Summer is just around the corner, and that means hot weather. Hot weather presents unique problems for motorcycle riders, so I'd like to see some great suggestions for riding in hot weather. I consider hot to mean anything over 90 degrees F.

Here's a couple things we do to stay healthy and safe when riding when it's hot out.

Keep plenty hydrated--avoid diuretics like coffee, tea, colas, etc., as they tend to rob the body of moisture. That's why you have to pee a lot after drinking several cups of coffee or tea. Stick to water.

Take plenty of water with you. Most Strom riders have tank bags, panniers of some sort and/or tail bags that you can toss in some bottles of water. Aerostitch sells a clever clip-on cup holder that works great for a 16 or 20 oz. insulated cup. Cool water is great to sip while on the go.

Avoid heavy fat-laden foods while on the road, like burgers, fries, shakes, etc. Yes I know, this violates the Wingers' Dairy Wing code. LOL

Mesh riding gear is great, but wearing short sleeved shirts, tank tops, etc., and shorts is dangerous. Not from a safety point here, but from the fact that the more skin is exposed, the greater the danger from sunburn, windburn and dehydration from the wind wicking away moisture from the body.

Start out early and park early to take advantage of the cooler part of the day. When on a trip, spend the heat of the day lounging around the pool of your fave motel.

Let's have some other great ideas that work. This could be helpful info, especially for those who may be newer to motorcycle riding than those of us who've been around for awhile.

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'09 DL650

There are some "cool vests" on the market, but I haven't tried them. If anyone has experience with them, pros/cons, would like to see them.

Wearing an under-armour (or my favorite Wal-mart knockoff) t-shirt will help keep you cool, in my experience - under your armoured jacket, of course.

To make sure you have cool water, fill your water bottles with ice cubes and top off with water, if they're wide-mouthed enough to allow it. Otherwise, you can fill them half-full and freeze them, then top off with water before you leave. You'll have cool water for quite a few hours.

Don't forget sunscreen - you can burn under that helmet!

Make sure you leverage the vents in your riding jacket (and make sure you have one that vents. I really like how my Joe Rocket Ballistic let's the air flow through.

That's it from Utah's Heber Valley for now...

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RoboRider alias Rob Osborne - Heber City, Utah
Bought a Wee, and ready to ride as soon as I'm back in the USA on the 21st!
** ** ATGATT **

I use a sort of bandana that contains these little "crystals"...you soak it in cold water for awhile and it absorbs the water. Tie it loosely around the neck and it offers some cooling effect on a hot day. A regular bandana that you soak can also work to some extent in this regard.

I also have a mesh style jacket. On a really hot day when I want to go for a ride, but I know I'm probably not going to be stopping anywhere particularly nice or fancy, I will use the water hose to soak my t-shirt and then put the mesh jacket on over it...viola, instant evaporative cooling once the airflow starts. Depending on how saturated the shirt is, this can help pretty well for 20 minutes to an hour, also depending on speed and such. Faster I go , the shorter the benefit, but most gas stations have a water hose, so no biggie.

I would like to try one of those "cooling vests" though...I wonder if that in conjunction with the mesh would yield the same cooling effect?

I also have a well-vented Icon helmet that makes a huge difference in the summer months.

CamelBak! You can put it in your tankbag or on your back. Get one of the hoses with the neoprene cover, clip and bendy wire. Route that baby in to your helmet and sip ice-cold water or Gatorade all the live long day.

And practice getting your riding suit in to pee configuration quickly

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K6 Wee - red, seriously farkled: givi crash bars, amoto skid plate, givi E21 side cases and V46 top case with brake light, Corbin seat, OEM heated grips and covers, stebel horn, laminar lip, Garmin e-Trex GPS with handlebar mount, fenda extenda, toll roll tube behind the left side case, camera mount on the left crash guard, and... ummm...

