Armor/Impact Protection? The horns of a dilemma?

[PGlaves]

Mesh to 95F temps will do fine, above that number we're better off using a cordura jacket with zip vents to regulate the amount of heat allowed to reach our bodies.

I agree with this for short rides. For rides over an hour I would skip the mesh because the increased airflow causes me to get dehydrated too quickly. When traveling in the summer I don't bring my mesh jacket at all;just the Darian.

 

[brownie0486]

Above 95f I do exactly this with the sleeves of my LDComfort L/S shirt soaked in water every hour and a half or two. By regulating the airflow in the sleeves (cuff adjustment) I can stay cool to cold, I also use a wet LD Comfort "doo rag" helmet liner to cool my head which is actually very refreshing and more than half the battle. YMMV

I won't ride without a heat out helmet liner. I carry two spares each of helmet liners and neck gaiters in the top box. Wetting the helmet liner does wonders when the helmet chin vent is opened. I leave the top of the helmet vent closed, it dries the liner to quickly.

 

[lee]

Rough science of the two shirts effect...

With one shirt, your sweat evaporates almost instantly, providing very little cooling effect. With two shirts, the sweat has time to provide cooling as it evaporates more slowly - the outer layer provides the evaporation area while that cools the moisture on/in the inner layer before it has a chance to evaporate.

That true for dry climates west of the Mississippi. Not sure if it will work in humid areas east of the Mississippi.

 

[r0ckrat]

Do you often get above 95 in high humidity areas? (I know if feels hotter due to lack of evaporation, but I didn't know those humid areas generally got beyond about 95?) Asking for info, not doubting that it happens.

 

[brownie0486]

Do you often get above 95 in high humidity areas? (I know if feels hotter due to lack of evaporation, but I didn't know those humid areas generally got beyond about 95?) Asking for info, not doubting that it happens.

I've seen the same reports from people who live in Fla, that the humidity affects how evaporative cooling works. Basically that it doesn't even when they're using a heat out vest as I wear in the extreme temps here. I can state with certainty that in Cody Wyoming in August, my cooling vest still works well. The August humidity ranges about 40-50% which I don't see here locally which is around 15-18% if non monsoon season.

 

[akbeemer]

Evaporative vests and swamp coolers work very well in a low humidity environment, not at all in high humidity areas. No swamp coolers in Georgia.

 

[PGlaves]

For clarification I don't double-up shirts with my riding gear, except for a T shirt and shirt as layering in cool weather. But I do double up with a jacket over my shirt in hot weather. My key variability is that I will wear a mesh jacket only for short rides and only up to about 90 degrees. Long rides cause the increased air flow to lead to easier dehydration. Above about 90 I wear my Aerostich Darian or Roadcrafter Jackets. Typical skin temperature is about 93 or 94 degrees. Below that air flow adds some cooling. Above that is like a hair dryer blowing on the skin and does nothing for cooling.

 

[lee]

Do you often get above 95 in high humidity areas? (I know if feels hotter due to lack of evaporation, but I didn't know those humid areas generally got beyond about 95?) Asking for info, not doubting that it happens.

Yes, especially in the South East states.
When I was still working I was outside a lot and saw plenty of days over 95.
One very hot humid day I ended up in the ER. I was drinking plenty of water but my sweat was not evaporating.

 

[PGlaves]

Yes, especially in the South East states.
When I was still working I was outside a lot and saw plenty of days over 95.
One very hot humid day I ended up in the ER. I was drinking plenty of water but my sweat was not evaporating.

I don't think very many places are more humid than the intersection of two Iowa county roads with mature corn fields on all four corners. Maybe at the seashore but the offshore breeze mitigates the humidity.

 

[kbasa]

I try not to wear cotton when it’s hot. Staying hydrated is key. On the bike, above 95 or so means sealing up and visor down here in the west. Otherwise, it’s just blowing the water right off you and drying you out.

In the car, I wear long sleeve sun shirts and above 90F or so, I put the top up.

We were up in NorCal one year and my wife got pretty over heated. We found a stream, got her gear off and she took a dip in the creek.

As motorcyclists, we should make sure we understand what someone with heat exhaustion looks like. She was bright pink and had stopped sweating, so we took a hydration and cooling break.

Water is great; it’s our OEM fluid. But we retain water better if we add a pinch of salt. You won’t taste it, but salt will provide the electrolytes you’re sweating out. Don’t bother with Gatorade. You don’t need the sugar.

If you want flavor, I’d suggest something like Nuun tablets or Cytomax packets, which taste great and carry electrolytes. Cyclists carry them in their jersey pockets for our water bottles. You can even get them with caffeine, if you’d like.

In addition to comfort, don’t forget that hot temps put serious stress on our body, particularly around hydration. In low humidity regions, you may not even realize how much water you’re shedding, so a good way to monitor hydration is when you pee.

Basically, the lighter the better, to a point. If it’s dark or you’re not peeing, you need to catch up. It should be a light yellow, like a pastel, not a rich yellow. Cyclists are constantly monitoring hydration or our “motor” isn’t gonna run well. Motorcyclists are no different.

When I was coaching, one of my responsibilities was making sure my team was properly hydrated and I carried that right back to motos.

And I have retained my pads and ride with an air vest, a TechAir5

 

[riderr1150gsadv]

Do you often get above 95 in high humidity areas? (I know if feels hotter due to lack of evaporation, but I didn't know those humid areas generally got beyond about 95?) Asking for info, not doubting that it happens.

Come ride with me in July, August and September... A lap around Lake O will make you a believer.... These month are our "winter" in the summer months down here with the least miles ridden. Often we (bro & friend and me) leave at 6AM and be done by noon..

