New Dainese Women’s Motorcycle Gear for Spring

 

Dainese launched a few new products worth mentioning in its latest Spring 2016 Women's collection. Here are my favorites. 

Veloster Perforated Leather Jacket

This jacket has a great sport fit to it, without being too aggressive for street riding. It features a removable, long sleeve thermal liner so you can make this work most of the year depending how mild your winters are.  Lucky you! :-(

For those of us on the East Coast, this would definitely be a Spring/Summer/Fall Jacket. Even the toasty thermal liner wouldn't cut it in the middle of February!

I tried this one on and I really loved it. It reminded me of my Dainese Cage jacket,  which has a more relaxed fit from other women's Dainese Jackets. It's too bad my closet is already overflowing with leather.... #firstworldproblems.

Veloster 2 Piece Women's Race Suit $999.95

This suit comes in 2 pieces, both in the size that you choose. It isn't a new suit, but hot damn it's HOT! I just had to mention it. It also comes in 2 more colors including less red and more pink (for the few pinks fans out there)

! If there's one thing Dainese knows how to do, it's designing motorcycle gear. Why am I sweating so much right now? If I needed a 2 piece, I'd run out and get this one. Too bad I have tooooo much gear in my closet. The only downside to buying a set like this is if you are different sizes on top or bottom, then you're stuck. But the good news is you could always buy the Veloster jacket, and then buy Delta Pro Evo (race fit) or Pony Pants (street/touring fit)!

Women's Torque D1 Out Boots

$389.00 I wrote a blog post about these boots earlier this week, check it out!

Carbon D1 Long Gloves

$179.95 THANK YOU again Dainese, for adding Palm Sliders to these gloves which the mens version had previously! Some brands like Olympia and REV'IT has always made the women's gear equally as protective as the mens versions, but some brands are still catching up. These are also offered in 2 more colors as well. Whoop!

As you may or may not know, Palm Sliders are *really* important for street riding, because the minute you fall down you will almost always put your hands out in front of you. And if you're moving, now you're tearing through the leather on your palms. These are also available in a shorter version, which I don't recommend unless you're wearing them with a Dainese jacket, because the elbow armor guards extend almost down to the wrist.

You can check out the rest of the items in the Dainese Spring 2016 Women's Collection on Revzilla.com!

Held Women's Touch Gloves

Really good women's gloves (with adequate protection) are fairly hard to come by. That's why I'm so excited to see these from Held make it to the US!

I'm a HUGE fan of kangaroo palm riding gloves. My everyday gloves are my trusty Racer High Ends, which were discontinued long ago. I'm still hanging onto the two pairs I bought more than 4 years ago. I've always worn my Racers in warmer weather, even when it's 100F degrees out. They grip better than anything else I've worn when it's that hot.

These new gloves from Held have perforated Kangaroo palms which are going to be AMAZING in the summer!

The palm slider is constructed of SuperFabric, which has high abrasion resistant properties, which they clam is even stronger than Kevlar! These gloves also feature a touch friendly pad on each index finger, for those of you who are navigating with your smartphones. You'll also notice the patented Held Visor Wiper on the left index finger as well.

I like the multiple flex points where the accordion panels are; along the top of the wrist and knuckle, thumb and fingers. This makes squeezing your handgrips that much easier and more comfortable, so even if your fingers are reaching the ends of the glove,  you know they won't fight you as you're riding.

The sizing is numeric; 6/XSmall, 7/Small 8/Medium. If you have larger hands, then you will want to try the mens version offered from 8-12. Thank you Held for NOT dumbing down the ladies version of these gloves. We want and need the SAME protection as our male counterparts. And if you have tiny hands like I do, you'll love the size 6 option, which is one of the smallest sizes available for women. I'm hoping these have a similar fit to my Racers. Once I get find out I'll update my post!

I cannot wait to get my hands on a pair of these for Spring. I just hope they fit as well as my Racers do!

New Revit Women's Gear for Spring

 

If we're lucky, Spring will come early to us in the Northeast. It's definitely been a warm winter, with only one real snowstorm having come through a couple weeks ago. So let's get a jumpstart on Spring with all New Gear from Revit and Dainese! 

Let's start with my favorite brand Revit and a few new Jacket and Pant Combos as well as some great gloves:

Airwave 2

$229.99 Jacket, $209.99 Pants

The popular 2 piece Airwave suit is back in its second revision. Above is one of the colors, which I really like. You will also find black and 3 other silver combinations for the jacket and finally a silver option for the pants! The last version was only offered in black and all white (why??).  I'm loving all the new color options as well. In addition to the 2 silver combos above, you can also find black, white/black and silver/fuschia. And the best part, Short and Tall Sizing is now available in the pants! The previous version did not have these options. Thank you Revit for making more available to us. Take note, if you're trying to sell women's motorcycle gear to the Masses, then you better step up your game and make everything fit women as well as Revit does.

One major change that I'm not too happy with is that they've removed the full inner zipper from the crotch to the ankle. I think this was a huge mistake but I'm anxious to see how well they fit. They probably have a slimmer fitment since they're not designed as overpants anymore, whereas the previous version fit much looser.

And yes, the price has gone up a little on the jacket and pant, but the pants now include Seesoft Hip Protectors (which are thinner than the Tryonic Hip Protectors offered in their other pants)  along with the Knox protectors at the knees!

