Gear Recommendations

[k9fritz]

Hello all...I need advice on riding gear. I'm looking at buying a jacket and pant in textile to commute in and possible adventure riding inn the future. Anyone have any real experience with this gear. Price is not too much an issue as I would rather buy something good once instead of something cheap twice. Only real requirements are that they are a 2 piece, waterproof, and can be used all four seasons, so some warmth and airflow would be nice. So far I've seen (online) Klim and BMW seem to be the top products. Mixed reviews on the Aerostich since they can leak. Thanks.

 

[RightCoastBias]

Would you consider a one piece or prefer two?

Aerostich R3 has some pretty stellar reviews and apparently alleviated the leaking issues.

Otherwise, Revit & Klim seem to have nice products, though I've yet to own anything from either.

 

[motomania2007]

1) they all leak. The only question is how long before they begin to leak.

2) Klim and Aerostich are the best quality gear imo

 

[bpw]

1) they all leak. The only question is how long before they begin to leak.

2) Klim and Aerostich are the best quality gear imo

Add BMW to that list as well,

I rode round trip to Eureka last weekend in the pouring rain and neither my Aerostich Darien pants or my BMW jacket leaked a drop.

I think BMW and Aerostich make similar quality gear but they fit very differently. BMW jackets are a much better fit if you have an "athletic" build where stock Aerostich stuff seems fitted for those with a bit of a gut and narrow shoulders.

 

[NoTraffic]

One word: KLIM. If you want the very best, there stuff keeps up the longest. I have never seen an unhappy KLIM rider nor have I ever heard negative things about their gear. I have one of their dirt pants and am completely satisfied with it. If you are doing any commuting or long distance riding, you'll want two piece. Want to cool down, want to mix and match, need a zipper repaired - well two piece is the way to go.

You did say price didn't matter much if they are worth it, so give with KLIM (and spend your life savings)

 

[fubar929]

If you are doing any commuting or long distance riding, you'll want two piece.

I've owned two-piece textile and leather gear in the past and now that I own a one-piece Aerostich Roadcrafter I'll never go back to the hassle of two-piece gear...

 

[ScottRNelson]

I have a FirstGear Kilimanjaro jacket that works well from about 35 degrees up to 90 or so. You can get one for a decent price here: http://www.motorcyclegear.com/stree...ckets/first_gear/kilimanjaro_jacket_2012.html

I bought some FirstGear textile pants to go with, can't remember the particular model. They've kept me dry enough in the rain (and snow), but I haven't ridden for hours in a downpour to verify how dry I stay.

I wish the dayglo color was available when I bought mine. The only decent color available at the time was grey and purple. I wear a bright helmet to compensate.

 

[KazMan]

I am a recent convert to the Bilt/Sedici line and I will throw up a hand for their Explorer line. Got caught in a couple of the nice down pours the last several weeks (ok, maybe on purpose so I could test ) and completely dry. Yes, I was surprised and very happy at the price point of this gear!

 

[NeilInPacifica]

Anyone have experience with the Revit Dominator GTX jacket?

 

[UDRider]

Add BMW to that list as well,

I rode round trip to Eureka last weekend in the pouring rain and neither my Aerostich Darien pants or my BMW jacket leaked a drop.

I think BMW and Aerostich make similar quality gear but they fit very differently. BMW jackets are a much better fit if you have an "athletic" build where stock Aerostich stuff seems fitted for those with a bit of a gut and narrow shoulders.

That's called Euro fit vs American fit.

 

[davidji]

Hello all...I need advice on riding gear. I'm looking at buying a jacket and pant in textile to commute in and possible adventure riding inn the future.
...
Only real requirements are that they are a 2 piece, waterproof, and can be used all four seasons,

The needs for commuting and adventure touring are different.

There is nothing better for commuting than a 1-piece roadcrafter. People tour in them as well. I don't, but I'm considering it. I don't want to commute in anything else.

Anyway in the bay area a roadcrafter is easy 4 season gear. Actually 4 season gear is pretty easy to do here, because we don't have humid heat--no need for mesh here.

Don't get hung up on waterproof. It's easy to throw rain gear on over your moto gear. And it's much more reliable to use fully waterproof (e.g. PVC) rain gear than to rely on your "waterproof" moto gear to keep you dry. Furthermore it means you don't need to spend as much on expensive Goretex gear that's gonna start to leak eventually anyway.

FWIW I have plenty of Goretex gear, but the jacket I tour in isn't, and while "waterproof", it was never waterproof for long. But I've stayed dry riding in most of the day rain in it, because I wore a PVC rain jacket over it. FWIW same ride I had "waterproof" boots that leaked from new, and my feet stayed dry as well--because I had waxed them with Sno Seal. My "waterproof" gloves soaked through and didn't dry for days, but with heated grips my hands weren't cold.

 

[NoTraffic]

I've owned two-piece textile and leather gear in the past and now that I own a one-piece Aerostich Roadcrafter I'll never go back to the hassle of two-piece gear...

Different strokes for different folks. I frequent advrider and there are several ride reports that document cussing and swearing in an Aerostich in 100+ degrees and high humidity. I went to one of their pop up events and their service was horrible, just my two cents.

 

[Guoseph]

For Adv riding, Klim, Rukka, Rev'it,Touratech, are top shelf brands. First gear, Olympia, Scorpion make good mid tier stuff. And Bilt rounds out the bottom but reportedly punch above their weight class according to owners. Traditionally street oriented good brands like Dainese, A*, Spidi also have textile touring sets, but not sure how suited they are for off road riding. One brand to keep an eye on is Leatt, they are mostly protective gear still but moving toward more apparel, and their protective gear is really top notch.

