Hot weather clothing recommendations
 

I'm riding an XTZ660 from Melbourne - Adelaide - Coober Pedy - Uluru - Warburton Trail - Perth - Albany - Coast road to Melb. between 12 November and 16 December this year.

Can anyone give me some recommendations for light, airy but protective jackets and trousers. I have read about Gialli clothing, but can't find any on the web and am wondering if standard MX stuff will be too hot & sweaty as it all appears to be synthetic (not good in 35-45 degree heat!)

Any suggestions/pointers to distributors/retailers in the UK gratefully received.

Thanks

Dave

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Dave,

Just bought a pair of the Hein Gericke Turaeg light weight trousers a few weeks ago.

Drove 1000 miles in them and found them most excellent. I will be using these for my desert trips. They will also take the lining from the ordinary trousers which would make them waterproof and warmer if required.

They do a matching light weight jacket which I didn't like, have found my Tuareg ralley jacket fine with all the vents opened.

Alternatvely BMW have a very lightweight Ralley suit which is excellent but I believe it is about £600..

Lots of riders sware by the Aerostich gear but have not used it myself
Cheers

Julio

Hi
I'm also looking for cheap protective gear for hotter weather.i have heard about a kevlar mesh top[ice-hocky style]with light padding,which is obviously cool and is garunteed[??] not to rip.has anyone used these/heard about them?
i think they are made by the same people as draggin jeans
Are work boots and jeans adequate protection for travelling[considering comfort factor]?
Many thanks
jez

Dave,

Can you keep me posted of your trip, I'd be interested in any routes, points of interest, accomodation and highlights as I will be covering all that route when I travel round OZ next year.

Also which clothing you decide on and how it performed would be welcome information.

You can contact me a scottJbarrow@aol.com

Regards

Scott

jez, what your after was a shirt made from aramid from dragging jeans, it has a terry cloth knit, if you look under Dupont for aramid it will tell you more about the pros and cons of aramid to kevlar,from what i understand of it from the padding is just two layers for the wear areas(shoulders and fore arms), if i were to be ridding out in the desert i would consider the aramid shirt with a Bohn armour padding shirt underneath, that would give you the best wind flow/ breathing capabilities, they also make pants which seem to be the part, the only aramid/kevlar pants i have seen where in a museum in london, i have search the web and never found a pair, how much research do you want to do? you could look in the Dupont listing of fabrics for abrasion resistant fabrics and then either look for fire and safety clothing companies or buy the fabric yourself on line and find a good tailor that can make a pair of pants that you want, i have found a few companies on line that you can buy aramid and kevlar, i think i have said too much, if you want more get back to me.

If you look under www.draginjeans.com they have all the info about their kevlar shirts and pants. Definately looks like a good option. Now all I need is someone who sells them in England.

Take a look at the mesh jacket and pants by Joe Rocket. They seems to have the best ventilation available and come with back, shoulder and chest protection built in. The price at the BMW Dealer in Boca Raton Fl was $129.00 each for pants and jacket.This is a cheaper alternative to the new BMW Airflow suit which costs about $450.00 more.I think that some of the padding is an additional cost on the BMW suit. Either suit will require a separate rain suit. I will be getting an oversized frog tog suit to fit over the Joe Rocket equipement.
Up until now I have been riding around in Miami's heat in draggin jeans and their mesh zip up shirt with padding. but that is not nearly the protection I can get with the Joe Rocket outfit.

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The Joe Rocket Phoenix jacket is a fully vented mesh. I found it to hang heavily on the shoulders. Their newest one is the Reactor. It is vented leather on the outer sleeves and shoulders with zip cuffs instead of velcro. The remainder is mesh. All this makes for a better fit and they both have elbow, shoulder, and back protection. Blue, red, and black available. I too am looking for warm weather pants.

dirtdigger

[This message has been edited by dirtdigger (edited 27 October 2001).]

WavyDavy .... I can certainly help you out on this one!

I currently live and ride in Darwin, NT and rode the Stuart Highway from Darwin to Adelaide then on through to Tassie last Dec/Jan.

Draggin' Jeans are definitely the way to go on the bottom half. The air is so dry that you don't get a sweaty arse anyway.

As for the top I wore an R-Jays perforated leather jacket. I don't know if these are sold down south, but basically the leather is pierced all over the front and arms with minute breather holes - very comfortable (a tad chilly in Tassie though!) and the added benefit of wearing leather (always the preferable choice!).

Don't forget a light scarf as sunburn on the back of the neck is painfull, and drink heaps of water (a camel-bak is ideal!) as the dry-season air will leave you like a sultana!

(and watch out for 'roos near Tenant Creek and Three-Ways particularly).

Cheers,

Alex.

(claymore61_2@hotmail.com)

Thanks to everyone who has replied and/or e-mailed.

I set off for Oz in 10 days, so its all getting a bit 'real' now......

..after careful consideration, and talking to a number of Autralians etc, I decided to go for the full-MX look with a couple of pairs of Fox trousers, some lightweight tops with cotton t-shirt and mesh over with body armour sewn in. I've also opted for full-length mx boots and shin/knee shields as well and a couple of loose otton banbana-type-thingies for my neck. I don't care if I look stupid, it just seemed the best compromise.

Once it is all over, I'll post to let people know how I fared/whether I made the right choice. Or you can follow the ride at www.benbostrom.co.uk where i should be making weekly posts under the "Riders for Health" menu.

Thanks again for all the advice.

Dave

How about the Giali cargo pants? Just bought some...very comfy, look good, the best bike trousers I've seen for when you're not on the bike - but I don't know how crashable they are. Anyone got experience of them? Check out www.motorcycle-uk.com/giali/cargo.html.

I bought the Joe Rocket stuff based on recommendations here and elsewhere, and it's been great... went across the Great Plains in Canada (105 degree Farenheit heat - about 40 celsius) and I was totally comfortable. The only problem is cold weather - you have to have something windproof when you got through mountains or you'll freeze. But I'm headed down to central and south America, and this was the way to go.

Hi

I was going to get a pair of the BMW Airflow trousers, but the new Mk2 versions have large vented panesl that I wasn't keen on. The earlier versions just had zipped vents, which, although not as cool, could at least be closed.

So, picked up an end-of-line pair of Hein Gericke Tuareg light pants, with the removable waterproof lining. They are a sort beige colour and look fine off the bike too. Cost was £75 including hip and knee armour.

Assuming that they stand up to the wear and tear OK I would think that they are a good compromise, espcially at less than half the price of the BMW kit.

Also, German para boots seem to be a reasonable, comfortable alternative to the Unobtanium Altbergs - at £45 for a new pair. Not the protection that you'd get from proper bike boots, but I'm not planning any off road excursions and so will take my chances. Speed laces make them quick and easy to get on and off too.

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Sean