Good touring gear?

[1KPerDay]

http://www.motorcyclegear.com/street/closeouts/textile_jackets_and_pants/first_gear/firstgear_kilimanjaro_5_textile_motorcycle_jacket.html

fyi

[ConPilot1]

You get what you pay for. The BMW Rallye suits have the protection you're looking for. Look for a used one at

http://www.advrider.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=54


I picked up a month-old, mint condition Rallye jacket from one guy (he bought the wrong size) and matching Rallye pants from another that were mint except for 2 or 3 spots the size of a pencil eraser. I  got each for 1/2 the of new. With the bad economy, folks are selling lots of stuff.

+1. I buy all my good stuff great condition 2nd hand or leftover NOS. Saves a ton of cash. I got into a full 2 pc. Motoport AMK suit for $460 bux.  
Just be patient and search the boards for people selling gear. There's ALWAYS gear on the move.  

[DangerMoney]

Another place to find used gear:

http://marketplace.ibmwr.org/

[kennywiz]

Any Olympia gear is great. I have an AST Airglide and the pants to match. Plus an older jacket I picked up in Ebay for $35.

Also keep a Tour master Transition2 in rotation. Another GREAT jacket! With the liner it's QUITE warm, and can provide decent venting on the 68-73 degree days or nights. Have a set of pants from them. Not certain the model but not as good as the jackets.

[chosemerveilleux]

Well, scratch off my previous unequivocal recommendation of Olympia's Ranger 2 pant.

I made a run down to Toms River on Tuesday, about 150 miles round trip from West Orange.  It was scheduled to rain all day, but I wasn't feeling taking my truck, so I donned my Killi 5.0 Jacket and my Ranger 2 Pants and made the ride.  Previously this combo proved impervious to to rain (with the exception of the occasional trickle over the collar, but what jacket without a hood doesn't do that?) but this time not so much.  My Killi was aces as usual, but my Ranger pants gave it all up at about mile 125.  It was like the damn levy broke, with water just pouring in at my crotch and lower leg areas.  It was like a cheap diaper on a baby, wet all the hell over, from the waist on down.

I got 2 years out of them to the damn day.  

I wasn't really thinking about replacing my pants yet;  Well, it was on my mind, as I like the new Klim Latitude suit, but the coin isn't in my pocket yet for that.  Guess I'm gonna be saving for some gore-tex pants to buy sooner rather than later.

[birdrunner]

Anything I have ever had made by Firstgear has been superb. 95% of reviews I see seem to reflect that as well.

+1000

I've crashed tested their leathers.
.... saved my life.

[Geno]

Check out the Rev'it Sand outfit.  Pricy, but worth it, IMHO.

[Jason F.]

I normally would have overlooked Joe Rocket stuff as lower tier or cheap gear but I have been absolutely pleased with my setup.

I have a Joe Rocket Ballistic 7.0 3/4 length jacket. It claims it is waterproof and I have tested it a couple times with good results. If I kept things zipped up I stayed dry save for a small leak around my collar and another small leak at my cuff. Both because I probably did not have them closed off well enough. It was an extended frog strangler sort of day at interstate speeds though. This jacket was purchased new but on sale at a local brick and mortar for just over $100. It has been great in temps down in to the upper 20's and up into the mid/upper 80's. It gets a bit warm in the 90's though if you have to stop at lights.

With that I have Joe Rocket Ballistic Dry Tech pants that zip to the above jacket. They also have proven to be very comfortable, warm, and dry. Again the only leaks I got were when I forgot to close a zipper on the side. I got these slightly used from a member here. Plenty of waist adjustment for fitting over various thickness base layers and full length zippers on the sides for easy removing/entry even with boots on.

I am a big guy and this stuff fits me well. at 6'2" and a bit over 250 it is often hard to find stuff that has the arm length, inseam length, and shoulder width to keep me covered and comfortable.

[Justin]

I normally would have overlooked Joe Rocket stuff as lower tier or cheap gear but I have been absolutely please with my setup.

I think people just assume that and think Joe Rocket is squid gear. The folks I know that use JR stuff always seem to be pretty happy with it.

[napper]

I'll speak up for Joe Rocket.  I crashed in a five-year-old JR textile jacket this past spring and after sliding down the road after a 35 + mph get-off, you could hardly tell the jacket had been in an accident.  Same accident, my First Gear HT textile overpants were pretty shredded put never broke through to expose skin.  As far as rain protection goes, I'm in Phoenix, it's not a consideration.  (I have Frogg Toggs for road trips.)

[sleazy rider]

Thanks for the replies.  Just found a 'Stich on eBay for a good price and...got it.  We'll see which works better!

