we are on it - hopefully we will intrduce a kevlar based suit soon. we are talking to suppliers at the moment. r u looking for a kevlar suit or a kevlar-mesh suit? and thank you for the detailed reply - its the kind of feedback we are looking for Thanks
I'd like to 'update' my feedback from last month. I agree with most of what kevinj posted yesterday, with a few very notable exceptions: 1) I do NOT believe that Motoport's gear is significantly more protective than any of several alternatives, and in fact I believe that my (relatively-speaking) VERY inexpensive Komodo Ceno leather jacket is noticeably more protective than Motoport. 2) I would not pay more than the current price of your Power Shell suit for something/anything else. In fact, since I last posted in October, I have purchased one of your Lombard suits, used for a couple/few rides but in brand-new condition, from a fellow ADVrider forum member. Apart from it lacking hip armor (a very serious issue for me, but happily I have Forcefield PRO pants I can use under it), I find it to be a very, very good suit. I prefer over-suit rain protection. Mostly that's because I live where it doesn't rain. :) I would prefer a 2-piece suit, though a 1-piece is acceptable. I'd also like the pants to zip 360 degrees to my Komodo jacket. :)
I'd like to give you my thoughts on the inner liners of my motoport suit. I love them! The wind/rain liner on my motoport air mesh kevlar pants and jacket make this gear a genuine year-round outfit. I live in Virginia Beach, VA. We experience all four seasons; July and August are 95-105 F, often times with humidity well above 85%. The liners are, obviously, not installed. If it rains, well, I'm usually in just some undergarments, so I don't care that I get wet. We tend to have beautiful spring and fall weather, though quite often with 20 F + temperature swings. For these seasons, the jacket liner is simply worn (rather than zipped in) for the cooler morning/night temps, and stashed in the pannier during the warmer parts of the day. If it rains, it really is not that difficult just slipping on both the pants and jacket liners (again, they don't need to be zipped in for them to work). The wind/rain liner in the jacket is good down to 55 F with just a T-shirt (for me). I don't wear the pants wind/rain liner until temps are below 45 F, as the regular pants I wear under the kevlar pants seem to do fine (I ride a GS Adv with excellent wind protection for the legs). The thermal liner for the jacket is usually just slipped on over my clothes, even in the winter. To sum it up, the liner system gives the suit tremendous flexibility. Is it ideal that the outer garments get wet in the rain? No, but the benefit of keeping the wind off me when temps drop far exceed the negative of getting the outer garment wet, especially since "No rain hours" far exceed "rain hours". And for when it isn't raining, I love the air flow the mesh provides on hot and sticky days. Also, keep in mind that two-thirds of the US population lives within 90 miles of the Atlantic - I would suspect that many of your potential customers have to battle high humidity conditions. For me that means a fused waterproof liner is a no-no. I really do hope you come up with an outfit that can compete with motoport. Competition is a good thing for consumers. Even if you cannot beat Wayne in price, customer service is important, and, from everything I have read on ADV over the last few years, you seem to do right by folks.
Any idea on timing? I was planning on a motoport mesh jacket for next summer. Probably need to get it ordered by feb. to avoid long wait.
Watching this thread as well. I'm looking to replace my summer (vented) gear and was interested in your products. Please keep us informed.
Thanks for taking the time to read my somewhat scattered thoughts. I don't know about kevlar vs kevlar mesh - I'd like to get my hands on someone's motoport collection to feel/see the difference. Different people seem to have different preferences.
