ninjette.org

Go Back   ninjette.org > General > Motorcycling News

Notices

Reply
 
Thread Tools
Old July 18th, 2018, 09:01 AM   #1
Ninjette Newsbot
All the news that's fit to excerpt
 
Ninjette Newsbot's Avatar
 
Name: newsie
Location: who knows?
Join Date: Jun 2008

Motorcycle(s): only digital replicas

Posts: Too much.
[motorcycle.com] - Advantages of Motorcycle Touring Gear


What is motorcycle*touring gear? What defines the category? In a word, versatility.*Touring gear is built to shield the rider through the vast array of potential weather a rider might find themselves venturing through during a long ride. There are plenty of different applications and philosophies of what makes for the best touring gear, but when boiled down, it all comes to the versatileness of the product.

Removable liners



One way in which gear manufacturers approach weatherproofing is by offering removable liners in both jackets and pants. These liners may include waterproof inner layers or quilted layers for additional warmth. Motorcycle Touring Gear, or what some refer to as 4-season riding gear, will often have a combination of both a quilted liner and a waterproof liner of some sort.


Ah, the silver lining. Gore-Tex liners provide waterproof breathability and also come with a lifetime warranty (for the Gore-Tex only).


Waterproof liners often come in two types, the manufacturer’s own proprietary waterproof membrane, or Gore-Tex, which has become the gold standard of waterproof breathability not only in motorcycling, but also in extreme outdoor gear in general. Typically, Gore-Tex equipped offerings will fetch a premium price due to the use of the product, but, as of time of publishing this article, Gore-Tex offers a lifetime warranty on the waterproofness of its products which certainly helps to justify its higher price point.

Quilted liners are included to add warmth and can generally be found either vest-style, or fully lining the jacket down the sleeves.


Quilted liners are a bit more universal in their construction with the variances coming mostly in the way of a vest-type liner which only covers the torso, or full jacket-type liners which fit all the way down into the sleeves.

Two large vents can be opened on the front of the Dainese D-Explorer while the back panel can be fully removed to expose a large mesh section.


Most motorcycle*touring gear will allow you to use the liners either separately or in conjunction with one another allowing you lighter waterproofness or giving you the option to fully bundle up with the quilted liner attached as well. Some jackets on the market, such as my Dainese D-Explorer, which I have mentioned a few times in previous touring articles, go the extra distance and include substantial venting on the outer shell, giving users the opportunity to really open up the jacket for airflow in hotter conditions.

Built-in weatherproofing



More recently there has been a trend from some of the big names in moto-gear to buck the liners in the conquest of simplicity and less bulk. We’ve seen this from companies like Alpinestars and Dainese when perusing new model lineups and the trend has seemingly caught on. Other companies, like KLIM, have taken the outer-shell-type approach for quite some time allowing users to choose their own mid and base layers while providing a durable weatherproof shell.


I would have done terrible unforgivable things for more airflow during this shoot.


My only qualm with this approach to touring is that it generally limits the usefulness and versatility. Take the Alpinestars Hyper Drystar jacket for example; the jacket includes a sewn-in waterproof liner as well as a quilted liner for warmth. Here in southern California, the jacket just isn’t that practical for most of the year because even with the quilted liner out and the total of four vents open, the jacket flows very little air to the rider. If you have to wear a backpack, make that no air. Some may prefer this approach, but to me, the option to add and remove liners as necessary with regard to the climate you happen to find yourself in is preferred, particularly on long hauls.

Even in the heat of the Arizona summer, the Badland Pro’s 16 vents kept me cool as a cucumber… at least while moving.


Touring-specific duds like the new KLIM Badlands Pro is geared toward adventure touring but is a great example of a technical shell-type approach which offers a lot of versatility while allowing users to choose their own base and mid-layers for warmth. The Badlands Pro is a juggernaut in the ADV world and offers a super durable shell with 12 vents on the jacket and four vents on the pant. The Badlands Pro also uses Gore-Tex Pro, which is Gore-Tex mated to the outer shell for less bulk and guaranteed waterproofness.

Making do

Textbook example of making do.


No, you don’t have to buy expensive motorcycle*touring gear in order to be comfortable on a motorcycle tour, but it’s kind of like riding a bike with cruise control, once you’ve experienced the practicality, versatility, and comfortability, it’s hard to want to go back.

Sure you can pack a cheap rain suit into your luggage and a sweater and call it good, but the versatility of one good touring or 4-season jacket could, in theory, replace most of your riding jackets. They might be expensive in some cases, but when you consider the jacket may pull quadruple duty, that cost split four ways can seem entirely worth it.

The post Advantages of Motorcycle Touring Gear appeared first on Motorcycle.com.



Click here for full story...
__________________________________________________
I'm a bot. I don't need no stinkin' signature...
Ninjette Newsbot is offline   Reply With Quote




Reply




Similar Threads
Thread Thread Starter Forum Replies Last Post
[motorcycle.com] - More New Gear From Alpinestars Road/Touring Collection Ninjette Newsbot Motorcycling News 0 March 24th, 2016 03:00 PM
[RoadRUNNER] - Summer Motorcycle Gear Buyers? Guide: For the Touring Woman Ninjette Newsbot Motorcycling News 0 April 30th, 2015 03:00 AM
[RoadRUNNER] - Summer Motorcycle Gear Buyers? Guide: For the Touring Enthusiast Ninjette Newsbot Motorcycling News 0 April 27th, 2015 03:00 AM
[motorcycle-usa.com] - Gear Up: Mustang Super Touring Seats & More Ninjette Newsbot Motorcycling News 0 June 20th, 2014 05:40 AM
Best motorcycle touring tent ?? What gear over the road ? Klondike1020 Motorcycle Gear 1 November 28th, 2013 11:44 AM


Thread Tools

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off

Forum Jump


Motorcycle Safety Foundation

All times are GMT -7. The time now is 03:48 PM.


Website uptime monitoring Host-tracker.com
Powered by vBulletin®
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.
User Alert System provided by Advanced User Tagging (Lite) - vBulletin Mods & Addons Copyright © 2024 DragonByte Technologies Ltd.
Except where otherwise noted, all site contents are © Copyright 2022 ninjette.org, All rights reserved.