Taking the plunge...ordering Motoport gear!

[CCHOUSEKY]

After reading every review and looking at every picture I could get my hands on over the last few weeks, tomorrow is D-Day! Last Tuesday, I called Motoport and put down my deposit to get in the queue for my suit, and I couldn't be more excited! Tomorrow, I call in my final measurements and place the order for real. I've wanted this gear for a while now, but finances never allowed me to do it. But, after saving my pennies (and paying off both my car and bike), I'm now in a position to finally get the gear I've always wanted. :thumbup:

I know of a couple people here that already have this gear (OMG_WTF or Norbert, and I believe Motogiro has a pair of the pants). I'm sure there are others as well. Almost all the reviews I've read have been overwhelmingly positive, so I feel pretty good about dropping this kind of money on this gear.

I've decided to go with the GP-2 Stretch Kevlar jacket and GP-2 Air Mesh Kevlar pants. Most of my riding is sport-oriented, so I'm basically looking to replace my leathers (although, if these work out how I'm hoping, I'll probably pick up a pair of the Ultra II Stretch Kevlar pants this fall for cooler weather riding).

Here's some visuals of what I'm ordering. If those of you with this gear have any suggestions, I'm all ears (options, etc.)

GP-2 Stretch Kevlar jacket. I'm going with the stock gray/black because I plan on having this gear for a long time and I'd like it to work with any bike I might have over the next few years.

And the options I'm looking to add to the jacket...

Small coin pocket on the right sleeve (someone on ADVrider mentioned if they had to do it over again, they'd have one of these on each sleeve...what do you guys think?)

3M reflective on the back and arms:

And for the pants...GP-2 Air Mesh Kevlar. Air Mesh on the front, Stretch Kevlar on the back (like the jacket is all over).

And options on the pants:

Velcro patches for knee pucks

Zipper to connect the pants to the jacket

And, the one kind of weird option, but something I think will tie the suit together...cargo pockets on the pants and the flap on the pockets will be the same gray stretch kevlar that's on the jacket

Am I missing anything? Are there other options I should be thinking about? Norbert, I know you spent quite a lot of time in the ADV thread before getting yours...is there anything you'd do differently if you had to do it over again (or anyone else, for that matter?)

I've read that the Stretch Kevlar does breathe pretty well, and admittedly it does get hot and humid around here. I gave the Air Mesh Kevlar jackets a thought, but I really like the fit of the Stretch better.

Any opinions? I'll do a full write-up once I have the stuff and have had a chance to ride in it. I should have it in about 3 weeks, according to Motoport. That's a pretty quick turnaround, if you ask me!

What say you guys?

 

[VEGASRIDER]

I have mutliple Motoport gear as well, and I belive I was one of the first members here on this forum who actually tried it out first.

You should talk to the owner Wayne, real nice guy. It's a small company so he just might answer the phone.

I have turned their gear onto many riders, he should know who I am if you mention Kenny MSF Rider Coach in Las Vegas.

Looking forward to your review.

 

[Norbert]

But, after saving my pennies (and paying off both my car and bike), I'm now in a position to finally get the gear I've always wanted. :thumbup:
Congrats on paying down your debt.

I know of a couple people here that already have this gear (OMG_WTF or Norbert, and I believe Motogiro has a pair of the pants).
I killed OMG_WTF with an ice pick and threw him into a wood chipper.
His last words were "I think I'm turning into a god".

I've decided to go with the GP-2 Stretch Kevlar jacket and GP-2 Air Mesh Kevlar pants. Most of my riding is sport-oriented, so I'm basically looking to replace my leathers (although, if these work out how I'm hoping, I'll probably pick up a pair of the Ultra II Stretch Kevlar pants this fall for cooler weather riding).

Motoport sells a one piece that's approved for road racing/tracks. You might want to check that out.

GP-2 Stretch Kevlar jacket. I'm going with the stock gray/black because I plan on having this gear for a long time and I'd like it to work with any bike I might have over the next few years.
Wayne started selling "cold black". Be sure to get that if you go with the black color.

