should i zip jacket to pants?

emoyer · January 6th, 2012, 06:23 AM

my jacket came with a zipper that can be sewn to my riding pants. should i bother to use it? if i am sliding on my back on asphalt, will that zipper/fabric really hold? and if i should use it, how difficult is it to get it zipped when i put my gear on? thanks.

NDspd · January 6th, 2012, 06:46 AM

It kind of depends....what kind of riding are you going to be doing? What Jacket and pants do you have? My Teknic jacket has 2 zippers (different lengths), and a loop that can go around a belt. I use the loop to keep the jacket snug on my back, not riding up. It's more of what you are comfortable with.

emoyer · January 6th, 2012, 07:35 AM

i do street riding, generally 30-50 mph, sometimes faster.

the pants are first gear leather overpants. they have a fabric panel near the waist where the zipper could be attached.

the jacket is a cortech air mesh. it has external padded scales down the spine, and a kind of "shirt tail" that goes pretty low in the back. i have never felt like it was riding up.

i do wear the pants with a belt, but i dont think the jacket has loops for that. that would seem more secure to me.

i am very happy with my gear while riding, i just am wondering if i should do the zipper thing in case of a crash.

thanks.

saxnbass · January 6th, 2012, 08:25 AM

If you need to go out of your way to make them zip together, then I wouldn't bother for street riding. If they already zip together as they are, I don't see why you wouldn't zip them together.

gfloyd2002 · January 6th, 2012, 08:31 AM

Connecting the jacket to the pants by zipper will improve your safety by keeping our back pad and abrasion resistance in place during a crash. As you can imagine, your jacket could easily move out of place during a crash and expose your back. Using the zipper increases the chances of keeping the jacket (and the padding) where it is supposed to be. For this reason, tracks will require riders wearing two piece gear to zip the jacket to the pants for track riding.

While a sewn in zipper may not be enough ito keep your padding and abrasion resistance in place in a high speed crash, seems like you'd want to do all you can in that case to improve your odds. And, with the lower speed riding you generally do, the zipper stands a significantly better chance. Either way, it is an easy way to improve your odds at little cost.

Whether it is worth it or not is your call. I'll usually zip up my pants to jacket, but not always. A nice side benefit of zipping up is that it will keep your jacket from creeping up, or your pants creeping down, as you ride. On behalf of all people potentially in a vehicle behind you allow me to say that we do not want to see your ass crack.

KJohnson21 · January 6th, 2012, 08:41 AM

One of the reasons that I keep them zipped together is to keep my back warm! (No cold air drafting up the back of my jacket.)

Boom King · January 6th, 2012, 09:41 AM

As always with gear, it's a personal judgement call. Just to answer your question though, the entire process is not difficult at all. It takes literally 5 seconds or less once you get used to where the zippers are. You've already spent that time putting on your gear with the goal of safety in mind so what's another 5 seconds where the benefits may potentially improve that safety?

emoyer · January 6th, 2012, 12:36 PM

thanks everyone for all the input. i think i will get the zipper put on the pants & start using it.

EthioKnight · January 6th, 2012, 12:50 PM

I like my Icon Timax better than my cortech GX-air because it comes with these straps that you can attach to the belt loops of your jeans, much more convenient for street riding because you often ride with jeans on than you do with motorcycle specific pants. The cortech jackets (as far as I know) lack this feature and come with a zipper...

January 6th, 2012, 06:23 AM	#1
emoyer ninjette.org member Name: Eric Location: SE PA Join Date: Nov 2011 Motorcycle(s): 1999 Honda VFR800 Posts: 93	should i zip jacket to pants? my jacket came with a zipper that can be sewn to my riding pants. should i bother to use it? if i am sliding on my back on asphalt, will that zipper/fabric really hold? and if i should use it, how difficult is it to get it zipped when i put my gear on? thanks.

