Are these motorcycle pants going to fit?

How do you know if a pair of leather pants / gloves / boots or jacket is going to fit or stretch? 

This question gets asked often as well. How do I know how much more it's going to stretch? It's difficult to say, really. But I can tell you that for the most part, leather can and does stretch. Especially when it come to motorcycle gear.

I recently acquired an older Rev'it pant (Marryls, pictured above) because I found them on eBay and couldn't pass them up. They're the BEST leather women's motorcycle pants I've ever seen on women of varied shapes/sizes. It's sad that Rev'it discontinued them here, because they're absolutely incredible. Of course, you can still get the fabulous Gear 2's but if you want something all leather without venting, these were a great option.

As soon as I tried to get them on, they were definitely difficult to zip up. Like, couldn't.zip.up.at.all. Like many of us do, I gave up, took them off and hoped I could drop 10lbs by the time I bought a motorcycle.

The problem was that they fit everywhere else SO damn good. I mean Perfect. I admit, I like my gear SNUG. I don't want a saggy butt, or saggy waist, or saggy anything. And that's generally how you want your gear to fit, if you can. It's a lot like clothes, when you wear bigger sizes you simply look bigger. Of course, it's also directly tied to safety as the placement of your body armor needs to be close to the body and immoveable in case of an accident.

I eventually slid them on and as soon as I pulled them over my hips, the stretching process started. Slowly I was able to pull the zipper up all the way (after 2-3 minutes or so) and it started to immediately feel better. You can see in the pic above that I could barely button the top, because the flap is showing. This is why it's SO important for you to try leathers on for MORE than 30 seconds. Of course, don't forget those crucial baselayers to make the process even smoother.  Another 5 minutes later and the waist/hip started to feel more comfortable to where I could sit in a chair, lean forward and start typing. I was even able to button it on the tighter (inner) button at the waist.

I know they're not done, and I have more stretching to go. I'll probably get about ~half size of break in and then they'll be loose enough to hopefully wear my winter weight thermals. It's been almost an hour and they feel SO much better than when I first started.

So don't give up, just give it a few minutes.. maybe 30..

"Quiet" Motorcycle Helmets

Riding down Geary Boulevard in San Francisco back in 2013

I had a really difficult question this week emailed to me from a rider in Australia about which helmets are quieter, full face or modulars? 

Questions:

• What is the quietest full face flip top (modular)?
• What is the quietest full face?
• And are the flip top (modular) as quiet as the full face?

Answer:

Generally speaking, perceived noise levels will vary depending on the individual. Noise can be caused by many factors, including helmet fit; the type of motorcycle and windscreen; wind speed and direction and even the type of clothing that is being worn. Also assuming that you are wearing the correct size/fit for your head, this will also greatly affect perceived noise levels We also always recommend wearing high quality ear plugs to minimize wind noise as well. One of my favorite resources for an exceptionally large selection is Earplug Superstore.

That being said, I am thrilled to share my personal experience with you, as well as that of many of our customers with our most popular helmets for overall noise reduction.

Many will agree that Schuberth makes one of the quietest modulars (also commonly referred to as flip up) starting with their popular C3 Pro.

My old Shoei Qwest Goddess

Schuberth made the first modular helmet and they say that the C3 and C3Pro are the quietest models available. They have wind tunnel tested both of these models starting at “82db at 62 mph on an unfaired motorcycle”. If you search for reviews of these models, you will find many riders agree that the Schuberth helmets are very quiet, relative to other makes/models. I have a C3ProW (women’s specific model of the C3Pro) and can definitely tell a noticeable reduction in wind noise in comparison to the other two helmets I own, which are the Arai Vector-2 and Shoei Qwest. As a side note Shoei claims a 2.2db reduction in overall wind noise from it’s predecessor, the TZ-R. I definitely think my Qwest is quieter than my Vector-2.

Many will also argue that modulars are noisier than full face helmets. That is true with a few exceptions including Schuberth, who has mastered the design and engineering of their helmets to eliminate as much noise as possible. Since Schuberth introduced the C3 a couple years ago, there are more premium modulars that have been released since then to compete including the Shoei Neotec and HJC RPHA Max that also are trying to provide a quieter riding experience. However, if you compare something as premium as the C3Pro to a basic full face helmet at a <$100 price point then the C3Pro is very much quieter than that one.

Alternatively, if you compare the C3Pro to other premium, high end full face street helmets such as the Arai Defiant or Shoei RF-1200 which have both been designed to greatly minimize wind noise, you may find they all come somewhat close to each other. 

The Defiant and RF-1200 have been very popular models among riders who are seeking full face helmets that can greatly reduce wind noise levels. Since Schuberth greatly publicizes their perceived noise level in decibels, I think you can safely assume that the Schuberth models might be a hair quieter than it’s competitors. It’s difficult to say which one is the quietest, but these definitely fall into the ‘more quiet than others’ category.

