RevZilla Gear Discussion / Q&A

Welcome to the RevZilla.com Gear Discussion / Q&A Thread​

It has been 5 years of “Hey this is Anthony from RevZilla.com…”, since we’ve given our thread an update. It’s time for a hard refresh.

Our goal for this thread is to have a central location where inmates can get answers to their gear questions and discuss the world of motorcycle gear.

RevZilla Gear Discussion / FAQ Topics for Discussion:

• Gear Questions
• Gear Answers
• Gear News
• Inmate Opinions / Answers
• Notable Gear Experiences
• How did your gear perform in a crash?
• How would you improve / update your gear?

We have a great relationship with the brands we carry and they’re extremely receptive to feedback. If you have feedback, lets hear it.

My name is Hi-Viz Brian. I hijacked Anthony's account to give this thread an overhaul. I spend much of my time helping riders with gear and little old ladies cross the street (true story). Please, don’t hesitate to ask me questions, that’s what I’m here for….when I’m not lusting over the most recent ride report. You can expect timely and opinionated response based on my experience. I have been riding consecutively since ‘95. If I am unsure of a particular question, I look forward to finding the answer. That could mean tapping TeamZilla’s 500+ years (combined) of riding experience or grabbing the product from our warehouse and walking through its nuances together. However, TeamZilla’s experience doesn’t compare to the wealth of riding knowledge in ADVrider. If you’ve logged hundreds or thousands of miles in a particular product and can offer helpful advice, please do so.

If you find yourself in Philadelphia, stop by our new gear boutique and say hello!

Address:
4020 South 26th Street
Philadelphia, PA 19112



For information about an order, send me a PM or reach out to our Gear Geeks at 1-877-792-9455 or cs@revzilla.com.

Thanks, ADVrider !

-Hi-Viz Brian

That tempest glove looks nice...what's the specs temperature/waterproof wise?

Hey DiscoDino,

Good Question - I am not sure if you saw, but I posted some hi-res shots recently of the REV'IT Tempest Glove and WebBikeWorld.com just wrote a great write-up after beating the hell out them. ;-) (link to Tempest review)

The short of it is that the Tempest is Waterproof and breathable by utilizing the REV'IT! Hydratex Z-liner which is sewn in to the glove. Not sure if you are familiar with Hydratex, but its a Gore-Tex like membrane that lets water vapor out and won't let any condensed water or precipitation in.

It passed WBW's bucket test, which is complete submerging underwater of a fixed length of time. I have not worn it in a monsoon, but I haven't seen or heard of any real problems from any customers yet.

From a Temperature standpoint, this is REV'IT's highest end bombproof, weatherproof winter glove - built for the nastiest of cold and precipitation.

Also, they use Exkin, the same insulation which is used in the Cayenne Pro and the other higher end items. Exkin is at least 4x the insulating rating while being half thick to maximize feel. The Tempests also use Schoeller PCM (Phase Change Matertial) which is a temperature regulation layer, in the glove, to absorb excess heat when your hands are warmer and release that stored heat when hands start to cool. Think of it as a thermostat membrane in the glove. It is not electrical in any way, it actually works through a chemical reaction in the PCM.

Bottom line: The Tempest eats cold weather's lunch. ;-)

I'm wearing the Tempests this winter and have been very happy. Their baby brother with some differences is the Kelvin is a very solid cold weather glove as well. We have both the Kelvin and the Tempests in stock at RevZilla.com.

I hope I answered your questions without getting too long winded. Let me know what else I could offer, Dino.

Best,

Anthony

Yep - very clear! Thanks...Loved the offices by the way...was there for the sale, and love my Shade jacket for city touring...

Cheers,
Nadim

Very nice. Almost wish I had waited on buying my Shade in favor of the Navigator.

As our 2009 unveiling continues....

This is the all new 4-season REV'IT Dragon Jacket. Its mid-range version of the Cayenne Pro at a mid range price point of $299. This jacket is slated to go heads up with the Olympia AST Jacket. It uses the REV'IT 3-layer detachable liner system and the windproof/waterproof liner is styled to be a windbreaker which can be worn separately.

Its shown here in red, and other colors are available including HI-VIS Yellow. The jacket will be available from RevZilla in late February

Many similar features as the Navigator and Cayenne Pro at half the price.











