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Xl1200r
| | Posted on Wednesday, May 18, 2011 - 03:57 pm: | 
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The motoport stuff looks really nice - and I really like they do form-fitting gear as this is better in a crash than anything baggy - but the "won't buy it" factor for me is that you need a liner in order to make it waterproof. Riding with the liner is hot. If I leave it out and it starts to rain, I have pull over, take off whatever I'm wearing, put in the liner, and then put it all back on. What a PITA. Regular rain gear would be much easier, faster, cheaper and more effective at keeping you dry in that case.
I like my Joe Rocket suit because the water proofness is in the shell, so it doesn't matter if I have the liner in or not, only if the vents are open, which I've been able to open and close while riding with no problems. |
Scooter808484
| | Posted on Wednesday, May 18, 2011 - 04:40 pm: |
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Riding with the liner is hot. If I leave it out and it starts to rain, I have pull over, take off whatever I'm wearing, put in the liner, and then put it all back on
Where I live it's NEVER hot and it rains every single day... so it's perfect. The leaky zippers are a deal breaker for me. Another reason I like the liner is that when it starts to leak, and they all do eventually, I only have to buy the liner.
So you have to figure out what is important to you and pick what works best. |
Coops53233
| | Posted on Wednesday, May 18, 2011 - 04:46 pm: |
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The motoport kevlar suit looks nice! But for $800, why not get leather and a rainsuit? |
Court
| | Posted on Wednesday, May 18, 2011 - 05:26 pm: |
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>>>Sometimes the object that costs more initially is much cheaper in the long run.
I feel a John Ruskin quote coming on . . .
Everything is measured by how it compares to an Aerostich. |
Court
| | Posted on Wednesday, May 18, 2011 - 05:33 pm: |
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quote:A thing is worth what it can do for you, not what you choose to pay for it.
- John Ruskin
quote:It's unwise to pay too much, but it's worse to pay too little. When you pay too much, you lose a little money — that is all. When you pay too little, you sometimes lose everything, because the thing you bought was incapable of doing the thing it was bought to do. The common law of business balance prohibits paying a little and getting a lot — it can't be done. If you deal with the lowest bidder, it is well to add something for the risk you run, and if you do that you will have enough to pay for something better.
-John Ruskin**
** - this quotation has been widely attributed to Ruskin but has never been sourced to any of his works. |
Fresnobuell
| | Posted on Wednesday, May 18, 2011 - 07:24 pm: |
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I was looking at the Olympia Phantom suit
Not going that direction at this point. Will check out the Motosport suits when I get a moment. Thanks for the input. Keep up the dialogue. |
Pkforbes87
| | Posted on Wednesday, May 18, 2011 - 09:13 pm: |
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Crusty, what problems did you have with your Tourmaster Transition?
I've been wearing one for about 4 years and always loved it. 100% waterproof, except for the gap between the jacket and my Tourmaster Caliber pants during one particularly heavy downpour while riding through SW Missouri. It strikes me as a 3 season jacket, but only because my shoulders don't fill it out well enough without the liner installed. The airflow is adequate, but riding with a parachute in tow is no fun  |
Crusty
| | Posted on Wednesday, May 18, 2011 - 09:37 pm: |
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Froggy; I was talking about the original Buell Adventure Suit. I bought mine in 1999.
Phillip, My Transition jacket leaked profusely the first time I got caught in the rain with it. The fabric on the forearms began to fray after just a couple of months, and the seams began to pull apart in less than a year. My wife also had a Transition jacket; and while hers was waterproof, the seams all pulled apart as well. Based on our experiences with those two jackets, neither of us will ever buy anything by Tourmaster again. |
Pkforbes87
| | Posted on Wednesday, May 18, 2011 - 09:50 pm: |
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Hmm, sorry to hear about the bad experience.
I wonder if they updated the construction of the Transition jackets at some point. The only wear I've seen so far is the outside of the wrists are getting a little "frizzy" where my gauntlet style gloves wrap around the sleeves. |
Bwbhighspl
| | Posted on Thursday, May 19, 2011 - 08:00 pm: |
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Aerostich.
