Acceptable summer wear

[MCN]

[The Shaggy D.A.]

CE? Bah. BREEXXIIIIITTTT!!!


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Chances are quite high you are not in my Monkeysphere, and I don't care about you. Don't take it personally.
Currently : Royal Enfield 350 Meteor
Previously : CB100N > CB250RS > XJ900F > GT550 > GPZ750R/1000RX > AJS M16 > R100RT > Bullet 500 > CB500 > LS650P > Bullet Electra X & YBR125 > Bullet 350 "Superstar" & YBR125 Custom > Royal Enfield Classic 500 Despatch Limited Edition (28 of 200) & CB Two-Fifty Nighthawk > ER5

[Hong Kong Phooey]

[Baffler186]

[OmegaA]

[owl]

Since getting warmer it's common to see riders on mid/litre bikes wearing trainers, shorts and a tshirt gassing around Londistan.

Having done this a few times, it's exceptionally comfortable in terms of temp control, personally though, it's extremely uncomfortable in terms of constant thoughts of what would happen coming off the bike. If you can live with the consequences then go ahead, I don't give a shit what you wear, for me though I'd rather be sweaty and keep my skin.

I run hot and struggle with the heat so have just invested in a pair of single layer Rokkertech Armalith jeans for summer. They cost a small fortune but are supposedly breathable and safer than normal jeans.
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Observation is the greatest source of wisdom.

[Polarbear]

I have a Frank Thomas armoured webbing jacket I used to wear It was great for keeping cool but made me look like something out of a bad Sci Fi movie.
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Triumph Trophy Launch Edition

[MCN]

[Davemc37]

[Evil Hans]

I say "wear what you like" ...

... just as long as it has enough pockets to keep your rubber gloves in.
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Triumph Sprint ST 1050. And it's Red.

[thx1138]

I ride most of the gear, most of the time. On my old 50cc, just a crash helmet, I ride my bicycle faster.

[talkToTheHat]

I guess it all depends how much you like sunburn and the possibility of grave rash.

There are plenty of helmets with good ventilation when on the move. I dislike the heat immensely but having seen what being knocked over by a bus and headbutting the kerb did to a friend of mine, i'm not taking chances. he's alive and mostly all there, but he's a totally different person. And he can't remember simple things like song lyrics, which for a singer is pretty bad. Never tested a motorcycle helmet properly. But a push-bike helmet probably saved me from quite a serious injury 20 years ago.

I don't think I've ever been compelled to try a vented boot let alone not wearing decent boots. Socks loaded with coolmax or some other kind of wicking material do make a difference.

I've shredded two sets of gloves. They've done their job and I can still play guitar badly. Plenty of ventilated summer gloves are around.

I've got a set of CE Jeans, just the cheap-ass aldi ones. I would not trust anything that cheap if they didn't meet a releveant standard. I don't think they're any less warm than my RST textiles with the lining out, but they look less out of place in a rock club.

I've got one of the RST mesh jackets with zip in waterproof liner. The jacket does its thing but a microfleece and waterproof oversuit work better and cost less than the premium over a basic mesh jacket. A longsleeve wicking baselayer underneath stops you getting sunburn through the mesh and works better than no baselayer. I learnt the hard way on a bicycle that even if the wind is keeping you coil sunburn still happens.

But I don't really care what YOU or anyone else wears as long as I'm not listening to someone whingeing about sunburn or gravel rash.

Actually that's not true. If you look like a chavscum squid stranded somewhere with a broken bike, the chances are I won't stop and might consider checking if the bike's been stolen. If you're wearing gear appropriate to the bike I'll probably stop and offer assistance.
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Bandit. does. everything.

[Musketeer]

I ride differently when without gear.. low speed, just enjoying the road and nice breeze. I wouldn't go like that on motorway or push it on A/B roads.

I ride WAY faster while wearing full gear.
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Current Bike: Yamaha XSR900 Previous bikes: Honda CBR1000RR Fireblade, Kawasaki ZX-6R Ninja, Aprilia RS125 2-stroke

[Rogerborg]

[Polarbear]

[B5234FT]

I have a mesh jacket which is very comfortable and then generally Hood jeans but tbh, most of my journeys involve 70+ somewhere so I'll deal with the short term sweat in linerless textile trousers a lot of the time.