See the full Gallery for the REVIT Dragon on Flickr. Buy it here at RevZilla

Can you post pictures and tell us about Rev'it pants? Rotor, for instance?

The Rotors are new for this year to fill in a "hole" in the previous lineup. Previously there was no direct match for the Air Jacket. The closest would be the Zip Pants at 159.99 (which are a waterproof overpant), or the Mistral Pants at 239.99, a mesh pant with a wind / waterproof layer.

The Rotor pants are a ventilated mesh pant (no wind or waterproofing) priced at 169.99. The pants have Knox (CE level 1) armor in the knees, the same armor as the Air Jacket does. The hips have EVA padding.

We have some stock photos up at http://www.revzilla.com/product/revit-rotor-pants We are hoping for them to come in with the rest of the REV'IT line in March.

While I haven't had a chance to try them yet personally my gut on the temperature range they will be will be good for is 65+ which is going to be the same as the Air Jacket. You can extend this temp range by adding some mid layers / thermals.

Other pants new for this year are the Turbine Pants, the GT2 Leather Pants, and Aurora Pants

The big differences between the Turbine (first post in the thread at $329.99) and Rotor Pants (169.99) is materials. The Turbines have Superfabric on the impact areas and the better armor - ProLife (CE level 2) . The Turbine pants also include the wind/waterproof layer, and the Rotors do not.

Great! This explains a lot. I want to order some pants from Revzilla but being frustrated due to lack of understanding what really every pant offers. For example, I had no idea that the pants offer different type of armor (level 1 vs level 2).

So, could you also please shed some light onto what Mistral and Factor offer in comparison to Turbine?

Thanks!

Hi Ovd,

The REV'IT Factor is a mid-range 4-season waterproof pant with a sewn in waterproof lining, a detachable thermal lining and no mesh panels. Its a sturdy pant that offers a lot of bang for the buck for moderate all season riding. The Factor offers Knox level 1 CE protection.

The REV'IT Mistral is a a 3-season waterproof mesh pant which is suited best for warm to hot weather. The mesh panels are on the shell of the pant and offer greatly improved breathability compared to the Factor. The waterproofedness comes from the use of the detachable waterproof/breathable Hydratex liner. The Mistral offers Knox level 1 CE protection.

The REV'IT Turbine pant are basically the Mistral on steroids with SAS-TEC Armor (exceeds CE level 2), Superfabric on the impact areas and beefed up exterior materials all around. The Turbine is meant for hot weather riding and has a detachable waterproof layer. The Factor performes under any condition, while the Turbine and Mistral are suited for warmer riding specifically with the Turbine being the most aggressive option.

Let me know what else myself or Matt could offer.

Anthony

Finally, I get it! Thanks a bunch! One last question before I drive you completely nuts: how would you compare each of these pants to which Dainese pants and how they stand up in comparison? I'm pretty sure I'm going to order something this week, just need to make sure I'm buying the right thing.

Guys, you should consider putting all this info with the description of articles on your web site. I mean, seriously, look at the site: all pants look-a-like, only price differs, material used description is "slightly" different (just a mention of key technology names) and that's it! Armor used, for example: until you mentioned it I had no idea what CE level the pants have.

Also, what would you recommend: Turbine or Ignition jacket?

No problem.

In my opinion, Dainese's bread and butter are its leathers and track gear. The Dainese textile's are certainly nice, but they are pricey! I think it is hard for them to compete with REV'IT (or anyone for that matter) in the textile category.

Right now I have the Dainese Odessa Gore-Tex Pants and the Drake Air Textile Pants sitting in front of me, Ill start with the Odessa's.

The Odessa's are a cold weather pant. Comparable at 379.99 to the REV'IT Dakar or Cayenne Pro Pants. One big immediate difference is the use of Goretex in the Odessa's to give it a 100% waterproof outer shell. In all of their pants, REV'IT uses a 3 layer system and waterproofing is gained through a removable waterproof membrane. The Cayenne Pro's have better protection through the use of Superfabric and SAS-TAC armor. The Dainese armor is nice (and provides good coverage extending down the shin) but SAS-TEC is going to be higher quality. It is probably on par with the Pro-Life used in the Dakar Pants. The Odessa's have a removable thermal liner, which feels on par with the Dupont Thermolite used in the Dakars, but not as thin and nice as the Exkin liner used in Cayenne Pro's. The Odessa's do not have any venting, so warm weather use is going to very limited. There is plenty of venting for warm weather riding on both the Dakar and Cayenne Pro Pants.

