[networkguy3]

We did a trip to Texas in 2019 during the hottest days of summer. Rode in 95 plus temperatures. I certainly agree with layers covering up from direct sun ray. Used an evaporative vest worked well stopped at
Buc-ee’s hydrated the vest drank water rode on.. I’m curious what materials are the LDC shorts made of?

I don't know the blend the material is, but they are relatively thick dual layer wicking fabric. They trap moisture close to your skin to allow the evaporating water to absorb heat that is close to the skin.

 

[Andy Cote]

I’m curious what materials are the LDC shorts made of?

Some details: Frequently Asked Questions - Tri Monte Group Inc DBA LDComfort

 

[kwthom]

A few years ago, I went down a rabbit-hole trying to chase down some technical details (patent number, etc.) of that fabric. My interest really was what the original application for the material - was it intentionally designed to be used in this fashion? I hit some brick walls in that search. At that point, I lost interest.

Good stuff, again, highly recommended.

 

[tamathumper]

Everybody knows underwear are made of BALListic nylon.

 

[theheder]

Everybody knows underwear are made of BALListic nylon.

LOL - I see what you did there

 

[Hondadiver]

It is the time of year in which a lot of people are discussing how to stay cool on their motorcycle. I have to chime in about what works for me for long-distance riding. Many of you have seen this before from my friend Bubba1.

I used to wear mesh jackets or no jackets with t-shirts, and tried gimmicks such as ice-pack vests trying to stay comfortable. I tried to get more cooling air flow. Nothing worked well, and I figured that was just part of the motorcycle experience.

Staying cool for short rides was easy even in 100º F. weather. I could wear a phase-change vest under my jacket and stay reasonably comfortable for about an hour. I would then have to re-freeze the cooling packs in order to ride for another hour. I wanted some way to stay comfortable on long-distance rides.

I saw many posts by a forum member Bubba1 from Arizona who espoused a different tactic for long-distance hot weather comfort. Bubba1 wanted me to throw away my mesh gear, my cotton t-shirts, my blue jeans and tighty-whity underwear. He told me what the serious long-distance Iron Butt riders wear. These guys compete in an 11-day rally in July all over the entire United States, riding over 11,000 miles in all kinds of weather so they must know something. I decided to at least listen. Now, that’s the background for the following post.

There is a system for staying comfortable, and it all works together.

Start with a base layer of wicking underwear. Avoid cotton tighty-whities and t-shirts. The wicking underwear will also have the advantage of not feeling clammy when it gets wet in a rain. It’ll help keep you cool, but dry. I use Underarmor underwear and LD Comfort long-sleeve t-shirts when it gets hot here in Southeast Texas. There are lots of good choices as long as the drawers are seamless and don’t absorb moisture.

Wear good textile riding gear over the base layer. You want gear that will let you control the air flow.

When trying to stay cool in hot weather you DO NOT want to wear high-flow open mesh clothes that pass a lot of air through. You should be trying to protect your body from the hot air for the same reasons that firemen wear heavy protective gear. A high-flow mesh jacket on a 95º F. day will cook you like a convection oven. My present gear is MotoPort stretch Kevlar, but I don’t think the brand name is important for this purpose. My heavy First Gear Kilimanjaro jacket was a great year-round jacket too.

Your body has its’ own natural cooling system, that of perspiration, or sweat. Too much air flow will just blow the sweat away without allowing it to evaporate and cool your body. You want to allow a little air flow to come in through the sleeves and exit through the vents in the back. You’ll eventually find the right combination of sleeve opening and vent opening to make it work. I don’t worry about air flow through the pants as long as I can keep my head and my core cool.

As for keeping the head cool, wear a full-face helmet or a modular helmet with the shield down to keep the wind off your face and head. I have a bad habit of riding with my modular helmet open, but when it gets hot the face shield goes down. It really helps. I’ve also used and highly recommend a wicking helmet liner such as those by LD Comfort or Heat Out, etc.

Finally, if it is still too hot just add water. If possible soak the entire LD Comfort shirt and helmet liner, then cover up with the heavy textile gear. Allow just enough air flow to slowly evaporate the water, and you’ll stay cool for an hour or so. At least pour a little water down the sleeves so that the air coming in through the sleeves will be cooled and circulate around your core on the way out the back vents.

