Leaving on a trip from Wisconsin through the western states 1st week of June returning Mid July. Lots of mountains and some deserts. I think there will be a pretty wide range of temps. Question: Do I wear the Kili and Tex pants or wear the mesh gear and bring layers and my rain gear. Not sure what extreme will dominate the temp range and whether I will appreciate the waterproof gear with out having to mess with putting on the rain gear. Riding a DL 1000 Thanks for the input
during that trip, I'd imagine you'll see a really wide range of temperatures. probably from 30s and 40s at night in The Rockies in early June, to 100s during the day down in Utah, Nevada, and Arizona in July. Just in Colorado during June, it could be 40 at night and 80 during the day. Afternoon rain showers is pretty common in The Rockies in June. For example: when I was in Colorado in June 2009, During the Colorado Classic 1000, I had my rain gear on four times. The high was in Aspen in the afternoon, where it was more than 80 degrees. The low was at the finish in Crested Butte that night, where it was 35 degrees and raining/sleeting. Later that week, there were daily thundershowers in Denver, and daily rain showers in Salida... Except for the ride days to and from Colorado, I think I had my rain gear on at least some of every day of that 10 day trip.
Long trip rule of thumb : take everything you've got & use half of it I got my 1st mesh jacket this summer & from now on it goes anywhere there are possible hot days. As to rain gear my main jacket/pants have Gore-tex liners & thats always along too. Gerbings only if it "can be" cold. I forgot- I now wear a hi-viz mesh safety vest over whatever jacket I have on . A cheaper route than a new hi-viz jacket/s and cheap to replace when it fades.
The average daily temperature will vary by at least 50 degrees. I've seen it vary by as much as 80 degrees. You will need layers you can add or take off during the day. I like a mesh jacket and pants with liners and an electric jacket, which will save a lot of room compared to enough bulk to keep you as warm. You will also need a couple pairs of gloves. One insulated and one mesh or plain leather. I have a Cortech Transition 3 jacket. It has the water/windproof zip off outer cover, then the mesh, and then an insulated liner. It works pretty well for any condition. I always bring rain grear. The liners for mesh cloths is only for wind or a very light rain.
When I ride the whole distance(snow dependent decision) from KY to the MX border, my summer mesh, even with electrics wouldn't be enough as mine has non closeable mesh & the wind chill will make for unsafe riding. Hypothermia is dangerous to your health! I just try to go light on the other stuff & take all the various layers even though they only get used in the colder USA states.
+1 High mountain passes and campgrounds can get quite chilly/cold that early in the summer, as there is usually lots of snow left up there. If you have some sort of a fairing/bush guards, grip heaters come in very handy, with no need to pack extra heated gloves. A heated jacket liner can also double as an insulating layer around camp, as well. These shots were taken in late June, in the mountains Beartooth - June 22 Bighorns - June 20 Glacier NP - the Going To The Sun Road was still close halfway up due to snow still clogging Logan Pass - June 24 Yet, down in the lower elevations, it can be very warm .... near Potlatch, ID. - June 15 Recommendation: - take your mesh gear with rain/windproof liner and heated jacket liner, plus your rain suit. That combination will take you comfortably through all the varying weather conditions that you will encounter. Dusty
Yep, expect huge temp swings. We rode in a snowstorm the end of June over Red Mountain Pass, it was awesome.
I was thinkin' I am going to UPS some clothes to wear around the Bay area for and event I will attend and to have some fresh clothes for my week break from riding. Maybe I should ship the mesh gear at that time as well. I could then be more properly equipped for the second half of my ride going in to July that will take me through the desert areas of Nevada and Utah and on through Colorado and back home Thanks for the input
Living in AZ I have a couple mesh jackets, I also have an Olympia Nomad All Season jacket. When moving the Olympia jacket keeps me cool enough and it has two zip in linings, one for rain and one for cold. When out the linings don't take up much space. I don't know how the zip in rain lining would work keeping you dry since I haven't had a chance to use it. But for coolness and warmth the jacket works fine. Chad
You are on the right track . Think of riding weather in Wisconsin on a cold day in early May and you should be in the range of coldest to expect. .Wear the mesh jacket and maybe jeans or mesh pants , and an impermeable outer shell in the form of rainsuit .Bring various under layers for warmth like fleece pants and sweater plus a heavy sweater . Then if you hit cooler weather simply add a layer of fleece or the sweater. You will be surprised how effective they alone can be to keep you comfortable. If temperature goes down farther pull on the rainsuit- even if it is sunny , and you will block out all the chilling wind and be cozy. Heated handgrips will keep your hands warm behind the DL1000 handguards , need only bring a set of summer gloves and cool weather gloves . Bring as little clothing as possible but make it multi-functional items. Sending stuff back home or ahead by courier is a bit of $$$$ overkill. If the folks you are planning to hang out with are going to object to the clothes you wear maybe you ought to reconsider the company you keep A mesh jacket with an amount of protective armour foam is a real space waster if you have to take it off and store it on the bike.Same goes for the dedicated riding coveralls withall the bells whistles ,buckles, zippers,pouches and carabiner hooks. Keep it on your body and it is perfect. Try storing it and you need a trailer . The setup I described keeps me warm without electric clothing and I have ridden for hours in freezing DRY weather down to -8C ( did wear thick mittens that ride) without getting chilled. If you do not already have heated handgrips ,get a set, aftermarket economy models go for around $40, the Suzuki stuff around $200. Your DL 1000 has a special power plug outlet dangling between the cylinder Vee which is designated for heated handgrips. and it is worked with the ignition key setup so no danger of accidentally draining the battery
If the folks you are planning to hang out with are going to object to the clothes you wear maybe you ought to reconsider the company you keep Yes I suppose I could show up for a wedding in my riding gear, my friends would actually be amused by this. But I think I will ship a few things non the less. Thanks for the tip on the grip heaters. I really have not even thought about this but it does seem like a good farkle for this bike and I ride in weather at either end of the season approaching freezing. The consenses here is mesh gear with layers and so it will be. Actually the liner from the Kiliminjaro makes a nice wind layer under the mesh jacket. Ride safe everyone
