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Riding jacket material

2K views 25 replies 13 participants last post by  networkguy3 
#1 ·
I have been riding with an Olympia X-Moto jacket for the past several years. It is rapidly wearing out and I want to replace it. The jacket is 500D cordura and is relatively heavy. I have already replaced my original X-moto pants with a pair of Motoport Ultra II cordura pants. My first question is what material should I get for the new jacket? I am familiar with the cordura from both Olympia and from Motoport and it is OK for me. However, I'm wondering if I would be better off with a stretch Kevlar jacket with the optional liners. I ride from about 30 degrees to about 100 degrees. The stretch Kevlar is almost twice as expensive as the cordura and I really don't want to spend the extra money if it will not serve me better. Also, are any of the pockets that you can add to the Ultra II jacket water proof? I have a waterproof pocket on my Olympia jacket and really like it.

BTW: I get along pretty well with the tri-armor in the Motoport pants, so was planning to go with the same armor in the new jacket.

Opinions anyone?
 
#3 ·
Close, but no cigar. I do swear by my Motoport stretch Kevlar jacket and pants, but they are NOT mesh. I don't want to get on my soapbox here, but I do not want any mesh gear. The stretch Kevlar keeps me comfortable in all weather including 100+ ºF temps. I gave away two mesh jackets after discovering the heavy textile.

Aside from that, I DO love my MotoPort!

Glen
 
#9 ·
So you would recommend the stretch Kevlar over the cordura? How low does the temperature get before you add a liner to the jacket to keep from freezing in the wind?
I don't use a liner, but instead I add my Gerbings jacket when I get cool. I've found that there

is a huge difference between being "not very cold" and "toasty warm". I'm cold-natured, so if I'll be on the bike for any length of time I'll usually put on the Gerbings at 55 to 60ºF.

Glen
 
#5 ·
Be wary of the use of Kevlar in motorcycle gear. Kevlar is UV unstable and loses strength rapidly when exposed to sunlight yet does not change appearance if dyed or otherwise tinted. You don't know it's weakened by looking at it as it does not change appearance. Is one season's use safe, three, or ten?



The technical guide for Kevlar from DuPont recommends storing in a darkened location, away from doors and windows that allow natural light into that storage space, and from close contact to fluorescent lighting. How can the gear manufacturer know how the raw material of yarns, fabrics, and thread were stored in the supply chain before it was received?



Nylon and polyester fabrics are not UV sensitive and are manufactured into Cordura and Carbolex fabrics used by protective gear manufacturers.


When shopping gear look at the fabric material and look beyond the advertising claims.
 
#8 ·
When riding I wear Motoport Kevlar mesh jacket and pants. The Kevlar fabric used by Motoport is a blended fabric, not pure Kevlar. Years of actual use have demonstrated that the blended fabric (unlike pure Kevlar) retains its strength even with the UV exposure a motorcyclist is subjected to. Whether a motorcyclist buys the stretch or mesh material depends greatly upon the climate where the rider does most of his or her riding. There has been extensive discussions in this forum on the subject of stretch vs mesh. The mesh material serves me very well as I do most of my riding in the northeast where riding temperatures can range from the high 90's with high humidity to sub-freezing. An important thing to consider is that the mesh fabric has greater overall strength than the stretch fabric. I have no regrets with my investment in Motoport Kevlar riding gear and I recommend it, whether stretch or mesh, highly. I often wonder why owners of expensive Goldwings with all kinds of additional equipment and modifications cheapen out on personal protective equipment. I enjoy riding too much to risk my ability to ride by using cheap protective gear.
 
#10 ·
+1 for Motoport Kevlar - pants and jacket.
My pants are mesh, my jacket is mesh with some stretch panels. Tri-armor in both.

Last month I took a 2900 mile trip from SoCal to Oregon, Washington and Nevada. My riding was in temps from upper 30s to upper 90s, mostly clear & sunny with one day of intermittent rain.

Base layer: 32*Cool boxer briefs & tshirt. Cargo shorts under Motorsport pants.

On cold mornings I wore Tourmaster electric vest and an old polypropylene sweatshirt. Always comfortable.

Never needed the rain liners.

When I got home I popped them in the washer and hung them to dry. Fast & easy!

It took me a long time to save for the Motorsport Kevlar gear. I’ve never once regretted spending the money.
 
#16 ·
JMHO the KLIM Latitude Jacket has armor and tons of vents-the air flow is adjustable based on the vents you choose. I use it four seasons, most of it in the S/E.
 
