What type of Jacket are you using for Riding the RS ???

I did my only premium riding suit purchase with the Aerostich. It provides an incentive to keep my weight down.

 

I have several riding friends with Aerostitch gear and I have no doubt some of their suits are old enough to vote and still have many more years service in them . I have bought many items from their catalog over the years and I think they are a great Company and if I ever was able to stop in for a custom fitting I would likely give them a shot. I know they will modify in any way, but with my caveman body I find it easier to try gear on back to back. The Klim folks were in town and were very helpful and up until recently the Held Distributor was nearby so I was able to rummage around with ease. I tend to use my gear for a long time too and Aerostitch certainly offers that amortized value.

Cheers

 

Who was the Held distributor?

On a separate note, I was pretty surprised to find Polaris as the owner of Klim.

 

My Aerostitch Transit is 8 YO and the Roadcrafter is 12 YO. Both pieces have been durable, protective (went down in the Transit) and comfortable. On the other hand my $1600 Klim Badlands, while designed well has had 2 zipper failures through normal use over the past 2 years. I am not impressed with Klim at all - crap quality.

 

It's Schuberth now, I'm not sure when it was in Hickory, NC that it was any other name than Held or Held U.S.A.? Located in a small business park off of I-40 and the owner rode a Triumph Bonneville, that's all I knew. I had been in a school at V.I.R (Reg Pridmore CLASS) and they were/are a sponsor. One of the guys I ride with noted they were local to us so we looked them up and were able to shop directly until Schuberth absorbed the brand, their center is in CA.

Other area trivia is Draggin Jeans and some other motorcycle gear was made in Hickory, Ohlins is near Asheville (Hendersonville) , Givi is in Charlotte, Indian was nearby just into SC for a short time previous to Polaris and BMW has their SC complex that has their motorcycle performance school as well as other fun motorsports activities and tours. It's a great area for our roads, people and for motorsports in general.

Cheers

 

Change is a constant... I'm now using Klim Apex and Klim Induction (hot days)... Still have, and use, the Icon Device Leather.

 

Revit Scirocco last season. The problem is, it's a summer jacket and keeps cold in the Spring and Autumn.
Just ordered the new Sand 3 jacket. The Sand 3 pants will follow.

 

I've said it before: take a look at the Joe Rocket Alter Ego. It's a mesh jacket with an over jacket that mates to it. Together it's a warm, waterproof all- season jacket, albeit in a sporty cut. Wear the mesh, put the top on if it rains ( much easier than stripping off to fit a liner). The only drawbacks I've found are the cuffs are bulky and the sleeves on the mesh jacket a bit short: you definitely need a gauntlet glove. Even with the vest liner it's warm, (warmer than my Tourmaster Transition 3) and it's definitely waterproof. Plus the blue colour goes quite nicely with my Lupin.

 

I am using Rukka Airman and Revit Tornado in the heat of Florida with water cooling vest underneath the jacket
When cools down I use Klim Goretex gear

 

Klim for touring and when it's cold and wet.

My Very Old Dainese 2 piece leathers have now given up the ghost after letting go a bit more every time I wear them. Pockets worn out. Small hole in waist band. Jacket zip broke last time out. I'll concede defeat and treat myself to some new leathers in the very near future.
And I'll start by looking at Dainese.

 

How old is the Dainese leather suit? I have a 6 yr old Aerostich Transit suit that shows a lot of wear but is not broken anywhere. I was just wondering what life span others are getting out of leathers.

 

Bought my Dainese jacket and pants separately about 23 years ago. I couldn't afford multiple sets of gear so chose a size larger so I could wear extra clothes layers in winter. Just last month finally bought pants in the right size - more expense I couldn't afford but my fault for lolling about in a bike shop. The old ones still great and will wear when it gets cold and need long johns. (Old jacket and new pants in avatar - wife took this pic a few weeks ago.) Leather lasts well with minimal care. I condition it once a year with Xanolene or similar. Wipe bugs off occasionally with a damp cloth. That's about it.