This method works FOR ME in both hot humid Southeast Texas and in hot and dry desert conditions. It is not as comfortable as riding in an air-conditioned car, but I still can ride my motorcycle fairly comfortably on long-distance rides in July and August.

Here is a link to the definitive document on staying cool in hot weather. This is from the IBA website, and explains the science behind why one should cover up in hot weather.

www.ironbutt.com/ibmagazine/ironbutt_1002_62-66_hot.pdf

I wear my Motorcycle jacket with all the jacket vents open and wicking shirt when it gets really hot I’ll also open the jacket and pour water from my cup when getting warm, I also wear a scarf that’s full of small beads that swell when wet that keeps you cool it’s the same type the forestry fire fighters wear windshield vent open and Baker air wings to direct airflow because your zipped up it doesn’t dry out all that quickly and drink a lot of water

 

[fudgie]

Loose long sleeves and a hat or bandana. Still wear my leaver vest. I can only count a couple times I have not wore my vest due to heat.

Coming thru kansas last aug sucked. 95 with heat index 105. We left Dodge City hoping for eastern Missouri but stopped around 3p in Hiawatha KS. Just to hot.

 

[Glockjock]

Loose long sleeves and a hat or bandana. Still wear my leaver vest. I can only count a couple times I have not wore my vest due to heat.

Coming thru kansas last aug sucked. 95 with heat index 105. We left Dodge City hoping for eastern Missouri but stopped around 3p in Hiawatha KS. Just to hot.

I too used to have to sometimes stop riding just because it was just too darn hot before I started learning how to dress for the heat. Your post reminds me of a trip several years ago when I was on my way to Ohio to visit the HondaHawk. I'd stopped at a rest area in Kentucky to use the restroom. When I came out a fella dressed pretty much like you described had pulled up on his HD. He looked like death literally warmed over. He asked how could I stand this heat with all that heavy gear, helmet, and gloves. He said he'd ridden almost 300 miles that day and was about to call it quits. I'd ridden about 750 miles so far and felt great. I felt sorry for the guy.

If you want to expose yourself to all that hot wind that's your choice. All I'm saying is that there is riding gear available that can make hot-weather rides much more comfortable. It is not air-conditioned car comfortable, but I no longer have to stop riding because of the heat. The last BBG (1500 miles in 24 hours) I did to near El Paso, TX and back I saw 4 solid hours of >110º F temperatures. I could not have done it by hoping to get more "cooling air flow" to my torso.

Anyway, good luck with your rides. I'll be glad to answer any questions you may have if you want to know what works for me.

Glen

 

[Phydeaux]

I saw MisterK's video talking about his Klim Carlsbad jacket and how well it vents in hot weather. Does anyone have any experience with venting of the Firstgear Kathmandu jacket using these same techniques?

 

[paulcf]

Hot riding, what is that? Here we dress for cold and I mean COLD. Electric heated clothing, check. Heavy duty gloves, check. Insulated boots, check. You get the picture. Never had to worry about heat that bad.

 

[DillTm]

Good stuff. I wear a cooling vest. Check out: TechNiche 6626 Phase Change Cooling Vest | FullSource.com

 

[Auburn]

Hot riding, what is that? Here we dress for cold and I mean COLD. Electric heated clothing, check. Heavy duty gloves, check. Insulated boots, check. You get the picture. Never had to worry about heat that bad.

I have been in Watson Lake when it was above 80 degrees end of May 2011. It gets hot up there too.

 

[paulcf]

I have been in Watson Lake when it was above 80 degrees end of May 2011. It gets hot up there too.

Yes it does, 2 days out of the year. You got lucky on that day. Today it is snowing heavily and very cold. Dreams of riding my Goldwing continue during the long 6-7 month hibernation period.

 

[Auburn]

Yes it does, 2 days out of the year. You got lucky on that day. Today it is snowing heavily and very cold. Dreams of riding my Goldwing continue during the long 6-7 month hibernation period.

Actually that year, it was hot all 11 days we were up in the area. But, I have been back twice since and it has been barely 40 degrees on some days too. As always, be prepared for anything the farther north you go. It was snowing here yesterday, thankfully not sticking though.

