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Tourmaster transition 3 zipper problem.

40427

New member
I call them a double pull zipper but there is probably a more accurate description of what i mean , I just don't know what else to call it.

I bought a Tourmaster Transition 3 jacket this winter after reading all the reviews and comparing costs it seemed like a good value.

However, the main zipper is a real bear to deal with.
Trying to get the left side ( male) part to fit all the way down through the two right side closers is almost impossible to do without either outside help, or many frustrating attempts.
I contacted Tourmaster and they said to send them the jacket ( at my expense) and they would be happy to look at it . That would be fine if it were summer , but it's my only winter jacket, so that won't work unless I either ride in a summer jacket or not ride at all.

I have tried to lube the zipper with some dry slide, trimmed off the odd bit of fabric and thread that could possible be hanging up the zipper function to no avail, it's driving me nuts !

A friend and I were both standing in the parking lot today trying to get zipped up while everyone else was ready to go.

I got home and put on my old and nearly dead BMW Savannah 2 jacket that has the same style zipper but looks like it is made of a different material. It works fine after all these years .

Any suggestions on how to fix the Transition 3 zipper problem ??
 
Do all the parts ever fit together and zip-up? If so there's probably nothing wrong with the zipper that some break-in (use) won't fix. I rub a little candle wax on my jacket's zippers after a washing and that seems to work, but I know the frustration you speak about. Practice zipping with the jacket flat on a table and maybe you'll find a technique that works. Standing in a public place playing with your zipper might get you arrested.

pete
 
Or standing in a parking lot full of motorcyclists having your buddy zip you up and you then zipping his jacket.:blush
:blush
You can only imagine how kind and considerate our friends were sitting there , motors running , and the comments flying about :blah:blah
 
Same deal with mine. The more I use it the easier it works. Mine is actually easier to zip than unzip but a little tug on the left side and it's good to go.
Jeff
 
I spent some time working on the various parts last night.
I was able to trim a bit of fabric off the very end of the male side and then took a real sharp knife and smoothed out the edges so it inserts easier now.

The real problem I think is the angle of the top zipper where it meets the bottom zipper, it sits on a bit of an angle when it should be flat one piece against the other .
When you have the jacket on and are looking down to align the parts, it is almost always a bit crooked and therefore hard to align and zip.

I would say it's a cheap zipper compared to the one in my Savannah 2. That one lines up almost perfectly and has a small locator tap on the top zip to help lock it in flat on the bottom one.
But the Tourmaster is a lot less expensive than anything sold by BMW.

As they say, you pays your money and you get what you pay for :blush
 
If you think it's the zipper itself take it to an alterations shop and have them put in a high quality double sided zipper. Shouldn't cost more than 20 or 40 bucks. should be able to get a brass one too.
 
Any alterations shop should be able to do it. I've had full length brass zippers put in the legs of riding pants (the kind that zip up to the hip) to upgrade the crappy plastic ones with stronger higher qualtiy ones.
 
I think you will find it is not an uncommon problem with that style of zipper. My comfortshell jacket and Must offshore yachting jacket can both have this issue. I find if i pull down on both female sections whilst inserting male section, it works perfectly. Your comment about alignment is the answer.
Regards
Paul
 
Yep. My darling wife has a non-motorcycle parka from Lands End that takes her anywhere from 2 minutes to infinity to get the double zipper engaged. I'm patient (not) and find something to do in the meantime (rotate my tires, rebuild a Gold Star engine, etc.) so as not to put any added pressure on her. I had trouble with the zip on an Aerostich Roadcrafter 2-pc for a while until it got broken-in or I learned the trick. Some m-c jackets have YKK zippers, a good name that should work OK, but more and more are coming with no-name, Chinese stuff that isn't so good. I second, or third, the suggestion that a brass zipper of brand name should work better, but isn't it a shame that you have to even consider that on a new product?

pete
 
+1 with the zipper on my 2012 Klim Latitude.

Shame they put such high quality and materials into 99% of the jacket and top it off with a krappy plastic zipper. May look at the zipper replacement option but have to get someone to do it that can maintain the integrity of the gortex.

I think you will find it is not an uncommon problem with that style of zipper. My comfortshell jacket and Must offshore yachting jacket can both have this issue. I find if i pull down on both female sections whilst inserting male section, it works perfectly. Your comment about alignment is the answer.
Regards
Paul
 
I got curious to see who actually makes the Zipper in question, all it says on it that I can find is Tourmaster on the pull.
This leads me to think that's one way they keep the price point lower .

I plan to take the armor out and look at it very closely, if any of that is suspect I will be voicing my complaints directly to the Tourmaster people and then getting rid of the jacket.
 
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