Aerostich Suit TIGHT behind Knees

DWJ Honda

DWJ Honda

I once had a Gold Wing
Joined
Apr 20, 2005
Messages
67
Age
62
Location
Northern New Jersey
Bike
2005 ST1300A
I appreciate the helpful comments and advice from this forum over the past month as I've considered investing in a 1-piece Aerostich Roadcrafter suit. I finally did, and after some custom alterations the suit just arrived.

Well its great, except for one major area -- its way too tight behind the knees when my legs are bent in the normal riding position. I had them do an alteration called the "Knee Gussett" where they supposedly put an extra inch of material on each side of the knee. I am not at all pleased with the manner in which the alteration was made, and it made no noticable difference in how much room there is. Even sitting on the bike for 5 minutes with a single layer of clothing on under neath is uncomfortable. What about a 10 hour day with 2 layers?

I plan to call them Monday morning and sort it out, but first wanted to draw upon the wisdom and experience of this forum in case anyone has any insights or suggestions.

Do others feel discomfort and tightness behind their knees while wearing the Roadcrafter? Might breaking it in help? Any advice for how I approach it with them?

Thanks tons,
Dennis
 
Odd problem...

It seems odd to me that the suit would be tight behind the knees - even with an alteration! Was the alteration done for a knee-up sportbike-seating position?

In my own case, the suit is stock with no alterations, and I've got GOBS of room inside. Granted, I had the advantage of stopping at the Aerostich store to get sized though. :D

Whatever you do, call Aerostich. Aside from their gear being top-notch, they also rate highly among motorcyclists for their outstanding customer service. I guarantee that you are not the first person that has sent a suit back a few times to get it just right. For the price of a Roadcrafter, you want to be sure it's the best possible fit, and Aerostich is probably very easy to deal with (and experienced) on this - they are in the custom gear business after all.

Call them, and get their advice. A lifetime of use on this suit is worth the prolonged hassle now.
 
What probably happens is that the suit is somewhat tight as it is, standing up,,,and when you go to sit down and bend the knees, the suit "bunches" up in a particular way behind the knees, and makes it very uncomfortable.

I've had a jacket a good while back do the same thing on the inside of my elbow (where the nurses normally draw blood :) ), to the point it left bloodshot marks on my arm after I bent the arm. Very uncomfortable, and NOT acceptable. Your suit is probably still too tight over the knees.
 
I'm 40R and my suit is 100% stock. I wear it with shorts or jeans underneath. The zipping is tight somewhat with the jeans but the comfort is great. I wonder whether it's not just a matter of allowing everything to settle. My suit was stiff for a few weeks but never uncomfortable. There was an issue with walking up or down stairs but that also setlled with time. Maybe time will tell. I wouldn't hurry getting other alterations until the whole thing has softened. Maybe the knee pads are not well positioned. Not sure whether you can readjust the position of the knew pads.
 
Tight knees

Thanks all for the helpful comments.

Since its been a pretty rainy couple of weeks, and we had a death in my family (my step-father after a battle with ALS), I've only had a couple of brief opportunities to ride the bike with the new suit and have not yet called the company.

Having had an Aerostich jacket before I am familiar with the needed break-in time for their gear, but am pretty confident this is something more than that. Nearly everywhere else on my body the suit feels superb. Also confident that the knee pads ARE positioned correctly (and yes, this is something they can customize for you prior to the suit being made), I think I just have bloody bigger than average knees. For almost $1,000 with cost of alterations and all the shipping back and forth, this needs to be close to perfect.

I would consider giving it a few more weeks to see if time (more break-in and getting used to it) will help, but the longer I wait the weaker position I'll be in when I call to say there's a major problem -- a problem I don't want to be charged any more to have fixed.

Got to put about 100 miles in today, a near by dealer had an open house, and that helped confirm the problem. I don't look forward to these kinds of phone calls , but plan to contact them Mon or Tues, which is still less than 2 weeks from when suit arrived.

Thanks again for all the advice. This is a great board, and we've all got a great bike in the Honda ST.

Dennis
 
fat knee boy

A rider on another site suggested I measure my knees and let Aerostich know that in case it helps. Don't want to get overly intimate with them about my body part measurements, but it couldn't hurt.

So the measurement around my bent leg at the point of the knee, with jeans on but not the suit, is 19 and a half inches.

Any one care to "weigh in" and share your measurement and give me a sense of how fat my knees are??

The suit is a 46 Long, and I'm 5-11 and 185 pounds.

Thanks!
Dennis
 
Dennis, w/bare bent knee I'm 18". I'm 5-11 and 210 and it seems that a 46L is a bit large? Maybe excess fabric at the knee. I wear 44/46R . I do have short legs tho' at 30"

What's your inseam?
 
dond said:
Dennis, w/bare bent knee I'm 18". I'm 5-11 and 210 and it seems that a 46L is a bit large? Maybe excess fabric at the knee. I wear 44/46R . I do have short legs tho' at 30"

What's your inseam?
Click to expand...

Hey Don, yep we're pretty close in size, except that is for my knees! I too have a 30 inch inseam, and am 5-11, which means I have a longer than average torso. I tried the 46R which fit pretty well EXCEPT when I tried to lift my arms up, in which case it would tug on my crotch too much. So they recommended I go for the 46L with alterations to the legs and arms (which I would have needed with the 46R anyway)

sport tourer I've wondered about taking out the pads, OR using a thinner pad they offer for winter use, but heck the whole reason I got the suit is for ultimate safety and I don't want to start whittling away at that just yet.

Dennis
 
Same here - 5'11, 30" inseam. I was advised a 44R suit; ended up with a 48S coat, 46S pants. If I want to layer for serious sub-freezing crap, I need to get the 48S pants. On the bike, the lenght is just right; could even stand to have it another 2" longer. Cuffs of the pants get a touch wet sometimes in the rain. Around the knee with jeans on , legs bent is over 20".

I love mine. Fits perfect, feels great. Call Aero; they are good people, and will try to make it right.
 
Customer Service

Just got off the phone withe Shari at Aerostich, filled her in on all my complaints with my 1-piece Roadcrafter, especially the tightness around the knees, and she calmly told me she thought they could remedy all my concerns.

Was hoping they would just build a new suit from the ground up, but will take this one apart and re-build it instead, correcting problems with the alterations. As long as they make it right and it gives me a $900 fit, I'll be happy. A little anxious about the whole thing, and have been tempted just to throw in the towel and go buy something off the rack at a local dealer, but hopeful my persistence will pay off.

Thanks for all the help. Will keep you posted.

Dennis
 
My sentiments exactly. Aerostich has always been a good retail experience for me. That said...

Don't throw in the towel!! :eek: :eek:

This Roadcrafter will yield years (or even a decade or two) of riding protection and comfort - with maybe a bit of life-saving as well. It will be worth every minute of hassle and persistence that you put into it at this time.

After a few thousand miles, when the suit breaks in, it's...well...ooo la la. :eek::
 
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