Klim disappointment

[Mellow]

In the past, Klim used to be some of the best gear you could buy.

It had the molecular D3O armor that you would have to buy separately in most other gear. It had the thickest most protective material.

I recently looked at the newest version of the Latitude jacket. Most of the gear now has level 1 armor (this may be the same as in the past) whereas most manufacturers are now including level 2 molecular armor in their jackets.

Klim advertises the newest version of the latitude jacket as 'less bulky' and it's now 800 smackaroos...

So:
- less than average armor now compared to other more affordable jackets
- 'less bulky' = 'we can use cheaper material for the same product - and we can charge more'

I decided a Tourmaster Transition jacket at 1/4th the price and ce level 2 armor - but did have to buy a better back protector for $20, it actually fits better. No, it's not goretex which is a nice thing to have but rain gear is fine for me and even stuff w/goretex has to be treated.

 

[Nashcat]

Joe, What is your opinion of the new Tourmaster jacket. I had their Intake Air 2 for about 8 years and loved it, but the new replacement is terrible. The material feels cheap and the zippers are so small that they snag and the zipper pulls are a soft plastic, which I expect to break before the end of the summer. Solid Hi-Viz color isn’t available, at least not that I can find.

John

 

[klaproth]

Hmmm, I may have to rethink my summer/mesh jacket shopping- I was kinda focused on the Klim Induction jacket as my next summer weight jacket, but at the stratospheric prices they want, I’d hate to get one and be disappointed. Klim USED to be top shelf gear.
I guess I’ll be shopping some of the lower priced gear as well.

 

[Mellow]

Joe, What is your opinion of the new Tourmaster jacket. I had their Intake Air 2 for about 8 years and loved it, but the new replacement is terrible. The material feels cheap and the zippers are so small that they snag and the zipper pulls are a soft plastic, which I expect to break before the end of the summer. Solid Hi-Viz color isn’t available, at least not that I can find.

John

I have the Ridgecrest 3/4 and it has nice larger zippers. The Transition will be my winter jacket.

Not many 3/4 jackets have 2-way zippers which is a big deal for me being short-torsoed lol... I like to unzip the bottom so the top of the jacket doesn't push up into my neck.

The new intake is definitely cheap feeling and all the zippers feel like they will fail.

 

[SMSW]

Mars perfected it with their New Improved candy bar that costs more and weighs less. Paper products manufacturers quickly followed, and now we have mc gear companies doing it.

I bought @Mellow's Klim Induction Jacket Pro and couldn't be happier. I can feel the lightest breeze through it, the zippers and construction seem to be excellent and I don't get soaking wet on a hot day like I did in my 'Stitch jacket. I do understand that with the incredible flow through air, it's dehydration city on a 90ºF+ day, and riding in the Induction in 100º+ would be a trip exploring the interior of a convection oven. For NE Ohio, however, and our moderate weather this year, it is perfect.

 

[Mellow]

Mars perfected it with their New Improved candy bar that costs more and weighs less. Paper products manufacturers quickly followed, and now we have mc gear companies doing it.

I bought @Mellow's Klim Induction Jacket Pro and couldn't be happier. I can feel the lightest breeze through it, the zippers and construction seem to be excellent and I don't get soaking wet on a hot day like I did in my 'Stitch jacket. I do understand that with the incredible flow through air, it's dehydration city on a 90ºF+ day, and riding in the Induction in 100º+ would be a trip exploring the interior of a convection oven. For NE Ohio, however, and our moderate weather this year, it is perfect.

Glad you like it... I liked the Induction but it just fit me weird... the large was huge and so returned it and the medium never felt big enough. Good to have options.

 

[TPadden]

I bought @Mellow's Klim Induction Jacket Pro and couldn't be happier. I can feel the lightest breeze through it, the zippers and construction seem to be excellent and I don't get soaking wet on a hot day like I did in my 'Stitch jacket. I do understand that with the incredible flow through air...

