Warm weather can mean getting hot and clammy, or it can mean a comfortable and fun ride. The difference is how you go about dressing and preparing yourself.
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Now, first things first, scooter riders are notoriously poor at wearing the correct riding gear, but don’t let that be you. A well fitting helmet, jacket and gloves are the basics for a good ride and rider protection. There are also lighter weight kevlar jeans and low cut riding boots on the market that suit warm weather riding.
Let’s start with helmets. Your helmet will be either full face, (with the chin section enclosed), or open face where your chin is exposed. In warm weather many riders opt for an open face helmet as they circulate more wind and are cooler to wear.  Open Face helmets start from only $99.
All is not lost if you have a full face helmet as many full face helmets have vents in the top and sometimes chin area like the RXT Street helmet. These vents can be opened and help circulate air around the helmet. Some open face helmets also have vents at the top of the helmet. Look for this feature when you are on the helmets page of our website.
Some modern helmets also come with an internal sun visor that is typically a short tinted visor that does the same job as wearing sunglasses. A good example is the open face Nolan N21 Visor helmet. This allow riders to lift their clear outer visor for better wind flow, but still have the eye protection we all need.
Another option on hot days is to wear sunglasses and open your visor entirely if you are simply travelling at town speeds. The breeze on your face will help keep you cool and your sunnies give you the ‘must have’ eye protection.
A great cooling idea when its really hot is a damp Corazzo Bandito bandana around your neck. As you ride the breeze cools the bandana and makes for a refreshing experience.   Corazzo Bandito bandanas are inexpensive and versatile and can be found HERE.
Scooter riding jackets are a must have for scooter riders. In Sydney we ride in 40 degrees C and 5 degrees C, so upper body wear is a must. The good news is there are jackets for every season and wherever you live in Australia.
For Sydney riders, there are vented jackets for summer, spring and autumn riding that have a fully vented outer material, with a water and wind resistant inner liner that is removable for the hottest of days.Â
Many modern scooter jackets also have vents to allow airflow. I know the Corazzo brand jackets often come with vents in the front and often also in the rear that are great on hot days. The good news is they are made of abrasion resistant materials and include quality armour in the elbows, shoulders and back.
Fully vented jackets that I like include the Mens Scudo or Ventata jackets and Ladies Scudo or Ladies Brezza jackets as they are fully vented, light and comfortable to wear in warmer weather. All come with a water resistant inner liner to help cut out light showers and wind chill on cooler days.
As for gloves in warm weather, I recommend textile gloves like the Bola or maybe perforated leather gloves like the Enzo as they are more breathable than most gloves. It’s this breathability that prevents that clammy feeling you get otherwise.
An easy tip is to remember to stay hydrated. I use a Corazzo Water Bottle Jacket which allows me to hang my water bottle from my shopping bag hook for when I pull over and take a few sips during the ride.
Take a break if you feel overheated or worse still start getting dizzy. A few minutes in a shady spot and a drink of water can often help revive you if you’re feeling fatigued, so look for the signs of overheating early.
Another easy tip for hot weather is when you come to a stop at traffic lights look for a shady area, or maybe the shade from an over hanging  tree to pull up in. And only put one foot on the road halves the heat you take up from a hot road surface. Open your helmet visor when stationary for some extra circulation too.  You will often find that it’s this stationary time that you feel the heat the most.
It’s common to zip your jacket down to add to ventilation, but I don’t recommend zipping lower than a 1/4 of the way down for safety. Also we find some riders undoing the cuffs on their jackets when it is hot, but be warned the cuffs are designed to keep the arm protection in place and should stay done up.
Another thought is if you own a Vespa with a tall wind screen, I’d recommend removing your wind screen in the summer to get better wind flow over the rider and put it back on for the cooler months. A lot of our commuter riders do this as Vespas only have two 17mm nuts to remove to take the screen off and on.
Well there are a few thoughts for warm weather riding. I hope it was helpful.
Happy Riding