Motoport Air Mesh Kevlar Not Impressed

[Anthøny]

Originally Posted by Desert Dave

Even with the compromises I still can't find a suit with anything close to this level of protection AND airflow to make the hot days an enjoyable ride. It would be nice if there was more of a market with more choices availabe.

Have you looked into the BMW Venting Machine gear? I've not personally seen it, but it's something that I'm taking into consideration.... or motorport.


I think we need a comparison of the two products

[mdloops]

Originally Posted by Anthøny

Have you looked into the BMW Venting Machine gear? I've not personally seen it, but it's something that I'm taking into consideration.... or motorport.


I think we need a comparison of the two products

I agree. The venting machine pants and RevIt Challenge pants are two products of great interest to me, but my failure to find information on either is troubling. I know the BMW pants are pricey ($350?) and the challenge pants are around $270. I am leaning toward the challenge pants because they seem like they actually vent more and use good materials. The challenge pants use cordura and the same stretch kevlar that motoport uses. None of this "ballistic nylon" crap. If anybody has info on either of these please do contribute.

[Wings]

Originally Posted by mdloops

I agree somewhat. I do believe that you can design a product that will fit most people off the shelf. I am pretty much as average as it gets, and I have never had a problem with things not fitting that are not custom fitted.

I will stress this again, the pants FIT ME. They fit as I think they should. I want people to be aware that this is NOT a fitment issue, and thus when I talk to wayne we will not be discussing getting the "adjusted." Rather it is a problem with the material not being able to conform to an aggressive seating position.

LOL, I know it is hard to believe that these pants are not the "end all," but unfortunately no pant is. I just wanted to give an alternative review to the ones that are on the site, because surely we came up with different results.

It's good to see posts from people that are and are not happy with a product. I don't usually base a purchase decision on a single opinion and in the end, I make up my own mind. Good and bad, this forum is meant to share those experiences and opinions-that's what makes it neat.
I hope you find something that better suits your needs.

[Thor]

I can't think of any protective pant you can pack in a back pack.

I ride a ZX9 with a Motoport Ultra Kevlar II pants and I don't have any knee problems.

The armor? Well, I'll be lucky if it stays in place for one impact. If you want protection, you buy leather; if you want comfort in place of protection you buy textile.

[vagt6]

I just received a pair of Air Mesh Kevlar pants, the grey color, no liners, with hip armor. Bottom line: $352.60, shipped. Not cheap.

I've ridden in them twice, mostly on city streets with a brief stint at about 55-60 mph for around 15 minutes. My initial impression: they will be very nice in hot weather. The wind blows right through them, almost like the pants aren't there. Excellent venting. It will also be nice to wear shorts under them, too.

The fit is a bit unusual, the hip/ass area is very baggy. This, apparently, is normal from what I've gathered here. I wonder if the armor will stay in place in a crash? Maybe . . . ??

What's most disappointing is the fact that Wayne doesn't include liners ($99 extra) for pants this expensive. Water/rain will leak through this fabric like a sieve. I'll carry my rain suit for rainy days, I guess.

A bit disappointed, but if they save my ass I'll quickly become a believer.

[mdloops]

It is good to know I am not alone. From the other posts on here I certainly felt that way. My Joe Rocket overpants were pretty bulky and I could fit them in my tank bag and/or backpack.

[bone]

Originally Posted by vagt6

The fit is a bit unusual, the hip/ass area is very baggy. This, apparently, is normal from what I've gathered here. I wonder if the armor will stay in place in a crash? Maybe . . . ??

To be honest, I've been *THIS* close to buying a pair of Motoport pants for about 6 months, but haven't pulled the trigger yet.

The reasons touch upon your experience and also go beyond it perhaps.

1. The stuff's expensive, and I have no way of trying it on before buying. I got the fabric samples from Wayne, and the Ultra Kevlar seems quite comfy. But that's only a small piece of overall comfort when it comes to gear, and I just can't justify going through a process of mailing back-and-forth the clothing to get a decent fit (especially as I'm in Canada).

