Going back to France in August, what cooling base layers are recommended? Wore a rukka outlast long sleeve T-shirt on my last trip on June and was baking hot.
Dainese D Explorer with everything zipped out and a t-shirt underneath is about perfect in this weather. Feels like wearing not much at all. In comparison I was out tonight in Dainese Air Frame jacket and jeans tonight and felt hot. ADV gear is really good in summer and the D Explorer is great. If anyone knows better, I'm really keen to hear!
Dammit ! I have this and the long johns.... not tried them in this heat tho so not expecting miracles
What I have used when riding in Spain in 40 degrees is a HyperKewl cooling neck band combined with a close fitting base layer t-shirt (just cheap ones from Sports Direct), an Alpinestars Breeze Air jacket and Draggin jeans. I was hot, but could ride all day without an issue. Drank a litre of cold water at every petrol stop as well as having an ice cream or two. Avoided towns and cities and heavy traffic. You need to be moving at over 50mph to avoid some of the heat from the engine rising up and warming you. In my opinion the jacket is the most important factor in keeping you cool. You really need a mesh jacket when the temperature is over 30. The HyperKewl neck band does a good job of keeping you cool as well, but does only last a few hours before you need to soak it in water again. You could always copy the French police riders and just ride in a t-shirt.
I wear a version of this under my leathers when it’s over 28 degrees https://www.alpinestars.com/cooling-vest-fa18 Worked well a couple years ago in France
If you can, freeze a bottle of water to take with you. I have 1.5l bottles always at the ready as it has been a bit toasty here! Doesnt help with the clothing question, but having ice cold water for the first 3 to 4 hours is very nice. For base layer I have coolmax leggings, cut off at the knee as I now ride in Rokker jeans that fit over race boots. I get a bit air around the bottom of the legs, so find this cooler than full length base layer. Probably be looking for a well vented jacket soon as the ones I have are far too hot at 30 and above.
Thanks for all the replies and advice. Got a rukka forsair mesh jacket and pants which work well. Will have a look at the cooling neckbands, like that idea.
From another forum: I’ve been out today, testing a Rev’it Tornado 2 mesh jacket and trousers. I first saw these a couple of years ago on the Rev’it stand at The Overland Event near Oxford and really liked the concept and evident quality of this kit. But I thought it was a bit pricey, with the jacket at £280 and trousers at £270. I found some on eBay from an unknown seller at a good price (£199/£179). A bit of checking on the seller revealed that it is, in fact, Fowlers of Bristol who seem to be operating a surplus stock/old lines/returned goods etc, online only ‘outlet’ store. A set duly ordered on late Friday afternoon, they arrived well packaged late this morning. Rev'it Tornado 2 Jacket Waterproof Textile Motorcycle Jacket New RRP £279.99!! £199.99 Rev'it Tornado 2 Jacket Waterproof Textile Motorcycle Jacket New RRP £27... RRP £279.99! REV'IT TORNADO 2. • Protection - SEEFLEX Level 2 CE protection %7c SEESOFT CE-level 2 back protecto... Rev'it Tornado 2 Jacket Waterproof Textile Motorcycle Jacket New RRP £279.99!! in Vehicle Parts & Accessories, Clothing, Helmets & Protection, Motorcycle Clothing, Jackets | eBay www.ebay.co.uk Rev'it Tornado 2 Trouser Waterproof Textile Motorcycle Jean New RRP £269.98!! | eBay £179.99 Rev'it Tornado 2 Trouser Waterproof Textile Motorcycle Jean New RRP £269... RRP £269.99! REV'IT TORNADO 2. High-Performance Polyamide & Polyester Rib Construction. PART NUMBER 104005050148... RRP £269.99! REV'IT TORNADO 2. High-Performance Polyamide & Polyester Rib Construction. PART NUMBER 1040050501485/6/7/8/9/90. DON'T MISS OUT! www.ebay.co.uk Only 1 item of each size remaining it seems, with one jacket size and one trouser size sold out. What sets these apart is that they come with a waterproof, breathable and lightly insulated inner, with the jacket liner wearable independently off bike. The size guide, available from the existing listings, seems pretty accurate. Cut of both is definitely biased toward touring and ‘adventure’ rather than sportsbike straight jacketry I left the liners out today (surprise, surprise!) and covered about 70 miles... How did they perform? Absolutely superbly! I still haven’t stopped wondering why I’d not bought mesh summer gear years ago. There’s a lot of mesh throughout and riding today was amazingly comfortable. Obviously, the cooling effect is much more noticeable in the jacket while riding, due to being largely perpendicular to the wind blast, etc. That said, it’s brilliant to have one’s trouser contents constantly comfortable and sweat free! Off the bike, I remained comfortable while grabbing and eating/drinking a bit of lunch at roadside in full sun. The quality and design is very good indeed (several reviews available online, all of which I read being very favourable). Good provision for cuff adjustment and positioning over gloves, along with generous zips on the lower leg for easy positioning over boots and, again, good provision for adjustment. Protectors with excellent air flow are included for knees, hips, elbows and shoulders, all having a little leeway for positional adjustment. No back protector is provided, but I found the Rukka Air one from my ageing Z-liner jacket fitted very snugly and was unnoticeable on the bike. Negatives so far (apart from the easily remedied lack of back protector)? The zips on jacket cuffs and outer pockets lack tags, making use with gloved hands interesting (again easily remedied). The volume of the folded/rolled liners is larger than hoped, making a bit of thought as to keeping them available while riding necessary That’s it. Well worth considering, particularly at the prices mentioned above... Why DID I not buy them earlier??? Thoroughly recommended.
I was in France a couple of weeks ago in the heatwave. My Halvarssons textiles with outlast linings were great up to about 28 deg. After that they felt bulky and hot but to be fair nothings gonna keep you very cool when the temperature hits the high 30's
D-Explorer... full mesh back when you zip out the back panel and massive mesh sections on the front that are about 12" long and completely zip away. Brilliant kit.
I use the Helly Hansen base layers, moves sweat away from your skin. I use a mesh jacket in hot weather (and soak it in water when I stop if its very hot)