Small coin pocket on the right sleeve (someone on ADVrider mentioned if they had to do it over again, they'd have one of these on each sleeve...what do you guys think?)
Do you really need that? Don't you have EZ pass? Forget it, IMHO.


3M reflective on the back and arms:
The 3M hi-viz day glo stuff really works well. When riding off road people have said that they can see it better than my tail light. (There's a lot of dust that obscure the tail light.) I wouldn't put it on the sleeves if you go offroad. Mine is getting torn up from dumping my bike. I suck, of course.

And for the pants...GP-2 Air Mesh Kevlar. Air Mesh on the front, Stretch Kevlar on the back (like the jacket is all over).
Good idea, but if you're in traffic a lot, you will feel the heat of the engine on your legs more. If you're in traffic in hot and humid weather, just kill yourself.

And, the one kind of weird option, but something I think will tie the suit together...cargo pockets on the pants and the flap on the pockets will be the same gray stretch kevlar that's on the jacket
Ummm whatever.

I've read that the Stretch Kevlar does breathe pretty well, and admittedly it does get hot and humid around here. I gave the Air Mesh Kevlar jackets a thought, but I really like the fit of the Stretch better.
See notes below. The mesh can be stiff, but it loosens up. I personally don't like it much. I've seen it in person.

I've actually kept track of the changes I'd make to my motoports in a Google Doc. Imma nerd!
smaller cuffs.
It's hard to fit my winter Gerbings heated gloves over the cuffs. My summer gloves (also motoport) go underneath, so it's fine. The motoport gloves are nice, btw. They are great in hot and humid weather because they breathe! They are kinda thick for racing/offroad riding with a lot of clutch work.

when i take out the chest armor, the jacket is too puffy. maybe put another set of straps in the chest area, like along the ribcage. this will keep the heated jacket close to chest.
i also take out the armor when it's hot and humid for more airflow.

some hot weather mods to the motoports
1. minimal pockets to get minimal overlapping fabrics. maybe just one pocket in the back. this will allow more airflow.
kinda like this:

of course, all that armor that may save your butt also impedes airflow....
2. khaki colored (good for dual sporting) or cold black
3. strategically placed mesh fabric in the chest area, maybe inside of the arms.


suspenders. if you get them, be sure it's not attached to the pant via velcro.

covers over all zippers for the dirt. the zippers get jammed with dirt otherwise.

the collar needs to be more adjustable for my the high collar of my heated jacket. i liked the collar to my teiz lombard suit. really nice. nice suit for the money, too.

loop for camera lanyard (left side)- tie your camera's lanyard around this loop. it should be above your , um, nipple.

loop for camel back (right side) like this guy:

bigger vents

I was thinking of getting another set of motoports with my changes. i'll keep my current gear for commuting.
the new set will be khaki colored. wtf was i thinking with black? it's hot and it blends in with the pavement and it doesnt hide dirt!
i wont be commuting much with my new 690, so it wont be a big deal to have one set. im not purchasing more gear for a long time.....

another thing that i should try is an evaporative cooling vest. last year i liked riding with wet underarmour. with a lot of airflow it can keep you very cool....for under an hour. the stretch does flow a decent amount of air. hey, sometimes it's too hot to ride.

another thing is that the rain liners work very well. they breathe well. so does the stuff at rei, too! i have the rei -brand rain jacket and pants and i was thinking that i could've used just those as liners. hey if they get torn, just return them to rei! ahhahha!

if you dont have access to motoports, get on advrider's regional forums and ask if you can see it in person. it's a lot of money, so do some due diligence.
another thing...whenever i'm on a group ride and i tell another rider that i wear motoports they're like: "oh really? i guess it's something you have to see in person to appreciate..."

all in all it's a great setup. there are others, like aerostitch and a few other brands, all with pros and cons, but i like my motoports.

 

[Norbert]

I have mutliple Motoport gear as well, and I belive I was one of the first members here on this forum who actually tried it out first.

You should talk to the owner Wayne, real nice guy. It's a small company so he just might answer the phone.

I have turned their gear onto many riders, he should know who I am if you mention Kenny MSF Rider Coach in Las Vegas.

