Motoport Kevlar first impressions (long, many pics...)

I think the suits ARE made in China now and altered in the US. That might be why that seam came undone so quickly. Mine is older and says made in USA, but I've seen used ones for sale here with made in China tags.

I will say that my Marathon used with a W&S waterproof liner under it has worked for year round use. The waterproof heated liner blocks out all wind and I've only had to use the heat once when it dipped to 32F.



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I'm 99.9% sure all suits are made in house having watched them make all three of mine from rolls of material. I know that the gloves were made in China for a while but am pretty sure the suits were never made outside Wayne's shop in SoCal once moved here some 30 yrs ago. Bummer about the blown seams from my understanding that's very rare. I don't think you will be able to get them repaired to the quality that Wayne can do it anywhere else in the world as he has all kinds of special machines to do what he does.


As far as the liners and bulk go I have found a great way to pack them that takes very little space on my bike
That's a 1L msr bottle for comparison

It's the jacket and pants packed into a xs sea to summit compression bag and measures 9"x6". Pretty small as my oversuit style rain gear packed even larger. I've been packing my rain gear like this for a year now and had no problems using the compression bag. Takes about 1 min to get my oversuit off rain gear on and suit back on. Although it takes about 3 min to pack rain gear back into that bag and compress it.


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I am pretty sure that Wayne has stated within ADVrider that his gloves are made in China now, but the rest of the gear is made in the USA.

With regards to the reported longevity of the gear - yes - I did my research and MP stuff is *supposed* to be tough as nails. I believe all of you who have stated that your gear has been bullet proof and has xxx thousands of miles on it.

I purchased the gear with enough leeway as to give it "adequate" testing. Had the seem blown at home with others unraveling I would have outright requested a new pair of pants as fixing one, two or three problems is in no way a guarantee that there aren't other faults. I am hoping that I am now beating a dead horse here and that all of the problems have reared their ugly heads. If it goes again, and the mesh frays further, I may have to start to looking at using patches.

Luckily I am carrying various swatches of stretch Kevlar and mesh Kevlar. These were sent to me reluctantly by MP as samples - or at least MP was reluctant to send as many colours as they did due to the high cost involved of sending 10 or so 2" square samples of various colors and fabric choices of these expensive fabrics for gear I was about to spend about CDN$5000 on all in (shipping, duties, exchange rate). (After MP's unwillingness to reimburse at least partial shipping on the obviously botched heated liner, I certainly wasn't sending the swatches back as requested - especially with my dime).

I hope that the drama is over here, but for some reason, I don't think it is

They may be now. I did see a MP jacket for sale in the FM with a "Made in China" tag on it.mSearching through this thread it seams there was a point in time where he was having standard items shipped and made in China, and custom orders were made stateside. Seems he's back to making them in the USA exclusively again?

I bought my jacket and pants used for another inmate and took a gamble that they'd fit me. It turned out that the kevlar pants are the best fitting motorcycle pants I've ever owned. The kevlar jacket fit great, too but I sent it in to have Wayne convert it to a Marathon with the same cut as my Klim Badlands jacket. They only bitch I have is the cost of shipping there and back for alterations ($50) and once when I shipped my jacket I to be fitted for a liner and have a pocket sewn on the sleeve, they didn't sew the pocket or charge me. I called them up and they said I could send the jacket back in Yea right:huh ($50 shipping for a $20 pocket) or they would ship a pocket out to me no charge and I could have a local seamstress install it. I chose the latter and have no complaints. My jacket and pants are probably 5-10 years old and other than some wear on the reflective tape, are holding up great.

Female partner reported to me today that pants #2 of the order have a "hole" in them. I briefly examined them to find that a small section of Kevlar mesh, now slightly frayed, has pulled away from the section of stretch Kevlar. The area is on the inside of the leg. No crashes, or anything like that. The affect area is much smaller than my previously posted photo.

Seems like more than one garment is affected by problem. I haven't contacted Motoport yet, but it seems like more than one garment is affect by the recently post afflicted to my leg. As not to mince words, or misquote, I am directly quoting Wayne as per an email per my "crotch inseam" as my attempt to paraphrase the issue was deemed inadequate. Perhaps the same issue is at play with pants #2:

"The crotch area failure is caused from the sewing machine. We use a heavy duty over lock stitching machine that is serviced once a week. Because of the thick materials after, around 65 pants, the machine starts to stitch improperly. This failure can't be seen by the sewing machine operator. We now see this failure only a few times a year."

I will leave it at that, but it may look likes I am now looking for a tailor/shoe repair/upholstery repair shop in El Salvador.

Farkles.

I just wanted to say that as I approach 4 years with my MotoPort gear I'm overall very satisfied with my purchase.

I'm experiencing a little bit of "fuzz" on the right knee, with the mesh and stitching abraded ever so slightly.
That is less from defect or riding wear as it is from dropping to one knee to check out the underside of the bikes or air up tires.
The quad armor is so good, I kneel down on rocks, gravel, etc. without a second thought.

