Technical Gear versus Horsehide on a long trip.

[oneterrifichog]

Well my wife and I just returned from a bit of a trip. Chattanooga to Glacier National Park to Sturgis and back... NO TRAILERING ALLOWED

We decided on Tech Gear versus traditional leather. We were riding and camping so this made it easier and less space as we were carrying a tent, 2 sleeping bags, 2 air mattresses, Jet boil camp stove, food and clothes so space was limited for the bike.

As much as I would have liked to wear some serious horse the Tech gear really proved to be the best move. Out of the 14 days we were riding it rained at one time or another most days. The Tech gear could be folded away in intense heat and with the "Draggin Jeans" (Kevlar Lined) we still felt like we were covering our asses.

We wore shorts under the riding pants so when we got to our campsite we could simply strip off the gear and start setting up no problem. It helps that Joselyn was a former Girl Scout leader too.

I have to admit though it sure was nice wearing a leather jacket today after taking the bike out for a post 5,061 mile clean up ride.

Here's a couple of shots:

All in All just a damn fine trip for both of us!

 

[ProteinNerd]

There is no shame in using the right gear for the situation....looks like it was a really nice trip.

 

[Azog]

Beautiful scenery in pic5. I'm not a rider but that looks to me about as good as it gets. Looks like you had a great time.

 

[HoosierDaddy]

What fun it is!! My favorite part of retirement!
HD

 

[oneterrifichog]

Beautiful scenery in pic5. I'm not a rider but that looks to me about as good as it gets. Looks like you had a great time.

Glacier National Park is called "America's Alps" for all the right reasons. This was on the "Riding to the Sun" road. Joselyn took the photos while we were riding and I kept my eye on the road. Yes we did have a great time!

 

[Meerkat]

my personal choice for coming off and skittling down the road is leather and the thicker the better, By technical I suppose you mean textiles with armour which are far more comfortable especially in heat and with detachable linings are more versatile so it is a question of informed choice after that.....

 

[oneterrifichog]

What fun it is!! My favorite part of retirement!
HD

Still working but this was definitely worth it! We tried to take mainly back roads to really get a feel for America's heartland and I have to say there were places in Wyoming and Montana where we pulled off the road to change gear and we heard not one blessed thing...total silence. No cars nothing....it was wonderful.

 

[oneterrifichog]

my personal choice for coming off and skittling down the road is leather and the thicker the better, By technical I suppose you mean textiles with armour which are far more comfortable especially in heat and with detachable linings are more versatile so it is a question of informed choice after that.....

Yep that is what I meant. At 90 to 100+ degrees leather just could not be an option. Plus we were running into rolling thunderstorms all the time so the tech gear being rain proof made it simpler; no stopping to put on extra gear and frankly there was no space for rain gear which really added to the decision.

 

[Fanch]

Wilbur, glad you and Joselyn made it back OK. Those were great pictures. I have made that same trip too but in transportation with four wheels rather than two.

 

[oneterrifichog]

Wilbur, glad you and Joselyn made it back OK. Those were great pictures. I have made that same trip too but in transportation with four wheels rather than two.

Thanks Richard:

This was really a celebration marathon for Joselyn. She decided to come along when I asked her in June. It was her first time on the bike in over a year the day we left.

She did great!!

 

[Worf]

Looks like fun! Of course your "bike" is bigger than my first apartment but that's neither here nor there. You answered my question about technical wear. Never heard the term before. For all Harley Riders Sturgis is a must I suppose. Have you done Bike week as well? I've been caught in a couple of Americades and actually played the Harley Rendevous when it was still an "outlaw" affair. Given the temps I'da went technical as well.

Thanks for sharing...

Worf

 

[t-ray]

Call me a Luddite, but I still ride in leather. The new textile gear may be more practical, but man is it f'ugly. To me it either looks like baggy rain gear, or mesh that is suspiciously like the string vests my grand-dad used to wear in the old country !

Yes I'm the dumb Englishman who lives in Canada and thought it would be fun to ride my bike through Death Valley in August, and visit the canyons of Utah in mid-summer on a different trip. Both times I wore my competition weight Vanson leather Traveller pants and Cobra jacket (both in heat attracting black). They fit like a glove, offer serious protection, and are bearable because of the vented leather.

Yesterday I got back from a quick 4 day foray on the back roads of Washington and Oregon to Hells Canyon. I wore my new-to-me brown Vanson PLU-3 cafe racer, and .... JEANS !! For the first time I convinced my self that I was more mature and mellow, and would not be dragging knees in the twisties anymore. I learned a couple of things: The desire to bank the Triumph into turns at a spirited pace has not diminished with age; Jeans are cooler than leather pants but hitting bees, wasps and other flying objects at 70 mph hurts more; and the heat from the engine in heavy traffic gets to your skin way quicker.

Yes, the new textiles appear better and more practical, but nah, I'm sticking to my leathers. Glad the OP had a great trip and is happy with his choice of gear.

