What do you wear and how do you like it?

Traxx

Premier Member
#1
I will start this off.
I look in my closet and it is split between Klim and Triumph gear with a couple of BMW pants.
Triumph Taloc leathers, Jacket and Pants that zip together. Waterproof and warm even without the thermal liner, some ventilation and looks good. I wear these in cooler weather and for longer distances.
Triumph Assen Jacket. Much lighter than the Taloc and cooler. Has a liner that is supposed to keep your temp stable. Not hot, not cold but it does have its limits. In the summer I leave the liner home.
Just received a pair of Triumph Navigator Pants, haven't had time to try them out yet. They are more ADV/touring than what I already have. Waterproof, and a thermal liner so I will test them out soon.
Klim Latitude jacket. Waterproof and ADV style. It usually just sits in my closet. I pull it out if I am expecting really poor weather. I will be replacing it with a Triumph Navigator Jacket.
Klim Apex Air jacket. My go to jacket for the 3 warmer season for around town and short trips. If it had some waterproofing built into it then I most likely not have even looked for another jacket.
Klim Outrider pants. Go to pants. They fit my personal style and I just like the way they fit.
Klim Torrant overpant. Just got these and haven't had them in a good rain yet. I keep them in the panniers just in case.
BMW Summer Pants. Legs zip off and are pretty comfortable. Great for summer short rides.
If you have any questions please ask and put up some of your gear and give it a quick review.
 

brady

Premier Member
#2
I wear my Aerostich R3 in all situations. Hot or cold, wet or dry, summer or winter. What I wear underneath is what varies for me. I layer depending on the outside temp. I have several pieces of the Aerostich TLtech windstopper gear( pants- fleece) . I also also am in the process of getting some gear from Kenn Phenix hooked up for cold riding. This summer i'm going to be using the LDComfort gear for the first time. I love my Aerostich and personally wouldn't ride in anything else. It works well in all situations provides coverage from the weather and offers ventilation when needed.
 
#4
For any LD riding it is the KLIM Badlands with SIDI Adventure boots. Day rides usually jeans with kevlar or jeans with armour and either a mesh Olympia jacket or Olympia transition. Gloves: several to choose from, some Gore Tex of different brands, Joe Rocket battery, Tour Tech electric, Tour Tech rain/winter, a summer glove with vents, another set with no lining just leather all depends on weather and temperature. Base layer I like long sleeve shirts of different brands using wicking material. I really like the Aerostich riding shorts and LD Comfort riding shorts. Then of course I use different intermediate layers of maybe a flannel shirt or fleece shirt or wool. I have an electric bib to plug in if needed. Neo Tech helmet at least for now. Oh, socks just below the knee made of wicking material, various brands. I carry a pair of "over gloves" just in case. I might throw in my Olympia rain suit for the same reason.
 
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Bill Lumberg

Premier Member
#5
I prefer Aerostich Dariens in cool or wet weather. Nolan modular helmets. Danner Acadia boots. I wear firstgear mesh in moderately warm temps, but I only wear them for distance runs when it’s really hot.
 
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jsoque

Premier Member
#6
Nice going Traxx! This will be a great thread for newbies and seasoned riders. I won't brag about being an experienced rider, but have a little experience. What you wear should fall under the category of what you 'pack' as well. because you will eventually change garments, either add on , or sweat and take it off.
I spent 40 % in the rain in 9/11/18 on an SS 2000/48, went thru weather from 58 deg and rain when I left, and at my far point was 92 deg and star lit night, rain on the last 9 hours to home.
My core: 3 jackets, BMW Motorad Boulder, Olympia Ranger, and Frogg Toggs Full Rain Upper and Lower. An Olympia One Piece Odyssey Suit for a summer 2016 IBA 1500, loved it! Sedici Riding Pants, full zipper. 3 pairs of gloves, Full Leather, Fingerless mesh back (cycling) and thin leather (golf) gloves. Underwear with no seam in the buttocks. Socks with partial wool, just above the calf. Columbia Newport Leather 6" lace boots, and back up Full MC riding boots. Gerbings heated Jacket, wore it but never plugged it in.
Here's a clincher: I wear Weather Resistant Hiking Gators! Boots can take care of themselves, there is that seam line above the ankle, and below the cuff of your MC riding pant can always be a source where road spray and moisture to seep into your ankle and calf muscle area - so protect this area! Nothing can ruin a ride segment more than being wet below the knee caps and have to force an unscheduled change-out under any circumstance. These are mine from REI: https://www.rei.com/product/101628/rei-co-op-mountain-gaiters. I'm going to post under 'The Bike Preparation' next. Keep the thread going....
 
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Traxx

Premier Member
#7
Some good stuff guys, throw in some of the things you didn’t like as well.
Some of my favorite gloves are the Klim induction, Alpinestars Highlands and BMW Atlantis.
I did paint the first 2 finger tips with Nano tips for use with touchscreens.
Some glove fails, were the Joe Rockets, they were comfortable but fell apart pretty quickly. Spidi classics but that is my fault since I got a size to big.
 
#8
Jsoque, glad you mentioned the gators. I have used gators myself on occasion and carry them on LD rides. I don't have much of an issue with water getting over my boots since they are so tall and I have lower fairing. Mine are cheap ones but may need to invest in the ones you mentioned. I need them for my daughter since her boots are just barely above the ankle. She wears Aerostich Gore Tex bottoms and Gore Tex boots but because of her odd build/size I could not find tall boots for her. The water will find its way over her boots fairly quickly.
 