2. I initially thought Motorport stuff was bespoke, but it sounds like it's not. It's pre-fabricated clothing adjusted to suit your dimensions. This lessens my ability to justify the premium cost. Wayne says to send him a pair of pants that fit for the police/BP pants in order to get a better fit (since they're more form-hugging and not overpants) but I don't have pants I can do without for 6+ weeks. The pants that fit are the pants I wear ever day.

3. I've seen a number of pictures of people in their Motoport gear who look dumpy. They are usually happy with the gear, but I know I wouldn't be content with the 'cut' of Motoport stuff. The exception might be the BP pants, which I haven't seen many photos of so far. Unfortunately, I want overpants and if I feel like I'm wearing a potato sack I'll end up leaving this stuff in the closet.

4. The safety aspect of the Motoport gear is the single biggest reason I'm still interested in it, yet I've still never found any material that directly compares Motoport clothing to other 'safety' oriented textile gear. If they got CE tested, or submitted gear to BIKE or some other magazines to do a direct comparison test, I'd be much more comfortable with dropping the big bucks for security over style.



I'm 29 years old, which means I haven't submitted myself 100% to the notion of function-over-style. And frankly, there is no reason whatsoever this should be an either/or case. As consumers, we should demand more from what we buy.

This thread has reinforced my thoughts on Motoport gear and made my position a bit more clear than before. That Halvarssons gear seems now available at comparable prices in North America bodes well for us all... it's now at the top of my list, and I can only hope it pressures Motoport and Aerostich (the other stagnant 'premium' brand of safety motorcycling gear) to become innovative again and produce something outstanding.

[mdloops]

Originally Posted by bone

I'm 29 years old, which means I haven't submitted myself 100% to the notion of function-over-style. And frankly, there is no reason whatsoever this should be an either/or case. As consumers, we should demand more from what we buy.

This thread has reinforced my thoughts on Motoport gear and made my position a bit more clear than before. That Halvarssons gear seems now available at comparable prices in North America bodes well for us all... it's now at the top of my list, and I can only hope it pressures Motoport and Aerostich (the other stagnant 'premium' brand of safety motorcycling gear) to become innovative again and produce something outstanding.

You summed up my thoughts perfectly. I am a 24 (been in the military since 17). I mean, I have about $1K in gear right now without the pants, and I love wearing the gear I have, but would I ever "want" to wear these? No. I love putting on my icon jacket and a* gloves. Bottom line: if the overall product isn't something you want to be in, then you might now wear it, and at this price I think it is a deal killer.

[Anthøny]

Originally Posted by mdloops

I agree. The venting machine pants and RevIt Challenge pants are two products of great interest to me, but my failure to find information on either is troubling. I know the BMW pants are pricey ($350?) and the challenge pants are around $270. I am leaning toward the challenge pants because they seem like they actually vent more and use good materials. The challenge pants use cordura and the same stretch kevlar that motoport uses. None of this "ballistic nylon" crap. If anybody has info on either of these please do contribute.

Agreed. Also, I see reviews of Rev-it X-vent pants on webbikeworld, yet there's no mention of them on Revit's website.

[Bitt]

Well, you had me going with this write up.

I have been waiting for my new mesh pants to arrive, which I purchased through the flea market. I thought I would wait to see these pants before deciding which jacket to order.

Well I've studied the hell out of this topic and decided to go ahead and order the jacket. But then I thought I should check the good ol' flea market and see if by chance someone was selling one. No such luck today though but I found this thread and decided to read it before making the $650.00 phone call.

Well shit by the time I read this I was PM'ing folks about other options. I mean my god it must be hideous and huge. When low and behold the delivery truck rolled in and he handed me a .........get this..... 8"x8"x12" box. After reading this I thought - It can't be those pants. Well it was - I think that would fit in any pack I own even my fanny pack.

Ok so that part was cleared up - No Big deal. Now lets try these pigs on. Nice zippers that open all the way up. Easy, and they fit like a glove - for overpants. The sizing is odd for sure I haven't been an xs in anything for a long, long time! Oh I guess my butt might look big in them and they are a bit baggy back there but when seated and leaned forward they are ok. What are they for anyway! And compared to my old Stitch 1 piece suit - its Victoria's Secret MC gear for guys.

So in a nutshell - I am happy. I would like to have a form fit pair of Kevlar pants too but it will be quite a while before the wife will hear any of that.

