| Author | Message | ||
     Bored |
Spring is coming up, and the only riding gear I have is a flimsy nylon Buell jacket. I'm looking for textile (not leather) jacket and pants, two piece, but something that doesn't look like it belongs on a Gold Wing. I tried a Large Joe Rocket jacket with liner, and it felt real tight across my chest. XLarge was still tight. Has anyone had experience with Aerostich? Joe Rocket? Draggin Jeans? Other manufacturers that I don't know about? | ||
| V2win |
Bored, Belstaff,Aerostich,Vanson are my tree top choices. The Belstaff typhoon jacket and pants are very good in cold and wet conditions. I use a Buell/Vanson jacket when the temp get too high. Aerostich is also very good. | ||
| Mikej |
I looked at the Buell branded touring jacket and pants set which looked fairly decent, might be worth checking on if you get any local Buell-stuff discounts. | ||
| Bluzm2 |
Bored, I have the Aerostich jacket and pants. Great stuff in cooler weather. I use the jacket only in the summer. The Darian jacket/pants is a bit lighter and more "stylish" (sp). My jacket/pants are over 10 years old, still going strong. Nice thing about Aerostich, you can mix pant and jacket sizes. Great if you have short legs and a barrel chest! If you don't have their catalog, give them a call. Lots of neat stuff available. Fun reading. BluzM2 | ||
| Dave |
I have an Aerostitch one piece and I feel "naked" without it now. I use it year 'round. (You may get comments like I got at Homecoming. "Ya know it's supposed to be sunny today?") It's made exceptionally well, offers a great degree of protection, is easy to get in and out of and has plenty of pockets. The Aerostitch folks are #1 customer oriented and a delight to do business with. It can also be custom ordered in case you have a preference in color combos or in case you're not "typically proportioned". The down side is you may get called "power ranger" by some of the Harley types. ;-) Consider the risk and decide. DAve | ||
| S2no1 |
Bored, Try these links, Paul at Newenough is real good to deal with and I've heard nothing but good things. http://www.newenough.com/joe%20rocket%20cordura.htm http://www.newenough.com/vanson%20cordura.htm Prices are usually reasonable. Last leathers I bought were from E-bay. If you do a search make sure you misspelled Aerostich (Aerostitch etal.) If your careful, and know the real prices, you can pick up a bargain. If your not, you could lose your shirt. DAve, I would never say anything about Sunny skies. Ask the Harley types if their insurance covers skin grafts. Arvel | ||
| Captlusk |
I have the First Gear "Kilemanjaro" jacket and pants. I got them after I noticed that the hardcore comuters in Seattle seem to favor them. I've been riding with them for over a year now and am convinced that they are some of the best gear on the market. The jacket has plenty of pockets and a zip out pile liner. There are also vents in the upper arms and the chest area that can be unzipped during the summer for ventilation. All openings and pockets are zippered and then have a velcro flap closure over the zipper. There is even a retrorefective stripe on the back of the jacket that can be hidden if you don't want to stand out on the side walk. The jacket has pads sewn into the elbo area and is reinforced with cordura. The pants have the same arrangement at the knees but the pads are removable. I have been in below zero weather and in heavy rain storms and have found the gear more than up to the task. Can you tell I like this gear? I like the jacket so much that I have discarded my leather jacket (which is a quality item) during the summer, and wear the First Gear with leather pants. The jacket is the long style and may not be as sporty as you would like, but I believe you will be doing yourself a disservice if you don't at least check it out. | ||
| Tavs |
Both my wife and I bought Clover jackets. They're produced in Italy and I haven't seen a better coat made by anybody in the U.S. The jackets have approved CE armor (the semi-hard kind)that is removable to facilitate washing. The coat itself has is 3 pieces(outer coat, inner wind/water membrane, and quilted liner). The outer material is heavy cordura with kevlar reinforcement at all of the abfrasion areas. I bought mine in Europe (the exchange rate was unbeatable) but I have seen a distributor for it listed in the back of various MC rags. | ||
| Drandall |
I've use my Aerostich roadcrafter for nine-months now, broke a snap off the bottom of the left leg yesterday. I love the suit, and highly recommend one; I'd go one-piece next time though, as I've never had my two-piece apart. | ||
| Tat2steve |
I Agree with you on the Aerostich Drandall, I have a two piece that I never take apart. As Dave said I feel naked without my Aerostich and Combat Tours. Tat2steve | ||
| Court |
Smart mouth Softail rider at Lombari's: "You look like you're dressed for winter." Smart mouth Court: "I've logged 150,000 test miles . . I ALWAYS dress for fall" I've got 4 Aerostich, 3 Roadcrafters and a (unworn yet) Hi-Viz Darien. I've been down (Angeles Crest/M-2/Black 2 Piece). Just a couple thoughts . . . .
