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Hudson

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Wayne from Motoport made a special visit to the PNW this past Friday at my request. I'm writing this up because it was really helpful to learn what we learned about what to look for in better riding gear.There is a ton of info and specs about helmets, boots, etc. but very little consumer information about riding gear. The presentation Friday was eye-opening. Wayne brought in actual examples of crashed gear, including Motoport stuff.

I invited Wayne to speak to the riders at Microsoft after getting a tour of his shop in San Marcos, CA a few months ago. We had about 30-35 Microsoft riders attend. Goals was to walk away with a better understanding of what separates good pants/jackets/gloves from the crap stuff. Wayne flew up to Seattle with four massive duffle bags of samples.

People tend to get pretty religious about their riding gear: leather vs. textile, Cordura vs. Kevlar. When you visit Motoport's site, they spend a lot of time discussing tear strength of various materials. Tear strength refers to how many pounds it takes to tear fabric apart. Jeans for example tear with about 4lbs, good quality Cordura is about 22-30lbs. The 1000 denier stuff takes 110 lbs, about the same as competition leathers. The Motorport Kevlar stuff is leagues stronger, 420-1260 lbs to tear (stretch vs. Mesh Kevlar).

However, what became pretty clear was that the stitching and assembly, and things like zippers and thread, were far more critical to how the gear would hold up in a real crash. All the examples of failed gear were where the stitching blew out on impact. Examining the stitching and materials used by Motorport was really impressive. They overlap their fabric, and then use double lock stitching on the outside, and 5 thread stitching on the inside. They have to train their seamstresses for a few months, so all gear is made in-house in San Marcos, because they can't get the quality by contracting this out, and working with the Kevlar fabric is difficult for an average seamstress.

One thing that sticks in my brain is the discussion about the economics of riding gear. Your average $250-$400 riding jacket is made in China for about $30-40 wholesale, consisting of: $10 in materials, $10 in labor, $20 for the contract manufacturers profit. The rest of the price covers profits paid to various parties to get the jacket to a dealer: The importer gets their 20-40%, the distributor another 7-10%, leaving the dealer with the chance to make 50-80% markup. Sure, each has to pay their costs, employees, marketing, return stock, etc. But the jacket is the cheapest part of that transaction.

Most of the Joe Rocket and Icon type stuff is made of pretty crappy poly materials. In addition to having very little abrasion resistance, this stuff can actually melt and embed itself into your skin. It tears easily, but not as easily as the thread used to stitch it together. They use thread spools that cost about sixty five cents, vs. the $30 a spool that Motoport uses. Motoport sources parts like zippers and Velcro that is similarly much beefier and way more expensive than the crap stuff..

The materials cost is pretty telling. Even good quality 500+denier Cordura runs less than $7 a yard vs. the $50-75 a yard for the Kevlar fabric, which is made in Switzerland. The armor material was equally impressive, and we walked through a few exercise that pretty easily demonstrated the difference between the "foam" used by most makers and the DuPont materials used by Motoport in their quad armor, which is super expensive, but where everyone at the presentation could feel the difference in the ability to spread out the impact pressure.

We sat around comparing the various jackets, and when you know what to look for, it makes you mad to see how crappy some of the stuff out there is made. Even brands that command $$$, like Revit, KLIM, BMW motorradd, Olympia, and (holds his breath) Aerostitch, have pretty significant compromises. When you compare these jackets side by side with the custom-tailored Motoport gear, at or near the same price, it is not clear to me why anyone would buy these other jackets.

In contrast, the Motoport gear crash samples looked almost unscathed. I've seen online posts and you can hardly tell the gear was crashed. Slight scuffs. Most impressive.

I asked Wayne about why he doesn't sell to dealers. His answer was unfortunate but true: at a 50% markup for the dealer, his already pricey gear would be unaffordable to almost all. Also, most people walk into a dealer and want to walk out with their gear. The American mindset is "off the rack" instant gratification, and custom tailored suit that takes 8-12 weeks to deliver impedes a lot of sales.

