For most of my motorcycling career, I wore good ol’ cotton underwear and T-shirts on every ride. That is, until I met Mario Winkleman, proprietor of LD Comfort, at the BMW-MOA’s 2016 national rally in Hamburg, New York. 

Winkleman explained to me that all these years, I had been suffering needlessly in the heat because of the cotton, and that his base layers would change my entire riding experience. To say I was skeptical would be a gross understatement, but some Iron Butt friends assured me that, indeed, “I didn’t know what I didn’t know.” 

LD Comfort’s synthetic base layers are constructed of a proprietary four-way stretch anti-microbial fabric, which is comprised of 63% nylon, 23% polyester, and 12% lycra. This fabric combo draws sweat up and away from the rider’s skin and hugs the body’s contours for added support. But the main benefit of these garments is the cooling feature. 

Although it sounds counterintuitive at first, they’re most effective when doused in water and worn underneath a non-mesh jacket with the vents closed. To use them properly, the rider puts on the base layers under the jacket and pours water down the sleeves and into the neck area. Letting a minimal amount of air in with only the sleeve venting allows the water to slowly evaporate, cooling the air surrounding the rider. The company claims up to a 30-degree differential between the air temperature outside and inside the rider’s jacket.  

Dubious? Winkleman analogized this operation to a car running air conditioning on a hot summer day. Opening the car’s windows only allows all the cooled air to escape. The same happens here when using a free-flowing mesh jacket or opening all of the vents on a non-mesh jacket. Heavy airflow only ensures that the water will evaporate too quickly, leaving the rider hot again in short order. As insane as it sounds to wear a heavier jacket with vents closed on a 100-degree day, it works! I have been a strong believer in LD Comfort since that initial test in 2016. 

Now, the company is introducing a Lite version of their traditional top base layers. The idea behind the Lite line is to offer a slightly lighter garment which is useful in a narrower operating temperature range. The lighter fabric doesn’t hold as much water for the hottest weather, and isn’t as thick for cold weather riding – but as its name implies, it’s thinner and slightly more comfortable to wear long distances.  

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I’ve been testing out the Lite Long Sleeve Mock Turtleneck this summer, and whereas the standard garments are good for any temperature a sane rider would venture out in, the Lite is ideal between 65-90 degrees. Below 65 degrees, the added thickness of the standard line serves as insulation, keeping the rider warmer. Above 90 degrees, the standard line holds a higher quantity of water, allowing the garment to keep the rider cooler for a longer period of time. 

Either way, to ride wearing LD Comfort motorcycle base layers is to understand why they’re such a popular commodity with the Iron Butt crowd. This top has an MSRP of $74 and is American-made.  

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Source: RiderMagazine.com