Suits Should I Buy an Aerostitch Suit?

[rwthomas1]

I think others have covered most of the additional comments I'd make to your request. Day to day wear, the biggest advantage for me (other than the protection it provides) is that I can just take off the jacket, drape it over the windshield to cover all the goodies and my helmet while I take a break to eat or visit with friends.

One additional note: the jacket of the 2 piece will zip to the pants of the 2 piece and become . . . a one piece.

PS: Follow-up to STRider's note. Crossed Death Valley in July in the late afternoon at 127 degrees and never broke a sweat except when I stopped to take a picture of the 20 mule team and wagon display and had to raise my visor to use my camera. Road west to east and when I got out on the east side I still had about 2 lbs. of ice left of the two 10 lb bags of ice I had put inside my jacket on the west side.

Shuey

I owned a two-piece Stich back in the 90's, so I know what it does. I just never did it. Separated the pieces a few times, but didn't like riding with them unzipped. Found it difficult to reattach them while wearing the pants. And the pants didn't like to stay up without the jacket zipped on. Now this was when I was riding a CBR1000 so riding position may have influenced the fit somewhat?

I now have the one-piece based on that experience, and it was available used, so.... It's been great. I don't really get how the two-piece would be cooler as some have suggested, as I can unzip the left leg and top down to my waist if I need to when stopped. I can't imagine riding with a leg even partially unzipped, but I do open the chest zipper a bit in the heat.

Lastly, I haven't ridden in the SW heat but I have experienced it. Dry heat is a whole lot different than SE high humidity heat. Where the OP lives you can pour the sweat out of work boots in the summer. Been there, done that. I've been to Death Valley in summer and was shocked that I wasn't wet with sweat.

All this said, the Stich is still great, no matter what flavor you prefer.

RT

 

[rwthomas1]

My one-piece fits in the side case. It's tight, but it fits. Maybe it's because it's old and more flexible? Since I don't park the bike at home, this is often how it gets stored.

RT

 

[DeanR]

I have a Stich 2 piece that I've been thinking of selling here. In excellent shape but doesn't fit me right. So I use my Motoport.

 

[dduelin]

It fit best in the pannier with it folded so the knee armor and elbow pads sort of nested inside each other. Just wadded up it might not fit.

 

[Smudgemo]

I noticed a fellow commuter to SF simply looped a cable lock through his Aerostich and left it on the bike. Seems unlikely anyone would want to steal it in anywhere you'd want to leave the bike.

 

[YodaJediMaster]

I have a Stich 2 piece that I've been thinking of selling here. In excellent shape but doesn't fit me right. So I use my Motoport.

What size is it? What’s the price? Thanks.

 

[st11ray]

I assume none of the suits that you guys are stuffing inside the luggage have a back protector in them, correct?

 

[Slydynbye]

I assume none of the suits that you guys are stuffing inside the luggage have a back protector in them, correct?

Exactly, Mine has a protector from collar to tail bone. Not going into a side case.
It will go in a Givi Topbox just fine.

 

[Styles]

Same here. Such convenience permits shopping without unduly scaring civilians.

 

[sirbike]

I can’t imagine my 42L R3 with back protector fitting in a side bag.
It’s a tight fit in a 46l givi. I bought an E52 thinking it would be easier but no.
For me the one piece Aerostich is the best one item to own. It covers a wide range weather, it does force one to use pants.
I think that you will find that if you are using the suit to go for motorcycle rides as you describe, the heat will be anywhere from tolerable to fairly unobtrusive do to enjoying the ride.
Doing errands around town in hot weather, the heat might overwhelm the enjoyment of riding.
For commuting in hot weather I did find myself singing the song, don’t let me crash with my stich in the top case. So I have in the last couple years started wearing a mesh jacket and Darien pants. I don’t consider that setup “All The Gear” but it is many times better than a t-shirt and regular pants.
I thought about buying an R3 light but it didn’t feel right to spend so much on an item that gives me less protection considering the all weather (increased chance of going down) mission for the suit.
I do find the tan suit is generally less hot, and takes longer to get as hot as the black suit when stuck in traffic.
Mine is tan with hi vis.
I was to cool for hi vis ballistics when I ordered my suit but when I nearly got rear ended at a traffic light, I changed my order.

 

[STRider]

It fit best in the pannier with it folded so the knee armor and elbow pads sort of nested inside each other. Just wadded up it might not fit.

What he said.

A couple of remarks here.

I had assumed everyone understood the two-piece suits zip together at the waist?

Aerostich also sells what they call the Ellipse. It's a piece of material that zips between the pant and jacket to effectively increase the length of the torso biased toward the back. I bought one to make riding more comfortable in the moderate forward crouch on my Interceptor, and never took it out.