I had many folks email me afterward very impressed. Mind you, these are type-A propeller heads who question pretty much everything you tell them, but since they got to see it first hand and play with various materials and compare against their own gear, well.... Wayne didn't have to sell. It was already sold. (One guy said simply: "Shut up already and take my money")

I ordered a Stretch kevlar jacket, plus a pair of their newer winter gloves (which aren't made to order). I tested out the next day, and they were warm enough to turn off the heated grips. I already own the mesh Kevlar jacket, which Wayne says is a better choice for bikes with full fairings and large windscreen like the FJR. But I have three bikes with no fairings and small windscreens, and the stretch stuff is much more form fitting than the slightly bulkier Mesh Kevlar.

I may have Wayne visit next year, maybe at a Tech day. I think it takes like 10-12 orders to make the trip worthwhile, but if Friday was any example, this should be pretty easy.

 
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Better for your wallet that you didn't, eh?

Jill might really like their stuff. Tanya is interested, especially since the off-the-rack gear I got her is fit for a man, not for the shapely lass like my missus. She complains it makes her butt look fat. The stretch Kevlar stuff would be less Michelin man, more cat-woman.

Rarrrarrrr. Kitty like Kevlar..

 
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Better for your wallet that you didn't, eh?
Jill might really like their stuff. Tanya is interested, especially since the off-the-rack gear I got her is fit for a man, not for the shapely lass like my missus. She complains it makes her butt look fat. The stretch Kevlar stuff would be less Michelin man, more cat-woman.

Rarrrarrrr. Kitty like Kevlar..
Easy there tiger...

You'll love the stretch jacket, mine works really well for 3+ season riding!

--G

 
Great report Hudson, thanks for sharing, I've been eying Motoport gear for a long time now, especially the mesh Kevlar for the warm weather riding. It would be really great to get it tailor made, i.e. a shop visit, but that's not really practical if you're in Japan
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I've read some pretty sad reports on ADVrider about the mail-order issues with sizing and on gear in this price range vs. some cheap crap from First Gear, Joe Rocket, Icon, etc. you want this stuff to fit just right as it's not going to disintegrate after one small crash or a few years of use.

I wonder if Wayne said anything about refinements in how they size up gear for mail-order buyers?

 
James, the jacket measurements are pretty standard tailor stuff, it seems like any local tailor could provide them. When I ordered my Mesh jacket 5 years ago, it fit just fine using measurements I did myself. When I first got the jacket, I thought it was way oversized, and was going to send it back. Glad I call them first, a few tugs and tweaks cinching it, and it fit fine. Also, they tend to oversize the mesh stuff a tad to fit what you will wear underneath, like a heated jacket, his goretex liners (mandatory for the PNW) or clothing layers.

The pants on the other hand require more than just basic measurements. You need to get someone to mark up a pair of comfortable jeans with chalk while you are wearing them, sitting in a crouched riding position. Then, send them into his shop. He uses them to fit your pants to size, and mails everything back when he is done. That is the best way of ensuring the armor is fitted to the knee properly. My own measurements I sent in turned out just fine, but I can see why it is better to have them done in person if possible. Plus, he can walk you through the various options (there are many).

I think the sizing issues others have encountered arose when he let people send their own measurements in without doing it like he now instructs. Lots of guys were just guessing their waist size and inseam, without actually measuring. You think you are a 36 but surprise.... actual measurements show you to be a 40, when measured at the waist and taking into account belly fat. Plus, what some jean makers claim is a 36, others show a 38. Better to just send it what actually fits you, and let him measure it.

The Mesh pants and jacket I bought still fits just fine, and when washed, they look new. Just through them in cold water front load washer, hang dry, no need to remove the armor.

I wished I had seen this presentation when I first was shopping. I congratulated myself initially when I scored a First gear Jacket and Tourmaster pants, thought I was getting decent gear at a good price ($500 for both). Examining the gear now, what a waste of money. I should have just bucked up and bought the good stuff once, instead of buying mediocre gear twice.

Maybe Dave and Colleen will chime in here too. They upgraded to Motoport after their unfortunate deer encounter. Some of the injuries were just plain unavoidable, but it was clear that better gear would have prevented a few injuries caused by the failure of the gear to perform in the crash.

Don't let the perceived hassle factor stop you James. This gear you buy only once.

 
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I have worn and appreciated my Motoport mesh kevlar waist-cut jacket and pants for years. Never crashed in them. The day I ride without them is the day I crash. I also have their Aero-Tex liners, plus their heated jacket liner that zips in. I ordered my jacket as a custom with some features of other Motoport jackets. The mesh kevlar is a bit coarse, but I like it for its versatility, plus it dries fast. Wayne is great to work with, both initially and for any repairs or modifications down the road, which I have done. I am so glad that his business is still around.

