well I am not in the SOUTH but am in the south that is south cal. we don't have a down side of riding in the summer other than it is a tad warmer in the summer - no humidity to speak of just great riding almost year round.. that all said winter can suck it has been right at 50 degrees for the last week or so and raining even snow 35 miles away christmas day and only 54 today. hate the cold

 

Some in the Chicago and Milwaukee area wear tee shirts in 54 degree temps.

 

My "riding" season is mid-October through early June....I ride all year BUT those are the good ones. Nothing like 95 degrees with 90% humidity sitting at a long traffic signal...in case that is not enough for most folks, then put a hot V-twin under your chair. The up side to the oppressive heat/humidity is that you develope a bit more power with the water injection of sweat getting sucked off your right leg. Evenings are much better when at least the sun is not microwaving you...of course you cannot stop for signals/signs or the mosquitoes will suck you drier than a vampire would. The forum discussions pertaining to body armor etc are always interesting to us...I do "normally wear a helmet...full in cool weather and 3/4 open face with shortened visor in "warmer" weather...I avoid flipflops and leave it up to my shorts and tshirt to minimize roadrash...body armor is limited to my leather wallet in my left rear pocket...I will do my best to skid on that. Someone mentioned lovebugs...that season is not short, those buggers do it nearly all year pretty steadily and make me a bit jealous actually. The upside is that you eat two at a time and they are pretty filling. Another plus is that generally you can ride a little faster and the LEOs tend to weigh whether it is worth getting outside the a/c car to write you. Loud pipes get a pass since their windows are rolled up. The rain is no really big deal except when it first starts and it is a shock to your metabolism and the roads are like ice untill oil gets washed off. A light colored towel works good when you stop for the groceries to keep the seat from melting...of course then you have to have a way to carry it or be willing to throw it away. As a smoker I appreciate not having to carry a lighter, just lean over and use the grips. We don't tailgate because the preceding car blocks too much wind, ditto on tolerating someone tailgating you as it disturbs armpit airflow. Everyone gets an EZPass since tollbooths are where the energy used to heat the Earth's core enters. Covering the bike at ride's end is a pain since it takes 2-3 hours before pipes are cooled enough not to melt fabric. Washing it is difficult because you keep forgetting to rinse bike with the hose running over your head and shoulders. Oh..one last tip...wear natural fiber underwear, if any, so they do not melt into your butt. John

 

I'd definitely say the humidity. The heat is ok if it's 30-50% humidity but when you get days of 80-90% humidity, stopping definitely stinks as the heat of the air and he heat of the engine just make you wanna pass out sometimes. From what I've seen late july/early aug seem to be the hottest and we usually get a few 100+ degree days.

 

Ditto on the stopping thang.......

Around the coast ya always got a Afternoon Sea Breeze, and the mournings are cool enuff usually.
Afternoon Thunder Boomers can be a bitch, but they usually dont last long, or are moving slow enuff that riding thru/Around them isnt really an issue besides the Bike needin a wash later.

If I had one Pet Peeve.......
Stop-And-Go City traffic in leather !
I try to always wear at least my Leather Jacket, and Boots of course... light leather gloves..... Minimum Denim Jeans, NO shorts.
I Believe in dressing for the Slide...... NOT the ride.

Last year on Bourbon St. we got caught in gridlock trying to find parking, and we thought we'd Melt for sure !
I was soaked from sweat and felt dizzy.... near heat stroke.....
Pulled up on the grass in front of some building and stripped of the gear and lay in grass for twenty minutes before I felt like moving.
Wont do that again !

Anywyas...............

 

Yankees.

 

Here the worst part is the humidity. The heat alone you can handle until you hit heavy traffic. That's when meltdown occurs. We're fortunate to be able to ride the majority of the year.

 

Love bugs and lightning. Thank God that we only get two weeks of winter and that comes in three day segments.

 

Pop up storms and the love bugs. But I can put up with those when you can ride all year long.

This is how I spent Christmas. 78 and sunny.

 

All that eye-candy wearing thongs tends to be a distraction. That's the only problem with riding in the south in the summer....