ATGATT: All The Gear All The Time, most motorcycle riders are familiar with this acronym. It means to wear proper protective riding gear, boots, gloves and helmet while riding, ALL the time. It means buying good quality stuff designed for use on a motorcycle and actually using it, no matter how short the ride.
I was and have remained since the first day I threw a leg over my first motorcycle, a firm believer in ATGATT. As my wife said to me, my wellbeing in the event of an accident was not something to cheap out on. Truer words have rarely been said to me by anyone!
Back in May of 2008, I bought a riding jacket and overpants from Cycleport. They're a small outfit in California who specialize in using Kevlar material in making their riding gear. Their stuff is pricey but I am here to tell you, worth every penny in my opinion. Here's a link where I did the initial review of the jacket and pants when I first received them. LINK
In a case of fortunate timing, I got this gear and was wearing it when I encountered ice in June of 2008 while approaching the Eisenhower Tunnel on I-70. I experienced a lowside crash at over 40 mph and came out of it with just a slightly separate AC Joint when my right shoulder was the first part of my body to impact the pavement.
The jacket and pants came through with flying colors, the major impact point, the right shoulder should some slight wear marks and that was it! Some of the reflective stitching on my right arm (which I believe I layed on as I slid down the pavement) came apart but was easily fixed.
My helmet, a KBC FFR flip-up helmet protected my head and showed wear marks down to the plastic shell on the right side where my ear would have been had I not been wearing it!
Here's a link to my writeup of the accident: LINK
But I am remiss, the subject of this article is a review of the riding gear after over a year of full time usage. As I mention in my bio, I ride every day possible. The only that's stopped me so far is ice or possibility of ice on the roads or lots of snow. It's an insanity of mine this addiction to riding and I've been known to sneak short rides in when snow was still on the barely cleared roads.
So, on to the review.
1. The kevlar material, air mesh variety in my case, is tough stuff. It shows zero wear and just a tad bit of fading due to exposure to the Sun's UV rays. It hides dirt well, the color black, which is why I chose it. It dries quickly after a drenching ride too.
2. In cold weather, the air mesh vents VERY well. Fortunately I've my MeshTex insulated and waterproof liner from when I owned my Firstgear Kilimanjaro Air jacket (now a spare jacket).
3. In hot weather, the air mesh vents pretty well. You do tend to start building up some heat while standing still at a stoplight but the light sweat you build up feels quite refreshing once you build up some speed and the wind starts flowing through your mesh material. Above 100°F, nothing really helps for long. It's just physics at that point. During such rides, I'll wear a underarmour compression type long sleeve shirt, soaked in water. It's actually very cooling, downright chilly at first! However it dries pretty quickly while riding and you have to stop and soak more water into it.
4. One of the buttons securing the flap in front of the zipper on the jacket failed, I called Cycleport and they sent me several replacements in the mail, free of charge!
5. The pockets on the jackets and pants are of minimal utility since they've a very narrow opening width, something to keep in mind. I do like the side zipper pocket built into the right-side chest pocket, very handy. If I ever send the jacket in for modifications, I'll have them add a side zipper to the left hand chest pocket as well!
No real complaints about the Cycleport stuff, it's saved me from major road rash and severe injuries in the crash last year. I've seen mostly glowing recommendations online from other users of this gear. It's not the sexiest looking riding gear but I'll stay with safe rather than sexy, thank you very much.
Here's cycleport's website, it's been improved a lot since I bought my gear, but still they've got a long way to go to make it a great website. LINK
Looks like they've got some new styles developed as well, might be worth your while to peruse the site.
Here's a direct link to their "why should you buy our stuff" data. I believe it but you need to make your own mind up and do your research of course. LINK
Comments
I just got back from Cycleport, ordering my new Ultra II AirMesh jacket. I had heard of Wayne's gracious gift of time from other riders. I didn't ask, and wasn't expecting. But sure enough, in he came and spent the next hour showing me around the shop and telling me what I'm sure he's told others hundreds of times. But it was new to me, and obviously still interesting to Wayne. I left as a Cycleport "groupie." :)
Charles, you won't regret your decision....the stuff is pricey but worth every penny when you're sliding down the road at over 40mph!
I wore my Motoport Ultra II Kevlar Mesh gear on a 4,200 mile trip to Reno, Salt Lake City, Yellowstone, Glacier, Bannf-AB, Jasper-AB, Kamloops-BC, Yakima-WA, Richland-WA, and back home to Cordelia, via Oregon.
I encountered temps from 25F to 105F, plenty of rain, and some sleet.
Using the rain and thermal liner(s) and Outlast thermal underwear, I was able to be comfortable at the low end of the scale, and, with mesh alone, was as comfortable as is possible at the high end of the scale. The breathable rain liners kept me dry in the rain, and warm over a wide range of temps. They also took little space when not in use.
This puts me at over 10,000 miles wearing the full suit, and I am very happy with it. Thankfully, I have not had to use its protective features, but it is nice feeling the armor and the tough mesh every time I put it on.
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