 

I still have my leather jacket and pants from 1975 (colour chosen to match with my XS 750 E Yamaha - the red / grey one).
I had (have) no idea on how to clean the leather pants. The jacket, well, the lining wore out a few times and was patched. The leather pants were fine, but when it rained, I stank like a wet dog.
These days, cheap black leather pants are available everywhere, even from Aldi supermarkets. They are almost always make in Pakistan. The leather is supple, not strong. Worst thing is they are not colour fast. I have seen it time and time again. A version of a spray tan in black. Gloves, jackets, pants. Generally only the jackets stain your clothing, the others stain your skin.

 

Would you believe 17 years?

Got it when I "returned to bike riding" after a 15 year interval.
I'd finished taking my lad kart racing and found a nice 748 to blow the cobwebs away.

The suit has been great. Hasn't been worn all year round or anything like that. Just got tired in the weakest places. I never went down the road or made a fool of myself on a track session

 

I am running with the Bmw GS DRY! They are discounted now and they match well with the granite grey! I have a Schuberth C3 pro dark classic helmet! I wear jeans with armor and Kevlar.

 

I used clasic leather style whit Dainese SF, tipical panth horrible ass.
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Belstaff with lots of wax, 100% waterproof and windproof. A barman asked me to leave the pub one night, pointed to the sign behind the bar no leathers. (it as lots of wax over the years). I said my jacket grow in the field, not on the field, straight over his head, still got my pint.

 

I swear by Rukka for jackets, trousers and gloves and Daytona for boots. Currently, I have a Rukka Energator jacket and trousers. I rode through the winter with them and they are fine in summer unless it hits 30 degrees. I am into my third pair of Daytona Roadstar boots, they are very comfortable and water proof. I have 4 pairs of Rukka gloves. I switched to my summer gloves (Rukka Argosaurus) at the beginning of May.

6 years ago, I spent 6 months trying every helmet in the market to find the right helmet. I ended up with Xlite/Nolan 802R. I am now into my second one, very comfartable for my head shape.

 

I ride all the year round (no longer on ice though, the sphincter control is not what it once was) and have just retired my 10 year old Textile Heine Gericke suit. There is nothing wrong with it although the last time I wore it in a downpour, I got a slightly damp crutch. It has proved comfortable and warm with layers underneath. The reason I have retired it is that when doing some comparisons over the last few weeks, it became obvious that both armour and textile shells have come on a bit in the last few years and the old suit really feels a bit flimsy by comparison.

So, I splashed out nearly £1,000 for a Rev'it Poseidon two piece textile suit. I have worn it only once, for about two hours and that was in the dry but it is demonstrably a much more substantial piece of kit in the protection department. I have little doubt that it will be waterproof as well as it has a Gortex, integrated lining. I will see how it goes but so far, I am impressed with both its robust feel and the clever design features. I do have a slight concern about the chest ventilation system though as, when the two flaps are opened, it does look remarkably like one of those tops designed for ladies when they are breast feeding! I am probably being too sensitive and really don't care that much anyway!

Interestingly, although the cuffs appear at first sight to be too narrow to get a winter glove tucked inside, it manages this quite well. I have rejected jackets from many other manufacturers because of this all too common and obvious fault. I have also been told repeatedly by dealers that it is OK to run the glove outside the cuffs and there is not a problem. I usually walk away then as they have obviously never ridden a bike in the rain and don't know what they are talking about!

In the Summer, I often wear Wolf leathers and can recommend these very highly. They are very well made, not expensive, designed and made in England, and having talked to the guy who makes them, can confirm that he seems very devoted to the quality of both materials and construction. Thinking back to the days of Belstaff waxed jackets makes my blood run cold. They were about as much use as wearing a paper bag, freezing cold, totally un-waterproof and with no protection at all from any physical mishap. Oh, and they were very dirty and smelly too. Things are definitely better now!

 

You need to wax a Belstaff at least once a year for it to be waterproof, you are right about no protection, now they come with protection. the last Belstaff jacket last over 25 years the stitching gave out. As for dirty and smelly, well yes, but it was my dirt and my smell and my tent. PS I am thinking about picking up a Wolf-Tec Jacket next time I am over in the UK. You have to move with the....