Suits Suits

SO we have pants and jacket threads but no SUIT threads... I am here to ask about riding 1 piece suits.
I have an aerostich roadcrafter classic which i love, below 80F degrees lol. I have recently learned of a company called MOTOPORT, yes there is no "S" in there. I'm curious if anyone has any of there clothing, particularly any of there 1 piece suits. Opinions and other 1 piece suit options that you own or have had experience with in the past would be great. This is not just a discussion for the Stich and the MOTO.

I know they put a guy on the moon, but 80 below seems unreal. Are you warm at 80 below?

The manufacturer uses Kevlar materials extensively. If the material made of Kevlar fibers is exposed to sunlight it's strength properties are subject to UV degradation which may not be apparent until tested. Something to think about.

Kevlar's susceptability to UV degradation and need for protection from visible UV is noted in in Dupont's technical pdf: http://www.dupont.com/content/dam/dupont/products-and-services/fabrics-fibers-and-nonwovens/fibers/documents/Kevlar_Technical_Guide.pdf

Motoport stretch kevlar material is great stuff. I'm not so much a fan of the mesh, tho many like it.

dduelin said:

protection from visible UV

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Wow! Never saw visible UV, but I need glasses for most things anyway.

STmark1300 said:

Are you warm at 80 below?

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reminds me of the time I went into a parts store in my two-piece stich in the summer, the guy behind the counter looked at me and said "are you cold, son?"

I have cordura Motoport pants and jacket, they're now old enough to drink (bought in 1995), I wear them both most of the time I ride, and the only problem I've had is the pants have shrunk and don't fit me in the waist anymore (JK)--really the only problem that's developed in over two decades of constant wear is a small tear in the lining of the jacket, where the interior pocket is, which has ripped from the weight of my large cell phone. So it's pretty good quality stuff.

T_C said:

Wow! Never saw visible UV...

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Probably needs a hyphen (visible-UV). Some things that degrade in UV also degrade under visible light toward that end of the spectrum.

--Mark

Blrfl said:

(visible-UV)

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That should probably be (visible–UV).

—ST Gui

Blrfl said:

Probably needs a hyphen (visible-UV). Some things that degrade in UV also degrade under visible light toward that end of the spectrum.

--Mark

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Yes, thank you. UV rays in the visible spectrum is what I meant. DuPont cautions not to store it near a window. That ought to tell you something.

So, I guess the Motoport suits have their Kevlar protected or are you only supposed to ride at night?

I think you're just supposed to avoid riding next to windows, which is probably a good idea anyway.

After wearing a 'Stich for 6 or 7 years now, I have to say I am a big fan. I did not think it would work so well in the sunny South, but I find it comfy up to about 86* F., as LONG AS I AM MOVING. It can become quite uncomfy at stops and in slow traffic. After seeing my sister's suit after a get-off, I am even a bigger fan.

I like the Motoport stuff...but EGADS!! the $$$! Add to that, it is never available on ebay, at least in my experience. It seems as if the few owners I have heard from are fanatically loyal to the brand, but I think I would be too if I'd spent that much.

klaproth said:

After wearing a 'Stich for 6 or 7 years now, I have to say I am a big fan.
...
I like the Motoport stuff...but EGADS!! the $$$!

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They're not priced much differently than the current crop of Roadcrafters.

I don't get why people are cringe at the high price of good gear but not the high price of not-as-good gear. If you spend $1,200 on a good suit that will last ten years, your monthly expense for keeping covered is $10. Buy a less-expensive suit for $600 that lasts four years and your total expense over the same decade is $1,500 ($12.50/mo, or 25% more).

Aero and Motoport also do factory alterations and repairs which can extend the life of their products even further. Try that with an Olympia or Firstgear suit.

--Mark

I'll throw my $0.02 worth in. I was interested to see if a suit would be a good choice for commuting. I'm a cheapskate so spending $1000 on a Stitch to see if I would like it wasn't an option. I found a Firstgear Expedition suit on a closeout deal for $300 so I went with that. I've used it most everyday for the past year riding in all kinds of (Seattle) weather, 50 mile roundtrip. It's kept me dry (with one exception which could have been user error) and vents well enough for our mild summer.