You must also take into consideration the fairing / windscreen setup of your motorcycle. My bike has nothing, so even the quietest helmets will still be noisy because I have nothing in front of me. Depending on what kind of setup you have on your bike, that will certainly affect overall wind noise as well.

UPDATE 2016: 

Since this post, I've purchased a Shoei RF-1200 which I find to be almost as quiet as my Schuberth. However, I do think the windscreen on my old SV made a difference in reducing noise as well. My current Triumph has nothing! 

Breaking in new Motorcycle Boots

 

I recently acquired these cute TCX X-Street Waterproof Motorcycle Shoes so I could have something stylish in this horrible snowy, cold winter we've been having.

I don't plan to ride in them, they're definitely a casual shoe for me. But, I wanted to share my experience breaking these in! It wasn't easy and definitely a little painful along the way. I tried them on and they felt pretty good. A little pressure across the toebox (width wise) but not too bad. I only wore them in the store for a few minutes. But as soon as I put them on the next day to wear to work, I completely forgot about this whole break in thing. (It's been a couple years since I've had to go through this).

And my feet were SCREAMING at me the whole time. 'WHY DID YOU BUY THESE? YOU'RE KILLING US?!' I was worried, a little worried. Okay, *really* worried. But, I knew I had to stick it out. The pressure wasn't so bad that I got bunions or anything, but they were just uncomfortable after 2-3 hours of wearing them. I just assumed that I wouldn't be able to wear them all day and would have to use them as cute, going out shoes. A dinner... a movie.. maybe some shopping.

But after a few weeks (not wearing them every day to work, but at least every couple), they fully broke in and I realized one day that my feet weren't killing me like they used to. These particular shoes were also very very wide in the heel and ran a full size large. I'm normally a Euro 37, US 6.5 but I had to go down to a Euro 36. With such a loose ankle, I realized that I needed to lace them very snug around the ankles. Otherwise my feet would slide forward and smush my foot into the toe box.

As soon as I laced them up nice and tight, it made a Huge difference because my ankles were sitting right where they should be so my feet weren't moving back and forth inside the boots. Remember, you don't want any forward and backward movement of your foot when it's inside the boot. And it's totally normal for your toe to be close to the edge of the toebox as long as it's not pushing forward into the very end as you walk.

I know breaking in gear is a b*tch, but it's SO worth it in the end. Try not to size yourself in the store (when it comes to leather), but size yourself the way you want it to fit a month from now.

More Shopping Tips when searching for Motorcycle Gear

 

With all the buzz from the new Klim Altitude Dual Sport suit for ladies, I thought you might find these tips useful while looking at motorcycle gear. Especially if you're a woman... but certainly useful for men too.

Aside from my Shopping Rules, these are just a few other tidbits that I share often with customers and thought you might find interesting as well!

Choosing a Brand

Generally speaking, you will want to go with an American company if you have more of a curvy body type. Or if you have shorter arms/legs, broader shoulders / torso, shorter arms or legs, that the American brands will cater to the average American woman, whom is typically a size 12/14.   And for the most part, American brands will offer the most generous fitments with more room in these areas because well, that's where most American women need it.

Conversely, if you are very petite (almost underweight) or very lean/long in the arms, legs and torso then you must go with the European brands. Italians, Germans and Dutch brands dominate the industry with more options if you fall into any of these categories.

These guidelines also apply equally to the men out there too. Long and lean, go Euro. Shorter and more athletic/broad, go American.

Remember, these are general guidelines and certainly exceptions apply to brands such as Rev'it, which actually offer the widest variety of fitments in their collection. 

Sizing your Motorcycle Boots

 

Know your European shoe size. It's pretty much right 99.9% of the time. Go look in your closet right now, find 3 pairs of shoes and see what the European size is. Then see what they say the US size is. I'm betting that the US definitions are all over the place. I've found that you can pretty much associate your casual, European shoe size with any motorcycle boot and you will have a very accurate size to start with. But much like clothing, you will then have to figure out the various fitments between the brands. (And that's where a company like Revzilla comes in to help you sort things out).

Proper Fit

When you step into any motorcycle apparel store, or a dealer that stocks gear, their salespeople should be able to steer you to a particular brand that will fit you first, and then your budget, style preferences, etc. If they have no idea how one jacket fits, vs. another, you will probably end up with something that's too big/long/wide/etc. Or worse, something that won't do it's job quite right if you go down. Fit has a direct connection to safety, and that's in the form of your body armor as far as how it's supposed to sit up against your body: snug, so it won't move and slip sideways off of your body! It also has a direct connection to staying warm, and insulating you from the cold. Any extra space or gaps increases the likelihood that you will be cold because now there's cold air swirling around in that bubble on your chest instead of keeping a nice snug seal against your body.

And that's why I'm here, and why companies like Revzilla exist to help you figure this stuff out. It's not easy (especially the first time), it's a major pain in the ass and can be one of the most frustrating things you've ever gone through in your life.

As I come up with more tidbits, I'll try to update this post. That's it for now, stay tuned for a special Gear Q n' A on Moterrific so we can address some of your specific questions when it comes to gear!