Hilarious anecdote: Erik Buell, kid racer, crashes hard, slides on el cheapo face shield, comes to feet, stumbling, "God, I'm blind", lifts shield, "ahhh..never mind" Court | ||
| Bored |
You guys are great. I've narrowed down to Vanson and Aerostich. But now I must vent. Ventilation, that is. I noticed that the Vanson Overland and Night Falcon have arm vents (cool!), chest vents and "rear exit" vents. The Aerostich Roadcrafter has underarm and back zippers. How to the vents rate in your books? The 2000 Loudon, NH BRAG ride (my first BRAG event... first motorcycle event really) started out cool as I rode the 75 minutes from my home to the track. Then it turned very warm, enough that I wish I could vent better than just unzipping the front of my nylon jacket and puffing up. In the Whites, it turned a little cooler, so I zipped back up. I'm looking for something that can be warm when the going is cold, yet can get real airy when the going gets hot. Not worried too much about rain protection. I have a rainsuit that could fit over just about anything. | ||
| Smadd |
Tavs... I'm interested in learning more about the Clover brand of jacket. I saw one called the HP (I believe) that appears to be a really nice one. Do you recall where you saw them advertised? One consideration I have is ventilation. I live in Florida where it's 90+ several months out of the year and I have to ride through traffic to get to the good roads. | ||
| Smadd |
Here's a pic of the Clover HP. Anyone familiar with this jacket? Is it available in the States?  | ||
| Tat2steve |
Bored, The varying weather conditions you mentioned sounds just like here in Colorado in the summer. Cool mornings and evenings and warm, if not down right hot,days. Even in the summer the mountains get cold at night. I've got a two piece Roadcrafter,got with the idea that if I got too hot I could take it apart. I think it's been apart maybe two or three times. Once it got broken-in I just got used to it and now I wouldn't be without it. Next one will be a one piece. Fashion or function, the choice is your's. Tat2steve | ||
| Dave |
Bored The Aerostich vents work well and I wear mine into the 100s. While it's not "optimum" conditions, the Aerostich offers protection from the sun and dehydration as well. I find that riding without the "Stich" leaves me feeling dried out, sun burned, etc. With it on ... I'm more like a baked potato. (Just Joking!) It does protect from the elements and the orchestrated ventilation works. The instructions say you can even fill the pockets full of ice to help cool as well. It took precedence over any modification to my Buell. Money well spent. DAve | ||
| Drandall |
My 9 month old black/black two-piece Aerostich is for sale; it's in excellent shape (no rips, stains, etc.). It's a 46 jacket and 44 pant: $500 -- $747 new -- including shipping in the Conti-US. I want a one-piece, gray/black one which is on order. Why? Just preference. After spending nine months with one, I won't ride without an Aerostich anymore. David davidra@corbis.com 425-649-4590 | ||
| Tavs |
Smadd: Sorry I didn't respond sooner; That coat does not look like mine, but I'm sure its of good quality. One thing about my coat is that it could use more ventilation. I'm in L.A. and it does get cookin. I guess as long as I drive fast, I'll get some ventilation. I'll check my back motorcycle mags to get info the US Distributor, but if memory serves they're called Forza Motorsports or something. I'll let you know. | ||
| Loki |