The Induction Jacket may move air in the NE Ohio but it sure doesn't in the south.

My Induction mesh is much heavier and tighter weave than say a Joe Rocket Phoenix Ion which really does move the air. Question of comfort vs crash protection. Klim Induction is both heavy and hot; for me it's a between season's jacket.

Tom

 

[Mellow]

The Induction Jacket may move air in the NE Ohio but it sure doesn't in the south.

My Induction mesh is much heavier and tighter weave than say a Joe Rocket Phoenix Ion which really does move the air. Question of comfort vs crash protection. Klim Induction is both heavy and hot; for me it's a between season's jacket.

Tom

Yeah, maybe also depends on the bike you're on at the time... on the Super Ten or Tracer it probably would have been better but on the RT/ST/Wing you have so much wind protection... guess you can't have your cake and melt it too.

 

[SMSW]

The Induction Jacket may move air in the NE Ohio but it sure doesn't in the south.
My Induction mesh is much heavier and tighter weave than say a Joe Rocket Phoenix Ion which really does move the air. Question of comfort vs crash protection. Klim Induction is both heavy and hot; for me it's a between season's jacket.

I like the weight, it gives me a sense that the protection is built into the fabric. I have no desire to test it's abrasion resistance, and never having worn a mesh jacket before, this one is perfect for me in several ways. The fit is excellent, the flexibility and permeability of the fabric (compared to my 'Stitch) reminds me of the Kings New Clothes, the zippers are large and slide without snagging the interior fabric, and I even like the styling.

 

[drrod]

Sadly, it seems to be the way of the "new", post Covid way of doing business. Yes, I realize it started before that, but as we emerged from our hiatus, business practices seemed to have changed. The "less is more" seems to be more prevalent now. Supply chain issues, labor issues, etc are the norm in the "excuse department" when it seems like it is more "squeeze the last penny of margin from the client" is what is actually happening. The way consumers are still grabbing up products/services, shows that it will continue right up until crunch time. Until then, all we can really do is vote with our money and seek products/services that better suit our needs. Eventually things will even out but it is going to take time.

Fortunately, I have lots of gear (Much of it the "old" Klim) so I won't be needing any for a while. Hopefully there will be good alternatives when I do (or Klim has returned to some semblance of what they were).

There are some very inexpensive (relative) products starting to show up.
eg.

Textiles

HWK Moto

hwkmoto.com

I bought a pair of their pants a while back (for $50!!!!!) off of Amazon, because I needed some with better ventilation than what I had and I wear separate armor underneath. I have to say, the materials and construction seem to be on par with a lot of much more expensive gear. Not surprising since it probably comes from the same manufacturer sources. I had a 40mph get off on gravel/dirt and they held up fine.

 

[snowmoer]

Never been a Klim fan. There is plenty of gear out there that is the same or better quality at 1/4 to 1/3 less in price. Who do you think is paying for all those sponsorships and signs that are plastered all over the place? You are with their higher prices! For those that like their gear, great, glad you do. I will use the money saved for gas.

 

[drrod]

Judging quality is very difficult unless you have owned several different brands over many years and used each the same, or have "tested" them all. I started off with with some less expensive gear but as time went on, I found that the higher end stuff was actually more cost effective (at the time) because of durability/utility/fit/availability. I have a lot of Klim gear because it fits me better than most others and it works well for my riding needs. When/if it comes time to replace, I will look around and buy based on many other factors beside brand.

Klim is not the only brand with eye watering pricing. Rev'It, Rukka, BMG, Belstaff, BMW branded, etc. are also very expensive. I wish we had the choices that exist in Europe.

 

[Mellow]

There are some very inexpensive (relative) products starting to show up.
eg.

Textiles

HWK Moto

hwkmoto.com

I bought a pair of their pants a while back (for $50!!!!!) off of Amazon, because I needed some with better ventilation than what I had and I wear separate armor underneath. I have to say, the materials and construction seem to be on par with a lot of much more expensive gear. Not surprising since it probably comes from the same manufacturer sources. I had a 40mph get off on gravel/dirt and they held up fine.