 

[Meerkat]

Call me a Luddite, but I still ride in leather. The new textile gear may be more practical, but man is it f'ugly. To me it either looks like baggy rain gear, or mesh that is suspiciously like the string vests my grand-dad used to wear in the old country !

Yes I'm the dumb Englishman who lives in Canada and thought it would be fun to ride my bike through Death Valley in August, and visit the canyons of Utah in mid-summer on a different trip. Both times I wore my competition weight Vanson leather Traveller pants and Cobra jacket (both in heat attracting black). They fit like a glove, offer serious protection, and are bearable because of the vented leather.

Yesterday I got back from a quick 4 day foray on the back roads of Washington and Oregon to Hells Canyon. I wore my new-to-me brown Vanson PLU-3 cafe racer, and .... JEANS !! For the first time I convinced my self that I was more mature and mellow, and would not be dragging knees in the twisties anymore. I learned a couple of things: The desire to bank the Triumph into turns at a spirited pace has not diminished with age; Jeans are cooler than leather pants but hitting bees, wasps and other flying objects at 70 mph hurts more; and the heat from the engine in heavy traffic gets to your skin way quicker.

Yes, the new textiles appear better and more practical, but nah, I'm sticking to my leathers. Glad the OP had a great trip and is happy with his choice of gear.

Now surely there arnt any shop windows in Death Valley for self admiration lol ..thats just me being jealous but in a traffic concentrated environment ,,varying light qualities ...and sheer number of pockets I'd opt for my 'Stich over my leathers..nice reflective features...map pocket...and removal in 30 seconds....functionality aces fashion in biking every time hee .

 

[oneterrifichog]

Looks like fun! Of course your "bike" is bigger than my first apartment but that's neither here nor there. You answered my question about technical wear. Never heard the term before. For all Harley Riders Sturgis is a must I suppose. Have you done Bike week as well? I've been caught in a couple of Americades and actually played the Harley Rendevous when it was still an "outlaw" affair. Given the temps I'da went technical as well.

Thanks for sharing...

Worf

Hi Worf:

Yes we have gone to Daytona Bike Week several times and that was down in Daytona so fairly short trip from Chattanooga. Leathers always cause it's the first week in March and heat is not the problem.

 

[oneterrifichog]

Now surely there arnt any shop windows in Death Valley for self admiration lol ..thats just me being jealous but in a traffic concentrated environment ,,varying light qualities ...and sheer number of pockets I'd opt for my 'Stich over my leathers..nice reflective features...map pocket...and removal in 30 seconds....functionality aces fashion in biking every time hee .

Don't get me wrong if we could have used leathers we would have. After all we were on a Harley. The First Gear technical gear just worked better for this trip. We could use the jacket and pants throughout without having to carry much clothing other than T- Shirts, shorts and undergarments. The exception was one pair each of Draggin Jeans because they were cooler for dry days. Our issue was packing out the bike correctly for weight issues so we could travel as light as possible. I too love the "Twisties" and did not want an overweight bike as we travelled all those back roads up through the west side of Glacier and back down the east side not to mention all the other really cool places like Wyoming, Nebraska and of course South Dakota. We tried to stay away from the expressways except on the return.

Note the shot below we had removed our jackets and netted them on the back of the bag on the pizza box but still were very light compared to some of the crazy packing we saw as we came into Sturgis. I think this was on US 89 coming down through the Black Feet Reservation.

 

[ButteMT61]

Wilbur, thanks for posting and th gear write up. I think leather is great - even in extreme heat. Where it goes south fast is in rain and yes,,snow. Nothing beats good textile gear when it's wet and/or cold. I use an electric vest for the cold and wear just a long sleeve T under it.
It surely doesn't look as good as leather IMO, but when I'm riding for long distances. Looks are second to comfort. Well done.

 

[Peacoat]

Looks like a great time. Glad Joselyn was up for the trip. Congratulations to both of you.

 

[t-ray]

Now surely there arnt any shop windows in Death Valley for self admiration lol ..thats just me being jealous but in a traffic concentrated environment ,,varying light qualities ...and sheer number of pockets I'd opt for my 'Stich over my leathers..nice reflective features...map pocket...and removal in 30 seconds....functionality aces fashion in biking every time hee .

Map Pocket, Map Pocket ?? Who still uses a map ?? Actually I do, but I wear leathers too !
I thought all you modern riders with your new fangled textile, velcroed, vented, 3M'ed, electric, mesh, air-conditioned, waterproof suits would have GPS on your bikes !!!

Also, I don't need no shop windows - if I mount my GoPro backwards on the lip of my screen I can huddle in my pup tent at the end of the day, press "play", and admire just how damn good a set of quality leathers look on a man !

I admit it, on paper textiles come out tops in terms of practicality. But if I wanted practicality I'd drive a Toyota Echo * on these trips, not a motorcycle ! It's all good, each to their own.

* Oh, and I mean no direspect to Toyota Echo drivers.

 

[ButteMT61]

Doth protesteth too much.

 

[t-ray]

Yeah, I'll shut up now. But it got me to 15 Posts !!