Touring jacket and pant recommendations?

Hello all,
I'm finally taking the plunge to get some decent touring clothing and upgrade from the cruiser gear and Frog Togs I currently use. As a result, I thought I'd ask the forum for some opinions on gear. I ride on-road only so no need for off-road/adventure gear and I don't get on my bike when the temperature drops below 45-50F. This means I predominately during late spring/summer/early fall here in PA.

I'd appreciate any opinions for a waterproof jacket with zip out liners, good ventilation and CE protection. There seems to be lots of options and suppliers of jackets and pants out there so it's a little confusing. I like to buy quality but I don't want to break the bank buying a $999 jacket either. What is everyone using? Any brands or models to stay away from? Which features are useful to look for?

I appreciate any guidance the forum can provide!

Thanks.
Ron

I just researched the heck out if this and bought/returned countless jackets and pants. I had a budget of under $800 for jacket and pants, which included any armor upgrades and didn't want a suit as I already owned one. I had very specific needs being removable liners and good venting to name a few.

I ended up getting the Alpinestars Bogota jacket and Alpinestars Valparaiso 2 pants. The pants are new, not yet available here and I had to order them from Germany, but worth it. If I didn't already remove the tags from the jacket I would have returned it and got the Valparaiso 2 jacket too the pants are amazing.

My second choice was the new First gear Killimanjaro jacket, what a great jacket but didn't fit me well, which was too bad because it may have been one of the best I tried, but no liners.

Like I said I had very specific features in the jacket and pants, which eliminated a lot, and my budget eliminated Gortex. I also wanted a clean look, 3/4 length and I'm a tough fit. In the end the quality and features for the price of Alpinestars was amazing. I appreciate the chest armor in the jackets even though you need to upgrade it and the back pad, the option is nice, really good venting and nice removable liners.

What I found is almost all gear is a compromise so you need to set your priorities and be willing to accept some short comings.

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I use Macna gear

I've been pretty happy with Macna gear available through Twisted Throttle. Part of what made me decide to try Macna was this video posted by Twisted Throttle which showed BMW Owners News' Rebecca Clark going through a car wash in the gear and coming out dry. The other feature that attracted me to the brand was the Night Eye color in which the entire article of clothing is reflective.

I have the Concrete Jacket in Night Eye. It has kept me warm in 25F weather, but I didn't have it in August when we get our hottest weather. I am concerned that there isn't enough venting for the summer and am considering picking up a mesh jacket this spring. I also have the Bedoine riding pants. They've been pretty comfortable the few times I've worn them. My only reservation with the pants is that they have a waterproof liner instead of being intrinsically waterproof. For the gloves, I went with the Borax which are now discontinued. Size large is a bit too big for the width of my hands but fits the length of my fingers. Unfortunately, they don't keep my fingertips warm and I'm keeping my eyes out for other options.

My first choice for the jacket was actually the Geo 2 in Night Eye; I really wanted that reflective coating and the venting looked great. However, when TT put the Concrete and Bedoine on sale, I figured out I could get a reflective jacket AND pants for the cost of the Geo 2, so I went the sale route. The gloves were also purchased at a steep discount.

Macna gear uses European sizing so you might need to order a size up. I'm tall and thin, so the jacket in large and the pants in large-tall all fit me well. I can easily get some extra layers under the jacket, including a hooded sweatshirt, but I cannot comfortably wear a pair of jeans under the pants. Long underwear fits fine under the pants.

Twisted Throttle does not make the jacket to pants connecting zipper information clear, making one think one needs an adapter. For example, my jacket has a short connection zipper, but the pants have a long connection zipper so I purchased the conversion zipper. However, if the pants are described as suspender ready, the suspenders use a short connection zipper that will zip to the jacket. In addition, the suspenders have a short connection zipper. The only reason to purchase the conversion zipper is if one is going to sew it into the item that only has the short zipper. I returned my conversion zipper.

This is just my experience and I'm afraid I have no other brands to compare, but I hope this helps.

Try Olympia.
http://olympiamotosports.com


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I wear the BMW GS Dry Suit. They make it for men too. It is 100% waterproof (believe me mine been tested). There are no zip out liners for warmth or to waterproof, as it already is. The jacket is a little warm over 80 degrees, but has pretty good venting. I promise you, if you ride much in various weather conditions, you WILL NOT find the "perfect" gear. In cold weather I wear a long sleeve cotton turtle neck under a Gerbing heated jacket, then this under the GS Jacket...works great.

shortythorne said:

.......{snip} you WILL NOT find the "perfect" gear. In cold weather {snip}.......

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Or in wet weather. It takes a long time to develop a system that works for you-
http://adventure.nationalgeographic...-dream-climb-mallory-irvine_19160_600x450.jpg
It always fascinates me on what George Mallory accomplished with wool.
OM

OLYMPIA.

http://olympiamotosports.com/

BMW Street Guard Jacket and Pants
Klim Badlands
BMW GS Dry Suit

All good choices, my Street Guard is totally waterproof, never failed, zip in and out warmth liners, easy on, easy off, 8 years old and ride in everything from hot to 38F in pissing rain (live near Vancouver BC).

Next gear I will look at Klim, because I like their protection system AND it is nice looking gear to boot. I wear LD Comfort gear as my base layer, full length underwear, mock turtleneck and drimax socks.
And patagonia vest when it get's cold out - light, down, packs small.

However, know that BMW gear has not failed me yet...and so maybe I stick with what I know works.

Pony up the extra coin if you can, you won't regret it.