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#20 ·
I have the new Klim Latitude. It lots of vents and flows air pretty well. However it still feels warm when it gets to the low to mid 90's. Guess most anything would. I wear a 4x and the neck opening is huge. The jacket is very well made.

My Klim Induction is quite a bit more comfortable in the hot weather.

Years ago I crashed in at 65mph in a Olympia GT Air jacket and Air Glide pants. They held up great. I highly recommend the Olympia products. They were great in the warm weather and provided a great value.
 
#21 ·
The names are confusing, There is D30 armor and there is the new D30 aero pro armor, I don’t think they are the same, but this sure wouldn’t be the first time I was completely wrong.
If you scroll about 3/4 way down the page there is a video about the supposedly new Klim D30 aero pro armor with 5x the airflow
https://www.klim.com/Badlands-Pro-Jacket-4052-002
 
#22 ·
I never really answered the question. I wear mesh about half the year and a Aerostich 1 pc Roadcrafter the rest. I have had a couple of Tourmaster Intake mesh jackets in 14 years. It holds up well, I ride about 20 to 30,000 miles a year so those jackets have many miles on them. I generally wear long sleeve wicking shirts as a first layer year-round, at 70ish degrees I install the windstopper liner in mesh jackets, and at 60 degrees add a Gerbing heated liner over the long sleeve foundation. Around 50 degrees I start using heat in the jackets.
 
#23 · (Edited)
I just replaced my Motoport mesh with stretch Kevlar. The mesh was good until temps got above 90. After that it felt like standing in a blow dryer. I haven't had enough time to ride in a variety of temps but I talked to a lot of people and they liked the stretch. While I was in the shop getting measured three different motorcycle patrol LEO's were in to pick up jackets or pants. Everyone in their respective departments loved the stuff. And they spend all day every day wearing the gear.


I have had other gear - both mesh and traditional jackets. The mesh was basically nylon. I don't think it would protect very well in a slide. The shop at Motoport had examples of other gear from big name manufacturers. They did not do very well in crashes. They also had some of their gear worn by LEO's that had been through crashes. They looked almost new.
 
#24 ·
@cycledude I failed to mention I use LD Comfort under the jacket in the summer months and if I have a ride three hours of more I use a veskimo vest for that ac environment contained in the Latitude jacket, winter I use heated gear. Makes all 4 seasons tolerable. Revzilla has great customer service call them about the armor and get it from the horses ? mouth.
 
#25 ·
I have the Ultra II kevlar mesh jacket and pants and have the quad armor everywhere it was an option to put it. If riding in the winter where temps are in the teens to twenties a pair of thermal underwear make a huge difference to keep the legs warm and though I have gerbings heated pant liners I've only used them a few times. The mesh jacket can be made to work from the teens to 107* with LD Comfort, the rain liner and a gerbings heated jacket liner and gloves. Once it gets above about 95* I will wet a long sleeve LD Comfort shirt down which works for an hour to hour and a half before it needs wetted again or when riding to work the I'd use the sleeves instead of the shirt. From teens to about 50* I use the rain liner to block the wind and the gerbings for heat, 50* to about 70* the heat gets turned off. Much over 70 and the Gerbings gets taken out and the rain liner comes out by 80-85 tops. If I ever manage to wear this jacket out I plan on getting the stretch kevlar one with all the upgraded padding but I don't know if I'll live that long. Bought this in 2010 and it has been thru 8 full riding seasons, close to 130K miles in all types of weather and is still in good shape. Had a 45 mph lowside slide of about 40' on asphalt in 2014 and though I was sore and sprained my ankle from wearing work boots I didn't have any rash or any visible bruising. Wore it the rest of the season and sent it back for repair in the winter, about 200 dollars and I got it back with reinforcing patches over the abraded areas ready for the next season. I am pleased with Motoport, their products and their customer service completing my repairs. Their gear isn't cheap by any means but sitting in the waiting room at the ER after my accident without a mark on me and talking to the people who tended to me about what they usually run into with motorcycle accidents convinced me it was some of the best money I'd spent to date.
 
#26 ·
Time to upgrade

My wallet hates all of you! It sounds like it is time to replace my almost 6 year old Olympia Cordura jacket with a stretch Kevlar jacket. I'm trying to lose about 25 lbs this fall so I'll wait till that is done before I order a new jacket. The last thing I want to do is order a high quality riding jacket and have to send it back to be altered before its first riding season!
 
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