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I wear a Speed And Strength mesh jacket in a light grey color, armored. It's about as cool as a long sleeve tee shirt. Colorado chaps, ballistic nylon front with knee armor and open weave mesh in back, lots of air flow.
Do you ride with a leather jacket on when it's above 80* ? Or only when it's cold?
Chaps on when riding in hot weather? Just curious as to what people do to reference the leathers while hot outside. As well do most where helmets? I live in a state where helmets are not required but still where one myself.
Above 75 and sunny I wear my white(ish) armored textile jacket with no liner. The air flows completely through it and the sun doesn't bake it like it would a black jacket.
Above 75 and sunny I wear my white(ish) armored textile jacket with no liner. The air flows completely through it and the sun doesn't bake it like it would a black jacket.
I'll admit I have hang-up about 2 things. One, being hot on a bike. And two, wearing a white(ish) or light color due to the dirt, contrasting look/image & my wife's input.
I've been searching for a Coldblack technology black armored jacket myself. It works great with Under Armor shirts.
Get a technical mesh jacket such as tour master or first gear etc. as they breathe, have armor for elbows, forearms, shoulders and back. Its much cooler to wear the mesh pant, jacket and a helmet than it is to go the jeans and tee shirt route. just wearing the gear will cut the heat of the sun a whole bunch.
Of course you won't look like johnny badass but you will be cool and protected.
Full face helmet and HD leather jacket all the time when I ride - if it is cold enough, I will wear chaps for the warmth. If it is colder than that, I'm in the truck with the seat heaters on. If it is that cold out the Harley is in the garage, although I might be out on the 4-wheeler riding at some ridiculously low temperature.
People I work with swear I am inhuman, I can tolerate 40's on my ride with un-insulated chaps and a unlined leather coat over jeans and a long sleeve shirt at highway speeds. I do not wear a coat regularly when riding only if I have dropped from a cooler altitude to a lower as in CO or WY or from a early day start with temps in the 30's-40's to full sun into the 70's-80's as you can see in eastern CO and western KS spring/fall.
Generally a good 1/2 helmet, heavy T or sleeveless shirt, jeans and decent water resistant boots, of course keep rain gear handy along with a jacket for cool day rides or leathers for the colder weather. Photo is a trip we took in 2010, top of Wolf Creek Pass CO on US 160, end of May, and yes it is snowing it's *** off. I did put a face shield on for keeping the rain/snow off my glasses.
Jeans, boots, t-shirt and almost always a half helmet in a non helmet state. If I felt the need to wear leather and a full face helmet I would just take the car.
Half helmet on day trips, full face on long trips (more comfortable on longer highway stretches for me anyway) I would prefer no helmet but....wife and kids at home so I choose to wear one. It may or may not help but to me it's like buying a little insurance.
Kevlar hoody or leather when cooler but just a t-shirt when it's hot.
People I work with swear I am inhuman, I can tolerate 40's on my ride with un-insulated chaps and a unlined leather coat over jeans and a long sleeve shirt at highway speeds. I do not wear a coat regularly when riding only if I have dropped from a cooler altitude to a lower as in CO or WY or from a early day start with temps in the 30's-40's to full sun into the 70's-80's as you can see in eastern CO and western KS spring/fall.
Generally a good 1/2 helmet, heavy T or sleeveless shirt, jeans and decent water resistant boots, of course keep rain gear handy along with a jacket for cool day rides or leathers for the colder weather. Photo is a trip we took in 2010, top of Wolf Creek Pass CO on US 160, end of May, and yes it is snowing it's *** off. I did put a face shield on for keeping the rain/snow off my glasses.
There is a famous open water swimmer, a lady who can resist near freezing water temps. Amazing.
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