Doing the smart thing first.

[shermantank24]

i will admit when i first got my bike i got all excited and started think im going to do this and im going to buy that and mod this change that. Stupidity! i started thinking hey man this bike has some power. this bike is different than your cruisers. What good is all this other stuff your wanting when someone pulls out in front of u and god forbid u go flying and slick up the black top with your a**. The first thing any rider on any two wheel machine needs to buy is a good helmet and riding gear. PERIOD!



Having said that i got to ask. I live in North Georgia and by the end of march it will start getting hot and humid as all get out. Will i be able to stand wearing a full body leather suit? What about a textile suit. Will the textile suit breathe? A friend at work has a couple of joe rocket textile suits. Will they protect me and still not cook me?

 

[SweaterDude]

i'd get a mesh jacket and pants if thats what you want. the weave is very strong on them and they have the same padding as a regular textile. in TN i have a mesh jacket and textile pants as well as an allweather mesh jacket. both jackets are Joe Rocket. also i would advise getting something lighter in color such as white or silver, easier to see and keeps you cooler. if you havent already gotten a good helmet, i'd get that in a light-shiny color too, nothing worse than a hot head in the summer.

edit: still nothing is as good as leather, but leather is indeed hot in the southern heat

 

[Botch]

I've heard, second-hand, that both mesh and leather are cooler than a full body cast...
Seriousry, I've only ridden here in the mountain west; I've lived in humid South Dakota, Ohio and Indiana, and don't know if I could keep riding in the stifling humidity in those locales (I will NOT ride without protective gear, too many close calls).
Here, I can't ride below +26F, so I guess its an adjustment no matter where you live.

 

[Botch]

Oh, and I've read many times that mesh will protect you just as much as leathers, but only once; you'll have to replace your mesh after one crash; leathers will stand up to multiple crashes...
Well, that may be fine and good for MotoGP riders, but if I crash just once in my mesh, it'll be a long time, with long periods of thought, before I buy more gear and ride again...

 

[lytehouse]

:cheer::cheer::cheer::cheer: Rep point for you!!!!

Mesh gear does work....I have a jacket and pants from Olympia. When it get uber hot, I wear just shorts under my pants
But I do always wear gear. ATGATT
Helmets...well that's a different story. I hope you'll always wear one no matter how hot it gets.....I'd rather have helmet hair than have my brains splattered all over the road


Mesh Tech Systems Gear | Olympia Moto Sports - Technical Motorcycle
Gear

Dalton,GA huh?!?! close to my old stomping grounds....Chattanooga

 

[Erci]

Perforated leather will breath nicely.. IF you never slow down! Once you stop though, you'll be boiling.

Mesh is definitely cooler in the heat.

I too wear Olympia jacket and pants.. from 25 degrees to 95

 

[Yasko]

I too wear Olympia jacket and pants.. from 25 degrees to 95

+1

I just got a Air Glide 3 mesh jacket, and it's great for the Texas winter. So far 40f is no big deal for the jacket. I think the ATL will be just like Texas year round, and a great mesh jacket will do you year round.:thumbup:

 

[Red Wazp]

Atta boy! Get the best textile gear you can afford and make damn sure the coat and pants zip together cause that coat won't help much if you are sliding sown the road and it rides up to your shoulders.

I went down at 55mph when a suicidal deer ran out of the trees and smacked my front tire taking me and my FJR down. I was wearing my Motoport textile riding suit, Racer gloves, Schubreth helmet and BMW boots. After sliding on the pavement for well over 100 feet I had no road rash or broken bones, in fact the ambulance crew could not believe I walked (hobbled on really sore ankles) away without having to go to the hospital.

I had the Motoport gear repaired ( they will replace it for free if it can't be repaired after a crash), replaced the helmet, gloves and boots. Cheapest money I have ever spent compared to what could have happened.

I would rather sweat than bleed.

NEVER cheap out on the gear that may save your butt!

 

[JoeSTL]

i will admit when i first got my bike i got all excited and started think im going to do this and im going to buy that and mod this change that. Stupidity! i started thinking hey man this bike has some power. this bike is different than your cruisers. What good is all this other stuff your wanting when someone pulls out in front of u and god forbid u go flying and slick up the black top with your a**. The first thing any rider on any two wheel machine needs to buy is a good helmet and riding gear. PERIOD!

Totally agree with you! Though once you have the gear, then you'll start the mods!

Like others said, I would buy some quality mesh for the warm months which are just around the corner. After some time, you'll start to accumulate more gear depending on the type of riding you're doing. I wear mesh around town, but will switch to perforated leather for longer distances.

 

[DarkNinja75]

I refuse to wear mesh. I've seen too many pictures of mesh that wore through in just one crash.

