Spring and Fall Riding Apparel

How's it going everybody? I'm Nate Beck, and you're watching Fix My Hog. Today we're here to talk about Spring and Fall riding gear. What is gonna get us there safe, happy, and healthy, and the features that I like that you might think of, or might not think of when you're deciding on purchasing your riding gear for the Spring and the Fall. Keeping in mind, the devil's in the details, let's get started.

The most important thing that will keep you safe is a good, quality brain bucket. For the Spring and the Fall, I really like using a full-face helmet. It keeps the wind off my face in the mornings, and the afternoons aren't quite hot enough yet where I'll start to sweat. But to help combat that, one feature that this helmet has are the vents on the top and the bottom. That in the morning, I can close and stay warm, in the afternoons, I can open up and be good.

Another feature that I like is often times in the morning when we're riding to work, there's a nice glare coming off the sun. And this helmet has a nice sun visor that comes down like that and can pop back up. Lastly, in the Spring and the Fall, when the mornings do start to get chilly, our breath condenses and it can be cold and it can fog, if you're a person like me, wearing glasses, and then we can't see. A feature of this helmet that I really like, is the breath guard. It's gonna direct all that hot air down and out, rather than up and into the helmet.

Moving on. A leather jacket is as synonymously biker culture as Harley Davidson. I guarantee all of you probably have one in your closet, but it's really, again, the devil is in the details on what a jacket can and can't do. This is the jacket that I wear in the Spring and the Fall. One thing that I really like about this jacket is you can zip it all the way up in the mornings and it's very wind-proof, it's very warm.

And in the afternoon, when the sun's been out, it's starting to warm up a little bit, I can zip it down and comfortably ride with a little more ventilation. Now also keep in mind, anything that's not buttoned down, sewn down, taped down, or anything, is gonna flap and get annoying, and possibly distracting and dangerous. That's why, when you're buying a leather jacket, make sure you focus on features like the buttons. This one has buttons to snap the collar down, that way it's not flapping in the wind and distracting me while I'm riding. Another feature I really like about this jacket is the under the arm zippers.

Now these zippers, in the morning, again, I can have them closed and I have a nice, warm, wind-proof ride. In the afternoons, I'll unzip them and get a little breeze in there and enjoy the warm. Lastly, and something you may not think about. When buying a leather jacket, the fit is one of the most important things. A properly fitted jacket will provide you with warmth and will provide you with safety.

An ill-fitted, or a jacket that is too big, can billow, letting cold air up in and also, if you should go down, it can slide up, exposing your skin to pavement. Completely defeating the purpose of a leather jacket. Moving on down to pants. Leather chaps are about the best abrasion resistant material you can have on the bottom half of your body. However, they're not always gonna be the most practical.

They're bulky, they can be uncomfortable, and if you're like me and you ride to work, what are you gonna do with them during the day? And riding home in the afternoon, they can get a little hot. That's why I love a good pair of motorcycle designed denim jeans. Now you can see, I have one leg inside out and one leg ride side out. Now these I can wear all day and look completely normal, while being completely protected.

Now these are more on the budget side. Where the Kevlar is actually only in the slide areas. The back, the sides, and the knees. Now, you can upgrade to a more expensive Kevlar pant and have full Kevlar throughout, while it doesn't get as bulky as a chap would. Now, if you want to really spend some money, it does get expensive, but Dyneema is a fantastic fabric that people have started weaving into denim jeans.

Dyneema is 15 times stronger than steel on a weight ratio, with Kevlar only being about five times stronger than steel. So, if you're looking for the best, go with Dyneema. If you're looking for more of a budget option, I enjoy Kevlar. Going on to the boots. People say, boots are boots.

I don't think they could be more wrong. Boots are one of the most important things and they will protect you in a crash and keep you warm. These boots are lined, so they're gonna keep my feet nice and warm in the Spring and the Fall. Also keep in mind, that you're gonna wanna have an oil-resistant sole in the event you come up with oil at a traffic light. Lastly but not least, are the gloves.

Gloves come in all different shapes and sizes. One finger, two fingers, three fingers, mittens, textiles, leathers, and different kinds of leathers too. A leather that I'm a big fan of is deer skin leather. Now, deer skin leather is one of those things that it will shape to your hand over time. As with a leather jacket, a glove, a fit, is most important.

I oftentimes go a size down on leather gloves when I'm buying deer skin, because I know that they will shrink to my hands over time. One thing also, get a nice insulated glove to keep you warm on those cold Spring mornings. Deer skin, another great thing, is they have great abrasion resistance, should you go down in a slide. Now, these are a couple things that you might have not thought about when looking and shopping for Spring and Fall riding gear. Keep in mind that you have to look good, you have to feel good, but you also have to be safe.

So, using some of these tips and tricks can help you achieve all three. Thank you so much for watching Fix My Hog. Ride safe, wrench safe, and we'll see you real soon.