[Londoner2015]

I’m always amazed at the poor choice of motorcycle clothing in a non-warm country like Britain. I understand it’s tough to ride ATGATT in Madrid or Milan in July with 45C, but here? When I see scooter riders in the winter riding with an open-face helmet and two scarves underneath, I do wonder: WTF? Why not a full face helmet? Safer and warmer? Not to mention safer if some scrote throws acid at you to steal your pride and joy?

There was a long thread on advrider about single-layer jeans: they seem great, but expensive.

When it’s hot, it’s important to wear wicking fabrics and avoid non-wicking stuff like cotton; if I ride with a cotton shirt in autumn, I get drenched in sweat. With merino or synthetics, I don’t. You don’t need to spend a fortune: cheap synthetic base layers from Uniqlo or TkMaxx work a treat.

No backpacks – they make you sweat, block back vents, and are not great if you come off.

Mesh gear seems flimsy – not sure how much it would hold up in a crash. You also risk dehydrating too quickly, as being exposed to too much wind dries too much of your sweat too quickly. Of course it depends on how long your rides are.

I wear a Klim Apex: grey, laminated waterproof, leather reinforcements, lightweight, but lots of vents. If it starts raining out of the blue, I pull up the zippers without getting off and I don’t get soaked, like I would if I had to pull over and get some waterproof from the topbox. In a warmer, less rainy country I’d probably go for a non-waterproof jacket. At the end of the day, non-waterproof clothing will always be more breathable than waterproof, because waterproof membranes are also windproof. Plus these membranes work best when it’s hot and humid inside the jacket, and cold and dry outside, ie they work better in dry California than in humid Europe.

Vented, non-waterproof BMW airflow boots.

Waterproof overtrousers with leg-long zippers, so they can scoop in air and limit sweating.

Since our taxes fund the NHS, a separate discussion is whether it is fair that our taxes pay for the treatment of easily preventable injuries, like those caused by not wearing a full face helmet…

[Evil Hans]

[Rogerborg]

[Londoner2015]

Yep, let's leave the worms tightly locked in the can

[chris-red]

I wear what I want, I base it on conditions, the journey, the weather and my mood.

My order of importance of Kit is as follows...

Gloves
Helmet
Jacket
Boots
Trousers

I will wear the bear minimum of kit if the weather is nice and I'm staying in 30's why? I cycle in Shorts and T-Shirt at similar speeds why wouldn't I leather up for road cycling if it was that important.

Wearing too much gear is more dangerous than 'not enough' I believe. Imagine you are fully geared on a boiling day, the heat and uncomfortableness will be a distraction and could lead to a loss of concentration and an accident.

Is not as simple as ATG or what you normally wear, it's a balance e.g. Winter gloves lower your control slightly, it's not a lot but the added thickness makes is slightly more difficult to control the bike. Therefore I only wear them if I think that the loss of feeling from the weather will outweigh the loss of control from the thickness.

I pretty much never wear bike trousers anymore, Only if it is raining or I'm on a 'mad one' I've crashed a fair few times and never hurt my legs, the hassle and loss of comfort compared to jeans isn't worth it for me.


I have in regular circulation, (i.e. worn for a period every year on my commute)

2 lids, ('Adventure' for when it is hot and a Normal one)
4 pairs of gloves, (Cold, Medium, Medium WP and Hot)
3 jackets, (Textile, Leather, Mesh)
1 trousers, (Textile)
2 pairs of boots, (Tall WP and Short)

I think I've worn it all at some point this month.
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Well, you know what they say. If you want to save the world, you have to push a few old ladies down the stairs.
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[chris-red]

[supZ]

Personally I always wear all the gear.

Only difference is on the hotter days I have a summer jacket that's half leather and textile/mesh panels to let the air through, and I wear kevlar jeans or armoured combats.

Other than that, boots, gloves, etc.. are as normal.
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CBR954RR - Daily toy
CBR600RR - Trackbike

[MCN]

[owl]