I haven't in the past, just when riding with the group or when blasting. Last October, I had a very bad get off while riding in the Sierra's. Got ran off the road by a logging truck coming at me in my lane on a blind left hand turn. Ended up over a 20 foot enbankment in a creek bed. Lucky for me, I had on a set of AGV road race leathers(Corner brand). Ended up broken up pretty bad, but no(zero) road rash. Since then I have ordered an Aerostich suit to wear when I ride everyday(10 week back order on the suit) and I just recently replaced my AGV suit(they had to cut them off me) with a Vanson suit(love it). Anyone who has in been in a fairly bad wreck will appreciate what the protective gear does for you. I went back and looked at what I went over(6 foot boulders!!!) and thank God I bought that AGV suit 5 years ago. People shy away from high priced equipment, someone recently asked me how much my ARAI cost and they just about freaked that someone would pay that much for a helmet. All I know is once you use it, you will be sold for life.
As far as keeping cool, my boss is one of those BMW guys and they wear Aerostich's all year long. In the summer, they pack all of the pockets with ice and open up the flaps to get a swamp cooler effect. He claims its like having A/C.
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[This message has been edited by 1999gap (edited June 07, 2000).]