Motorcycle gear and riding tips in hot climate

Being a year-round rider, I've encountered my fair share of both cold and hot weather conditions. Since riding with full protective equipment, or ATGATT (all the gear all the time), is always the best alternative for safety, I've learned how to keep cool while riding in hot weather.



Your body modulates heat. As sweat is released from the body on the surface of the skin, evaporation occurs. Evaporation is the principal way by which sweat cools the body, and it works by the principle of"latent heat of vaporization." Latent heat is the amount of heat absorbed or released when a material, like water, changes state, like from liquid to vapor. One gram or milliliter of water requires about 580 calories of energy to vaporize. So, as sweat vaporizes, it pulls heat out of the body, cooling down you.



My riding jacket and motorbike pants are made of Pekev fabric, which vents nicely while protecting me from the sun. Once you get moving, you'll be thankful for that sweat.

This can be explained through a process called convection. Convection is the transfer of energy by means of moving air that encircles the body. When the air and the skin are at different temperatures, heat transfer occurs from the area of greater temperature toward the area of lower temperature. As heat is pulled from the body by means of evaporation via perspiration, it warms the atmosphere directly around the epidermis. The wind pulls this air away from the skin, continuously replacing it with cooler air, thus continuously extracting heat from the surface of the epidermis. This is often called wind chill. Unfortunately, once the air temperature is above 93°F, the end will actually heat up your system.



In a sort of reverse wind chill, once the air temperature is greater than the skin temperature, then you will understand the opposite impact. As you travel at high speeds in high heat, the amount of heat entering the body through convection radically raises. An individual might think that wearing more clothing in such heat would be a bad idea, however, the opposite is true. The quantity of heat that needs to be lost via evaporation, or perspiration, also needs to increase.

Tips for Riding Cool During Summer:

In such high-heat conditions, I wear a long-sleeved, tight-fitting motorcycle shirt made of Pekev® light liner material. I understand that it appears counter-intuitive to wear long sleeves, however as long as you have air moving across the cloth, it is going to work great. Think about this evaporation process described previously.


As sweat evaporates, it takes the human body heat with it. Moisture-wicking material draws sweat away from your system to be evaporated through the top, helping the cooling procedure. Conventional materials can easily trap sweat near the skin, limiting evaporation.


The key to these materials is air flow. When there's absolutely no air motion over the material, then the top will get oversaturated, and sweat will not evaporate.

Conclusion

Riding in really hot weather is not bad once you're prepared for this. Remember to hydrate, keep your skin protected, and steer clear of hazards. Do not let the warmth weaken you to the point at which you are not completely attentive to traffic conditions and the street. Essentially, you must consider the way your body will take care of the heat. Reducing the effects of convection, through covering up and wetting down, will lower the total amount of heat that your body must deal with through evaporation.

Hot weather usually means lots of sun exposure, so get some good sunglasses or even a darkened visor to prevent headaches caused by sunlight glare.

Ride safe. Ride aware.

To get the best motorcycle apparel in Australia visit Resurgence gear

Also Read: Motorcycle Clothing Washing and Maintenance Tips

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