Emiraff:

Here's how I have done it over 150,000 km of riding:

I own three different complete riding outfits, each of which consists of a jacket, pants, gloves, and boots. All are considered 'protective clothing', in other words, if I fall off the bike, they minimize the abrasions. I bought the clothing (all BMW brand) primarily for abrasion protection, then secondarily for weather protection.

One set is for very cold weather, from +15°C down to -5°C. Another set is for intermediate weather, from 15°C up to +25°C. The third set is for hot weather, temperatures above +25°C. I don't ride if the temperature is above +35°C.

I only take ONE of the sets of outer garments with me on a ride, I always leave the other two at home.

I rely on the outer clothing (motorcycle clothing) to provide me with appropriate weather protection. I then wear "normal street clothes" - a polo shirt and a pair of jeans (plus cotton undergarments) under the riding outfit.

I like cotton because it is easy to care for on the road and dries pretty quickly, allowing me to wash it overnight in a hotel if I need to. I particularly like the idea of wearing "normal street clothes" under my riding gear - this means that when I finish riding for the day, I just take off the riding gear and voila, I can wander around the town.

This strategy also greatly reduces the amount of clothing that I have to bring with me, which is always a concern on long tours. I recently finished a 3 week tour of Eastern Europe - in addition to the ONE riding outfit that I selected, I brought 3 polo shirts, 2 pairs of jeans, 3 sets of underwear and socks, and one pair of Topsider deck shoes to wear when not on the bike. All of the above folded up into a very tiny package.

I've tried all the "high tech" stuff, but the problem with "high tech" clothing (underneath the riding suit) is that unless you are prepared to carry two or more of each item, the stuff starts to stink after a few days, plus, you can't wear it once you get off the bike for the day without looking like a space alien when you are wandering around the town or going to a restaurant.

Michael