A friend of mine was hitting all lower 48 capitals in 2 months. He crashed in Oregon, nailed a bridge guard rail, and walked away with a few bruises. And then had the suit *repaired*. The bike, not so much.
You can't buy them used - they're all tailored. If you show up in person, it's 10% off. |
Bigblock
| | Posted on Thursday, May 19, 2011 - 09:56 pm: |
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Aerostich. Court and FB know. Mine doesn't leak. It'll take 2 hours of torrential downpour at speed, then you start getting a bit of wet around your neck. Get wet in your helmet a lot quicker. The zipper has not been a real problem on mine. But, I only have around 30,000 or so miles on mine, because I like to wear leather, too.
I have the hip and back armor.
Very effective protection, and very abrasion resistant.
The trick at much over 90 or 100 degrees is to zip up and close the front vents, keeps the hot airflow off your skin directly and allows evaporative cooling to work better, as the hot airflow doesn't immediately deplete your skin of moisture, allowing it to cool you off more.
Cooler and safer than a tee shirt or mesh gear at VERY high temps. IMHO. YMMV. |
Prior
| | Posted on Thursday, May 19, 2011 - 10:41 pm: |
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I've had a few 'Stiches, tried a few other things they just didn't work and came back. My first stich is with a good friend of mine and has a good 50k miles on it, current riding suit selection is a high viz Roadcrafter Jacket, gray and high viz Roadcrafter pants, Aero AD1 pants, and a Vanson full perf jacket. The full RC suit is zipped together in cooler months for rides to work; when it gets warmer is the RC jacket and the AD1 pants as they are a bit lighter. Road trips are the AD1 pants for a bit better waterproofing and the Roadcrafter jacket/Vanson jacket off and on depending on weather- I tend to carry both.
I bought most of my Aero gear as factory seconds or try ons, and yeah, it's expensive, but it'll last. The ability to get longs, shorts, specific chest sizes etc is awesome. I've got a pair of their Combat Touring boots with at least 60k miles on that are ready for a resole and have lots of life left, and the suit has at least another 10 years to it with a refresh at the factory in the middle.
I'd rather spend my money on handmade gear from the US than cheaper items I'll replace every few years.
Best part about the aero stuff, in the summer, I wear shorts underneath and is easy to get in and out of- any stop over 10 minutes or so I's in shorts and sandals inside of 30 seconds. |
Josh_
| | Posted on Friday, May 20, 2011 - 01:14 am: |
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I bought my first 'stich in 99 right after I got my first Buell for about $750. I put 45,000+ miles on it all across the country and wore it for a bunch of track days. I never got wet (after they repaired some missed stitches and I used their waterproofing goo on the zippers) wore it in 26deg weather in StLouis (with Widder 'lectrics and Aerostich fleece) and 104deg temps in Sturgis.
I low-sided my S3T at 60MPG wearing it and it cost ~$300 to repair the two panels that burned through during the slide.
I sold it 8 years later on eBay (with full disclosure)for ~$400 after determining a stock 'stitch doesn't work well on a 1125R.
My second 'Stitch (a 25th anniversary suit) cost about $1200 with the "sport bike ellipse", rotated sleeves, custom colors, hip armor, knee pucks, Buell logo stitched on the back, back protector, left sleeve pocket etc.
Looks great on my 25th anniversary Buell (who knew, Andy and Erik started their companies the same year?)
Aerostitch - accept no substitutes
(I'll admit tho I've never been able to use any pocket but the right breast one) |
Xl1200r
| | Posted on Friday, May 20, 2011 - 03:04 pm: |
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$300 to repair? Ok, I get they can repair them and some see that as a plus, but my suit could be replaced for that much.
I have no doubt they make a great product (I've never personally handled one), but I just can't justify the price premium.
A new one costs nearly $900 today. $300 for your repair and sold for $400 nets you $800 you spent on the suit. I could buy 2 of mine for that and still have a couple hundred bucks in my pocket... |
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