We have the cool vests from Joe Rocket (they no longer market the Sahara vest, but it still works. There are better ones on the market now) and they're OK. The cool vest is good for about an hour or less. You can recharge it at a gas station by soaking it in a sink with cold water. The one thing we've found is that a cotton tee shirt under a cool vest SUX!! The cotton soaks up the water from the vest and then becomes soggy, especially on your back where you get very little cooling effect. A moisture wicking type of shirt is much better because it doesn't soak up the water, and what little it does keep dries out quickly. I guess the worst part of the cooling vest is the fact that if you don't squeeze out enough water from the vest, it drips down the front and back of your pants, and if you wear jeans, it gets really uncomfortable. That's my take on evaporative cooling vests.

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'09 DL650

Hee Hee, I love it--you can always tell a rider who wears either fingerless or perforated summer riding gloves. They either have pale hands and tan fingertips, or the backs of their hands have tiny polka dots from the sun. And the ones that have velcro tabs at the backs also have a small open spot. Those people all have a tan half-moon shape on the backs of their hands.

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'09 DL650

I have one of those cool vests filled with the hydrophilic crystals Heyload was talking about. In dry climates like here in Norcal, it works fantastically. It needs to be recharged every couple of hours for maximum effectiveness, but it can be done in a few minutes at a gas or coffee stop. I usually carry a large ziplock bag which can be filled with water for this purpose. Under a high-flow mesh jacket you can actually get COLD on a hot day. Seriously. I once charged it in a mountain stream and was shivering for a while on a 100+F day.

There is, of course, some dampening of any shirt you are wearing underneath the vest, so I usually wear a polypropylene t-shirt with it. Even if it's slightly damp when you stop the shirt dries in a matter of minutes.

I have heard that evaporative cooling vests aren't nearly as effective in humid climes -- for obvious reasons.

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2007 DL650
"Who the hell wants to hear actors talk?" -- Harry M. Warner, Warner Brothers, 1927

first bike strompilot?

vented jacket is a must. as long as you're moving, and the jacket's ok, you should be fine... make sure the jacket has vents in th front and in the back; my wife's motoport isn't vented properly in the back, and it makes me sweat a lot when I wear it. My teknic is just fine. (it was perfect for my other bikes; it's a bit warmer behind the strom's fairing, but still works fine)

i freeze bottles of gatorade to bring with me.
ride in the morning, it starts getting bright a bit after 4:00, but watch for animals...

I'm sure someone will come up with an air-conditioned water-cooled suit one of these days. in the mean time,

for a while i rode every year with a group through death valley ... in the summer. ungodly hot.

here is a tip that can help. wear several layers of clothing, pull into a gas station, and SOAK yourself with hose water. head to toe. when it gets over 100 degrees, this will keep you cool for 50-100 miles (depending on how dry the air is).

this technique worked great 'til one fine year, when i tried it in furnace creek. must've been 120 degrees. the hose water would NOT cool down ... it was continually scalding hot. so i stepped into the convenience store and bought some refrigerated bottle water. it was heaven to poor it over my head ... but i got some funny looks.

as has been said, hydration is important. for long rides, drink gatoraid, not water. it'll replenish electrolytes.

Avoid wearing ANY cotton. Cotton absorbs moisture readily but is stingy in releasing it, killing the evaporative cooling effect. Cotton also gets VERY stinky very quickly. This is especially bad on multi-day trips. Stick with "technical fibers" like Under Armor or other similar products. This applies to shirts, underwear and socks.

Use a helmet liner. It will help keep you helmet from getting funky as quickly.. If you use one made for hot weather, it will actually help with cooling, like and Under Armor shirt.

As others have said. STAY HYDRATED! Follow "The Golden Rule": If your urine is yellow, you are getting dehydrated. If it is clear, you are good. Also remember that hydration starts BEFORE the ride. Don't wait until you're on the road to start drinking water. Begin drinking lots of water the night before and drink plenty of water the morning of the ride.

Think about your route. If you can take a slightly longer route that keeps you moving (avoiding stop and go traffic), do so. In really hot weather, movement is your friend. Sitting at a few stop lights when going straight through a town can get miserable really quick.

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