 
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I love my Motoport pants. No problem at all with the fit...I guess I followed the directions about measuring. Since getting the pants, I really want to get the jacket too, and I'm sure that Motoport will be my choice.

 
I deer crashed tested my Motoport stretch Kevlar gear on Windy Ridge Road. Had it repaired and still wear it. I did get some heat transfer burns from sliding down the road but no actual road rash. Great gear but it did melt some from the friction so I guess no textile gear is totally crash/ melt proof.

My pants are at Motoport now for a zipper repair as I still trust my gear for the long haul.

 
Good, informative write-up. One question though. Is Wayne basically saying his product is the only one not crap, or are there others that have a good product? Curious to know if there are still options, that are very effective in protection. Thanks for the info.

 
I went to Motoport and got the tour from Wayne. He is very passionate about his product. What I like in addition to the supreme protection is you can have the outfit modified to suit your needs (for a modest fee). I lost a lot of weight. Motoport was able to taylor the outfit to fit me. I had straps and velcro added to areas. I had the collar reduced and the jacket shortened. I don't know of another brand that will do all that for you.

I am a Motoport fan for life.

 
I've worn Motoport for the last 3 years. It is good ****. But in the interest of full disclosure their are some negatives. All of which pail in comparison to the positives.

1: The Kevlar is EXTREMELY abrasive. Ya, you know that fancy Russell Day Long. Expect the pants to 'eat' through the seams extremely rapidly. Same to the paint on your tank if your like me and tend to grip the tank with your thighs during 'fun time'. The flip-side if somebody pisses you off, just rub against their car for a minute. That won't buff out!

2: It's heavy as ****! You don't notice it on the bike but walking to a site or into a hotel with your bags. Ya, your gonna work up a sweat. Putting your jacket on the back of chair during a break. It WILL flip the chair backward.

3: The liners do eventually lose their waterproofness. I had to re-treat mine with some 303. AND. They are still liners which are a pain in the ass in certain conditions.

4: It's extremely bulky. Forget about folding it up and stuffing in a top box. Ain't gonna happen. Walking around into a restaurant for a in-transit stop will have people wondering (and this actually happened) 'why are your wearing a snow mobile suit'.

 
I visited Wayne at the Motoport factory and ordered a two piece kevlar mesh suit back in 2008.

While I don't agree with all of Wayne's opinions and know more than one person that has had trouble getting a decent fit I'm a very happy Motoport customer. My suit has seen snow and ~20F to Cali summers in the desert. It's been zig-zagged all over the western US, Alps, Isle Of Man, Nova Scotia, and Prudhoe Bay. While the only crash testing I've done has been some low-speed off pavement stuff I'm a believer. YMMV.

 
I've worn Motoport for the last 3 years. It is good ****. But in the interest of full disclosure their are some negatives. All of which pail in comparison to the positives.
1: The Kevlar is EXTREMELY abrasive. Ya, you know that fancy Russell Day Long. Expect the pants to 'eat' through the seams extremely rapidly. Same to the paint on your tank if your like me and tend to grip the tank with your thighs during 'fun time'. The flip-side if somebody pisses you off, just rub against their car for a minute. That won't buff out!

2: It's heavy as ****! You don't notice it on the bike but walking to a site or into a hotel with your bags. Ya, your gonna work up a sweat. Putting your jacket on the back of chair during a break. It WILL flip the chair backward.

3: The liners do eventually lose their waterproofness. I had to re-treat mine with some 303. AND. They are still liners which are a pain in the ass in certain conditions.

4: It's extremely bulky. Forget about folding it up and stuffing in a top box. Ain't gonna happen. Walking around into a restaurant for a in-transit stop will have people wondering (and this actually happened) 'why are your wearing a snow mobile suit'.
I think you are talking about the MESH kelvar and the reasons I switched to the STRETCH kelvar. I bought the mesh kelvar suit at the Park City WFO in 2007 and it fit pretty well since I got to try it on and actually take a ride before I bought the suit. The fitting on both my stretch kelvar jacket and pants was a challenge and even after sending them back I wasn't fully satisfied with the results. I do greatly prefer the stretch kelvar even though it can get warm on a hot day.

 
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I've worn Motoport for the last 3 years. It is good ****. But in the interest of full disclosure their are some negatives. All of which pail in comparison to the positives.
1: The Kevlar is EXTREMELY abrasive. Ya, you know that fancy Russell Day Long. Expect the pants to 'eat' through the seams extremely rapidly. Same to the paint on your tank if your like me and tend to grip the tank with your thighs during 'fun time'. The flip-side if somebody pisses you off, just rub against their car for a minute. That won't buff out!
Agree on the Mesh stuff. It didn't impact my Russell seat which I've had for about 25k miles, but I've noticed it has removed the "shine" from where the knees rub on the tank. I put some 3M sticker material that MC007Rider was kind enough to share, problem solved.

2: It's heavy as ****! You don't notice it on the bike but walking to a site or into a hotel with your bags. Ya, your gonna work up a sweat. Putting your jacket on the back of chair during a break. It WILL flip the chair backward.
That's true of every jacket I own, Tourmaster, Lewis Leathers, etc. If its got armor and padding, its heavy no matter what.

3: The liners do eventually lose their waterproofness. I had to re-treat mine with some 303. AND. They are still liners which are a pain in the ass in certain conditions.
Have you ever washed them? At the presentation, Wayne mentioned that the liners do get oils, sweat, dirt etc that may reduce their effectiveness. Wayne explained that when the liners are washed as instructed, they perform as intended, and almost everyone who has raised the issue had not washed their liners.

4: It's extremely bulky. Forget about folding it up and stuffing in a top box. Ain't gonna happen. Walking around into a restaurant for a in-transit stop will have people wondering (and this actually happened) 'why are your wearing a snow mobile suit'.
Totally agree here. The Mesh kevlar suit makes you look like the Michelin man with all the liners and armor and such. The Stretch Kevlar, not so bulky. I was expecting the Marathon Jacket to be a beast, but it was far less bulky than the Mesh.

 
I have the stretch Kevlar pants that I crash tested couple years ago, when I slayed my deer. You can barely tell the pants were crashed, you don't want to see what happened to the FirstGear Rainier Jacket that I was wearing. I had no fitting issues with the stretch Kevlar pants, but then I am a normal sized guy. Although, for over-sized guys with an infinity waist size - there is almost no other good option out on the market other than Motoport.

I haven't upgraded to the quad-armor, the tri-armor did extremely well when I crashed, I would suppose the quad-armor is even better, but from what I hear a LOT heavier. I get off the bike and hike more than short distances on trips, I don't take the motoport pants off, and that's the reason to sticking to tri-armor, the weight!

I also have the Motoport Kevlar Racing gloves. Very comfortable and very breathable for Summer riding. Prior to this I had the Held Kangaroo leather gloves (forget the model name), but in peak Summer they would make my hands sweat like a whore in church. No such issues with the Motoport gloves. Very comfortable for Summer riding.

 
Good, informative write-up. One question though. Is Wayne basically saying his product is the only one not crap, or are there others that have a good product? Curious to know if there are still options, that are very effective in protection. Thanks for the info.
No, as he also sells gear that uses some of the other fabrics, and which are lower cost.

I think his point is that there are design choices that are made for cost and manufacturing and distribution reasons. If you are a rider buying a $300 jacket, and that's what you can afford, then his point is to be really focused on the quality of fabrics, type of construction, and armor considerations that go into that jacket, and stay away from the really cheap stuff. Riders should to understand how a suit is made, how it performs in a crash, and what the various options mean for crash performance. It is really hard to get that kind of information first hand from a manufacturer.

But if you are spending $500-800 for a jacket, I think he isn't shy in thinking that his stuff is much better made. I've read where his kevlar suits are one of the few, if perhaps the only, non-leather suits accepted by the AMA for meeting FIM World Racing suit requirements. Personally, I am happy when I see riders wearing any kind of better gear, and whether you think leathers, Aerostitch, or whatever else is better or as good, the point is you are choosing to buy gear that may actually protect you when you crash.

When I get questions from other riders about my Motoport stuff, their reaction is usually surprise at the cost, which runs about $1200-1600 for a set of pants and jacket, depending upon options chosen. This always amuses me, as these guys usually have 2-3 $250-400 jackets if not a few pair of pants. So they've already spent that kind of money, perhaps just not at all at once. (They also typically don't blink at spending $1k on a fancy exhaust or $600 on a GPS, so I guess its about their priorities).

 
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