Sport Touring, Gore-Tex Motorcycle Pants

What do you wear when you ride a Street Triple, SV650, Shiver, Monster or other sport tourer and want to spend 3-4 days riding the twisties roads possible in a variety of weather conditions? 

You know it's going to rain, or be chilly, or be warm. You're up against a few different temperature differences and don't want to pack extra rain gear. These are one of the few riding pants on the market for those of us who choose to tour on a sporty bike. I'm not laying down like on a Daytona 675. But my pegs are a little higher and I'm riding a little aggressively. I need to stay dry, and I don't want to wear a dual sport, adventure style pant with wide legs and a fitment that's designed for fully upright riding position.

Women riders don't have many options when it comes to Gore-Tex, it's expensive and the market is rather small. But Dainese continues to give us many pants to choose from. Because these have a removable thermal liner, they relax the fit through the legs and hips to accommodate the extra liner, unlike the New Drake Airs which have a slimmer fit. The inseams tend to be average, but don't run long like Rev'it. When you need a shorter pant, I like Dainese because the leg fit is slim enough to wear the pants won't fall down.

If you've never experienced the power of Gore-Tex, it's an amazing fabric with the most breathability for a waterproof membrane. I appreciate the flexibility that this material gives me when I know I'll be up against wet weather, hot weather and the cold weather.

Keep in mind all Dainese pants have a slimmer fit through the calves because of the knee guards, and offer the only fully tapered textile riding pants available for men and women.

MSRP $399.95, Euro 40-52 (~US 2-14) Revzilla.com

New Article in Motorcyclist Magazine

Thanks to twitter follower @eimken for snapping this pic of my very first article in Motorcyclist Magazine this month!

Just my $0.02 on how to shop for gear and why it's so damn hard for women to find what they're looking for. It's available on the digital edition for your iPad or iPhone, as well as newsstands of course.

Help Finding Plus Size Leather Jackets and Gloves

Another Joann needs help with gloves and a leather jacket. Let's see what we can come up with to help her out!

Height and Weight: 5' 5", 175 lbs

Chest, Waist, Hip Measurements: C 41, W 40, H 44

Message:

Hi! In my crazy search for new gear I came across your site and I have been following you on FB. I need a good leather jacket with armor, and I do not want all black, preferably with some white. Price doesn't really matter, I want good stuff for street riding. All of the women's gear stocked in this town is for skinny girls with styling for 20 year olds so I have to buy online. Most of what I like (fairly simple) is not available in my XL, size 14. I love the Revit Zena, but I think it will be big enough for me. From you notes it sounds like Dainese will not fit me either :( I'm looking at the Icon Hella. Do you have any suggestions?

Also, what are your favorite gloves? I have medium sized hands.

I just bought a 2014 Street Triple, cosmic green, in January. My son has the R, but it is just too tall for me to be comfortable and I probably won't ride hard enough to ever really know the difference. My local dealer even lowered it by almost an inch. Love it! Breaking it in has been painfully slow but I only have another 400 miles to go before I can max out on rpms. It's going to be a great summer.

Thank you for all of the information you have up!

Joann

Thanks so much for the follow! Let me see what I can do to assist in your search.

It might be a little difficult but I have a couple ideas. First off, I think you're right about the Xena. The waist may be too small for you. It's certainly worth ordering, since the bust fit will be nice for you. But, I am slightly concerned about the waist size. One thing about Rev'it overall is the sleeve lengths are longer, so I would also be worried that at a 46, it would be too long in the sleeves for you as well. But, I fit into a 38 and I have a 31" waist, which puts me in a very different size. So I would recommend ordering a 46 to try it on.

As far as the Icon Hella goes, I would definitely recommend that as an option for you. Given the size charts, I would probably order XL.

Here are a couple more ideas for you:

1/ Cortech LNX Leather

I know you want white, but this may fit you better. You can always throw a reflective vest on top for more visibility. You'll probably be a Plus S. This will be a better option for shorter sleeve length. Not versatile for multi season riding, but a good mild weather jacket.

2/ Revit Ignition 2

I know what the size chart says, but this jacket fits VERY boxy and straight from shoulders to waist. It flares a bit at the hips so that should also work for you. Remember that the sleeves run a bit long on this one. I have monkey arms, so long sleeves work well for me.

