HOT weather - your gear solution - comfort, protection, or skip the ride?

[Jim1955]

I always use a FF helmet, gloves, long jeans and actual boots or sneakers, never flip flops or sandals, and most of the time at least a light weight jacket.

[Flapjack]

in the summer, most days are jeans and a tank top, fingerless gloves (rubber on the grips gets sticky in the heat) skid lid and boots.

few years back was in a bad accident in august. was wearing dress slacks, shirt and dress shoes, skid lid. suffered broken bones, internal injuries, and such. 3" cut across forehead from the edge of helmet. only a couple roadrash spots about the size of a quarter.

either way, just more comfortable in jeans, otherwise i'd probably still do the dress clothes on trips to work.

[skyryder]

I live in central Florida, so there is that, but I either ride with all the gear, or don't ride at all. I can appreciate how having the wind in you hair can be fun, but I don't have hair so there is that. The decision for me came down to the knowledge, that at speed, the gear is probably not going to make a huge difference, but I suspect at slower speeds it will make a huge difference. I'd really feel like an idiot if I could have saved a fairly serious injury just by wearing a decent jacket, pants, boots, helmet and gloves. I got a sneak preview, when I was in an advanced riding class, going at a fast walk, stupidly pulled on the front brake trying to save a screwed up maneuver and laid my bike down. My head bounced off the pavement hard enough that I had to replace the helmet, I was convinced it was worth it. I was able to finish the class with nothing more than a bruised (okay mangled) ego, and a couple of small scratches on the crash bars. The pants and boots saved my legs from road rash and probably getting a nasty ankle injury. Those small scratches remind every time I ride about the front brake.