January 6th, 2012, 08:31 AM	#5
gfloyd2002 User Title Free Since '12 Name: Floyd Location: Barbados Join Date: Dec 2010 Motorcycle(s): '10 Ninja 250R Special Edition Green Posts: A lot. Blog Entries: 13 MOTM - Feb '12	Connecting the jacket to the pants by zipper will improve your safety by keeping our back pad and abrasion resistance in place during a crash. As you can imagine, your jacket could easily move out of place during a crash and expose your back. Using the zipper increases the chances of keeping the jacket (and the padding) where it is supposed to be. For this reason, tracks will require riders wearing two piece gear to zip the jacket to the pants for track riding. While a sewn in zipper may not be enough ito keep your padding and abrasion resistance in place in a high speed crash, seems like you'd want to do all you can in that case to improve your odds. And, with the lower speed riding you generally do, the zipper stands a significantly better chance. Either way, it is an easy way to improve your odds at little cost. Whether it is worth it or not is your call. I'll usually zip up my pants to jacket, but not always. A nice side benefit of zipping up is that it will keep your jacket from creeping up, or your pants creeping down, as you ride. On behalf of all people potentially in a vehicle behind you allow me to say that we do not want to see your ass crack. __________________________________________________ "Improvement makes straight roads, but the crooked roads without improvement, are roads of genius." — William Blake

January 6th, 2012, 08:41 AM	#6
KJohnson21 ninjette.org certified postwhore Name: Ken Location: Indio, CA Join Date: Dec 2008 Motorcycle(s): '08 Kawasaki EX250 "Yoshi", '99 Kawasaki Concours "Grace", '06 Concours "Belle", '06 Yamaha YZF600R "Slick" Posts: A lot. Blog Entries: 3	One of the reasons that I keep them zipped together is to keep my back warm! (No cold air drafting up the back of my jacket.) __________________________________________________ < ATGATT > Sweat you can wipe off, Road rash you can't. HEY!! Unregistered!! Does your bike have a name?

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January 6th, 2012, 06:46 AM	#2
NDspd 1/4 English, 3/4 Kick Ass Name: Jeremy Location: Dayton, OH Join Date: Sep 2011 Motorcycle(s): 2002 Triumph Speed Triple 955i, '05 Suzuki SV650S(retired), '11 Ninja 250R(sold) Posts: A lot.	It kind of depends....what kind of riding are you going to be doing? What Jacket and pants do you have? My Teknic jacket has 2 zippers (different lengths), and a loop that can go around a belt. I use the loop to keep the jacket snug on my back, not riding up. It's more of what you are comfortable with.

January 6th, 2012, 07:35 AM	#3
emoyer ninjette.org member Name: Eric Location: SE PA Join Date: Nov 2011 Motorcycle(s): 1999 Honda VFR800 Posts: 93	i do street riding, generally 30-50 mph, sometimes faster. the pants are first gear leather overpants. they have a fabric panel near the waist where the zipper could be attached. the jacket is a cortech air mesh. it has external padded scales down the spine, and a kind of "shirt tail" that goes pretty low in the back. i have never felt like it was riding up. i do wear the pants with a belt, but i dont think the jacket has loops for that. that would seem more secure to me. i am very happy with my gear while riding, i just am wondering if i should do the zipper thing in case of a crash. thanks.

January 6th, 2012, 08:25 AM	#4
saxnbass ninjette.org certified postwhore Name: Eric Location: Nashville, TN Join Date: Oct 2011 Motorcycle(s): 2009 CBR600rr Posts: A lot. Blog Entries: 1	If you need to go out of your way to make them zip together, then I wouldn't bother for street riding. If they already zip together as they are, I don't see why you wouldn't zip them together.

January 6th, 2012, 09:41 AM	#7
Boom King So, where's the reverse? Name: Anson Location: Ontario, Canada Join Date: Nov 2010 Motorcycle(s): 2009 Kawasaki Ninja 250R Posts: A lot.	As always with gear, it's a personal judgement call. Just to answer your question though, the entire process is not difficult at all. It takes literally 5 seconds or less once you get used to where the zippers are. You've already spent that time putting on your gear with the goal of safety in mind so what's another 5 seconds where the benefits may potentially improve that safety?

January 6th, 2012, 12:36 PM	#8
emoyer ninjette.org member Name: Eric Location: SE PA Join Date: Nov 2011 Motorcycle(s): 1999 Honda VFR800 Posts: 93	thanks everyone for all the input. i think i will get the zipper put on the pants & start using it.

January 6th, 2012, 12:50 PM	#9
EthioKnight Super Noob Name: Alex Location: Mobile, AL Join Date: Oct 2011 Motorcycle(s): '09 Kawasaki Ninja 250R, '84 Honda Spree 50cc Posts: A lot.	I like my Icon Timax better than my cortech GX-air because it comes with these straps that you can attach to the belt loops of your jeans, much more convenient for street riding because you often ride with jeans on than you do with motorcycle specific pants. The cortech jackets (as far as I know) lack this feature and come with a zipper...