You need gear you'll actually wear. Do you plan to wear a leather one-piece every day? Or even a textile one-piece? If so, then go for it. My perforated leather suit actually breaths better than my mesh jacket did.

As for my daily rides, I opt for a textile or leather jacket and riding jeans with kevlar and armor. But that's my personal level of risk acceptance.

 

[SweaterDude]

Atta boy! Get the best textile gear you can afford and make damn sure the coat and pants zip together cause that coat won't help much if you are sliding sown the road and it rides up to your shoulders.

I went down at 55mph when a suicidal deer ran out of the trees and smacked my front tire taking me and my FJR down. I was wearing my Motoport textile riding suit, Racer gloves, Schubreth helmet and BMW boots. After sliding on the pavement for well over 100 feet I had no road rash or broken bones, in fact the ambulance crew could not believe I walked (hobbled on really sore ankles) away without having to go to the hospital.

I had the Motoport gear repaired ( they will replace it for free if it can't be repaired after a crash), replaced the helmet, gloves and boots. Cheapest money I have ever spent compared to what could have happened.

I would rather sweat than bleed.

NEVER cheap out on the gear that may save your butt!

mine has a pretty ridged spine protector that keeps it straight

 

[dxh24]

+1

I just got a Air Glide 3 mesh jacket, and it's great for the Texas winter. So far 40f is no big deal for the jacket. I think the ATL will be just like Texas year round, and a great mesh jacket will do you year round.:thumbup:

Just found my next jacket, thanks for the links

 

[Ssky0078]

Just found my next jacket, thanks for the links

So that Air Glide 3 jacket is on closeout at motorcycle superstore for 130 off MSRP. It has CE approved elbow, shoulder, and back protector. Quite possibly the best deal I've seen in a long time on that much quality in a jacket. I was really wanting a perforated leather jacket for the awesome look, but this may be a smarter move.

 

[yamihoe]

I as well as GTPAddict, Chevyfazer,and several others all live in/ around the Atlanta/Marietta area, summers SUCK.
my Joe Rocket jacket breathes great when you are moving but what gets you is having the helmet on, no matter how many vents you have it gets hella hot in there.

 

[dxh24]

So that Air Glide 3 jacket is on closeout at motorcycle superstore for 130 off MSRP. It has CE approved elbow, shoulder, and back protector. Quite possibly the best deal I've seen in a long time on that much quality in a jacket. I was really wanting a perforated leather jacket for the awesome look, but this may be a smarter move.

That's exactly where i saw it and precisely why i decided it's my next jacket :thumbup:

 

[QwickFliCk]

Perforated leather will breath nicely.. IF you never slow down! Once you stop though, you'll be boiling.

+1 .. i got a mesh jacket w/ leather in key areas in case of a crash "knock on wood" for the summer

 

[mduhon]

I went the mesh method myself as it can get quite hot here in Cali. My friends all had leather jackets and said in the summer time they were blazing hot and the winter time freezing cold. So far in my four years of riding I've been very happy with my mesh gear, I can layer it in the cold or open up the vents and it breathes well in the 100+ heat. Definitely go with lighter colors if you're worried about the heat.

 

[PosterFZ6]

I refuse to wear mesh. I've seen too many pictures of mesh that wore through in just one crash.

You need gear you'll actually wear. Do you plan to wear a leather one-piece every day? Or even a textile one-piece? If so, then go for it. My perforated leather suit actually breaths better than my mesh jacket did.

As for my daily rides, I opt for a textile or leather jacket and riding jeans with kevlar and armor. But that's my personal level of risk acceptance.

Mesh jackets aren't designed for multiple use.

I have a perforated leather jacket. I wear it on cooler summer days. It's fine as long your are moving. In a city traffic you will boil in it.

I totally agree with you in terms of gear that you will actually wear.

I prefer to wear my mesh pants and jacket because they will actually flow more air than regular non-moto clothes. And mesh is lighter than leather anyway.

Walter White has taught me one thing. There's no half measures.

ATGATT

 

[CavDoc]

STG has the Icon Arc Mesh on sale for $130 - throw in a $30 D3O back protecter and you've got a great jacket for a great price! Has leather on all the major slide points (arms) and CE2 armor in the elbows and shoulders :thumbup:

Can't make a great "warm weather pants" recommendation - I think my Joe Rocket Alter Ego pants are too warm when it gets truly hot out...I keep wearing them, but it gets sweaty those last few minutes getting into the city.

 

[CavDoc]

Oh! Don't forget gloves and boots too. Can often find STG will have a $30 sale on Cortech leather gloves. I've been wearing 8" leather steel tipped work boots, but I did just order some motorcycle specific ones for this coming season.