Tornado 2

$339.99 Jacket, $359.99 Pants

Don't worry, you can also get the almighty color black in this outfit as well. Again, Revit has provided us more options by adding short and tall sizes for the pants! Woo hoo. In the pants you're getting better armor than the Airwaves with Seeflex level 2 CE protection at knees and Seesmart CE-level 1 protection at hip. There also appears to be seat grippers on your butt. The overall functionality of the outfit remains the same, with a 2-in-1 thermal and waterproof liner (so one liner that comes out, not two). This makes the outfit much better suited for non humid, wet summer riding. You'll need to wear rain gear over the top so you're not sweltering inside.

I'm hoping they adjusted the fitment along the forearms and made them a bit slimmer in the smaller sizes.

Outback 2 Jacket and Enterprise 2 Pants

Jacket $349.99, Pants $199.99

The Outback and Enterprise has been in Revit's Mens Lineup for a few seasons now, but hasn't been entered into the women's lineup until this season. The Enterprise 2 Pants feature an integrated waterproof membrane, and a functional cargo style pocket on the right thigh. They were smart this time around and added thinner Seeflex Hip Protectors again so as to not increase volume which then adds almost an extra size around the hips. These pants are also offered in black and short and tall sizes!

The Outback 2 jacket has 2 removable liners to give you 3 full seasons, maybe 4 depending how mild your summer and winter seasons are.  I've always felt that Revit does the best job when it comes to pants, they know how we need riding pants to fit. They know exactly how to articulate them so when we put our feet up on the pegs, they don't rise up as much as other pants can. They know how to make them so comfortable when you're riding for 8-10 hours a day you have no idea you're wearing them.

GLOVES

Revit has 5 new women's gloves for Spring. Unfortunately I think they got rid of one glove that was really one of the best gloves in their lineup, the Bomber. It was a fantastic short cuffed summer glove, and offered a lot of protection at that level. That's the only thing that disappoints me slightly about the glove offerings, but there's definitely an alternative in the lineup.

And they're finally offered in XS! Let's start with street and then go to the lighter options.

Summit 2 H2O

$139.99. The Summit 2's are a follow up to the popular Summit gloves. I thought these were the best street gloves for women, given how versatile they were being waterproof. They were great for fairly year round riding (except extreme heat and cold). The newest version still has the same features that I think made the last versions great; palm sliders, hard knuckle protection and even a pinky protector. They aren't a winter glove (think 50s-60-70s before windchill) and aren't a summer glove (80s-90s+) but work well for those in between temperatures.

Chevron 2

At $119.99, the Chevron 2s are the ideal summer weight, short cuffed glove. I'm personally not a fan of short cuff gloves as I much prefer more wrist protection. However, if you're looking for a shortie, this offers a palm slider (which wasn't offered on the last version) and hard knuckle protection. Two things that are nice to have while riding on the street. Don't worry, it's also offered in black.

Monster 2

$129.99.  The Monster 2's are like a Bomber, but lacking a palm slider and wrist strap. I think Revit is trying to appeal to the hipster / urban / city / fashion crowd by adding quilting and a brown option (black too). Other brands have tried to make stylish gloves that offers some protection but the one thing they lack is the fact that they're not Revit, and Revit knows how to make gloves. I just wish they had a palm slider, given the price point. But if you need that protection then that's what Chevron 2's are for.

Fly 2

$89.99. The Fly 2's are your more affordable summer glove, at a lower price point. Not a lot going on, just a simple leather glove with some hard knuckle protection. No surprises here.

Striker 2

$89.99. The Striker 2's are also new in the women's lineup, for the dual sport / adventure enthusiasts. These lack a hard palm slider for pavement so be careful if you're trying to wear these on the street. Otherwise I like what they have to offer, leather palms and light textile mesh on top with some hard knuckles and a secure wrist strap.

Neutron 2

$79.99. For $10 less than the Striker 2 you'll get softer knuckle armor but otherwise not much different. Leather palms and a light textile mesh on top for summer dual sport / adventure riding.

Race Gloves for Women: Racer

Racer Gloves finally has returned with true race gloves for women along 2 other options for street riding! 

High quality, protective, leather motorcycle gloves are hard to find for women riders these days. That's why I'm such a fan of Racer.  I have 4 pairs of their gloves which I acquired 3-5 years ago. As soon a I heard they were discontinuing my favorites, I immediately purchased replacement pairs. I currently have 2 of the High End (below, older version of the High Racer) and 2 of the Multitop. The High Ends are my absolute favorite riding gloves, out of the ~6-8 pairs that I have.

The first new model is the High Racer, in black and white for $219.99. Unfortunately you do not have any black options. These make for an excellent track / race glove and all around street riding glove. The High Racer, much like the older model has full kangaroo skin palms, palm And scaphoid sliders, carbon fiber protectors and an incredible fit and feel.

The second, less expensive option is the Grip, for $159.99. This glove is constructed of fully of goatskin, hard knuckle protectors and most likely a more relaxed street fit. This glove too is only available in sizes M-XL. Fingers crossed for XS, S!

The third is a lightweight, waterproof glove, the Traveller, for $149.99 isn't insulated. Sometimes you need a waterproof glove, but you may not need a warm one.

I should be getting a couple samples to check out in person. However, since I wear a XS/S, I doubt they will fit me. Who knows, maybe they will run smaller. I will update my post as soon as I receive them.

As of right now, Racer has only made size Medium-XLarge available in all these models. Those Austrians just have no idea how much we need XS, S. Hopefully they will make some available soon. I know that Racer Gloves USA is fighting hard to get us these sorely needed sizes, but for the ladies who do need larger sized gloves you now have 3 killer options.