hot weather jacket

I've been looking at all the suggestions and I'm thinking the extra money spent on the Motoport, though more than I originally wanted to spend is the way to go.
I'm really suprised there aren't more manufaturers of Kevlar gear.

I live in South Louisiana. Just bought the Motoport Ultra II Kevlar Mesh jacket and pants for my wife. Ideal for where and when we ride. Intend to order a set for my self within the next month or two. The only thing that I don't like is the liner is required to make it waterproof...

I agree that having to put the liner in to make it waterproof is a pain. But a small price to pay for the flexibility I get from the jacket for Texas riding, which is as bad as Lousiana riding. Although you have much worse humidity than we do.

moralem said:

I agree that having to put the liner in to make it waterproof is a pain. But a small price to pay for the flexibility I get from the jacket for Texas riding, which is as bad as Lousiana riding. Although you have much worse humidity than we do.

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If it is a hot day, I don't bother with the jacket rain liner. I dry out quickly, and besides, the windshield keeps most of the rain off my upper body. I don't mind the coat liner and when it is cooler, I'll put a Gerbings jacket underneath it.

Don't like the pant liners; too awkward for me when they are zipped in, so if I do need the pant liners, I put them on but never zipped into the riding pants. Unless it is a major downpour or it is very cold, the bike's faring keeps me dry in moderate rains without the pant liners.

I've ridden about 90,000 miles in my Motoport mesh suit, in temperatures below freezing (with electrics and liners) to 106F. It has a lot more wear left in it.

ok Motoport is getting my biz! I've searched and can't find anything really negative about their product.

lonetour said:

ok Motoport is getting my biz! I've searched and can't find anything really negative about their product.

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OK, here's something negative

Motoport makes fantastic gear, but... There are people who just can't stand the feel of kevlar just as there are people who will never wear wool. Make sure you are not one of the "I hate kevlar" people before ordering the gear.

lonetour said:

I've been looking at all the suggestions and I'm thinking the extra money spent on the Motoport, though more than I originally wanted to spend is the way to go.
I'm really suprised there aren't more manufaturers of Kevlar gear.

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Motoport gear isn't made from 100% Kevlar. It's a Nylon/Kevlar weave that's mostly Nylon. I'm thinking 15% Kevlar, 85% Nylon, but that may be off. IIRC, the nylon gives it abrasion resistance and the Kevlar gives it tear resistance, but it could be the other way around.

Kevlar is the Dupont trademarked name for aramid fibers. BMW and other gear makers have jackets that use aramid/nylon mixes, but they don't use Dupont's aramid fibers, so it's not labeled "Kevlar". The BMW Streetguard's use schoeller-keprotec which is an aramid/nylon mix.

I had a Motoport Ultra II Mesh Kevlar jacket. I thought it was a well made, protective jacket, but it had two down sides. 1) For most folks (not all), it fits and looks like you're wearing a burlap potato sack. 2) There's so much padding in the chest it doesn't flow as much air as I would have expected. I sold my Motoport and replaced it with a BMW Airshell. I prefer the Airshell to the Motoport, but wish the Airshell had chest pads.

There's a really long Motoport thread in the equipment section on advrider.com with lots of Motoport reviews. Really worth a look. Also a good place to buy a used Motoport jacket is in the advrider flea market.

Like everything else with motorcycle gear, YMMV.

I purchased the Motoport Cordua II jacket for myself and my wife. We are both very happy with them. I have both the rain liner and the insulated liner, as I do a lot of cold (20 F minus) riding. The fit on both is perfect! the versatility is great, as you can stash the liners in a rear pocket in the jacket. With no liner, I've ridden in the upper 90s and low 100s F. As long as I was moving, I was very comfortable. Just don't try to stand around in the hot sun for more than a few short minutes. I would definitely purchase from them again. And probably will, as I could use new pants with a rain liner.

Olympia airglide +2

Hot Weather Jacket

I had a BMW Airflow 4 jacket and pants for last year's BMW MOA Rally at which it was tested to 104F. I can attest that it's a fine jacket for when it gets toasty out. But no matter what you wear, you're going to need to be hydrated regularly!

