Summer Riding Gear

How's it going Everybody? My name's Nate Beck and you're watching Fix My Hog. Today We're here to talk about summer riding apparel. Summer riding is prime time to be a motorcyclist. And there's little better than watching the sunset in summer from the seat of a Harley Davidson. Now keep in mind, summer comes and it's warm. We still need to be safe on a motorcycle, so what I'm gonna do today is walk you through some of the gear that I use when I ride to help keep me safe but also keep me comfortable. On the top, a good quality brain bucket. In the summer, I'll swap out my full face for a 3/4 face because I love the feeling of a warm wind on my face, but I also know I have to be safe and this provides both. This is a fairly simple helmet. It has no features other than some buttons to snap a face shield on and it has served me well for years. Moving down the line, leather jackets are synonymous with motorcycle culture. However, they're not exactly practical in the summer and can get a little hot and bulky. That's why I often opt for my Kevlar jacket. This Kevlar jacket is fully lined front, back and arms with Kevlar. On a more economical scale, you can find them for a little bit cheaper but the catalog is only going to be in slide areas, elbows, shoulders and sometimes the back. Another feature to look for when you're buying a jacket are armor pockets. This jacket features a nice big back armor protector that I can slide in that will protect my spine in the event of a crash. It also comes with pockets for shoulder protection. Now, keep in mind with a jacket anything that is not buttoned down, Sewn down taped down is gonna to be flapping and annoying so when you're looking at jackets, it's really important to check out your button placement and one place that a button placement is key and often overlooked is the collar. This jacket comes with buttons on the collar. That'll keep it down and out of my face. Moving on down. Chaps are about as synonymous with motorcycle culture as a leather jacket. However, especially if you're living in the South they're completely impractical and way too hot and bulky. That's why in the summer, I like a motorcycle denim jean. Motorcycle denim specific jeans have been around since the late nineties and have only gotten better. This we see are motorcycle jean right side out and inside out. Right side out You can wear this all day comfortably and look good. Now with this particular jean, we have Kevlar coverage only in the areas that we will probably hit in the event of a crash, the back, the sides and the knees. Now, if you want to spend a little bit more money you can get a Kevlar riding Jean that will have Kevlar throughout the pant and provide more protection, but keep in mind Kevlar is thin and it's not that uncomfortable so that is also a great option. Now, if you want to go really high end there is a texture called Dyneema. Dyneema is 15 times stronger than steel when based on a weight ratio. Kevlar comes in around five times stronger than steel so if you have the money and you want to be the best protected check out a good pair of Dyneema pants. Moving on to boots. People say boots are boots, but they couldn't be more wrong. A good pair of boots can save you often in a crash. These boots are the ones I prefer in the summer because they are unlined. I do not like my feet sweating and often times with the lime boot that can happen in the summer. As always make sure that the boot that you choose has an oil resistant sole. cars and trucks and leave some nasty things on the road and often oil, which can get slippery when trying to hold up a 500, 600 pound bike. Lastly, let's focus on gloves. Gloves come in all different shapes and sizes and in the summer, it is still important to wear a glove. Keep in mind if you happen to go down. The first thing you're gonna do is stick your hand out to try to break your fall. One thing that's really important on your summer riding gloves is the palm. You want a good quality padded palm because in the event of a crash the first thing you're going to do is stick your hand out. Having a good quality padded palm is going to save your hands from road rash and expensive medical bills And also it's a good vibration resistant to to keep you riding longer without your hands going numb. These are just a couple of your options in the vast multitude of options you have in summer riding gear. The most important thing to remember is you need to be comfortable, but you also need to be safe and with the technology available today, there's no reason you can't have both. Have a great summer riding. We'll see you on the road and you've watched Fix My Hog.