New Jacket?

[Donk]

Looking for a new jacket. I am 5'7" 175lbs or a size large / 44short. Looked at Aerostich but paying extra for the color I want and a back protector doesn't sit well on top of an already expensive jacket. Klim is a possibility but which model and nowhere to try them on? My Olympia is going on 7-8 years old and finally done. Can't complain about the jacket and safest bet is to get another. I had the Airglide but want a tech jacket instead of mesh and also would like a longer back or kidney flap on the jacket. Suggestions? Thanks

 

[Checkswrecks]

I'm a Klim and 'Stitch fan-boy, so no help on a model. However, it's worth pointing out that motorcyclegear.com now has some Klim items as well as their other variety.
http://www.motorcyclegear.com/street/jackets_and_vests/textile_jackets?page=3


For those who don't know motorcyclegear.com, they have new items to compete with Revzilla and others. The site is worth checking, if just for their additional more accurate descriptions of fit and sizing. But they are notable for buying the bulk remnants, discontinued items, and ends of lots from the manufacturers and so have some fairly amazing prices. The husband/wife owners started it as "newenough.com" in a basement near where I live and moved to Texas some years ago.

 

[skoron]

Latest edition of a monthly motorcycle rag had a very positive review on the new Held 2 in 1 jacket.

 

[Bryce]

I'm currently riding with the Klim Latitude Jacket and Pants. I like them. Might need to replace the pants after I lost some weight though.

I'd recommend something without a waterproof liner and get something with Gore-tex or equivalent.

 

[Donk]

If Klim what model do you use/recommend?

 

[Davesax36]

If Klim what model do you use/recommend?

Blade (I think), overland, latitude, and badlands are all gore-tex in the outer shell. I did a trip to Newfoundland on my V-max with some biblical rain and never got wet in my overland. I'm back in aerostich now, though.

Sent from my STV100-2 using Tapatalk

 

[Abercrombie tenere]

I am a Klim fanboy. I started out with a set of Latitude 840 coat and pants and loved them until they gave their life to save my hide after hitting a deer causing 80 MPH asphalt surfing. I replaced it with a set of Latitude Misano coat and pants which are equally good but with a slightly thinner material. The Latitude has been revised again and the current model is even better looking. It is my favorite jacket on the Tenere. I also have a Klim Apex jacket and Torrent pants that I use on my FJR. They are nice but more street orientated with a shorter jacket and less protection on the pants. I recently got into dual sport riding and purchased a discontinued Overland jacket and Pants. They are great as a dual sport outfit but I feel they come up short of the Latitude when it comes to protection and fit for use on the Tenere.

Klim Adventure, Kodiak, Badlands, Lattitude, or Carlsbad would all work great on the Tenere for Adventure touring. Pick your price point and protections level you want, buy with confidence, and you will never look back.. I think the Latitude is a nice compromise between price and protection. Worried about wrecking your investment in a crash? Klim now has Gear Protection guarantee so if you wreck it they replace it. http://www.klim.com/gear-protection-guarantee

 

[worncog]

I have a Klim Blade and Klim Apex jackets, and I wear Aerostich AD1 pants. I am also 5'7" and 175lbs, athletic build, no belly. I wear a medium Klim Blade, sized for warmer weather and a little room for extra base layers but not enough room for a heated liner. My Klim Apex is a large sized for extra base layers and a heated liner. Slightly loose when worn with single layer shirt and no liners. Aerostich AD1 pants fit like a pair of jeans. Have full length side zippers and all the pockets I need.

I do have an Aerostich Darien jacket that served me well and I still like its hot weather performance better than any other jacket. With back protector belt sinched up, the jacket vents can be all opened and the air just flows thru. Nice and cool with a wetted polypropylene long sleeve shirt on. Alternately, you can zip up the front and let the air flow up the sleeves and out the back. That configuration worked really well when the temps hit 95+. I started out with Darien pants, but the loose fit did not serve me well as the pants would fold/wrinkle under my thighs and cause issues on long slab runs.

As far as trying on, if you see someone wearing a Klim model just ask them to try it on. If someone asked me, and of course explained why, I would be glad to let them try it on. Also, Revzilla lets you return jackets that are in re-sellable condition and I think they even help with the shipping IIRC. I bought two Blade jackets and returned the one that did not fit the way I wanted. Super easy. Best to call them first as they will flag that transaction on your account, easing the return process.

 

[fredz43]

I have been a fanboy of Aerostich Darien for years and a few months ago got a good deal on last year's model Klim Latitude and love it so much that I sold my beloved Darien Light. Like the Darien, it has a Goretex layer, so no inner liner is required for it to be waterproof. Surprisingly, I found it to flow air better than my Darien in warmer weather. I took a 4,000 mile trip to the Northeastern states in June and July and ran thru a lot of heavy rain and kept dry in the Latitude. The new Latitude has been redesigned a bit and I haven't seen one, so don't know how it would compare. A BMW shop in St Louis, about an hour from me does stock Klim, so a person can see them in person there. You might be able to do a search and see if there are any dealers close to you that stock them.

Here is a pic of my son in his Tourmaster and me in my Klim Latitude.

 

[Dirt_Dad]

Another Klim fan. I've worn my Badlands gear in temps ranging from 16 degrees F to over 100 degrees. It's an ideal outer shell when you use temperature appropriate layers underneath. Used in more frog strangling rain storms than I care to count. The one and only time I got wet was the time I failed to close the front flap over the zipper. Even then, I had only a two inch spot on my belly after riding in a ridiculously hard rain.

