South West Bikers | Motorcycle Forum

OK so I ignored all your advice and got a Deauville anyway. Maybe now you could all share your wisdom on clothing with me and I can ignore that as well!

Basically it comes down to summer clothing. Thanks to last winter I am fine in the cold and wet now with multiple layers topped by armour textiles. I'm fine for bike nights and bimbles with leathers top (thanks Badger) and bottom which don't look too out of place on a tourer. I will wear kevlar jeans and a leather jacket for slow, short stuff although the skin often crawls on my legs when I do. The worked for my recent off but I am still not completely convinced.

What do I wear on a 1000 mile ride to and from the UlsterGP? Might be blazing, might be hot and wet. Little spare luggage space so the more flexible the better. The conclusion I have come to is cotton/wicking layer under, something armoured but ventilated over and carry waterproof top layer for when it is cooler or wet. Am I right? I did try on a mesh armour top but couldn't see the armour staying in place if I was skidding across the tarmac again.

Bonus points if the solution is also OK for daily commuting. Not having to change clothes twice a day would be great. Outer layer comes off and I'm ready to go - ideal. Again no problem in the winter when I wear lined and armoured waterproof textiles so it doesn't really matter what I wear under. In the summer though those are way to heavy and hot.

Well-vented boots are on the list as well because the only blood from my accident was due to wearing short ones for coolness. My Sidi's are OK in the dry but not in the rain.

Thanks in advance.

EDit: I am not a rich man! I'll spend a few hundred on each (trousers, jacket, boots) if I have to but everything I spend means less on other stuff. The £50 merlin boots I was wearing were comfortable, waterproof and accident proof just not long enough. Guess what might be top of my list to replace them;-)

Merino Wool from a company like 'Icebreaker' is your best bet for a baselayer, it is fast drying, keeps you warm when wet and does not smell when it is hot and sweaty! "Cotton kills" goes a saying if it gets wet you get cold...and die? Or at the very least you would be very miserable!

Can't help much with the armour I am afraid sorry! I always wear my 1 piece and a good back protector but I can't afford much else at the moment to go lighter a mate of mine wears Alpinestars upper body armour. I also carry an upper pull on waterproof for warmth and wet, not a full body suit as I find I slide all over the seat, I would rather get a bit damp and have control.

Thanks and good point. I hate sliding around so if there is a solution for that as well bring it on...

It all depends on budget. If you are happy with your leathers, just get a 1-piece oversuit large enough to go over them. If you have the budget for more new clothing, then a decent set of textile trousers and jacket, with armour built in. Have a look at the likes of J&S as they sell a lot of "previous years" styles at bargain prices. Plymouth will be your nearest, but they do Mail Order too.

I tend to use a textile jacket with leather trousers, and carry a 1-piece oversuit if going longer distance, or waterproof over trousers otherwise. Don't forget there's generally enough room under the seat for waterproofs (on a touring bike).

One point on solely using textiles - if it pee's down one day, even if they do not leak, you will still be putting on wet clothes the following day. Using a 1-piece oversuit means the normal jacket/trousers stay dry.

leather every time.

you say jeans and jacket for slow/short journeys, put some shorts on and just take a running slide on the pavement.


yes, leathers get sticky, man up, it's only sweat :0)

It's only sweat for a few hours. After that it's heatstroke and stench. Over a three day 600 mile trip it could ruin a holiday. Mind you so could losing the skin off your legs.

I do get what you say about leather but life is a compromise and the thought of sitting on the Thruxton bank in leathers in August...

pack shorts

I'm taking a woman - think I'll have room for shorts?

hmmmmmmmmmmm, stick them in her handbag - they have room for all manner of shit in those

Are you camping or B and B'ing? Are you stopping in one place as a base and then to and from or new place each night?

The answer to those questions allows for some flexibility in what you wear. But I would agree with Si for the long rides, leather trousers and jackets with oversuit packed easy to grab ( Moose +1 ), then if you are in B+B as base use your jeans + leather Jacket for going to and from UlsterGP day and Thruxton.
Decent touring boots, with gore tex inner and Calf height protection are a good boot option. Spend your money on decent boots and mix and match what clothing you already own, your Jacket is definitly good quality, so I don't think you need to worry about buying more clothes. Again as mentioned before Graham22 went down to Portugal and South of France using his standard ( but good quality) leather trousers and Jacket, a bit sweaty, but not to heatstroke/ dehydration levels. Touring UK and Ireland is unlikely to counter those temperatures on a daily basis.

We will be B&B or relatives every night so hopefully we'll be doing what you say. I'll also be changing what I take depending on the forecast. As you say it is rare to get very hot weather but if there is a chance of it I may drop the leathers in favour of some mesh gear maybe like this stuff:

http://www.getgeared.co.uk/rev-it-jacke ... e-sil-neon" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Nowhere near as cool in terms of looks of course.

It's rarely too hot for leathers in this country, especially Ireland where it will rain.

2 pce leathers for me, a couple of base layers under a jacket with the thermal liner removed at this time of year. Plus an aged Rukka 1 piece over suit - has never leaked, usually bungeed on top of what ever's on the rack. If it's looking like rain I'll pack some waterproof socks. Try & pack a spare pair of gloves too.

For short journeys when you're there, then decent quality jeans with the bike boots underneath - I don't imagine a Deauville rider will be a skinny jeans wearer!

Leather jacket, jeans & DC shoes for the walking to the pub in the evening - no point taking DM/Cat boots as they take up too much room, stuff spare pants/sock in shoes whilst packing or even buy new from Asda/Tesco/Sports Direct when you're there & bin them after (or a variation of taking a few days supply of old/returning with new).

If you're staying with relatives, why not post a mid-week change of clothes to them & get the worn ones posted back - but then again could always use the washing machine!

ETA - cycling shorts under the leathers, padding is handy & they are cooler than sitting & watching the racing in leathers.

Also Thruxton, a group of us got blisters on the backs of our legs one year, not sure if weed killer was used or some nasty plant was growing, poss consider something to sit on (eg unlined waterproofs!).

You think I can't pull off skinny jeans and then suggest I wear cycling kit! I'm guessing you are only saying that because you won't be at Thruxton this year to suffer that sight!

Thanks for the rest. I already am too hot in leathers (dehydrated Bristol to Falmouth and that was in the evening with just a t-shirt under and no lining). I'd still rather suffer for the protection though but if we get a real hot spell it would be too much. Remember that Deauville keeps the wind off really well.

We are hoping to get up to Castle Combe this weekend and will stay overnight up there leaving stuff ready for August. Like you say buying stuff is always an option.

Cheers Graham, never having done long distance touring I took the liberty of quoting what you'd told me as it was always sensible advice!

And in your usual style then Martin, you'll ignore all this and just go with the comedy Clown outfit with oversized shoes for added foot protection

Even if I go with something no one recommended at least I will do it in an educated way!

I'm quite happy with Grahams list as long as the forecast is average. If it's hot I'm still thinking of spending some money. I might even go with Graham (in a way of speaking) and use the leathers for the first two days then re-think if necessary (at Bristol where we can get to J&S, Fowlers etc.). We'll have more idea after this weekend if we do go to Castle Combe.