You can see a writeup on Odessa Pants by a fellow inmate on his blog -> PACWIT 5-Way Shootout

I know you did not ask about the Dakar / Cayenne Pro Pants but I had the Odessa's sitting here so figured it would be a useful comparison for someone out there

The Drake Air Textile Pants ($249.99) are a summer textile pant with big mesh panels above and below the knees. It is going to compete with the Mistral, Turbine or Rotor Pants. At a price point slightly more expensive then the Mistral Pants (239.99), the Mistrals get the edge as far as functionality goes. There is no waterproofing in the Drakes, while the Mistrals provide a wind/waterproof later. Functionality wise the Drake's are comparable to the Rotor Pants. Armor quality is going to be similar between the Rotors, Mistrals and Drakes, but protection is where the Turbine Pants shine. The Turbines are the most expensive in the lot but all that extra money is going towards SAS-TEC and Superfabric and higher quality mesh.

So bottom line:

Summer mesh pant and weather protection is not a concern => Rotors (169.99)

Summer Mesh Pant and you need waterproofing => Mistrals (239.99)

Summer Mesh Pant and protection is the most important metric => Turbine (329.99)

Summer Mesh Pant and you need a Dainese logo => Drake Air (249.99)

We are actually relaunching our website in the next 2 weeks. One of the goals of that is to be able to provide more useful and relevant information to our customers so I agree 100% we need this type of information on there!

KullZilla, man, I wish I asked this questions a week ago, that would have saved me a week of frustration! :) Your description nails it, that's exactly the info I needed! Thanks! And good luck with the launch of the new site.

The Turbine and Ignition is a bit of an apples-oranges comparison.

I ran through some of the features of the turbine earlier, but to summarize the Turbine is the 'bombproof' hot weather mesh jacket.

The Ignition Jacket is a Leather / Mesh hybrid. It is primarily a leather, with big mesh panels on the front and back for ventilation. The ignition uses the REV'IT three layer system with a leather/mesh outer layer, a wind / waterproof layer, and then a insulated thermal vest. Take all the layers out and you have a great hot weather jacket which gives you the air-flow of mesh but the protection of leather. Add the layers in and you have a solid three season jacket. The Ignition uses ProLife (CE level 2) armor.

The Ignition is a really sharp looking jacket and was one of our best sellers last season, especially in-store. There is a bit of sticker shock online (at 439) but once people try it on and feel the quality they are sold

It is a tough choice, and actually one I am debating myself at the moment. Last year's hot weather riding jacket for me was the REV'IT Air, I loved it but am really interested in seeing the production Turbine first-hand, and the leather of the Ignition has always been appealing. The Air Jacket / Turbine will get you chilly fast once the temperatures drop, but I picked up a REV'IT Digital to use as a mid-layer and it turned my Air Jacket into a solid 3-season choice, so I am sure it could do the same for the Turbine. In the end, I think you will be happy with either choice (cop-out I know)

Anyway keep the questions coming I enjoy talking about this stuff

Are the pant legs large enough to fit easily over my Crossfire boots?
Thanks for the great info.

Well, since you ask... :)
Can Ignition be upgraded to both Knox or SAC-TEC Armor?

Hey KG -

The pants will close around your Sidi Crossfires. As far as pulling the pants on over them - that may be a stretch. (pun intended)

In all seriousness I think that you would struggle to get the pants over a the full boot while they are on.

Let me know what else I could offer.

Anthony

The Knox TP2 Back Protector will slide right in. The SAS-TEC back armor is a different shape though. It is primarily used on the Cayenne Pro / Infinity Suit which have altered back pockets to be able to accept it.

However - the SAS-TEC armor can be trimmed to fit the Knox shape. It is a very easy process, the Jacket comes with a temperfoam pad, pull that out and use it as a template to cut the SAS-TEC. It takes less then 5 minutes to do, I have the SAS-TEC in my Air Jacket.

We have also confirmed with SAS-TEC that trimming the armor does not effect its protective properties.

OK, you asked for it . I have the Ignition jacket; what pants do you recommend to go with it? BTW, pictures don't do this jacket justice--It's very sharp and very well made.