Wife has Latitude gear. She doesn't go out as cold or hot as me. Latitude was the perfect choice for her.

No doubt it is expensive stuff, but I would not hesitate to buy it again.

 

[Madhatter]

I will keep my Darion , works great in heat and cold , I like the fit and find it comfortable.... probably would say the same about klim if I had one.... good gear is like that....

 

[Donk]

Thanks for all the helpful info. I think its narrowed down to Klim, now which model? Does the Apex have a kidney flap or is it longer in the back than the front? I'm really susceptible to cold on my lower back and want something with decent length in back. Where is Klim made?

 

[Donk]

I have a Klim Blade and Klim Apex jackets, and I wear Aerostich AD1 pants. I am also 5'7" and 175lbs, athletic build, no belly. I wear a medium Klim Blade, sized for warmer weather and a little room for extra base layers but not enough room for a heated liner. My Klim Apex is a large sized for extra base layers and a heated liner. Slightly loose when worn with single layer shirt and no liners. Aerostich AD1 pants fit like a pair of jeans. Have full length side zippers and all the pockets I need.

I do have an Aerostich Darien jacket that served me well and I still like its hot weather performance better than any other jacket. With back protector belt sinched up, the jacket vents can be all opened and the air just flows thru. Nice and cool with a wetted polypropylene long sleeve shirt on. Alternately, you can zip up the front and let the air flow up the sleeves and out the back. That configuration worked really well when the temps hit 95+. I started out with Darien pants, but the loose fit did not serve me well as the pants would fold/wrinkle under my thighs and cause issues on long slab runs.

As far as trying on, if you see someone wearing a Klim model just ask them to try it on. If someone asked me, and of course explained why, I would be glad to let them try it on. Also, Revzilla lets you return jackets that are in re-sellable condition and I think they even help with the shipping IIRC. I bought two Blade jackets and returned the one that did not fit the way I wanted. Super easy. Best to call them first as they will flag that transaction on your account, easing the return process.

Really good info as we are the same size and build. Does the Apex offer good lower back coverage? Looking for something that will keep the wind off my lower back. Thanks

 

[TXTenere]

Klim is great gear, no doubt about it. I have about 30,000 miles wearing Klim pants and jackets.

Recently, I went on a quest for new gear. Having owned Klim, Olympia, Aerostich, and probably some others that I can't recall, I figured that I'd end up with one of those brands again. Then I discovered Motoport. The more that I read about it, the more that I liked it. Turns out, Aerostich, Klim, Olympia, etc are made of material that has a reasonable probability of burning into the skin, requiring skin grafts. I was skeptical about this information at first, but it turns out if you read the label/instructions, they do allude to that fact by saying always wear a layer underneath.

Motoport is made of material such that it can safely be used as your only layer of clothing, if you wish. I figured I'd take a chance and order it. It's custom made; you can add and remove pockets, or really anything else that you wish. Long story short, I've taken a few rides with it, and I'm sold. THIS is how gear should be .. perfect fit, superb ventilation, and between the material and armor, I feel super safe in it. I've gone from really loving my Klim gear to feeling that it's inferior.

I found this article, and others, helpful to better understand gear:
http://www.motoport.com/the-save-your-hide-guide/

 

[Madhatter]

motosport, good info.... the main thing is wearing the gear, if you like it you will wear it.... lots of high quality choices .... no gear is no choice....

 

[Donk]

Fortunately I've only tested gear once. Guy blew a stop sigh directly in front of me as I was headed down a divided road at 50mph. I had on a Joe Rocket jacket and Rev-it pants in addition to all the other gear. I would not call either of those items high end but both worked better than I could have hoped. No broken bones, no road rash. While I've decided to buy some high end gear I don't know that it would work any better than anything else. My Olympia jacket is 8 years old and is still in ok if tired shape.

 

[ABBlender]

I'm currently riding with the Klim Latitude Jacket and Pants. I like them. Might need to replace the pants after I lost some weight though.

I'd recommend something without a waterproof liner and get something with Gore-tex or equivalent.

Consider this carefully. If you ride in lots of rain, gore-tex stuff can be handy. If not, you will be riding around in a partially vented plastic sauna (IMHO). I am warm blooded and a breathable jacket is a must. This means that I have to deal with an inner liner, but I don't find that they're a problem in normal use. On a long trip, I do have external rain gear that I can slip on quickly if needed. I use the Rallye 3 from BMW for a jacket coupled with a set of Motoport ultra pants that I've had for at least 5 years now and still going strong. I've had an external shell jacket, and I told myself never again as I was cooked on warm summer days consistently. I don't use liners on the pants, but have a helly hansen rain pant that I use that fits over top and work great. On cold days, I find the liner great. Many other days the morning is cool and then the day gets hotter and hotter. Having the flexibility to deal with both extremes well is key for me.

Hope it helps.

 

[Checkswrecks]

My Klim Latitude jacket and Badlands pants have enough vents that I've never had the sauna feeling. I've never had them leak and no dorking around with liners or overwear with our DC pop-up thunderstorms.

 

[Donk]

My Klim Latitude jacket and Badlands pants have enough vents that I've never had the sauna feeling. I've never had them leak and no dorking around with liners or overwear with our DC pop-up thunderstorms.

Says a lot because DC is a sauna to start with

 

[Checkswrecks]

I guess I should have qualified that to say more than anything else short of mesh. If there's no chance of rain in the summer I'm usually in a mesh jacket.