Kent

lonetour said:

Does anuone else make a kevlar jacket?

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Rukka uses something similar, but rated better. The Rukka Armas is one of the only suits in the world to be CE approved for professional use.

http://www.rukka.com

"Motorradfahrer" tested the Armas suit for a full year and 15.000 kilometers under all kinds of weather conditions with temperatures from below 0?? C to more than 30?? C. All testers felt comfortable in the suit under all of these conditions and had no problems whatsoever. They especially liked the easy handling of the Lockout Closure, the detachable thermal-lining with Outlast thermal regulation, the detachable collar of elastic Gore-Tex laminate, and the ventilation openings on the shoulders.
"Tourenfahrer" publishes the test results for 10 high end textile suits and explains the newest technologies such as the waterproof Gore Lockout closure and the highly abrasion resistant Gore SuperFabric.
The testers cannot but confess that in most cases Rukka is the first company to introduce new garments making use of these new technologies. The Armas suit did not only receive a "Empfehlung" (= recommendation) but with 14 of 15 possible points it reached the highest score of all these high end textile suits."


http://www.rukka.com/mxl-fashion/rukkawww.nsf/pages/armas_tf_066-ausrstung_hochwertige.pdf



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I use my Rukka Armas in all temperatures, ridden long miles ranging from 15?? to 115??F. Over 80?? I use a cool vest and stay wet underneath. It's like riding with air conditioning.
I would NEVER consider mesh for LD travel, I wear my BMW mesh for around town and thats it. Nothing worse than having hot air blow on you all day and dehydrate you quickly.

There's only two things bad about Rukka, the price (but you get what you pay for), and the lack of good US distribution.
It's worth the effort to get it though.
I'll be happy to elaborate more if anyone's interested in Rukka gear.



Back to the OP's question directly, The Rev'it Air is a decent mesh jacket for about $200, if that's what you want to get it's a great jacket for the price.

I bought a Tourmaster Sonora jacket last season and am very happy with it. I have a long torso so the 3/4 length works better for me in terms of function and comfort. You can see it here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kf1-Eo5s_Sk

Kovo

I have the Motoport air Mesh Kevlar jacket (waist length), and I'm very satisfied with it. Style-wise it is a simple design and looks better than many of the other Motoport gear. When moving, air flows through the mesh fabric freely. If it's over 90 degrees F, I douse my wicking T shirt that I wear underneath the jacket with water and I've got air conditioning (for an hour).

I also have the Motoport Air Mesh Kevlar Pant and it is just as functional as the jacket. An optional zipper allows the jacket to be zipped to the pant so that they don't separate and leave you exposed in a fall.

The downside of the pant is that it is more difficult to put on and stylistically it is ugly. Off the bike I feel like I'm wearing clown pants because of the big butt-look they give me. The big seat area is designed to give the room you need to sit comfortably on a motorcycle for long periods, and they are successful in doing that.

I later bought Motoport's Kevlar Street Jeans, and I like this pant better. They are much better looking. They use a slightly stretchy fiber weaved with Kevlar so the material is more comfortable than the pure Kevlar Air Mesh. I read somewhere that the blending of stretch material with Kevlar gives a cloth that is even more abrasion resistant because it will have more give when it comes in contact with the ground.

I bought the street jeans with back pockets but ultimately cut them off myself because they created seams under my hiney that would get sore after an hour.

These kevlar jeans also let the air through very well, perhaps not as freely as in the Air Mesh pant, but superior to regular blue jeans.

I'll use the street Jeans for around town riding and on short touring trips if I have confidence in dry weather. On extended tours I will wear the Air Mesh pant because of its versatility with liners.

just wanted to say that this has been a great discussion with lots of information. I am in the market for new riding gear, something flexible enough to go from cool mountain riding to desert heat (conditions I expect this summer when traveling from Calgary to Sedelia, and back).

BMW Airshell Hi-Viz. Excellent in all regards!

Atomicman52 said:

BMW Airshell Hi-Viz. Excellent in all regards!

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It fades very quickly. Dye is of very poor quality.

Jack