Clothing for europe in july

Clothing for europe trip in July

Have my first europe trip planned for July this year with the gf 2up on my fazer. Im having dramas about what gear is best to wear. We will most likely be taking textile jackets as they are waterproof and ventilated for the heat in south of france, not as safe as the leather but more practical i think.

Trousers tho are gettin me confused. We have draggin jeans and mesh type textiles. The plan being the dragging jeans are a multi-use thing so we have some casual wear and protective if we need them. The mesh trousers are light weight and will probably only be used in the hotter weather. Should we buy waterproof textile trousers or just go with the mesh + draggin jeans + waterproof overtrousers?

What do you lot take?

Cheers for your advice folks.

Dave

Textile jackets are just as safe as the leather if you have the armour in the back, shoulders and elbows. With mine the lining unzips and I have vents in it. Bearing in mind it can be lovely and warm when you stop but a bit chilly when you ride, so don`t expect to be boiling all the time.

I wear leather trousers all the time when I ride but I also have boxes on my bike so all my gear goes in there when I stop.

What luggage will you have on the bike?

Steve

Will have a 45 litre top box and 2No. 40ish litre panniers. We are carrying camping gear also so space is a nightmare. Ive had a quick trial pack (sad considering its not for 4 months lol) and we can fit all our own clothes into a pannier each, leaving the top box for sleeping bags and tent and hopefully cooking gear. Camping mats will have to be ontop of the top box.

Tank bag too but i really dont like riding with it full, just makes me feel clumsy and gets in the way. Hits the horn and starter button when doing slow tight manouvers as well lol.

Ill prob be taking my draggin jeans regardless as they will function as normal jeans. I like the mesh trousers as they fold up the same size as a pair of jeans so not taking up much space.

Basically, are textile trousers going to be roasty toasty? Its easier putting a pair of waterproof overtrousers over the jeans/mesh to stop the wind than sweating in something which cant be removed.

Im kind of convincing myself what i want here arent i? lol

p.s. steve you have too much free time you always respond to me queries :rockon:

I've got textile trousers, they are pretty bulky and heavy to carry though. I think you'll want to keep gear to a minimum and the jeans/waterproof overtrousers sound like they will give you the versatility you need and save you space. So as you said, I think you know what the right choice is! Have a great trip! :thumbup:

steveindenmark said:

Textile jackets are just as safe as the leather if you have the armour in the back, shoulders and elbows. With mine the lining unzips and I have vents in it. Bearing in mind it can be lovely and warm when you stop but a bit chilly when you ride, so don`t expect to be boiling all the time.

I wear leather trousers all the time when I ride but I also have boxes on my bike so all my gear goes in there when I stop.

What luggage will you have on the bike?

Steve

Click to expand...

Textile is NOT as good as leather yet.

I have slid on textile (Alpinestar full CE) and yes the armor protect the initial hit but the mesh is torn to shreds within few feet and then the armor moves around and burns plus rips your skin pretty bad. Seen this many times over so it's a common thing. The mesh are protecting against breaking limbs and that's it.

Leather you can slide 100's of feet with no gravel rash, so they cannot be compared at all.

For Europe in July, it's normally nice comfy temperature and not to much rain. I would go for Mesh Jacket, draggin jeans and a cheap thin waterproof oversuit to toss over in case of rain, or just stop during rain.

Also for your packing, I see you have the 40 liter panniers plus top box. Are you going with a pillion?

I just did a 6250 km ride over 2 weeks and only used the top box (46 liter) 1/3 of the trip I included a pillion. I pack 4 pair of socks, 4 undies, 4 thin t-shirts, 1 extra draggin jeans, 1 cargo shorts, one pair of flipflops. Got a tiny 2 man tent which rolls into next to nothing and a ultrathin sleeping bag. Every camping in Europe you can wash your stuff so you don't need to carry much really. Also to save space use ziplock bags, roll out all the air of your clothing etc. and zip it, you use 1/4th of the space this way. If you pack like this you should be fine with top + panniers even with a pillion. You can get Trangia alcohol kitchen which is very small and handy, great for touring, just get the smallest one, it's more than enough for 2...

Beware with the panniers that they make your bike wobble in high speed, I get wobble in 200 km/h and beyond (120 mph) with them mounted.

Cheers Bard

Bard, what are you doing going 120 mph with luggage attached to your bike?

bard said:

Textile is NOT as good as leather yet.

I have slid on textile (Alpinestar full CE) and yes the armor protect the initial hit but the mesh is torn to shreds within few feet and then the armor moves around and burns plus rips your skin pretty bad. Seen this many times over so it's a common thing. The mesh are protecting against breaking limbs and that's it.

Click to expand...

I must disagree here!!

Now I have newer owned the Alpinestar suit you mention, but the textile set I wear, have woven in kevlar, - and will perform as good or better than leather.

Saying that Textile is not as good as leather on the basis you just did just don't seem like a serious comment to me ......

A high quality textile will perform as good or better that a leather suit any day.
Leather can be preferred for many reasons, but safety is not one of them!

Ohh well here we go again with the textile.

Textile is NOT as abrasion resistant as leather period, I seen kevlar suits (one piece) shredded up from very short slides. Leather can be slid on over and over and is easily repaired, so they do protect your own hide from getting shredded better than textile.

The plus with Textile is that it's way more comfy to use in most conditions, so I use textile for street riding, but as every serious track person I wear full leather on the track. I can promise you if textile was same or better than leather you would not see a single racer wearing leather anymore.

Alpinestars jacket I had was the most safe mesh they had according to 5 MC magazines, with straps you could adjust securing the armor and so on, the straps is a joke after i crash tested it, they are worthless. This is also the main problem with textile, the suits/jackets are not snug enough fit so when you drop the armor take the initial impact, then they move around a lot during a slide, simply because they are not fitted in snugly enough like leather suits.

I am sorry you don't think it is a serious comment, as I can assure you it is...

Next one 120 mph with luggage, yes sure had to test it out. And if you use the Givi V46 top box there is absolutely no problems doing so, but the E41 panniers I got are not up for it, they are fine up to 160 km/h or 100 mph but above that they will make the bike wobble.

Cheers Bard

bard said:

Ohh well here we go again with the textile.

Textile is NOT as abrasion resistant as leather period, I seen kevlar suits (one piece) shredded up from very short slides. Leather can be slid on over and over and is easily repaired, so they do protect your own hide from getting shredded better than textile.

The plus with Textile is that it's way more comfy to use in most conditions, so I use textile for street riding, but as every serious track person I wear full leather on the track. I can promise you if textile was same or better than leather you would not see a single racer wearing leather anymore.

Alpinestars jacket I had was the most safe mesh they had according to 5 MC magazines, with straps you could adjust securing the armor and so on, the straps is a joke after i crash tested it, they are worthless. This is also the main problem with textile, the suits/jackets are not snug enough fit so when you drop the armor take the initial impact, then they move around a lot during a slide, simply because they are not fitted in snugly enough like leather suits.

I am sorry you don't think it is a serious comment, as I can assure you it is...

Next one 120 mph with luggage, yes sure had to test it out. And if you use the Givi V46 top box there is absolutely no problems doing so, but the E41 panniers I got are not up for it, they are fine up to 160 km/h or 100 mph but above that they will make the bike wobble.

Cheers Bard

Click to expand...

Re-reading my post today, I realise it sounds a bit grumpy, - sorry did not intend to.

I also see one other (to me at least) benefit in Textile, - It's weather and water proof.
I have not found a waterproof leather suit yet ... (I know you can get waterproof linings).

So for a longer ride, - I would for sure go for Textile, - since the weather is always unpredictable.