Hot Weather Riding Gear

[jmilucky]

Sunday, Leeanne and I rode with Goldwing friends, Bill and Sharon. We had stops at River Ranch, Dairy Queen in Sebring and Hammock State Park. Temperatures ranged from 88 to 95 degree's.

Bill has written a wonderful analysis of cooling gear in place and my comments follow below. This was a typical day leaving at (9AM and returning 7:30PM. Florida has 123 days of 90 or better [to make up for the lack of snow].

Hope the attachment works,

Jim



Bill,


Your analysis as usual is complete and I agree with the bang for buck conclusion you reach. I have used the low end version of the cooling vests successfully for years – the trick is to reload [dunk in the cooler] at each stop.


Based on the 90+ degree temps we ride in, my biggest concern are the Noland helmets that offer no cooling at all. Formerly the old KBC helmets had much greater air flow and combined with the other techniques made the day long rides tolerable.


Regarding the cold pack insert vests, I would have this to offer. If they can be recharged during the day and out of pocket cost is not a deterrent, then they really do cool best. After riding two hours neither Leeanne nor I were hot or sweaty. These vests really keep you cool. The limitation is the recharging during a day ride. I think if we could have dunked them in one of the bag ice coolers found at the quickstops, for 20’, we would have enjoyed them throughout the day.


Thanks for you call regarding my recovery – the arm is already healing and I expect to be back in the saddle by the weekend. We really enjoyed the ride and tour of River Ranch and of course my compliments to the Grill Master!!



Jim

[jmilucky]

I may need instructions on attachments - I couldn't get the file to download,

Jim

[mrfuni]

"Thanks for you call regarding my recovery – the arm is already healing..."

OK Jim, what's the story behind the arm? Couldn't open the attachment, maybe the answer is there?

[jmilucky]

Originally Posted by Joe (mrfuni) #250

"Thanks for you call regarding my recovery – the arm is already healing..."

OK Jim, what's the story behind the arm? Couldn't open the attachment, maybe the answer is there?

I need attachment instructions.

The arm? Oh this is good - after 7 hours of 90+ temperatures, my thinking wasn't so sharp. I pulled in next to Leeanne to get gas. Leaned wing over. Wing leaned farther than it should have [that happens when you forget to put the kickstand down]. I try to stop wing from falling - so much for left arm.

Muscles are sore but healing. Wing was left with a broken plastic piece inside the mirror section. Other than that - everyone's ok.


Here's Bill's article less the pictures:

An Evaluation of Cooling Technology for Motorcyclists

During a recent August trip to Sebring, Jim, Leanne, Sharyn and I had an opportunity to evaluate various personal cooling technology available to motorcycle riders. The equipment we evaluated is listed below in the order of most expensive to lease expensive.

1. Cool Vest – (cold pack inserts)
2. Cool Vest – (evaporative)
3. Helmet Pad – (cold pack)
4. Cool Towel – (evaporative)
5. Cool Bandana – (evaporative)


Cool Vest – (cool pack inserts)
Jim and Leeanne recently purchased new cool vests that are based on cold pack technology. The vests were developed for soldiers, firemen, policemen, hunters and various sportsmen. These vests have a total of three custom inserts that are pre-cooled in a refrigerator prior to use. During use, the gel packs conform to your body. The vest, with packs installed, is a little heavy and looks like a flack jacket or body armor. The salesman told Jim and Leeanne they would cool for 8 hours. The field test showed they kept the rider very comfortable but only for about 2 hours when the outside air was in the mid-90’s. The vests are pricey at $240 on their web site. Jim and Leeanne said they got theirs for about $150 each. The company even makes cool vests for dogs. For more details, check out their web site.

50 Degree company
315 Stan Drive
Melbourne, Fl
321-956-0050
50degree.com






Cool Vest – (evaporative)
Jim and Leeanne loaned Sharyn and I their older evaporative style cool vests. Many riders have invested is these over the years. The salt insert is activated by wetting the vest. This allows them to be reactivated quickly. After wetting, the vest has a slimy feeling. I wetted my vest in the rest room at River Ranch and made a mess on their floors as I tried to carry it outside without loosing too much water. I wore the vest under my Tourmaster jacket. Without moving, the vest quickly becomes a heater. Riding with the vest produced some cooling but not a significant improvement. The vests are often advertised for $35 in Wing World or $45 at Daytona Helmet Shop.

Wingstuff Helmet Shop
800-260-4050 800-630-6434
Wingstuff.com helmetshop.com



Helmet Pad – (cool pack)
Jim and Leeanne also loaned me a helmet pad. This cold pack fits in the top of your helmet, under the padding. I wore the unit for a few hours but I really could not tell that it was up there. I could not detect any appreciable cooling. Leeanne said she could tell when hers was in place. The 50 Degree Company in Melbourne advertises these. The helmet shop in Dayton advertises a similar product that works on an evaporative technology.

50 Degree company Helmet Shop
315 Stan Drive 800-630-6434
Melbourne, Fl helmetshop.com
321-956-0050
50degree.com

Cooling Towel – (evaporative)
Frogg Toggs now offers an evaporative towel called a “Chilly Pad”. Sharyn and I wet our towels in our cooler and then place them on our backs under our Joe Rocket style jackets. These bring significant relief for an hour or more. Reactivating them is as easy as immerging them for a couple of minutes in the cooler (water) while you stop for gas or a restroom break. We bought ours at a Bass Pro Shop (Memphis). A check of the Frogg Togg web site shows they are presently out of stock; so they must be popular.

Bass Pro Shop Frogg Toggs.com


Cooling Bandana – (evaporative)
The neck bandanas have been used by many riders over the years. These evaporative bandanas offer a small amount of cooling for a short time. Recharging is achieved by immerging them for a couple of minutes in the cooler (water). We bought our bandanas from Wal-Mart. They are usually available for $3 to $6. At a recent Bike Fest in Plant City, a vendor had bandanas soaking in his ice tub along with soft drinks. They were only $3, pre-cooled and ready to go. This was as relieving as a bottle of cold water.

Wal-Mart

Miscellaneous
Other personal cooling equipment is also sold but was not available for evaluation. At the recent ERC, one member had a cool vest with liquid coolant from his ice cooler being circulated through his (and his co-rider) vest. His system had two aquarium pumps in his cooler, with individual controllers that sent coolant through tygon tubing to each rider. These probably give excellent cooling for a few hours, but I suspect they are expensive, deplete the cooler ice quickly, and the pumps take up room normally used for water or soft drinks.

Summary

Normally a technical evaluation should be based on test data but this was not possible for this equipment. This evaluation is very subjective and based solely on my review of the products. Based on my findings, the inexpensive Frogg Toggs Chilly Pad is the best relief for the money. The bandanas were the next best value. Neither vest seemed to provide enough cooling to justify their cost. The cooling vests with the ice pack inserts could be worth investigating if they could improve their technology to get more than 2 hours relief. Two hours for $250 is no where near my break-even point.

A summary of my findings are provided in the following table:

Item Technique Cost Cooling Time Relative Value
Cool Vest Cold packs $150 to $250 2 hrs Low
Cool Vest Evaporative $35 to $45 1 Low
Helmet Pad Cold pack $25 0 Low
Cool towel Evaporative $12 to $15 1+ High
Cool bandana Evaporative $3 to $6 1+ Medium

[MikeInFla]

Wing was left with a broken plastic piece inside the mirror section.

All the more reason for a wrench party.