I really like the convenience of wearing work (or workout) clothes underneath and not having to find a place to change at work. It handles the weather fine and has D30 armor in the knees, hips, shoulders, elbow, hips and back so I feel well protected. Other than "road patina" it looks like new after a solid year's worth of riding so I think it will hold up well.

Bottom line: It meets my needs for commuting and didn't break the bank. I'm happy with it.

dwalby said:

I think you're just supposed to avoid riding next to windows, which is probably a good idea anyway.

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Ahh, which side of said window? I'd assume doing circles around the dining room table is a good thing - unless your wife objects.

Blrfl said:

I don't get why people are cringe at the high price of good gear but not the high price of not-as-good gear. If you spend $1,200 on a good suit that will last ten years, your monthly expense for keeping covered is $10. Buy a less-expensive suit for $600 that lasts four years and your total expense over the same decade is $1,500 ($12.50/mo, or 25% more).--Mark

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I think its the thought of laying out a thou or 1500 at once compared to half or a third of that. And while of course it is false economy in the long run, some simply don't have that spare 1K to toss around. Hey, I've read elsewhere here where some guys are willing to mount used tires. Talk about false economy. (Do they bother to check the DOT date of manufacture on said tires, among other things?).

I saw some Klim riding gear this summer at the BMW MOA rally. I was surprised at the prices there, but Klim is also supposed to be premium protective clothing.

There are a lot of Aerostitch suits available on ebay, and if you are careful, you can get a good used suit (one or two piece) for excellent prices. Please just don't bid against me (lol). It really helps if you take a standard size.

I don't know if they've improved them over the years, but my Aerostich kept breaking the zipper pull tabs on me (main zipper and sleeves). They'd send me new ones free of charge (they were just YKK or similar anyway so I can't say Aerostich was directly responsible for the failures) but I don't recall other riding gear going through zipper pulls ever, and it happened a few times on my stich. I eventually made my own pulls with 12ga bare electrical wire looped and soldered because the flexible copper didn't fracture like the stiff metal pulls did, and I didn't have to replace the entire slider, just the pull tab. Left me with a negative impression on such an expensive suit, so I went elsewhere for my next gear. To be fair, I may have owned the stich a few years longer than the other stuff, I can't remember for sure because it was a long time ago.

SMSW said:

Hey, I've read elsewhere here where some guys are willing to mount used tires. Talk about false economy. (Do they bother to check the DOT date of manufacture on said tires, among other things?).

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It's an interesting thing. My father is somebody who borders on being so over-prepared and extra cautious that he is unsafe. But he has a flat-bed trailer, 20+ year old tires. No dry-rot, no cracks, still hold air and he leaves it outside and it sits in direct sun for part of the day.

I dropped a 400# uni-saw and 800# of wood on the trailer and towed it at 65+ mph with him back from Tennessee behind his mini-van. That was 4 years ago and he still hasn't changed the tires.

So given this, what does the date code mean? I thought it applied to all tires, but apparently it's not just a hard fast rule.

I'm selling my 2 piece Motoport in the for sale section if your interested.

T_C said:

It's an interesting thing. My father is somebody who borders on being so over-prepared and extra cautious that he is unsafe. But he has a flat-bed trailer, 20+ year old tires. No dry-rot, no cracks, still hold air and he leaves it outside and it sits in direct sun for part of the day.

I dropped a 400# uni-saw and 800# of wood on the trailer and towed it at 65+ mph with him back from Tennessee behind his mini-van. That was 4 years ago and he still hasn't changed the tires.

So given this, what does the date code mean? I thought it applied to all tires, but apparently it's not just a hard fast rule.

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I hate to steal the thread here, but I was referring to a motorcycle tire. I have read that they get harder and lose some grip after a few years. Now this might apply to OLD tires - before they started adding silica to the rubber compound and started playing with the mix in the rubber, but most trailers do not lean into curves and few of us ride the Tail of the Dragon on trailers at ahhhhhh speeds that keep your attention. If your trailer gets a flat, so what? If it does so at 80 mph, who cares? Some of the guys on this site have said they were (and I would be) very upset to get a flat at speed on their ST's. This is what I meant.