The quad armor seems to be holding up well, with the exception of the tail pad. The silicone on the mesh has sloughed off a bit and the foam portion of the pad seems permanently squished. To be fair it's a lot to ask of a little triangular piece of foam that has to reside under a ~300lb man.

I still do the "bat test" handing folks a small wooden souvenir-sized baseball bat and tell them to whack the armored areas as hard as they want. Then I ask if they would submit to the same test with their gear. They rarely do...

The fit of the jacket is about the same, despite my weight fluctuations and certain parts of my torso succumbing to gravity over the years.
The pants have gotten a little saggy in the seat, as the fabric has stretched and softened with use. I've used a pair of HoldUp suspenders for the last 3 years, which helps keep the pants up when unzipping for bathroom breaks, or when you want to unzip to get some air when taking a break.

The mesh behind the knee has some permanent creases in it where it has conformed to my riding positions. Shortly after I got my pants, Motoport went to stretch kevlar behind the knee. The bunching behind the knee is only a problem on long rides with shorts-only under my mesh pants. Even then it's not horrible, just a slight digging into the back of my knees.

The hi-viz color has faded slightly but still bright enough to get noticed. The SOLAS reflective tapes have held up strong, as bright and blinding as ever. The pant legs have the occasional oil spot in the cuff/shin region but it gives them that authentic road warrior look.

Structurally the suit is in great shape. No holes, tears, pulls, lose threads, split seams, etc. One thing that I believe helps that and color retention is minimal washing.
I'll hang it outside on heavy hangers and hit it with some simple green or fantastik and a small soft brush on the greasy/muddy spots after off-roading. Otherwise it gets washed in the machine every year or so.

I've (thankfully) not gone down in the suit yet, so I haven't been able to fully test the survivability. The pants and jacket have saved me from tree branches and even contact with another bike off-road.

I somehow manged to burn a big patch of the right pant leg adjuster flap. It's a double layer of a nylon-like material. I melted clean through one layer years ago, but haven't managed to do it again since and the flap is still holding up strong.

While it has softened considerably, the mesh has taken a slight toll on my two bikes.

I've worn a spot on the Ural hack from the mesh of my pants rubbing the edge as I lean right, mostly off-road. The paint is worn to the primer in one small spot.
On the Rocket, the seat has worn visibly where the inside of my thighs contact the saddle seat. Also the side panel has a little of the gloss worn away.

Given that these are daily ridden bikes, with the dings and chips to show it, I'm not too concerned. It's a small price to pay for the last 4 years of protection. And speaking of price...

My marathon jacket and pants, with the custom charge and a few extras, were $1400. I'm not sure what the price is now, but as this gear looks set to last me at least another 4 years of riding, I can say I've already gotten my money's worth.

I am contemplating a mesh jacket (Marathon) for hot weather riding. My Badlands gets really hot during multi day rides in the south.

Question: When you order the jacket, it comes with Tri Armour. If you order the Quad Armour upgrade, it costs $259 extra. Now, if I order the Quad Armour separately, it also costs $259 for a jacket.

I may be a simpleton, but it seems that when I buy a new jacket AND Quad Armour upgrade, Motoport is up one set of Tri Armour.

Am I reading this wrong?

I had the same question when I bought mine. I'm not sure what I'd do with said tri-armor, though, so I moved on.

The quad adds another layer to the tri, so my guess is that you probably have to send your tri back to have the extra layer added?

That's what Wayne did with the Tri for my pants a long time ago.

Started my motoport process today. I had a motor shirt in stretch kevlar sent to me that was in stock in my size. After reading how bulky motoport was and some people complaining about how it feels i wanted to see the product before putting a custom order through. I got the product and was in shock as it was the lightest most comfortable jacket i have ever worn. I have had jackets from aerostich, rev'it, dianese, olympia, as well as cheaper brands. Leather and textile.

So after being happy with the fit as it was almost completely spot on in off the rack size. I proceeded to take pics with it on with the modifications i wanted. I printed them out on a kodak machine on 5x7 prints to send in with the jacket.

Tested out the armor by comparing fit with my bmw np armor. Put the np in the right arm and left the motoport in the left. Both felt great. The motoport lighter. Did an experiment took a shoulder pad and punched a wall a few times really hard. Didnt feel a thing. Did the same with my rev'it seasoft level 2 back protector and while it didnt hurt, i sure felt it more.

Bellow are the pics i took with the alterations i am sending to wayne tomorrow. Will update again once i get my jacket and maybe include a youtube video since there is so little in the way of good pics and virtually no video on waynes stuff.

Only edits was that i changed the 10" vents on the front to 8" on both the sleeves and chest as 10 when i held up a measuring tape was to long. Rear is still at 10". Also only having the wrist made smaller by .5".

I decided to wait awhile and use my jacket before writing my review. I've owned it about 8 or 9 months now.

Regular Air Mesh Kevlar Jacket in all black. Quad armor.