Looking forward to your review.

Kenny is on a first-name basis with Wayne!
Of course he's a testament to how long-lasting the motoport gear is.
I think you helped me decide to get motoports as well.
Wayne may know me as well, from some drama on advrider.
Just mention omg_wtf....

 

[CCHOUSEKY]

Thanks for all the ideas and suggestions, guys! I really appreciate it.

Kenny, I've talked to Wayne once already and I figured I'd ask for him tomorrow when I call in the final measurements. He really is a nice guy on the phone and seems to have gotten a bad rap by a few customers that were either expecting way too much or didn't know how to use a measuring tape! I've read through that whole thing that Norbert posted on ADV with Wayne's responses to some of the criticisms, and it really does seem that he went out of his way for most of those customers. The one guy from overseas...well, there was just no pleasing him!

Norbert, RIP to OMG_WTF...lol.

I'll see if I can take some of your points and screw them up!

As far as the one-piece goes, that's not something I'm that interested in. I like the flexibility of being able to take my jacket off at stops (I do a lot of group riding) and, like I said, this stuff won't be for commuting (at least until I get the Ultra II pants at a later time). But thanks for the suggestion!

THANK YOU for mentioning the Cold Black...I must remember to ask him about that tomorrow! I've read about it on their website, but that's all the info I could find and it's not really that in-depth. That sounds like it would work perfectly with the Stretch Kevlar in a hot environment.

As far as the sleeve pocket goes, I like the idea. How useful will it be? I don't know, honestly, but we don't have toll roads around here (it is Kentucky, after all), so no EZ Pass for me. I'm figuring it would be a good place to tuck my license and registration and my debit card. Easy to get to when I stop for gas. I'll probably just go with one on the right arm at this point.

I've thought long and hard about the high viz 3M reflective, but I think I'm gonna opt for the gray instead. While it's not nearly as noticeable during the day as the high viz, that's not really why I'm getting it. It's more for any time I get caught out after dark. Oh, and I don't do off road riding, so that's not a concern. Maybe down the road, though!

LOL...and I'd rather not kill myself, but I get where you're coming from! I don't get caught in traffic much, though. Again, this gear is going to replace my 2-piece leathers that I use for sport-riding (I get to Deal's Gap about twice a year and ride almost every weekend on the back roads of Kentucky). While I will be commuting, it's a short 5-mile commute that takes me about 15 minutes.

I knew the cargo pockets wouldn't be for everyone, but I like them...lol. :rockon:

I'm with you on the Air Mesh. After looking at it extensively, I just think the stretch is the way to go. From what I've read, having it on the front of the pants isn't nearly as big of a deal as having an entire jacket made from it (from a stiffness standpoint). I've read that the Stretch is much more comfortable out of the box and doesn't require nearly the break-in as the Air Mesh (and I'm all for that).

Now, to the changes you keep in a document (smart idea, btw...I guess I'm a nerd too!)

I've actually thought about seeing if they could put the cuffs from the Riva jacket on the GP-2. I'm gonna ask about that tomorrow. They seem to taper much more than the GP-2 cuffs, so it would probably work better for using gauntlet gloves over the cuffs.

Excellent point about possibly adding a couple of straps around the sides of the chest. That's not something I'd thought of and it should be easy to do. I'll ask about that as well, because like you, I'll probably end up removing the chest armor some of the time (during hotter weather, probably).

I'm also intrigued by the idea of putting the Air Mesh on the inner arms. Hmm...yet another question to ask Wayne!

The cooling vest is definitely something I'll be trying with this stuff. You can't really do that with leather, so that's another benefit of the Motoport gear.

I'm not getting the liners in either piece. I don't do any sort of touring riding yet, and if I get caught in the rain (probably at Deal's Gap...I seem to always get wet down there), I can just hang them up and they'll dry rather quickly.

I've already got at least one other guy wanting to see them once I get them in. He's very intrigued by them and I've got a feeling he'll end up with a set too.

Thanks for all the help, guys! I'll be sure to update when I hear something. :thumbup:

 

[Kazza]

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OMG, Max Biaggi with grey hair :rof: