Petite Women's Motorcycle Gear for Winter

Hi Joanne, Been following you for a while and love your site! I'm from Australia (living in Canberra) and wanted your advice on, believe or not, some gear :). The winters in Canberra can be quite chilly (down to 0-4 degrees celsius in winter) and I'm looking for a good winter jacket. I have some Rev'it gear - Ignition 2 for spring/summer/fall) and the Siren (predecessor of the Indigo for fall/winter). Wondering if you have any suggestions? I've been looking at the Rev'it Sand (looks quite bulky), Dainese Elysse (not sure what this is like other than reading on the internet). Are there any favourites of yours for winter?  For Canberra winter mornings can be as low as -3C (26F) degrees to about 7C (44F) degrees. In Sydney, which is 280km away, their mornings are probably 9 degrees and they will consider that cold!

Thanks so much and might I add again that I love your site! :) 

Cheers, Kathleen.

We went back and forth a few emails, so I won't bore you with those details. After getting Kathleen's sizing/measurements, I was able to give her a few ideas. Kathleen rides a Ninja 300 and is on the petite side, (5'3", 119lbs).

In general, I recommend anything with Gore-Gex because it offers the best waterproof/windproof layer, and for breathability.  As far as cold weather gear, it depends on your body type. I only make recommendations based on what fits you! I need to know your height, weight, chest (over the bust), hips, inseam measurements to give you some ideas. Believe it or not, the Revit Sand suit is the lightest year round suit, because the shell is ultralight. It would probably be the least warm for this reason.

I think a Dainese Jacket would work well for you. I would also highly recommend a heated jacket liner such as this one:

Firstgear Womens Heated Liner, size XS http://www.revzilla.com/product/firstgear-womens-heated-jacket-liner

You would substitute the thermal layer in the jacket for the Firstgear liner. I also have a review of the previous version of this jacket (made by WarmnSafe) including installation here.

Given the temperatures you're attempting to ride in, you'll need it! If you're like most women, you're colder on top vs. bottom. I think this outfit would be awesome since it's GoreTex (which provides the best waterproof/windproof liner!):

• Dainese Zima Gore-Tex Jacket: Size 40; Unfortunately Revzilla only shows color Black/Dawn Blue. I have no idea what that color is. I can't find any samples online! You would need a 40 since your chest measurement is 35.5. This combined with your weight of 54kg/119lbs, you'll need the smallest size available. The nice thing about the Zima is it's waterproof on the outside, only the thermal liner is removable. I've tried it on and it's awesome! Here's a link to some pics of me in it.
• Dainese Travelguard Gore-Tex pants: Size 40; Again, Gore-Tex is such a great windwall and fully waterproof. It only has a removable thermal liner. I like the fact that there is hip armor and adjustable knees! I never see adjustable knee armor on Dainese pants.

Of course, these are higher on the budget but given what you need and the size that you are, I think these are the best option. A heavyweight winter baselayer like this or this is perfect too.

UPDATE 6/6/2014:

Kathleen emailed me back to let me know what she found!

Hi Joanne,

Wanted to say thank you, thank you, thank you!

I bought the Zima - actually found in a store in Sydney, tried on the 40 and bought it. I absolutely love it - it fits really well.

Haven't got the heated liner yet, as I've only had the Zima for a few days so wanted to see what the fit was like, etc. Next on the shopping list is the heated liner and some new pants.

Loved your advice so thank you again.

Full Textile Motorcycle Suits for Women?

I Love Reader Questions! This just in from the interwebs:

"Hi Joanne, are there any full textile suits for women? I'm only 5'2", about 130 lbs, my inseam is about 28 or 29. I'd like to try a suit, they look like such a simple solution." -Alison

First off, thank you Alison for writing in!

Teiz Motorsports

There are 2 options for full, 1 piece textile suits for women. The first option above is from Teiz Motorsports. The nice thing about Teiz is that every suit is fully made to measure, to your measurements! I've seen the suits in person myself, and I like what I see. The quality is there and the materials are great. Great body armor options, technical fabrics like SuperFabric.

The nice thing about their suits is that they're a little form fitting and fit especially well for petite body types. Hani (cofounder) the model in the photo is very petite, a little smaller than me and I love how the suit fits her. Here's a link to a blog post I wrote awhile ago, as well as a Facebook thread with some comments about 1 piece v 2 piece.

Aerostitch

For awhile, Teiz was the only company offering a full 1 piece, textile suit. But now Aerostitch has one too, as of last year. If you've done any googling on Aerostitch suits, you know how well regarded they are in the riding community. The only thing I am not a fan of with Aerostitch is the fit. It fits like a paper bag, period. I think if you are really slender, especially in the arms/legs, then you will have to make sure they can alter those areas so that the armor fitment is Snug. Since they don't do a full, made to measure suit like Teiz, I would be really careful to pay attention to this.

As far as 1 piece vs 2 piece, I'm a huge fan of 2 piece because simply, they fit better. I am a small person, (5'3", 135lbs). I do NOT like looking heavier/larger than I am. So I opt for form fitting, really tailored 2 piece outfits like this one:

I also prefer to have 2 pieces so I can take my jacket off when I go inside. But that's just me. It depends on how you like your gear to look, fit and function. I also don't mind wearing motorcycle pants inside a restaurant or whatever. I would recommend hard luggage if you want to opt for separates so that you can store your boots/helmet/jacket, etc. in your topbox.

Do whatever works for you, your lifestyle and your budget!

New Reviews! Arai and Kriega

These are long overdue reviews that I'm finally posting. The first is of my beloved Arai Vector 2 Helmet. If you want to step up your game and invest in an incredible helmet, then you can't go wrong with Arai.

The second one is the Kriega Universal Tailpack System. I love this system because for those of us with tiny rear seats, saddlebag systems can be too wide or just not a perfect fit. They can also add width which interferes with swerve clearance and can redistribute the weight. I love these for my SV650 and I think you will too.