Trying to reconnect the jacket to pants while wearing the pants is an exercise in ... well, the next time you try it be sure to record a video and post it on r/whatcouldgowrong. You'll be a hit on reddit.

These suits come in all these variations to match the suit to the riders needs and wishes, not the other way around. Glad to hear they're passionate advocates of both styles.

btw, this exchange is so tame compared to the flame wars on rec.motorcycle back in the 90s. There was someone in England that lived to grief anyone that had anything good to say about an Aerostich. He was Andy Goldfine's Lex Luther.

 

[skipcurt]

I'm with the other 'Stich owners being that I love it and have no regrets at all. There are times that I do wish I had the two piece like when you have to do #2 in a public restroom. You either take the whole thing off or you sit down and the whole upper part of the suit is laying on the floor in front of the toilet. As you can guess, I remove it because the latter is just gross. So it will add a bit of time to your restroom stop.

Skip

 

[wjbertrand]

Gosh, I stashed my 48R sized 'Stich with all the standard armor (shoulders, elbows and knees) installed in my 1100, 1300 and now my Super Tenere bags with no problems. On the Tenere I do use the larger right side bag. It might fit in the left one, just never tried. You have to roll it just so, especially with the Tenere. This was a daily thing when I was commuting. Stich in one bag, helmet in the other. Helmet won't fit in the Tenere bags, so it gets locked to the bike. With both my STs and my Tenere, I covered the bike every day. I generally didn't have anything else in the bag with it, but occasionally I stuff something small like a radar detector or GPS, in the corners around the 'Stich, that I don't want to leave exposed.

Regarding being kind funny looking in a one-piece 'Stich, I was checking into a motel in Mammoth Lakes for an HSTA Rally years ago. While standing in the check-in line I noticed a young couple a few places up in the line kind of snickering and pointing at me. Turned out I reached the desk clerk next to the one the couple just finishing up with. The guy turns to me and says "dude, don't you think you're a little late for ski season?". At that the couple cracked up over their own cleverness. I responded that they didn't understand, and explained that this isn't a ski suite silly, it's a snowmobile suit. They stopped laughing and looked at me like I was nuts but were at a complete loss for words.

 

[dduelin]

I'm with the other 'Stich owners being that I love it and have no regrets at all. There are times that I do wish I had the two piece like when you have to do #2 in a public restroom. You either take the whole thing off or you sit down and the whole upper part of the suit is laying on the floor in front of the toilet. As you can guess, I remove it because the latter is just gross. So it will add a bit of time to your restroom stop.

Skip

I just hold the arms folded across my legs in that situation.

 

[ST-DocLizard1]

Not a Roadcrafter fan as I prefer the versatility and fit of Darien separates.

 

[amorley]

Aerostich Roadcrafter suits are like Marmite, you either love it, or hate it because you don’t like it or understand how anyone can like it!

I am on my second Roadcrafter Lite suit. I live in Houston but wear the suit all year round, even in the hot and humid summer in SE Texas. I have upgraded the armor to T5 and also have the full back pad armor. I also wear a Helite Turtle airbag vest over the Roadcrafter. There is no way the suit with full armor will fit in a pannier. When I stop, I take off the Helite Turtle vest and Roadcrafter suit. I fold the suit up and wrap it in the vest. I have a long armored lock cord that goes through the armpits of the suit, vest and my helmet. They are locked through the handlebars for security.

 

[dohboy]

Like Shuey, I also hit two animals, both deer in the middle of the day on two lane roads like you say you like to ride. I didn't have any damage except a bruised arm where I hit the handle bars. I had a Roadcrafter two piece suit on and was glad I did

 

[Belray]

Loved my first one piece but only for cooler weather below 70. Liked my 2 piece mostly used zip together but still to hot in the summer . Now I sport a full mesh MotoPort Kevlar that I use every day year round . Yes it gets hot in the 90's but only at red lights . When it is below 60 I use the zip in liner . In the 40's and lower I use a heated jacket. I my opinion if Roadcrafter made the mesh Kevlar I would buy one tomorrow ! Love That Look. But for year round riding in (The south) Central Florida for me now Kevlar mesh wins Hands down.

 

[Shuey]

I've never tried to fit any of my suit in a panier, and . . . I don't zip the two parts together. I have a bib zipped to the pants which allows the jacket to move and shift as needed automatically for comfort as my riding position changes. When I stop, the jacket usually goes over the bike screen and handlebars or it goes over the back of a chair and the pants, well they walk into the restaurant with me.

Shuey

 

[dwalby]

years ago I went into an auto parts store that specializes in Euro stuff, wearing my two-piece stich. I was probably in my early 40s at the time and the older guy at the counter asked me "are you cold son?"