 

[Wahoo]

I wear a Tourmaster Air Intake 4 mesh jacket. In really hot weather, I’ll wet my tshirt underneath and let the air coming thru cool things off. Works pretty well. I also have a pair of Tourmaster mesh riding pants but rarely ever wear them, usually opting for jeans.

As long as I’m moving, I’m actually cooler with the jacket on than letting the sun beat me up with just a t shirt. 🌞

 

[Glockjock]

For what it's worth I rode a little over 200 miles today in our mini Texas heat wave. I wore jeans instead of my MotoPort stretch kevlar pants, but otherwise I was full ATTGAT with kevlar jacket, boots, gloves, modular helmet (closed), and Underarmor t-shirt under the jacket. The temperature stayed between 98ºF and 102ºF all the time, except for when I was stopped in construction traffic and the heat from the pavement caused he temperature to rise to 107ºF. Granted, I did have my big sippy cup so I could stay well hydrated.

I was comfortable the entire time, expect when stopped in traffic. The heavy textile jacket and Underarmor t-shirt allowed me to sweat, and the controlled air flow evaporated the sweat and cooled me. A mesh jacket, or worse, a beater t-shirt would have let the uncontrolled wind blow the perspiration off my skin without letting it evaporate and cool me.

The only part of my body that was uncomfortably hot was the top of my legs for the hot sun was shining down and baking my legs through the blue jeans. I was wishing I had my heavy textile MotoPort pants to protect me from the sun.

Glen

 

[Audiochris90]

Great Thread here fellas. Myself and a friend are headed out to Traxxion to get his f6b traxxed. Hes in the Austin area and Im in Okc leaving July 5th. Im going to wear my Marrakesh jacket and pants. The Marrakesh works in the way many have said is best for over 90 degrees. The Marrakesh breaths but not like a mesh. I’ll take my induction jacket just in case. Got a hydration pack also.

 

[jmdaniel]

Great Thread here fellas. Myself and a friend are headed out to Traxxion to get his f6b traxxed. Hes in the Austin area and Im in Okc leaving July 5th. Im going to wear my Marrakesh jacket and pants. The Marrakesh works in the way many have said is best for over 90 degrees. The Marrakesh breaths but not like a mesh. I’ll take my induction jacket just in case. Got a hydration pack also.

Can we call the ride the Marrakesh Express?

 

[Motor Guy]

For what it's worth I rode a little over 200 miles today in our mini Texas heat wave. I wore jeans instead of my MotoPort stretch kevlar pants, but otherwise I was full ATTGAT with kevlar jacket, boots, gloves, modular helmet (closed), and Underarmor t-shirt under the jacket. The temperature stayed between 98ºF and 102ºF all the time, except for when I was stopped in construction traffic and the heat from the pavement caused he temperature to rise to 107ºF. Granted, I did have my big sippy cup so I could stay well hydrated.

I was comfortable the entire time, expect when stopped in traffic. The heavy textile jacket and Underarmor t-shirt allowed me to sweat, and the controlled air flow evaporated the sweat and cooled me. A mesh jacket, or worse, a beater t-shirt would have let the uncontrolled wind blow the perspiration off my skin without letting it evaporate and cool me.

The only part of my body that was uncomfortably hot was the top of my legs for the hot sun was shining down and baking my legs through the blue jeans. I was wishing I had my heavy textile MotoPort pants to protect me from the sun.

Glen

Alright, serious question. I understand the techniques many of you employ to stay cool. But what do you do when it’s time to stop; let’s say for a bite of lunch? You’ve soaked your base layers under your jacket so do you just walk in wet, change shirts before entering, place a dry shirt over the wet base? Really, how do you manage it?

 

[Audiochris90]

Alright, serious question. I understand the techniques many of you employ to stay cool. But what do you do when it’s time to stop; let’s say for a bite of lunch? You’ve soaked your base layers under your jacket so do you just walk in wet, change shirts before entering, place a dry shirt over the wet base? Really, how do you manage it?

If really hot my shirt (klim basecamp) will get rinsed in the bathroom sink.