I think mdloops ordered the wrong pants - not size maybe but certainly wrong style and material. Out of what they offer there are better choices for sure. I am not dumpy or a lard ass - I just have the most versatile pants to go with the most versatile bike made - just my opinion.

I have owned other mesh and plenty of other brands mc clothing to know why folks are willing to pay this much for gear they haven't seen and then voice their support. I also have been in the outdoor industry for most of my life and know a little about quality and materials. For this much function I am willing to wear cargo cut pants.

And after wearing the pants riding today I did come home and order that jacket.

[mdloops]

Originally Posted by Bitt

Well, you had me going with this write up.

I have been waiting for my new mesh pants to arrive, which I purchased through the flea market. I thought I would wait to see these pants before deciding which jacket to order.

Well I've studied the hell out of this topic and decided to go ahead and order the jacket. But then I thought I should check the good ol' flea market and see if by chance someone was selling one. No such luck today though but I found this thread and decided to read it before making the $650.00 phone call.

Well shit by the time I read this I was PM'ing folks about other options. I mean my god it must be hideous and huge. When low and behold the delivery truck rolled in and he handed me a .........get this..... 8"x8"x12" box. After reading this I thought - It can't be those pants. Well it was - I think that would fit in any pack I own even my fanny pack.

Ok so that part was cleared up - No Big deal. Now lets try these pigs on. Nice zippers that open all the way up. Easy, and they fit like a glove - for overpants. The sizing is odd for sure I haven't been an xs in anything for a long, long time! Oh I guess my butt might look big in them and they are a bit baggy back there but when seated and leaned forward they are ok. What are they for anyway! And compared to my old Stitch 1 piece suit - its Victoria's Secret MC gear for guys.

So in a nutshell - I am happy. I would like to have a form fit pair of Kevlar pants too but it will be quite a while before the wife will hear any of that.

I think mdloops ordered the wrong pants - not size maybe but certainly wrong style and material. Out of what they offer there are better choices for sure. I am not dumpy or a lard ass - I just have the most versatile pants to go with the most versatile bike made - just my opinion.

I have owned other mesh and plenty of other brands mc clothing to know why folks are willing to pay this much for gear they haven't seen and then voice their support. I also have been in the outdoor industry for most of my life and know a little about quality and materials. For this much function I am willing to wear cargo cut pants.

And after wearing the pants riding today I did come home and order that jacket.

Is the a reason for the [FONT='Calibri','sans-serif']condescending [/FONT]attitude? I do not want to be argumentative here, that is not my intent. Just because your experience may be different does not negate my conclusions. I can take pictures and provide evidence that they WILL NOT git into a pirce of luggage designed for a sport bike. Sorry some of us ride bikes with different purposes. For the record the box mine was sent is was 12 X 7 X 18. I can also provide pictures if my word is not good enough. FWIW: my armored leather jacket came in a box barely larger.

Update: I have talked things over with Wayne. He did have some options for me as far as other pants. For now, I am returning the pants for a refund. I told him I could change my mind, and if I did I would let him know. I respect wayne and his cause, so don't mistake my criticism for anything else. I am just trying to provide some constructive criticism so that people (not naming names, one post above:) who believe that just because the product worked for him anybody in the right mind would be stupid for not purchasing it are not the only ones with a voice. I truely beleive that many riders a large number of riders would not want this gear. Even my cruiser friends don't really have luggage, and I am sure they would not want the hassle of trying to find a place to put them.

Again, I am not disappointed enough not to order a different type of pant from wayne, but with the wait time being 5 weeks for the new air mesh kevlar street jean, I am looking for other options. I cannot go another 5 weeks with my only riding pants being a road rashed pair of joe rocket alter ego pants. Does anybody feel riding their bike naked for 5 weeks is a better option than buying different gear? Hmm. I wonder how many miles that would be in spring, A LOT.