#9
Traxx, I also like the Triumph Navigator jacket and wear it as much as weather permits here in Florida - the only problem I found with it, is the Velcro tabs, at the wrists separated into two pieces. They appeared to have been 2-way taped together. I replaced the tape with 3M tape and it worked for a while but then they would start curling apart. I finally took it to a local seamstress and they stitched it together. I haven't had any problems with them since.

I'm partial to full-face helmets - currently wearing a Shark Skwal. I can comfortably wear it all day and it's pretty quiet behind a Trophy fairing.
 
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Traxx

Premier Member
#11
Traxx, I also like the Triumph Navigator jacket and wear it as much as weather permits here in Florida - the only problem I found with it, is the Velcro tabs, at the wrists separated into two pieces. They appeared to have been 2-way taped together. I replaced the tape with 3M tape and it worked for a while but then they would start curling apart. I finally took it to a local seamstress and they stitched it together. I haven't had any problems with them since.
Good call, I personally can’t stand Velcro near my neck or wrists. I will most likely will replace it with snap buttons. The kit is surprisingly cheap and is very easy to do.
 
#13
Excellent, I live about 10 miles from them and are having them make a suit for me. I should receive it in the next week or two.

Martin
 
#15
I was fine with moderately priced gear and rain shells for years. Having gone premium, I can say that I wouldn’t go back to the lower end stuff, given a choice. I ride in full gear more since purchasing aerostich. But I admit I still don’t wear much protective equipment beyond a helmet when it’s hot. I have a matching set of mesh firstgear stuff. Superb quality. When I’m doing an all day run, particularly a SS1K or longer, I’ll wear that mesh all day. Not so much for commutes or normal day rides. My point is- for me, better gear led to me wearing it more. It was quicker to don and remove, more functional while riding, and more comfortable while riding.
 
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cacomly

Premier Member
IBR Finisher
#16
I was fine with moderately priced gear and rain shells for years. Having gone premium, I can say that I wouldn’t go back to the lower end stuff, given a choice. I ride in full gear more since purchasing aerostich. But I admit I still don’t wear much protective equipment beyond a helmet when it’s hot. I have a matching set of mesh firstgear stuff. Superb quality. When I’m doing an all day run, particularly a SS1K or longer, I’ll wear that mesh all day. Not so much for commutes or normal day rides. My point is- for me, better gear led to me wearing it more. It was quicker to don and remove, more functional while riding, and more comfortable while riding.
I used to be the typical Harley T-shirt and jeans rider. Then I got into long distance riding and noticed I was the only one dressed like that which made me start thinking. I decided I needed to get some good riding gear, my logic being I am more likely to go down when riding 18-20 hours a day and in all kinds of weather. I bought a used Klim Badlands jacket but whenever it was over 80 degrees I could not wear it as it was way to hot.

Then on the way to the 2015 IBR the unthinkable (to me) happened. I was on I-79 in West Virginia and it was about noon. I had left my hotel around 7am in a light rain so I had not stopped yet. If I would have my jacket would have been bungeed to my luggage rack. I needed to use a bathroom so as I was coming up on an exit I glanced up to see if there was a gas station or fast food place. When I looked back at the road there was a truck that I had not perceived as an issue before I looked up but now was way to close and I did a panic stop at 70+ mph. My front wheel locked up and I went down. Fortunately when I stopped rolling several 100 feet down the road I was able to stand up and everything worked. With some help from some of the cars that stopped rather than run me over we got the bike up and out of the middle of the road. To my surprise it started and ran. I was able to get to the IBR and complete it. And I never took my jacket off for the entire IBR and I found a pair of riding pants to wear for the entire IBR. If you look closely at my profile picture you can see the scratched up windshield.

I am not one to lecture people on ATTGATT and to be honest I don't wear full gear 100% of the time, but I almost always am wearing some form of jacket and always wear a helmet. What I do say is consider what you wear and make it an educated decision. You can ride in full gear in all conditions if you want to. By wearing a base layer made of good wicking material and closing most of the vents on your jacket except the sleeves you can be fairly comfortable in the higher heat. And if you get too hot you can always put an ice bag inside your jacket.
 

Traxx

Premier Member
#17
I started to rethink my gear choice during the break in trip of my TEX. From Ft Worth to Corpus Christi and back for a agri seminar in Feb. The trip down was awesome. The morning of the first day in Corpus was cold and foggy which then cleared to cold and misty for the rest of the day. The second day was more of the same and I had to head home that afternoon. Around San Antonio it started raining harder and the temp drop even more by the time I got to the south side of Ft worth it was a frog strangler and I was stuck in traffic due to a pile up ahead. Cold and soaked through and through. My gear for that trip was my Klim Apex air (mesh) BMW summer pants, Klim Dakar pants, Shoei RF 1200 helmet and BMW atlantis gloves. I had checked the weather everyday until my departure and it was supposed to be beautiful weather all over Texas.
Don't trust the weather report and have a back up plan/route.
Some of the things that I look for now in my gear.
1. Weather/rain proof built in. I would rather purchase/wear a single jacket than carry a rain suit.
2. Removable thermal liner. This will allow for more seasons and the jacket.
3. Little to no velcro. That is a personal pref. but I don't like the noise or how it feels.
4. Vents with waterproof zippers. Open or closed they need to work.
 
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Traxx

Premier Member
#18
Tomorrow is supposed to be miserable, rain and approx 40 to 45 degrees F. I am going to run around on the bike wearing the Triumph Navigator Jacket and pants and Triumph dirt boots. They are using tritex and have a thermal liner. Hopefully I don’t get to wet and cold.