Not worried about fading; I'm just not usually an 'all-black' gear guy. Solar gain and all that. Interesting on the storm collar. I just use a buff.
Nice. Still mostly black -- go go superfabric, I guess. I did get a chance to get out and ride in mine in some warmer temperatures; up to the mid 70s. Still OK, even in the sun, as long as I'm moving. I'm more optimistic than I was about being able to use it long into the summer for trips.
I concur with you expat. I have rode with it in mid seventies lately and still comfortable with liner removed and all vents open, even in slow rush hour traffic. I am starting to think I have under estimated the warm weather riding capabilities of this jacket. I have also rode in heavy rain recently and was bone dry after I got home. Cold weather, warm weather, this jacket is a true 4 season garment.
... and it's been my lowest mileage year in quite a while. The Stadler has been my go-to gear for almost every trip, however, so I've had a chance to use it in rain and heat at this point, as well as the cold. It's probably seen 3 or 4,000 miles of use, in NM, UT, and CO. As Pickup Man says, above, it's surprisingly good in the heat. I can't decide if the superfabric helps, but it seems notably cooler than previous black jackets have been. I've worn it up to the mid-90s and with the vents open and me moving, its hot but tolerably so. The combination of the chest vents being triangular openings and the raised 'pipes' behind it definitely help. Almost all testing has been in low-humidity (I live in NM, after all, and we still yell "Mu'adib" when we see water falling from the sky). However, I'm genuinely impressed with it's hot weather performance, and the accompanying trousers (along with the Gore-tex lockout closure on the outer calf) are almost equally good. As with any vented set of kit, it's warm, for sure. I never have felt clammy (unlike with the Kili, or with regular rain gear), however, and it's always been comfortable. I've considered opening up the wrists and wearing them over the gloves for greater airflow, but so far haven't needed to. With the addition of a wetted buff, it's really quite good for the relatively little amount of riding It's also seen a fair bit of rain. As expected for gore-tex, I've remained bone dry. I haven't had a long soaker, but for an hour or so of steady rain? It's been great. Trips where I go from the 60s to the 90s no longer need stops to swap liners. Just adjust the vents as I need to, and open up the collar and snap it back (fantastic extra cooling) and I'm happy. Overall? Great purchase. Great quality. I may go get the storm collar for it before winter, though it seems a bit excessive when I have my turtle fur and wind proof buff. The price of entry was very high, but having kit that fits well and is that versatile has made it worthwhile for me.
So this listing shows the Force Pro as having the TFL. http://biker-land.de/Motorcycle-Clo...ro-Gore-TEX--pro-Shell-jacket-black-grey.html Personally I have had two clothing articles (BMW pants and my current Held jacket) that have this TFL treatment fade to a plumb color and it really sucks as both these clothing articles were pricey. Is this an error in the listing or does the Force Pro really have the TFL?. While I think the TFL works it's benefits aren't worth it due to the fading that seems to occur. The Stadler site gives no material info for this jacket.
Well... They recommended I /not/ get the leather version because the TFL bleached. My assumption was that the Force did /not/ have it. It is, however, unusually cool in the sun; something I put down to the fact that the back, shoulders, and arms of it is mostly Superfabric. Send Stadler and e-mail and ask. They were fantastic.
I did email and they said the Force does not have the TL which is good. So that vendor link has bad info. I also got a quote from them. Ouch. And then maybe ouch some more. If I knew for sure the jacket would give me 4 or 5 solid years of use I could probably swing it but it seems like even the high end stuff I buy end up letting me down in one way or another after a couple of years. I ride year round obviously and my gear sees a lot of on/off cycles but I don't consider myself tough on my gear. The exception has been my Daytona boots - just super quality.
Ouch is right on the price, especially if you're custom (and I am). Having gear that fit was worth it for me. I've been riding the gear in a year, and it looks pretty much new. I also think they have a 10 year warranty on it, so that might assuage some of those doubts. The only thing I'd have changed is to see if they'd do the Cordura sections in a lighter colour; white or silver is my preference.
I'm also an all year round rider; NM is good for that as well. There's only a few snow days we can't ride, and while I don't bike commute etc my gear sees a decent amount of use. Mind you, my Kili lasted a few years as well.
I don't like lighter colours on my jackets. My rev'it Jacket had a red part on the outer side of the arm. But it became dirty so fast. Rode with it for 1 year and it was this greyish, blackish dirty looking red. And not the type of dirt that you wash of but the type of dirt that stays. Had it with my fluo jacket the same. Luckily I can just easily buy a new one every year. It is an expensive one (45 euro) but fits good so fine for me. Also went for the force pro from Stadler. Really nice gear.
Can anyone suggest the differences between the Force Pro, Airgate Pro and the Supervent Pro? I'm having a great deal of difficulty getting a straight answer out of Stadler :huh ...or if you have a good contact you can suggest at Stadler?
AirgatePro has no SuperFabric, only Armacor. SuperventPro has SuperFabric only on shoulders and elbows. Has some more vents on the arms and the front opening is Lockout. ForcePro has SuperFabric on shoulders, elbows, upper arm, back, chest.
expatbrit, you cost me a bunch of money, but I'm OK with it. Last summer I searched on tall motorcycle clothing 6'7" and found this thread. Yesterday a box arrived from Germany with jacket and pants from Stadler. Construction is first rate and the fit is great. I am very pleased. When I bought my RC8 a year and half ago I ended up at Helimot for leathers. Once you get something made to your size the billowing middle and exposed ankles and wrists of standard sizes become much less attractive. Aerostich was closest for me but the torso is still a little too short so you feel a pull at your neck as you lean forward. Helimot did a such a good job on my leathers that I wanted an all weather suit that had a similar feel. Stadler looks to be the answer. This thread was very helpful in both picking the right gear and for dealing with Stadler, who were great. Outside of wiring a bunch of money to a foreign country and then waiting 2 1/2 months to see what shows up being a little nerve racking the whole process was flawless. I am going to ride my HP2e from Northern cal down to my home this weekend through the eastern Sierra. This trip will give the new gear a good workout. Should be 400-500 miles in temps ranging from low's in the 30's and highs in the 70's. Thanks for the very helpful thread.
Well -- I'm OK with that too, and glad this thread helped. I did a lot of searching on Stadler before I committed, but there wasn't a lot out there. The gear is /expensive/, too. Sounds like my experience. I did Spartan, not Helimot (and I didn't have an RC8 then, though oddly I do now). Aerostitch couldn't even make stuff to fit me, and to get a fit in the sleeve you could fit 2-3 of me in the jacket. Plus I like the fact that I can look relatively normal in my gear, not like I'm in someone's hand-me-downs that don't fit. Time for pics! I've worn my gear in most of those temps, and been really happy. Look forward to your review.