the summer, I wear a mesh jacket with armour. It's one from HD that has zip out panels to convert it from cooler weather to warm weather. Also, wear the lid and gloves.
You need to add a mesh jacket to the list. It protects from the sun, protects better than a t-shirt if need be and you can't tell you are wearing one at speed.
What about the guys in tank tops, shorts and sandles? You see those donkeys in your area?
The mesh gear is a life-savin' piece of equipment fer those of us that ride in the warmer climes - several years back, as we pulled into Vegas it wuz showin' 112 on the signs. We've found that a heavy sweatshirt soaked in water an' worn under the mesh will give us 'bout an hour of cooling. Bottom line - if ya go down in shirtsleeves, it ain't gonna be purty!
Usually wear long sleeve t-shirt, jeans, boots, helmet and glasses. It's a fine line here in Charlotte between being safe with leathers on and dying of heat exaustion in the summer.
It's been t-shirts, jeans and boots for me in the summer, thirty five years. In my youth, it was shorts and tennis shoes once in a while, but I gave that up. I talked to one of the instructors at the dealership I worked for at the time and he told me he tells all his students, "Every time you get on your motorcycle, you should get on it dressed and prepared to crash." Ok, that sounds good in theory, but seriously, if I planned to crash every time I got on it, I'm not sure why I would get on it! I operate on the premise the odds are in my favor, then I hone my riding skills and awareness level to make sure they stay in my favor. Like I said, thirty five years, knock on wood, I've left some skin behind and a few broken bones, aches and pains, but I can attribute every one of those to my diverting my attention, being lax or well, just plain stupid. Hey, I was in my twenties for a couple decades!!
Bell half helmet (1/2 of the time..I know..I know..), 6 inch boots, jeans and t shirt. If not to hot I'll wear a denim shirt over the tee, especially in the evening. For a longer trip, I'll wear the leather coat and zip out the liner. Looking to get a less heavy leather or one of the mesh ones.
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