Aerostitch and Motoport have very devoted followers (some could argue fanatical) but their designs tend to skew more toward street riding. That's not a bad thing necessarily cuz if you are truly willing to spend some $$$ on gear, you really should have gear for every occasion

One thing to pay attention to is the fit as previously mentioned. A lot of the premium adv jackets have more of a euro cut (slimmer at the midsection) although recently some models within their line ups became more American cut. So depending on whether you have an American Gut, read descriptions and reviews to make sure it's the right fit for you.

I don't see any adv or dual sport bikes in your profile so not sure what type of Adv riding you are thinking about. But one direction I see people moving in for adv riding is more of an enduro type setup with body armor suit inside (check out the Leatt 5.5 pro body protector) and a cheaper weather/temp layer outside. It's an effective gearing strategy I think, but definitely a lot less bling than going to your local Starbucks in a Klim Adventure Rally or Rukka Armas set.

 

[bambamb43]

I bought a bilt adventure style coat a couple of years ago just to temporarily hold me over until I found something better, I have to wear adventure style coats do to my girthiness !! Well that was almost three years ago and that bilt coat has held up incredibly well, I commute and have had zero issuers with the coat, zippers work perfect, and liner zips in and out very easily, I've bought and returned many different coats due to either, fit or not enough venting or liners to hard to zip in and out and I always go back to my bilt coat , I keep thinking it can't be that good of a coat because of the price but so far it's been great

 

[fubar929]

Different strokes for different folks. I frequent advrider and there are several ride reports that document cussing and swearing in an Aerostich in 100+ degrees and high humidity. I went to one of their pop up events and their service was horrible, just my two cents.

Living in the Bay Area, how much commuting do you think the OP is going to do on 100+-degree, high-humidity days? In my experience riding 100-degree track days at Buttonwillow, once the air temperature is higher than body temperature you're not going to be very comfortable no matter what you're wearing. The Roadcrafter might not be ideal for riding through tropical jungles, but I think you'll find it works pretty darn well in the Bay Area.

Aerostich customer service via phone or email is generally excellent. Pop-up events include staffing by local Aerostich customers; they tried to recruit me for the Scott's Valley pop-up. Service may be (much) more variable as a result. I had a bit of a snafu when ordering my Roadcrafter (over the phone). Sent Andy Goldfine, the president of Aerostich, an email. He got back to me within 15 minutes, despite it being after business hours, cleared up my problems the next day, gave me a discount on the suit, and bumped my custom order to the front of the work queue so I had it in a week rather than six weeks. I can't imagine getting the same level of service from Klim, BMW, Bilt, or any of the other manufacturers mentioned in this thread...

 

[NeilInPacifica]

Living in the Bay Area, how much commuting do you think the OP is going to do on 100+-degree, high-humidity days? In my experience riding 100-degree track days at Buttonwillow, once the air temperature is higher than body temperature you're not going to be very comfortable no matter what you're wearing. The Roadcrafter might not be ideal for riding through tropical jungles, but I think you'll find it works pretty darn well in the Bay Area.

Aerostich customer service via phone or email is generally excellent. Pop-up events include staffing by local Aerostich customers; they tried to recruit me for the Scott's Valley pop-up. Service may be (much) more variable as a result. I had a bit of a snafu when ordering my Roadcrafter (over the phone). Sent Andy Goldfine, the president of Aerostich, an email. He got back to me within 15 minutes, despite it being after business hours, cleared up my problems the next day, gave me a discount on the suit, and bumped my custom order to the front of the work queue so I had it in a week rather than six weeks. I can't imagine getting the same level of service from Klim, BMW, Bilt, or any of the other manufacturers mentioned in this thread...

The Roadcrafter can't be beat for commuting. I would not use it for long tours.

 

[fubar929]

The Roadcrafter can't be beat for commuting. I would not use it for long tours.

Why not?

 

[bpw]

Why not?

Leaky crotch, annoying to take the whole thing off when you stop for lunch, especially if its hot and you aren't wearing pants. Can't sit around the campfire in just your jacket. Less flexible for different temps.

The one piece isn't bad for touring, but there is better stuff out there. Hard to beat for commuting though.

 

[fubar929]

Leaky crotch, annoying to take the whole thing off when you stop for lunch, especially if its hot and you aren't wearing pants. Can't sit around the campfire in just your jacket. Less flexible for different temps.

I rode for a couple of hours in some pretty heavy rain a couple of weeks ago and the new RiRi waterproof zippers kept me completely dry. Then again the fit of my suit and the riding position of my bike don't tend to turn my crotch into a bathtub. Being able to get into and out of the Roadcrafter in about 10 seconds makes me the envy of all my riding buddies, but I could see that being an issue if you don't wear pants Knowing how synthetic fabrics tend to melt when subjected to heat, I try to keep my pants on when riding as much as possible

The one piece isn't bad for touring, but there is better stuff out there. Hard to beat for commuting though.

There may be better gear available, but I sure wasn't able to find it. I looked at Klim, BMW, Motoport, Rev'it, FirstGear TPG, and a bunch of other stuff before finally breaking down and buying a Roadcrafter; it's so goddamn ugly I was looking for any excuse to buy something else...

 

[Leaking Lewis]

Darien Light jacket. I don't think you can do better than Aerostich. You can use it on all but the really hot (is 85+ really hot?) days.