I just tried out the Joe Rocket "PHOENIX" jacket today. Looking at it got me wondering. Just how much protection could a full mesh jacket provide. Well then, it has sewn in padding in the right areas. The shoulders, fore arms, and the back. Along with removable armor in the same areas offering even more coverage. It has practical advantages also. You can layer your clothing more effectively. Use the phoenix as a base jacket. Add a good ballistic material jacket over it for cooler weather. How about that rain suit which has no padding or armor. Then for those hot days the jacket will serve you well. Give you some added protection without cooking yourself. So far I like it, rode home in it this afternoon. Real comfortable, although the shoulder padding does limit your range of head movement. loki | ||
| Blake |
Joe Rocket Ballistic pants and jacket served me very well through rain (no leakage in two weeks straight of rainy riding) and shine. The jacket was a bit warm for hot days though. I'll be checking out the Phoenix. I can't compare to Aerostich since I've never had a chance to try one, but for the money Joe Rocket is a darn good deal at about half what you can pay for an Aerostich rig. In general though, you get what you pay for, so Aerostich is still a good deal. You sure would have a hard time finding a better endorsement than from Mr. Canfield. | ||
| Cmodtopgun |
Look around for someone getting out of biking. I just picked up a Vanson $600 jacket worn 3 times for $250. Leaves me more than enough for the vest liner and armor | ||
| Bored |
Most of you mentioned Aerostich, but I went with a Vanson Night Falcon (Yellow/Black... blinding!) and Falcon pants, which I mistakenly thought were overpants. I'll keep 'em anyway. I want to give my impression of them, but I can't because I've got 41 more days of insurance-dictated storage. Grrr... Anyone try Draggin Jeans? | ||
| Tavs |
For anyone that's looking, here's that web adress for the US inporter of Clover: https://www.laforza-sports.com/index.html I just found out I have the "Hyper" weatherproof jacket; good stuff! | ||
| Buelliedan |
I got a great deal! Wilwert's HD in IL had a bunch of Vanson XR1 pro's laying around that they couldn't sell. I got a red and black in XL for only $350!! This was a $600 jacket originally!! What a great jacket. You just can't find anything better than a Vanson plus it's one of the few that's made in the US!! Just like the bikes we love!! Dan | ||
| Loki |
Blake, The JR Phoenix has become second nature to me. I don't even think about grabbing it on the way out the door. I mean it makes it to the M2 before I get there.....For the cooler temps(not COLD!) I just put a hooded sweatshirt on underneath it. Now to find a comfortable pair of pants loki | ||
| Court |
Bored: The KEY work is BLINDING. I just picked up the Hi-Viz Aerostich and another Yellow Arai RX7RR4. Good job ! Court | ||
| Blake |
I need a new helmet. Current dome is the Buell monikered Shoei RF700. What are the advantages of Arai over Shoei and vice versa? | ||
| Clydeglide |
Blake, Very subjective, my wife and I went to an import dealer with a large selection of helmets. Spent time trying on various models. She liked a Shoei, I preferred the Arai-dont remember the model numbers but very pricey. Ordered them from Brockton Cycle in Mass and had them in a couple of days. Saved a couple of bucks too! Clyde | ||
| Chuck |
Blake, most people say you either have an "Arai" head . . . or a "Shoei" head. I have a "Shoei" head . . . plus they're usually cheaper  | ||
| Blake |
Clyde, Chuck, thanks. Good to see you online Clyde. How's life on the Beach these days? I've heard that one or the other is more for oval shaped noggins, can't recall which though. My noggin is more oval than circular, and the Shoe did kinda press more front to back than sise to side, but it was always comfortable. if however the arai is better suited to oval shaped noggins, I might oughta give em a try. I really like the shield/hinge mechanism on the shoei, never liked the side cover plates like arai has. More pieces to lose/break. Thanks again, Blake |