Thanks for listening guys

[d2mini]

mdloops, I sold my entire mesh suit here for similiar reasons. It was all too bulky and stiff for me. I didn't have the bunching problems since I'm on a V-Strom, but I sure did have a problem getting a leg over the bike. Mine were mades specifically for me from my favorite pair of good fitting jeans. The pants fit over jeans with no problem but you are right about your butt looking massive. My wife wouldn't even wear hers because she hated the way they looked and felt. The pants are really not all that baggy as in lots of room inside, I think it's just the nature of the material. It's so thick. And if I wore anything other than jeans or other normal pants underneath it was much too tight to bend at the knees. Anything more than the rain liner in the jacket and I had trouble bending my elbows. I paid for the pants liner and couldn't wear it unless I only wore underwear. So i guess if the temps dropped while out riding I would have to pull over, strip down to my skivvies and then put in this liner and suit back up? If the pants were made any larger to compensate for this, think of how big they would be in the summer when all I would want to where underneath was underwear or bike shorts. The jacket i had was the 3/4 length version. Pretty much the same complaints about that. With the whole suit on I felt like the kid from A Christmas Story who couldn't put his arms down in his snow suit.

I was thinking about getting the waist length jacket but a week ago I went to my local dealer and looked at the BMW Venting Machine suit. OMG, what a difference. Super light, thin and looks like it will vent just as well. Doesn't feel as indescructable but the motoport mesh abrasion resistance isn't as good as leather or even 620 cordura. The bmw material is supposed to be pretty good. So i bought the jacket and I had to order the pants in my size so i'm waiting on those. They aren't over pants though, which is fine with me. They make my butt look good. And while riding I won't be so focused on how uncomfortable I am.

EDIT: And you are right about the size when trying to store them. They pretty much take up my entire 52 liter givi top case! Not much room for anything else.

[zed88]

I'm not trying to derail the thread, but you said you had a pair of road rashed JR alter ego pants. I wear the same and was wondering if you could provided details of what happened, how they performed, and if your being real generous pictures. I feel pretty safe in mine but would really like your input.

thanks,
Eric

*edit* Nevermind I found it: http://motorcycledaily.livejournal.com/

[BikePilot]

I have a GPII suite, also ride a sport bike and feel the same. Great material, lousy armor (replace it with real, formed armor), lousy cut, definately not made for someone riding a sport bike. Would like to see a more refined version with real armor and a better cut. Its also worth noting that virtually all main stream gear uses thinner material on the backs of knees and insides of elbows, motoport doesn't and that's part of their problem. I don't mind the bulkyness, that's pretty much required for any protective suite, but the fitment could be a lot better. Most of the issues I have wouldn't be a problem on a touring bike, but the GPII is billed as a track-day/sport suite.....

[Weird Bug]

Chiming in with my experiences on the mesh kevlar overpants. I've had them for a month now and love them. They are bulkier than my jeans, but fit snug and better than I would have expected for such a stiff material. I wear them with bicycle shorts most days and work days I wear dress pants underneath (easier to get ready for work). The zippers are smooth working and if need be you can put the pants on without taking your boots off (much easier with them off though).

When it's warm out the back of my knees get sweaty and a little irritated, but easily fixed by moving my legs into the windflow every now and then (BMW R1200GS with Aeroflow screen). I am surprised by how much air flows through them.

As far as a baggy butt area I don't see that. These are snug (165 lbs at 5'11) and I had them custom made. There is a small baggy area at the top of the kevlar where it meets the stretchy part, but I'm going to talk about that with Wayne. He'll probably take a small amount of that out, but I expect he'll recommend keeping a bit there so that when seated they won't pull on the waist.

I'm going to ask Wayne to take out 1/2 to 1 inch of the bottom as they are too long and the velcro separates on the right leg bottom. This is my fault for adding too much to my measurement that I gave Motoport.

Overall, I like these and will wear them everywhere. One of the reasons is that I don't mind the hassle of getting in and out of them because I want to be safe when I ride (or fall) - whether it's the 4 miles to work in the morning or the 500 mile days to the Everglades and back in a day. I made a promise to myself in deciding to get back on the bike after a crash in 1977 - safe riding, and an ATGATTer. I think that if I had these on during that crash my left knee cap might still be protecting my knee instead of in the operating room garbage pail.

I am now working towards getting a 3/4 mesh jacket.

Don't care that my riding partners wear jeans, half helmets, fingerless gloves, and lightweight jackets - that's their choice. I do of course care about their safety - one of them is my Dad, I just mean that what they wear won't alter my wordrobe.