Hot weather gear

[gearhead]

Cycle Gear has a sale on Frank Thomas gear. Is it any good? Alpinestars and Dianese has the reputation, but is it just marketing? I need to find good quality, hot-weather gear and I'm thinking mesh jacket and pants. Temps frequently rise into the 100's here, with 110+++ not out of the question- it's F'n HOT during the summer. Last year I rode wearing only shorts and a t-shirt because driving my car with air conditioning was very tempting. At 110 degrees on a bike it's like riding into a giant hair dryer. My Fieldsheer Razor perf leather jacket is great until 90 degrees, after that, I just wont wear it. This is why I'm thinking mesh is better than nothing and if Frank Thomas is good gear or what else do you all recommend?

[JonKerr]

Originally Posted by gearhead

Cycle Gear has a sale on Frank Thomas gear. Is it any good? Alpinestars and Dianese has the reputation, but is it just marketing? I need to find good quality, hot-weather gear and I'm thinking mesh jacket and pants. Temps frequently rise into the 100's here, with 110+++ not out of the question- it's F'n HOT during the summer. Last year I rode wearing only shorts and a t-shirt because driving my car with air conditioning was very tempting. At 110 degrees on a bike it's like riding into a giant hair dryer. My Fieldsheer Razor perf leather jacket is great until 90 degrees, after that, I just wont wear it. This is why I'm thinking mesh is better than nothing and if Frank Thomas is good gear or what else do you all recommend?

My Frank Thomas perforated leathers are good quality and offer pretty good ventilation as long as you're moving. Not as nice as the other brands you mentioned. But I have a friend who has crashed a couple of times in the same XTi 2 pc. suit I have and walked away without a scratch on him. A major difference is the quality and softness of the leather.

HOWEVER- (This is just my opinion so feel free to disagree with me) No mesh pants or jacket are going to protect like that. No matter what brand. I've ridden in 100º+ weather myself and you're right, it's no fun. But I'd rather be really hot and try to keep hydrated and cool in other ways than have a mesh jacket melted to my skin in the event of a crash. BUT those mesh pants and jacket are FAR better than wearing shorts and t-shirts. So you're going in the right direction for sure.

I've heard of guys putting summer weather Under Armor shirts and tights in the freezer the night before a ride and once they're under your leathers, they don't loose their cold temps as fast as you'd think. I know just wearing an Under Armor long sleeve shirt under my leathers in 95º heat was so much cooler than wearing just a t-shirt under them. I don't know how that stuff works, but it does.

[Blue-Sun]

I ride year round in Arizona... I won't go into the dry heat thing, but after 110 it is just plain hot. I've seen an air temp of 118, but don't know how that translates to road temp, but trust me it was HOT!!

I use motoboss mesh.

As far as keeping cool on long rides, I love my cooling vest. I've written about it before on this forum, so I won't bore you all again; but the vest cools your core with an evap. cooler effect. It really works.

PM me if you want to hear more, as I don't want to hog the blog.

[bjs045]

Originally Posted by JonKerr

My Frank Thomas perforated leathers are good quality and offer pretty good ventilation as long as you're moving. Not as nice as the other brands you mentioned. But I have a friend who has crashed a couple of times in the same XTi 2 pc. suit I have and walked away without a scratch on him. A major difference is the quality and softness of the leather.

HOWEVER- (This is just my opinion so feel free to disagree with me) No mesh pants or jacket are going to protect like that. No matter what brand. I've ridden in 100º+ weather myself and you're right, it's no fun. But I'd rather be really hot and try to keep hydrated and cool in other ways than have a mesh jacket melted to my skin in the event of a crash. BUT those mesh pants and jacket are FAR better than wearing shorts and t-shirts. So you're going in the right direction for sure.

I've heard of guys putting summer weather Under Armor shirts and tights in the freezer the night before a ride and once they're under your leathers, they don't loose their cold temps as fast as you'd think. I know just wearing an Under Armor long sleeve shirt under my leathers in 95º heat was so much cooler than wearing just a t-shirt under them. I don't know how that stuff works, but it does.

Jon does this opinion just reflect mesh and not textile. If not what your opinion on it. A buddy of mine went down in mesh and he'll never wear it again. Another friend wears astars textile and he claims it works just as well as leather.

Personally I'm looking for a perf leather jacket with a good liner. Preferably an astars that I can wear all year long in our wonderful socali weather

[JonKerr]

Textile is fine... once. It won't melt to you like mesh will. But it's also, more often than not, going to be ruined after one slide where leather can (not always) either survive and still be useable or repaired. Given the cost of some of the nicest textile jackets out there, I'd rather spend a little more money on leather and know it's better protection and it's going to last. I like my textile Shift jacket and still wear it from time to time. It's very comfortable and if I'm going to a bike night or like today going to a family BBQ, I don't want to be in full leathers but I want to be safe. So the textile comes out. But I don't think I'll ever buy another textile jacket. (Or mesh for that matter)

If you're looking for a good perf leather jacket for a good price, look into the Frank Thomas XTi. If you're lucky enough to find the XTi and not the XTi II, it'll be on major clearance as it's been discontinued. That's the jacket I wear. The liner is very warm and easy to take out. The perf in the chest and back are great. The only thing I wish it had was a good back protector. It just has a foam pad back there. I'm looking into getting a good CE rated that's bigger than the one from my Shift jacket that I'm using in it now.

[99vengeur]

So, I broke down and bought a mesh jacket. My textile jacket just wasn't providing enough air flow to keep me cool. And since we are already in the upper 90's with +90% humidity, the heat indexes were well into the 110's and the rides were miserable. I got the Speed and Strength Twist of Fate mesh jacket.

Speed and Strength Twist of Fate Mesh Jacket - Street Bike - Motorcycle Superstore

It was on sale for $120 below MSRP! It has a mesh torso, but textile for the outer portion of the sleeves which should provide a little better abrasion resistance that straight mesh would. I'll let everyone know what I think when it gets here next week.

[dart1963]

just gotta say... I love mine... when I go down, I'll let you know how it does in a crash, until then, I love it. I don't think it will do perfect in a crash, front's a bit shy of protection, but as far as mesh goes, sides, arms and back are well protected.

I am looking for leathers for cooler weather... but I already had a thread on that.

[99vengeur]

Originally Posted by dart1963

just gotta say... I love mine... when I go down, I'll let you know how it does in a crash, until then, I love it. I don't think it will do perfect in a crash, front's a bit shy of protection, but as far as mesh goes, sides, arms and back are well protected.

I am looking for leathers for cooler weather... but I already had a thread on that.

Do you have the Twist of Fate or another mesh jacket? I don't plan on racing in it, I just want it for around town. So as long as it holds up in that type of crash, it should serve its purpose. Although, I hope to never test it. For my more "aggressive" riding, it will be my textile jacket on my back.

[dart1963]

the very same...

[Roaddawg]

I've got the Tourmaster Intake jacket and, let me tell you, last summer when it was over the 100's, that mesh sure did make a difference. It feels like your just wearing a t-shirt, but you still have some protection. For just plain cool factor (temp that is), I thought it was better than a t-shirt because your skin is somewhat shaded by the jacket, so your not getting that direct sun beating down on you. I also wear this jacket year round (rain, cold, heat) with the zip in liners and long johns when it gets colder, and I have no complaints.

When it comes to safety factors with mesh, of course, leather is the best, but does anyone have any legitimate links that talks/shows about the aftermath of a mesh jacket? I've heard some people say it melts to your skin in a slide and whatnot, but I have yet to see any pics or actual discussions about it. All I find is reviews of the jackets pre-crash. If you have any good info, can you please direct me to it?