[adouglas]

Shopping tip:

Don't think "two-piece suit."
Think "Jacket and pants that zip together."

The difference is really more marketing than anything else, but if you look specifically for two-piece suits your choices will be limited.

Pants and jackets from the same brand should zip together no problem, but since there is no standardization of zippers -- either style or direction -- the odds of getting a match from different manufacturers are small.

This is easily gotten around with modest sewing skills and a trip to the fabric store for an appropriate zipper. I happen to have access to a sewing machine so I was able to retrofit a zipper compatible with my AGVSport pants into my Alpinestars jacket, alonside the OEM zipper. Or you can just take it to a tailor.

If you're going to wear leather because you want better protection, do it right. Do not buy "fashion" leather designed for the Harley crowd. Get proper stuff and upgrade armor as needed. I wear touring-style boots (they still come up over my calf) for comfort, but everything else is basically track-oriented.

By all means, get perforated pants and jacket. You're going to get warm in summer if you're not moving so you might as well do what you can to keep the air flowing.

Wear long sleeves under the jacket. When you start sweating it'll be hard to get out of it if you don't. Your arms will stick to the lining. Same with pants. I wear wicking base layers, top and bottom.

No getting around it... leather is hot in the summer. There are lots of tricks to stay cool... my favorites are all variations on the "swamp cooler" idea. I wear a balaclava or skull cap and on hot days run it under cold water before putting it on. Keeps my head (and therefore my body) cool for quite a while. I wet my shirt too on really nasty days... just pour water down your chest, etc.

There's also the whole street-clothes-vs.-riding-gear thing. You have to figure out what works for you. A lot of people go the armored riding jeans route as a good alternative. Being an ATGATT guy who believes in leather and does not like to compromise when it comes to safety, what works for me is this:

- When commuting, I wear a work shirt under my jacket and wicking long underwear under the pants. I keep a pair of nice jeans and comfy slip-on shoes in my desk at work. A 3-minute trip to the bathroom to change and I'm ready to go for the day.

- When riding for fun I wear wicking base layers top and bottom and keep my gear on at all times.

- If I'm going somewhere where I need to dress up I'm not going to ride the bike anyway. I'll drive. Priorities. However, if for whatever reason I do need to wear street clothes at the destination and I simply MUST ride, pants and shoes go into a backpack.