You done good.  Mine's got about 60k miles on it now and it's holding up just fine.  Pull the pads out, wash it spring and fall, retreat with Nikwax spray on waterproofing when dry and ride in all types of weather.  

[SWriverstone]

You'll like the Stich suit. I like mine. I can't wear it above about 75F degrees...but for any riding 75 and below (a good part of the year), it's awesome. And contrary to what some folks say, it's pretty fast and easy to take off/put on. My 2-piece is very comfortable on the bike. No, it's not comfortable enough to lounge around in...but why on earth would anyone want to lounge around in your riding gear?   It's meant for riding--not lounging around.  

Scott

[ChrisZRX]

I just got a new Tourmaster Centurion on ebay for $217.00, delivered.  

[sfalexi]

 If someone could take a flight suit and beef it up I would be in heaven.

Might want to inquire about the Olympia Stealth suit.  It's pretty much a flight suit, beefed up.  Don't know about the fit and finish, but that's exactly what it looks like.

[Justin]

Might want to inquire about the Olympia Stealth suit.  It's pretty much a flight suit, beefed up.  Don't know about the fit and finish, but that's exactly what it looks like.

I tried one out, it seemed to be built pretty well. But it had no give at all in the back, so it was useless for a sportbike riding position. The only other complaint I had from trying it on was all the velcro. Opening the front zipper was like a workout there was so much velcro  

[Hotbrakes]

Finally getting around to an outcome.  

So I got the Teiz Lombard and a well used but good condition Roadcrafter.  Both have pros/cons but in the end, I'm wearing the Teiz and the Roadcrafter is already with it's new owner in Seattle.  The RC lacked ventilation for Virginia spring and fall.  

The Teiz vents well but is not waterproof.  Even after a healthy spray of waterproofing treatment it seeps a lot.  I need to try the wash in first, then spray it down.  The Teiz is warm too.  This morning I rode to work with the temp gauge indicating 24 degrees most of the way.  Underarmour, heated vest, and light jacket under the suit kept me toasty.  Only my feet and face were cold.

Thanks for all the suggestions on here.  Definitely a good place to see what works and what doesn't.

[Hotbrakes]

The Teiz is a roaster above 70 degrees.  Overall comfortable but not practical for a long trip in the warmer months.

The gf and I stopped by Revzilla this past weekend to look at gear.  Excellent service and knowledge from the staff.  I could spend days in there picking their brains and trying stuff on.  

When it comes to waterproof sans liner, ventilated for 80+ degrees, the only option was Klim.  I walked out with the pants.  Gonna save money and get the jacket next year.  

Kudos to Revzilla and Klim!

[morgeen]

Well I'll be the first to say poor  touring gear have disappointed me on more than one vacation... ^^

[AnotherOne]

I've done the miles and now I want to look the part.  I've got Joe Rocket Alter Ego, pretty much junk, Shift Streetfighter SS that would be scary to crash in (very thin material), various cotton based riding pants, Shift leather jackets (too hot), Shift Hybrid pants (great but too hot), a couple Alpinestar race suits, Cortech HRX jacket and pants(that don't fit) and the jacket is a bit big with too much going on.  I think that's about everything in my closet.  

What I'm looking for is a 3/4 length jacket, solid pants, or suit with good protection (CE), heavyduty, waterproofish (nothing truly is), and usable for whatever time of year I decide to get on the bike and not turn around for a few days.  I realize that this could be a costly gear purchase and I want to get it right.  Aerostich is a bit too simple looking, Teiz too busy, BMW stuff looks great but costs as much as some of the bikes I own.

Right now I'm lost.  The stealerships only stock junk street gear, BMW only has gear that requires a loan, and the internet has all kinds of weird 600, 400, denier, polyester, nylon, cordura crap.

So what gear takes everyone on their adventures that holds up to hot weather, cold weather, wet weather, crashing, etc.?

I agree with you about the Alter Ego being junk. Sold mine and got the Olympia AST. Highly recommend you check it out as it is very nice quality, especially at the mid price point it sells at. They use the same materials as Aerostitch. Kinda of like an off the rack Aeorstitch made in China that sells for 1/2 the price and their venting and styling is better. Olympia use 500D and 2000D Cordura so have significantly more abrasion resistance than nylon gear. 1000D Cordura as an example has a rated abrasion resistance comparable to 1.3mm leather and twice that of 1000D nylon. A second issue is venting. The olympia has best in class venting for the type of jacket it is. The AST shell is water proof on it's own so does not need an extra rain liner. I use mine with their XMoto pants which vent very well and have lots of protection.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6AVeitn2F04

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nC-hPt4lqhM

[expatbrit]

Has anyone looked at Stadler?