Ordering process: sent my measurements. I'm unusually built with large upper arms and very long arms. I'm 6' 1" tall but my armspan is about 6'5" with wide shoulders and 18" biceps (don't work out). 53" Chest. I hardly ever get a shirt to fit well. I got one e-mail back and sent the requested extra information. The jacket they sent fit as I requested. Easy process and I was quite happy with how easy it was. I know others seem to have had problems with the fit but not I.

Fit/Bulkiness:The one underjacket (for warmth not the water proof one) is tight in the waist but I lost 10# (got below 230#) and it fit much better. The waterproof underjacket fit fine. The jacket is bulky. It is made of that thick mesh and I got the quad armor. I'm a bulky person so it seemed inevitable that I would look bulky in the jacket. The good thing though is that with a helmet on it all looks proportional (i don't look like a bubblehead). I don't mind the bulky look. I look like an NFL nose tackle walking through doors. Wearing the jacket it does not feel bulky at all. I can't imagine that any garment with thick material and armor could be not bulky appearing. Form follows function in this case.

Construction: Solid seams, solid stitching, solid material. Sturdy zippers with sturdy pulls. It exudes quality. I wish they made their armor with a hard shell. Not wanting to start a fight here as I've seen plenty of testimonials as to the effectiveness if the soft armor but I'd feel safer with a hard shell on my armor. At least the shoulders and the elbows.

Comfort: Heavy but as others have said the weight disappears upon wearing. I bought this because I wanted to be protected on hot Central Valley summer days here in Northern California. The old school in me would have preferred leather but realistically I would not wear a leather jacket on 100 degree days around here. As advertised the mesh flows air well. As long as you are moving even 100 degree days are tolerable especially on the arms. I have been tempted to remove the chest armor on the hottest days but have not yet. If you stop you rapidly warm up. On cool days you must wear something under or you will be cold.

The front of the arms, in the crook of the elbows tend to pinch if you keep your arms bent at more than a shallow angle for a while. This is due to the unyielding stiff nature of the material. This just might be the nature of my arms as I've not seen any other complaints about this. If I had to do it over again I'd ask if it would be safe or feasible to construct the crook of the elbow of stretch Kevlar. That would feel more comfortable.

Also because I wear a large watch I should have asked if they could make the left wrist on the jacket one inch larger. That way the watch could fit under there less tightly. Just something to think about in the future. As it is I just don't zip up the left side as often especially not on short trips.

Crash test: No. Luckily for me so far *knocks on wood*

Eventually I want to order their pants. The idea of sending a pair of my jeans in has me stymied. I wear my jeans reasonably tight and would like the Mesh Kevlar pants to be more of an overpant kind of thing. Certainly the idea of a tighter pair of pants cutting into the backs of my knees does not seem appealing. Maybe the back of the legs could be stretch Kevlar. I'll have to look.

Overall I would buy this product again. This was a very easy, non painful purchase for me and the product exceeded my expectations. The crook of the elbow and a larger left wrist are issues that I would address if I ever ordered this product again.

Quad = Tri + another layer sewn on.

I just sent my jacket back to get upgraded (got it off of an inmate for cheap) and added a sleeve pocket, too ($15). Also have a pair of their Kevlar stretch jeans with full quad armor on the way, will post a write up when they get in.

Hey everyone. So there are some great reviews in this thread!
So I think it is the perfect place to get a few responses on an idea I proposed to Wayne, and do for my mesh overpant order :)
Pants I am talking are these below


Most of the reviews here tend to think the elastic waist and flap in the front is a bit odd, which you can see clearly below:

I proposed to Wayne that the:
1. elastic could be replaced by stretch kevlar
2. two velcro adjuster straps added to each hip (like these on the vanson below)

3. belt removed
4. flap removed
5. a small sideways velcro flap over the top of the full length zipper (like on their Street Jeans below)


I believe this would make the pants be quicker to take on and off, look more normal, and actually be safer due to the kevlar in the waist instead of elastic as well as no belt to get shredded.

There would need to be people who were interested according to Wayne though, so looking for some support !
Thanks !

I like the belt. These are the first motorcycle pants I've owned that I haven't needed suspenders for. I do wish he'd use a real belt instead of the one that's sewn to the rear. If he had belt loops going all the way around like Aerostich, one could use a much more rugged instructor belt or whatever of their choosing.

Just cut the one on there off. And it's easy for any Taylor to add loops as needed. I too as well like the top of the pants as regular pants won't stay on me either. I have suspenders for my suit but do not use then unless my pant pockets are very full.


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Thanks I didn't even think of that.

Does anyone have a one piece suit they could shoot some pictures up in?

I don't cellige, but I want to respond to your thoughts on changing the mesh pant belt/flap. I can't agree. I've had my pants for nearly 7 years and love them. I really like the belt and flap. Nice design in my opinion. Motoport is GREAT gear!

Interesting to hear and thanks for the response, so do you adjust the waist strap every time you put them on if you don't mind me asking?

I am waiting on a one piece suit at the moment so i'll write up a review on it when I get it ! Exciting !