+1 on Olympia. I use both the Motoquest and Airglide for the wife and I and they make great gear at a good price point that doesn't break the bank.

mikegalbicka said:

+1 on Olympia. I use both the Motoquest and Airglide for the wife and I and they make great gear at a good price point that doesn't break the bank.

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My only issue with Olympia was that nothing was made for small or athletic people. I couldn't find anything that fit, great quality and features but unless your on the bigger side, good luck.

I had to stick with the European brands to get a good fit.

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As previously stated there is NO PERFECT GEAR for every occasion/weather condition/riding type. I've had all types of gear over the years, and here's what I've ended up with:

Klim Apex Jacket (technical shell)
Klim Torrent Pants (overpants - must wear something under)

These are both GoreTex, vent well and seem to have great protection (planning to not find out how it works). I purchased these at last year's rally in Billings after riding through a torrential downpour and finding out my 10 year old FirstGear was no longer waterproof. Riding home through 100+ temps was bearable with LDComfort gear underneath the Klim. Klim is not cheap but so far I'm very impressed with its fit, comfort and waterproofness.

My second set of gear is worn on day trips in the heat when I know there is no rain - also used for commuting

BMW Airflow jacket and pants.

Over the years I've owned a BMW Streetguard (really liked these, the most comfortable, but they don't vent well, so anything over mid to upper 70's they struggle with and living in the South that's not a good thing), Olympia (don't like having to stop and zip in a liner and it was really bulky and uncomfortable to me), FirstGear and AlpineStars - Both good value but less versatile than the Klim gear in my opinion.

I bought most of my gear (except Klim) used and if it didn't work I just turned around and re-sold it usually for about what I paid so I was only out shipping if anything.

You might want to check out Motorcycle Gear .com. They are offering First Gear Kenya jackets for $85.00. Small, Large, XL, & XXL. Ordered one on 2/8 and it arrived at the front door 2/12. '
Good jacket with removable liner and water resistant

bob

Klim, AeroStich, BMW, Tourmaster

Lots of good gear out there.

My filters:
Great armor / protection
Waterproof without a spray on, or zip in liner
Comfortable

Current winner: Klim Badlands Jacket, Firstgear overpants, BMW All Around Boots, Held Air n Dry gloves. Add a Powerlet heated jacket and glove liners for spring and fall in Michigan, and a Klim goretex balaclava to keep the rain from running down my neck (only solution I've found that is 100%).
Close second - anything Aerostich. Would love a one piece - but I really like just being able to drop my jacket and leave pants/boots on.
Also good - My tourmaster gear was an excellent value, and was good for everything but touring in rainy weather. I have a tourmaster mesh jacket for hot riding - but find I rarely use it.

Good luck!

advenbob said:

You might want to check out Motorcycle Gear .com. They are offering First Gear Kenya jackets for $85.00. Small, Large, XL, & XXL. Ordered one on 2/8 and it arrived at the front door 2/12. '
Good jacket with removable liner and water resistant

bob

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While checking at Motorcyclegear.com, I recommend checking the newly introduced Kilimanjaro jacket - I bought one to replace a somewhat worn out BMW Comfortshell jacket and the new Kili is very impressive in comparison - more so than the previous version of the Kili.

sailorlite said:

While checking at Motorcyclegear.com, I recommend checking the newly introduced Kilimanjaro jacket - I bought one to replace a somewhat worn out BMW Comfortshell jacket and the new Kili is very impressive in comparison - more so than the previous version of the Kili.

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Fully agree. So wish it fit me.

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BMARC153920 said:

My only issue with Olympia was that nothing was made for small or athletic people. I couldn't find anything that fit, great quality and features but unless your on the bigger side, good luck.

I had to stick with the European brands to get a good fit.

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Spend more evenings at Texas Roadhouse.

Bulk up.

Back to the original post, I've twice found new BMW Street Guard 3s on Ebay. Using the "make an offer" function and some back and forth with the seller, I got both under $500. (I bought a second one because of a major weight loss). They retail for $999 and are worth it--superb quality compared to the Kilimanjaro I was using. You do take some risk with Ebay--the zipper broke on one of the Street Guards and there was no warranty. But even paying for the zipper replacement, I came out well ahead.

Along the same lines, I recently got a Schuberth C3 Pro from the Netherlands for $475. Same thing--EC standards rather than DOT (which doesn't bother me because EC is considered more rigorous anyway) and I doubt I could get warranty service if I needed it, but $300+ off of normal retail.

Agreed! It's tough to find gear that fits the small/athletic body (6ft, 165lb) - I had an Olympia jacket that I really liked before going to an Aerostich 1-piece. I kept both for 2 years, but I kept going back to the Aerostich. Every time I wore the Olympia, it felt like I was a kid borrowing my dad's suit. The problem comes back to only have 5 sizes to choose from, whereas with Aerostich, there are 33 different sizes (11 suit sizes, then short, normal, tall). I bought my current one from Aerostich that was returned and paid less than your budget.

Good luck!

shortythorne said:

I wear the BMW GS Dry Suit. They make it for men too. It is 100% waterproof (believe me mine been tested). There are no zip out liners for warmth or to waterproof, as it already is. The jacket is a little warm over 80 degrees, but has pretty good venting. I promise you, if you ride much in various weather conditions, you WILL NOT find the "perfect" gear. In cold weather I wear a long sleeve cotton turtle neck under a Gerbing heated jacket, then this under the GS Jacket...works great.

Click to expand...

FWIW...cotton is the absolute worst thing to wear if you are looking for warmth. Cotton holds moisture against your skin, which will actually make you colder. Consider either using polypro base layers or, even better, merino wool base layers. They will keep you MUCH warmer (I spend a lot of time ski mountaineering in the winter and know a little bit about keeping warm).