Let's talk pants & jackets

I have spent more money on gear than motorcycles. At least it seems that way. I usually end up finding out that you get what you pay for but only after wasting money on cheap gear first. I have learned nothing beats Held gloves and have about 10 pair of everything else lightly worn and ready for eBay. Boots, well I make sure they are waterproof. The way they build these now you can't resole and even cheap ones kept me dry in monsoon type rain. These things I feel comfortable with and may end up spending big money on boots one day but just cause I like the looks. Not unhappy with my Diadora boots and on my 2nd pair.

Pants & Jackets, a whole other field and one I have yet to conquer. I have mesh, Olympia, Scorpion & Revit. Revit being the class of the field. For cold, wet and temps up to 80 I have Firstgear TPG gear which I love the fit and comfort of, especially with the 3do armor. I have BMW Summer II pants, which by the way are not good on hot summer days.

Question is does anyone have pants & jackets that really work year round? I mean really work? I live where it is 40's in the spring and high 90's in the summer. I ride 12k a year and ride in rain. Am I correct in thinking there is no such thing as true 4 season gear or does some of this $1200 jacket/pant combo gear from Revit, Dainese, Alpinestars or BMW actually do the trick? The stuff looks good but is it like the TPG line and good until the heat shows up? In other words, would it have done the job in Bloomsburg this year? Or would you have been the best dressed in the hospital recovering from heat stroke?

We have had the BMW suits for many years and they have served me well.
The Kalahari then the Savanna and now the Santiago.
We have made 8 cross country trips and 2 to Alaska with them.
In the winter we use electricks and in the summer silks and cool vests.
The Gore-tex liners are in all winter and on and off in the summer.

40s to 90s are easily handled by the Darien. My current touring/all day ride set-up is a Darien light jacket over road crafter bottoms. Other gear I've tried:

• Darien jacket and pants. Should have kept them, but had to try other things.
• Revit Cayenne jacket. Started falling apart at the seams. The rain liner could hitch up in the back, draining rainwater INSIDE my pants. No thank you.
• BMW Rallye 2 Pro. Good gear, but... My pants started falling apart at the 5 year mark. For the cost I expected a longer life. The jacket required a main zipper replacement. The liner was replaced under warranty due to wear to the goretex. It did vent better than the Darien.

And... the Roadcrafter one piece suit. I still have this and use it for just about all short rides. The bike is my primary transportation (the car belongs to my wife). If I need to run an errand the RC suit is my first choice. It celebrated it's ninth birthday by being sent back to Aerostich to get its velcro refreshed and a tear in the lining patched. It will probably be good for another 9 years.

The Roadcrafter, Darien, and R2P survived minor crashes. The R2P had the most damage, but it was still relatively minor.

I have not yet found a complete solution in one suit. I seem to deal better with cold than with heat, and so I need a suit that vents really well for summer in the West.

I had a Darien when I lived in Seattle, and it was great. Mine was totally waterproof and comfortable into the low 80s, but it just didn't flow any air.

I have a decade old BMW Savannah II jacket that I've paired with a variety of pants, and it has been the best for me. With the liner out, the full lenght arm vents, chest and back vents, along witth the breathable unlined jacket fabric, are pretty good in the heat. The liner is fiddly, but when installed correctly, is still totally waterproof. The downside to this jacket is that it takes several minutes to install/remove the liner, and tthere are no inside waterproof pockets on the liner. I am currently using this jacket with a set of Olympia mesh pants, also with a removable waterproof liner.

I also have a Tourmaster Flex II jacket. This is an interesting jacket: it has a waterproof and non-breathable outer shell. But in the time it takes to remove the liner from the BMW Savannah II, you can unzip 5 zippers on this and remove the shell to reveal a complete mesh jacket. It really covers the entire temperature range I've ever ridden in, from freezing to 100++ temps. (Over 100F or over90% humidity, nothing is going to be very comfortable, but this jacket is as good as any other full mesh item.) There are two downsides to this jacket, however: it's heavy, but worse, the outer shell stopped being waterproof in a real rainstorm after the first year. It's fine for half an hour of hard rain or all day drizzle. I've used Nikwax and I sprayed it with Scotchguard, but it is clear that whatever they used to waterproof it is gone.

How about summer pants for tall people?
My Tourmaster mesh (hi vis) jacket came in a tall size and it has been great for summer riding.
Who makes a tall (long) mesh pant that is not black?
It has been a very hot summer here in the land of corn and more corn.

nardowell said:

How about summer pants for tall people?
My Tourmaster mesh (hi vis) jacket came in a tall size and it has been great for summer riding.
Who makes a tall (long) mesh pant that is not black?
It has been a very hot summer here in the land of corn and more corn.

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Only mesh I know of that is not black is Olympia and Revit. Do not know about tall sizes. Olympia makes silver and gun metal. Revit has white.

The Olympia Airglide mesh come in silver and the length is pretty long. I'm 6 feet tall and had to have mine shortened 2 1/2 inches. Their web site lists the lengths for various waist sizes.

The Olympia X-Moto has some nice venting options is also warm and dry.

I live in south Louisiana, and ride daily. Today it was 104 on the ride home and naturally went through a shower on the way. I wear a Tourmaster Intake Series two. I've found that it holds up well. I carry the interior rain wind and rain barrier on the bike. I don't zip it in , I just put it on under my jacket. I ride all year long and I've been comfortable down in the 20 degree range, with the quilted liner as well as the wind/rain liner zipped into the jacket.
As for boots I wear the Tourmaster Solution boots, they are easy on and easy off, I've had them about 2 years but wear when the chance of rain is high.
My gloves are Cortech Accelerator. Notice a trend here ? I've had them about 3 years and wear them everytime I get on the bike. They've held up great except for just a couple of weeks ago the velcro straps for the wrist are starting to loose thier grasp.

INDAWIN said:

The Olympia Airglide mesh come in silver and the length is pretty long. I'm 6 feet tall and had to have mine shortened 2 1/2 inches. Their web site lists the lengths for various waist sizes.

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Thanks much. If you are 6 ft and the pants were too long, they sound like ones for me to try. I am 6'2" and shriking, but I'll check them out.

The BMW summer sneakers are great for short rides and hanging out trying to look funky, but with pants that are too short you get little rocks and bugs hitting your shins.

How do guys on Harleys get by wearing sandles, shorts and wife beater shirts?