I have a Kevlar mesh jacket and pants from Motoport. I really like the security the jacket offers, but do wonder sometimes if the armour might twist out of place in a crash. The pants are bulky and hotter than my Klims, so I only wear them on longer trips. A few comments: I think the kevlar mesh is brilliant! It feels bombproof and flows lots of air, which is great for me in Australia. I sometimes take the armour out and use a pressure suit/ knee guards underneath. Being able to do this is important to me on desert trips. I wear a Leatt neck brace and to be honest its a bit of a pain as the jacket doesn't have the optional cut out for a neck brace. I would really like a neck brace compatible jacket and like the way the Leatt jackets cover the brace. That said it would be good to be able to use it without a cover as well to flow more air. T-Pro would be good, but please include some chest/rib protection. I think the coverage offered by Forcefield with their Adventure harness is great for this. The suit is not the most flattering thing to wear, especially with my beer gut . A bit more shape/style would be good.... Pants in the boots or pants out of the boots? I'm starting to think pants over the boots is a dumb idea. I layer up with outdoor gear if it's cold, and just chuck a waterproof jacket over everything if it rains. Liners seem silly to me, I'd rather keep everything dry. Tasteful colours and not many logos would be good. Kevlar thread seems a very good idea. If you can produce a good 2 piece suit that takes account of the above I would buy it in a shot . Cheers, Adrian
I think the importance of seam strength and armor coverage couldn't be stressed enough. If the seams don't hold, this discussion is moot. I know you're using SasTec now, which clearly tests well, but its pathetically small. The suit would have to be very snug, or have some serious adjustment to locate the armor correctly. Of all the suits I've seen with small armor from Revit (sastec), first gear & klim(d30), none seem to have a handle on this. More armor coverage would help in this regard. I for one, would pay more for something like T-pro that is physically larger, yet just as comfortable and protective. Unlike T-pro, SasTec also stays rock hard in the cold, which is a deal killer for me. Manufacturers like to claim that your body heat softens it up, but I've never found that to be true since it lives on the outside of the insulation. How is body heat making it through the stuff that is keeping you warm to soften it up:huh
The Forcefield Extreme Harness Adventure is $350. i wrote a long rant about why are probably not going to use that stuff - deleted the rant and am simply going to say this: Not many people want to pay the fair price for a garment with these sort of features. if we can get enough people to sign up for this - i would not mind importing anything that is in popular demand :) With Sas-Tec pieces, we would have to develop custom pieces if you want more coverage (like BMW does). This means significant costs and again how much is everyone willing to pay for that. I personally find Sas-Tec coverage to be very good but obviously everybody is entitled to their own opinion. The last time i compared, the Sas-Tec peices did provide more coverage than D3o. For anyone looking for Mesh(perforated) gear at the moment, our Air Shell is an amazing suit: http://store.teizms.com/air-shell We are also introducing a matching Jacket next week. Thanks
important question: a lot of folks find their kevlar based jackets to be too stiff and uncomfortable. please elaborate on this in detail so we can incorporate the right amount of stretch panels etc to ensure a more comfortable fit.
That is probably my biggest issue with gear makers, I don't care if you use armor that is so amazing it will save me if i hit a brick wall at 200mph because it seems like 90 percent of the jackets\pants I have ever tried on (including 1piece leathers) I do not like how the armor sits..perhaps I am just a snob from playing contact sports my entire life where repeated falls\hits are going to happen and I understand how "decent placement" is not exactly good enough when you need it.
Hi Adrian v , looks like the Klim Adventure air is exactly what your after , release date February 2013.
I will try to draw an analogy. I have a Motoport kevlar air mesh jacket and their stretch kevlar pants. The jacket feels like chain mail from the middle ages. The pants feel like a comfortable pair of your favorite broken in jeans. My suggestion would be a stretch kevlar jacket that will use a 1-2" wide air mesh strip on the inside of the arms up to the armpits, supplemented by some triangular mesh panels on the chest in a V shape configuration. For functionality and safety, 2 lower pockets is enough without getting in the way of the venting IMHO. I don't use the pockets on my jacket for anything electronic because they are so abrasive. Also, a two way main zipper is great for taking the inevitable roadside piss.
thanks for the offer. i might take up on it a bit later but right now i am out traveling... i also have fabrics supplied to me directly from schoeller (and several other vendors) so that helps..
