Plus Size Jacket and Pants

My friend Chris needed some help finding gear. She met me at Scuderia the other day and we got her dressed! She's a ~US 10 on top and ~US 14 on bottom and has a 31" inseam.  Her immediate needs were a pair of boots and riding pants.  She's making the transition from a cruiser to a dual sport bike (woo hoo!), with an upright riding position. But she also likes to borrow her man's sportbike and wanted something that would be comfortable on that bike too.

Chris is a real woman with real curves and she needed real gear. She wanted protection in the knees and hips, no mesh/ventilation (since she's commuting on the freeway) and enough room in the hips and her inseam. Although we couldn't get her into the Ventura pants like I wanted, we did get the unisex Horizon Pants, XXL Standard (see photo gallery) on her and they fit perfectly.

What Fit?

The Horizon in XXL (standard length) were perfect (see photo gallery). As you can see, they fit her real curves nicely. The inseam is just right, the armor fell at the knees in the right place (although they are adjustable). They also come in standard, short and long.  They don't have full length zippers, so they're supposed to be worn as pants. You could wear them as overpants without the thermal liner. You'd just have to take off your boots every time you needed to change in and out of them. Chris is wearing them over jeans in these photos.

   

Unfortunately the Ladies Tornado 46 was a little too tight (without the thermal liner, over jeans), so we tried the men's 48 (over jeans, without the thermal liner). The rise (bottom of the crotch to top of the waistband) was way too short so she couldn't even get them on comfortably.

We also figured out that the Horizon and Axis had the best female fit, meaning a slightly higher rise in the waist, room in the hips and thighs but a nice tapered fit at the knee.  The problem with the Axis was that the legs didn't taper enough at the knees and just weren't as protective and fully featured as the Horizons.

The Jackets

Although she didn't leave with one of them, here are two jackets that she tried on.  Unfortunately I didn't have other colors in her size so you can see the difference between the two. She's wearing size 42 in both which translate to a 14-16 or L/XL.  They're very similar, but slightly different in terms of price point and features.

The one one the left is the Ventura. Read my review here. The one on the right is the Indigo (also available in hi viz). The Indigo doesn't have some of the features of the Ventura, and it's also a little bit longer in the torso and falls below the hips.

Both of these would be great options for commuting, touring or everyday riding.

   

Bell Helmets

I'll be heading over to Bell Helmets HQ on Monday to take a tour of their fabulous facilities! Follow me on Twitter and Facebook for live updates. If you have anything you want me to ask them, send me a tweet or post your question in the comments.

Shifting Gears at 50, a new book

 

Earlier this year I was asked to contribute a sidebar about gear for a book aimed at older riders who are just getting into riding or trying to jump back in after a long absence. It's been published and somewhere in these pages, you'll find a photo of me and some words of wisdom about shopping for gear.

My friend Walt Fulton also contributed a significant portion of the content of this book as well. Go Walt!

The publishers of Shifting Gears (Bowtie Press) is also the name behind Proficient Motorcycling.

Review: Biker Net Baggers

Where to Buy: Amazon.com

Next Gear Seminar

I'm excited to announce that Thursday, April 5th at 6pm is going to be the next CoEd Gear Seminar at the Moto Shop!

This class is going to be limited to just 5 men and women, so that everyone gets plenty of one on one attention and so the class finishes well within the 90 minutes allowed (probably a little sooner too).  I'll do my best to have samples for everyone on hand (mens gear too!).

Class Description:

This hands on gear seminar will show how to determine the right fit and sizing for your motorcycle gear. How should that jacket fit? Is it too snug? Too loose? Why does it need to fit this way? How long do my pants really need to be? Why are motorcycle boots better than regular boots?  With samples partially provided by Scuderia West, you'll get to try on helmets, jackets, boots, gloves and pants. This is the perfect class for new riders or seasoned riders new to the world of motorcycle gear. If you bring /wear an outfit that you currently ride in, you'll also walk away with a personalized fit evaluation and recommendations. Since the goal of this seminar is to provide enough one on one time for each student, the class size will be limited to 5 students.

How to register, location, etc.: 

http://bayareamotoshop.com/classes.html#gear

Hope to see you there!