Nice... saving that for the future, I like the pants.

 

[drrod]

Nice... saving that for the future, I like the pants.

At that price, they can almost be treated like a Bic pen. Use until done and then just replace. The quality of the ones I got (unfortunately tested) is pretty good. No seams or zippers let go. They did wear through on the bottom of the leg, over the boot buckles, when it got caught under the sliding bike.

 

[Bush]

Another +1 for the Klim Induction. Fits me like a glove and flows air very well, so much so that on cooler days I need to wear my electric vest under it to warm myself up once in a while.

 

[dduelin]

Hmmm, I may have to rethink my summer/mesh jacket shopping- I was kinda focused on the Klim Induction jacket as my next summer weight jacket, but at the stratospheric prices they want, I’d hate to get one and be disappointed. Klim USED to be top shelf gear.
I guess I’ll be shopping some of the lower priced gear as well.

Long shot but you might still look at Motorcyclegear.com. I bought an Induction jacket there last year and it being a previous model close out it came with D30 armor.

 

[Mellow]

Long shot but you might still look at Motorcyclegear.com. I bought an Induction jacket there last year and it being a previous model close out it came with D30 armor.

D3O armor can be level I or II. Most Klim gear, if not all, has level I.... many jackets / pants you get from other manufacturers have level II armor, not D3O but similar repetitive impact absorbing molecular armor.

 

[DeanR]

Nice... saving that for the future, I like the pants.

The HWK pants are called pants and 'can also be used as overpants'. So which is it? I have no interest in ever using overpants and am always confused about what m/c pants actually are.
My Motoport Street jeans (stretch kevlar, NOT air mesh) have been perfect for many years (since when they were affordable).

 

[drrod]

The HWK pants are called pants and 'can also be used as overpants'. So which is it? I have no interest in ever using overpants and am always confused about what m/c pants actually are.
My Motoport Street jeans (stretch kevlar, NOT air mesh) have been perfect for many years (since when they were affordable).

Any pant can be used as a standalone or overpant. Depends on what size you get and how you want to layer underneath.
I have these

HWK Motorcycle Cargo Pants

Ready to Ride. The HWK Moto Cargo Pants are versatile, stylish, and practical. With a removable water-resistant liner, these 600D cordura pants easily transition for comfort in any riding conditions. Safety features include high-contrast color design with hi-vis logos, reflective piping, and...

hwkmoto.com

I use them as a pant because I want the ventilation effect of the mesh but, with appropriate sizing they could be used as an overpant. I bought a size that would work not as an overpant. ie. regular size, not larger than normal.

 

[the Ferret]

I like my Tourmaster gear. I have several jackets, several pairs of riding pants and several pairs of gloves to cover the 4 seasons. I'm sure there is better gear on the market, but I'm a "good enough" kind of guy and it's good enough for me. Same reason I ride boring old Hondas and not BMW's, Ducati's or KTM's. The boring Hondas are quite good enough for me. The only thing that fails for me on the Tourmaster jackets is the velcro that cinches down the cuffs after thousands of repetitions...although my Hi Viz mesh jacket has faded quite a bit, but it's probably 10 years old now. I wear my gear over 300 days a year, 4 seasons in the Midwest in every climatic condition. I've ridden 174 days so far this year. So, my gear gets lots of use. If it didn't hold up, I'd switch to something else, but I'm quite happy with the Tourmaster line. Truthfully, I couldn't ever see myself paying $800 for a jacket and $600 for a pair of pants, even if they were endorsed by astronauts lol. Just not in my blood.

Like someone else said, I save what money I have for moderately priced motels, gas, tires, brakes pads, oil/filters and other maintenance items as needed. Tires are stupid expensive these days and don't nearly last long enough.