 

[lee]

We were up in NorCal one year and my wife got pretty over heated. We found a stream, got her gear off and she took a dip in the creek

Several years ago in western Colorado it was 108 or 110 and both of us were close to overheating. We had just passed a concrete lined irrigation ditch a mile or 2 before we found a gas station. If the gas station did not have a place to sit inside we were going back to get in the water.
On hot days Debbie likes to get her feet in the water to cool off.
It's better if there's shade.

 

[collingsbob]

Water is great; it’s our OEM fluid. But we retain water better if we add a pinch of salt. You won’t taste it, but salt will provide the electrolytes you’re sweating out. Don’t bother with Gatorade. You don’t need the sugar.

I’m diabetic…we buy sugar free Gatorade by the case at Costco.

 

[kbasa]

I don't think very many places are more humid than the intersection of two Iowa county roads with mature corn fields on all four corners. Maybe at the seashore but the offshore breeze mitigates the humidity.

I went to school in Atlanta and did landscaping in the summer. It’d rain or get dewy overnight and as it evaporated, you could feel yourself wilting like a wet rag.

I’m with you on Iowa. A swamp without any alligators.

 

[akbeemer]

We were riding HWY 12 in Idaho headed east towards Lolo Pass. It was 96-98 degrees. Annie was leading and abruptly pulled to the side of the road in a small shaded area. She was near to passing out from overheating and I had to help her off the bike. She rested on the shoulder for about 15 minutes, but we were in a dangerous situation because the shoulder was very narrow and traffic was passing at highway speeds. We got going to look for a spot where we could get to the river that parallels the road. A few miles later we found a spot and we both took off our helmets and jackets and sat in the water up to our necks. The cool water soon had us back to riding and near shivering as we rode.

 

[brownie0486]

I try not to wear cotton when it’s hot. Staying hydrated is key. On the bike, above 95 or so means sealing up and visor down here in the west. Otherwise, it’s just blowing the water right off you and drying you out.

In the car, I wear long sleeve sun shirts and above 90F or so, I put the top up.

We were up in NorCal one year and my wife got pretty over heated. We found a stream, got her gear off and she took a dip in the creek.

As motorcyclists, we should make sure we understand what someone with heat exhaustion looks like. She was bright pink and had stopped sweating, so we took a hydration and cooling break.

Water is great; it’s our OEM fluid. But we retain water better if we add a pinch of salt. You won’t taste it, but salt will provide the electrolytes you’re sweating out. Don’t bother with Gatorade. You don’t need the sugar.

If you want flavor, I’d suggest something like Nuun tablets or Cytomax packets, which taste great and carry electrolytes. Cyclists carry them in their jersey pockets for our water bottles. You can even get them with caffeine, if you’d like.

In addition to comfort, don’t forget that hot temps put serious stress on our body, particularly around hydration. In low humidity regions, you may not even realize how much water you’re shedding, so a good way to monitor hydration is when you pee.

Basically, the lighter the better, to a point. If it’s dark or you’re not peeing, you need to catch up. It should be a light yellow, like a pastel, not a rich yellow. Cyclists are constantly monitoring hydration or our “motor” isn’t gonna run well. Motorcyclists are no different.

When I was coaching, one of my responsibilities was making sure my team was properly hydrated and I carried that right back to motos.

And I have retained my pads and ride with an air vest, a TechAir5

I just found and tried these last summer while on a motor trip. Adding that to a 24 ounce cold thermos of water seemed to help more than just water alone. I stopped using them after the trip as I didn't like the taste but I do carry several tabs with me should I need more electrolytes replacement [ as you suggest ].

 

[kbasa]

We were riding HWY 12 in Idaho headed east towards Lolo Pass. It was 96-98 degrees. Annie was leading and abruptly pulled to the side of the road in a small shaded area. She was near to passing out from overheating and I had to help her off the bike. She rested on the shoulder for about 15 minutes, but we were in a dangerous situation because the shoulder was very narrow and traffic was passing at highway speeds. We got going to look for a spot where we could get to the river that parallels the road. A few miles later we found a spot and we both took off our helmets and jackets and sat in the water up to our necks. The cool water soon had us back to riding and near shivering as we rode.

That's exactly what we did. I had her lay in a shallow stream and fed her water. Tina's blonde, so my signal was when we stopped and she flipped up her visor. She was bright pink.

So we found a stream and got her sorted out.

We were in Nevada one year, heading south toward Vegas, heading for some other place that escapes me at the moment. We were rolling along and the RT was showing 114 on the gauge and it was all of 11am. Tina had to pee (a good sign), but I was kinda fried already, so while she was in the bathroom, I got out my phone and made a reservation at the Aria hotel.

An hour after checking in, we were having beers in our room and eating room service sushi. We were utterly cooked and riding the surface streets of Vegas at 115F was no fun at all.

I'm willing to call it quits if it's awful.

 

[skibum69]

Pretty much always nice riding in Newfoundland.

 

[akbeemer]

I seem to recall as a kid being able to touch the top of a telephone pole while standing on the snow berm in front of our house in St. Johns. Tough riding conditions.

 

[52184]

I seem to recall as a kid being able to touch the top of a telephone pole while standing on the snow berm in front of our house in St. Johns. Tough riding conditions.

Had that in SoDak after the March blizzard of ‘66, got a picture of my brother and I standing atop a snowdrift with our heads just underneath the crossbar at the top of the pole, just across the road from our farmstead. That road never got plowed open; was just left to melt its way open. Motorcycle season came very late that year.

Best,
DeVern