As far as gloves go, these are my current favorites:

• Held Airstream; Amazing glove for summer weather, you would probably need a 7, since they're unisex. Fit is wider and thicker in the palms.
• Revit Summit H2o: Great for year round riding, or mild/cool/wet weather (not summer). Fit is narrow in the wrist and palm, long in the fingers.
• Dainese Carbon Cover ST: Also great for year round riding, but not waterproof. You can definitely get through them in the summer, but they aren't ventilated very much except between the fingers. Fit is smaller in the palms with shorter fingers.

Hope this helps!

Multiseason Jacket for SoCal Scootering?

Reader Melissa is searching for the ultimate stylish, versatile riding jacket for zipping around town on her scooter in Southern California (lucky girl). I gave her a few ideas which I think will work well and look great. 

Your website is super great!!!! Thank you for putting together all of this information. I have been going through it for a while as I didn't want to take your time without first reading all the information you've provided.

I've been riding a scooter for a couple years but have never had a jacket that fits me (I got one with the scooter and have worn it). I know, terrible. I am looking to purchase one now. My priority is safety and non leather. I'm also interested though in something that will do well in various weather conditions. I live in Long Beach, CA so the weather is usually nice; however, like you, I'm often COLD, particularly on morning rides to work. But then I would love it if one jacket would also serve me well in the summer. Is this too much to ask??

The ones I've found through your site that I like are:

• spidi: maybe the street tex lady, dynamite tex, I don't know, I like a number of theirs style-wise
• Corazzo 5.0 but I'm not sure this would be warm enough and maybe the sky ladies textile jacket (not too sure about this one though). This is based on what you've said about safety and also on my preference in style, I don't like to do a lot of advertising for companies :-)
• Style-wise I've liked the spidi jackets most of what I've seen but it's hard to tell online and I'm totally open to suggestions!
• I also like that the corazzo is made in the usa.

If you have input I would LOVE to hear it! No hurry though, I appreciate any time you have reply whenever that may be. Thank you. Melissa

(5'2", 35.5 bust, 29.5 waist, 36 hips)

Hello Melissa,

Thanks for your email!

based on your measurements and riding conditions, you are probably not going to fit any of the ones you recommended. My rec for you is one of the following (each has more colors as well):

1/ Revit Tornado, size 36

It's a meshed jacket on the outside with a removable thermal, waterproof liner on the inside. If you think that'll still be too cold, then I would recommend #2 or #3.

2/ Revit Indigo jacket, size 36

The outer shell is solid, but lightweight. It has 2 removable liners instead of 1 like the tornado. One is waterproof and the other one is warm.

3/ Dainese Katy Jacket, size 40

(their sizing is different from Revit)

It's not waterproof, just warm with the removable thermal liner.

4/ Dainese Arya Jacket, size 40

This one is a bit more expensive than Katy because it's a different fabric that has a stretchyness to it, along with water repellency. Also designed for more than just city riding. Whereas Katy is designed as a City jacket which implies less abrasion resistance for highway speeds.

#1 is the best option for the most ventilation in the summer temperatures (~80s-90s). Whereas #2-#4 are ideal for ~50s-60s-70s. If however, you're one of those who even gets chilly at 80 then you'll absolutely love these options instead :D

Each one is minimally branded but every jacket will have branding so it's impossible to avoid. But I think these fit the simple bill. And it's up to you to upgrade each jacket with a proper back protector, which I can definitely recommend if you need options.

Although I do like the brands and styles you mentioned, the bottom line is that at your size none of them offer the versatility you're seeking. Also, I find that at your measurements, these brands I've suggested do the Best job in terms of tailoring and fitment for petite body types. Alpinestars is also another brand that does a great job. However, they don't have a jacket that fits your needs as well as Revit and Dainese. When you put on a Rev'it or Dainese, there's no denying the fit and I just know that you'll love how all of them look and feel.

I know they may not fall exactly in line with your style requirements, but if you want to achieve the best fit (which is tied directly to the safety aspect of the garment) then I would really consider one of the options above instead.

Happy Scootering!