Human Barbecue Season Gear Advice?

I ride in FL, so hot and sticky is very common.

I used the Dainese Spedio jacket with the Drake Air pants. Good airflow, decent protection, and they both have the zip together components. Don't spend the extra money on D-Dry versions. I found that using regular rain gear over them is more convenient than removing the gear to zip in the linings.

The Spedio is not a current model, but still available new on eBay.


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I still see a bunch of Spedio D-Dry. I actually ordered mine from Italy and got it within a week, but some US sellers have it cheaper if the size is right.




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I bought what was probably the previous model of the Spedio in 2013. At the time, they had a Ducati merch clone nearly twice as pricey that I lusted over at the dealer. When a member alerted me that I could buy the exact same jacket without the Duc logo's, I jumped. Think I paid a little over $200 after much searching for best price.

Mine does have the rain insert and I do use it during the winter, mostly for layering. I wore this jacket for 4 years in FL/ VA, and I don't think you can find a better jacket that breathes but also feels like it will protect you in a spill. I just recently bought some Dianese commuter pants and the zipper attachment works! They even match despite the jacket being 5 yrs senior. I live in Italy now and there's a factory Dianese shop nearby. I've seen some amazing riding gear locally. I am a big fan of there stuff.

Mesh in the eastern summer swelter is the way to go. I've worn it with just underwear (TMI I know). ICON might be the cheapest. I've had very good durability and ventilation with Joe Rocket. The others above great as well. Good luck...

I like my Rev' It mesh jacket in heat and especially humidity. (about $170 on sale) California has LOW humidity but I've ridden in humid places so know the challenges. I rode cross country to NYC years ago, caught a brutal heat wave with high humidity, luckily only lasted a few days.

Please NOTE that in super HOT weather (like over 100F) Mesh can start to work against you. The rush of super hot air coming through the Mesh at high speeds feels like a blow torch on you, best to wear a long sleeve shirt, it's not good direct on skin.

Your sweat evaporates instantly, like riding with no jacket at all. This not a good thing ... as dehydration is a real risk.

I've ridden a lot in hot weather ... and for me, just SOME venting, IMO, is the best policy. Hottest was Death Valley in August at 118F. No problem at all with my Spidi jacket with just 4 moderate vents. Surprised how well it worked. Trick? Keep moving!

Mexico around Puerto Vallarta was harder due to humidity. My answer there is ride Early AM ... or at night. (yes, I break Cardinal rules!)

Experts say ... "keep the sweat inside!" I agree. You want that sweat on you and on your clothes ... then with a bit of air flow (not mesh) it can cool you nicely and prevent heat stroke. Mesh can provide TOO much air, meaning too much evaporation, sweat dries too quickly before it can cool you off. Mesh is fine of short rides if not TOO hot. (like under 95F) and if speeds aren't too fast. High speed (over 75 mph) and brutal heat will Par Boil you with a Mesh jacket and you may drop dead from Heat Stroke.

Sure, with Mesh the air flow may feel better ... but if truly HOT, it can make things worse in my experience. So, for me, NO MESH if over about 95F doing longer rides.

I've learned a few good survival tricks for riding in high heat:
1. Drink water constantly (I use a 3 liter Camel Back) carry another jug.
2. When you stop ONLY stop in the shade and remove jacket immediately.
3. After Gassing up, go into mini mart, fill your Camel Back with ICE.
Avoid Sodas and sweet drinks ... some Gator Aide is OK, but no more than about 2 pints of it per day.
If truly hot you will consume at least 3 gallons of water a day, perhaps more. Gator Aide helps retain water and gives you
electrolytes which are good for staying alive.

So ... Water Water Water. If really hot ... you will
never Pee.
4. Try to start riding very early AM, quit by 2 or 3 pm. By Sunset things may cool slightly (not much in Arizona unless at altitude)

5. I avoid BLACK riding gear, instead use my light colored dirt riding gear.

6. In super heat you'll want to keep your face shield down. Opening it will cook you if truly hot. Sweat is a good thing. Welcome it, try to "Zen" through the misery of the heat.
Don't fight it. Relax. Think good thoughts.
7. I used to go on long walks mid day when I lived in El Salvador, walking on the HOT road. We would drink hot tea or hot coffee, which helped a lot. Somehow this works. It's counterintuitive but it works.

Getting your head around the heat is key. May take some time. Relax and let it happen. In Mexico, the cure to high heat is BEER! Lots of Beer, once you are drunk, much easier to handle heat. (yes, another Cardinal rule broken! ... drunk and riding on a dirt bike! )

Mesh jacket sure helps. Also take wet a microfiber towel and use as a scarf around the neck. It will cool you a lot as that's where all the blood flows. Keep it wet. Perfect for the city.

This jacket looks like a good deal: AGV Sport AirTex Vented Jacket :: MotorcycleGear.com

Just put in good back armor.

That looks like a hell of a jacket for $70. Though I like AGV helmets, I bought a pair of their kevlar riding pants and didn't really like them. Just fit funky and very heavy/ stiff.

I used to average hour one way trips during the FL summer when commuting daily, with many long crawls in traffic well over 100 F. First set of riding gear I bought was on a budget. Decent ADV/ Dirt riding set. Had standard CE padding, tons of vent slots, and the sleeves/ legs were removable. It did the job but was a little too loose for the speeds I ride and the buffeting annoyed the hell out of me. When I growed up I got the Dianese mesh I talked about above. They really can sculp some fitted gear no matter the material. I preferred the mesh over vents. On my vented jacket, when I had the zippers open for flow, all the mesh lining would blow out and I looked like a turned-out pocket hobo meme. Again, bargain jacket not designed for full street use. What I'm saying is I prefer a jacket that stay snug at speed over looking like the stay puft marshmallow man. And I certainly wasn't in danger of dehydrating on my urban commute.

My tactic is to just keep it pinned and make a sabot-like laminar air shield around me. The wake effect behind me actually extracts heat like a NACA duct system. I also know who killed JFK and have won the Powerball 12 times.

LOL if you're moving all is good - if you're not - pour a liter of water inside your jacket and hope you're out of traffic soon. Towel on neck is also surprisingly good.

philthymike said:

It's a relief to know you had something on at least

I almost bought Icon gloves when I was in Revzilla but instead ended up with these Alpinestars
https://www.revzilla.com/motorcycle/alpinestars-smx-1-air-gloves

The salesperson was really pushing me to buy a new brand - Reax
I found them terrible in sizing with big variations from one pair to the next of Large sized gloves. Even worse many of the gloves I tried on had very uncomfortable pokey bits on the top seam and fingers. One pair of gloves had a pokey thing in the middle finger that stuck into my cuticle and actually left a mark.

Click to expand...

I've been using Icon gloves for a while. Back in 2013 when I was getting gear for my Hyper, they had the only affordable touchscreen gloves. Good gloves for the price. I have their gauntlets and summer touchscreen gloves. Those Alpinestars look very similar to their summer gloves.

Also a plug for the Icon Pursuit boots. Amazing value and you can wear them into work.