armor

New Rev'it Women's Motorcycle Gear for 2015

revit_marryl_evo_leather_motorcycle_pants  

For Spring 2015, Rev'it is bringing us a lot of new women's gear including a really stylish retro inspired jacket, sport touring textile pants and a follow up to my favorite riding pants that every woman should have in her gear closet. 

Marryl Evo Leather / Textile Pants

$379.99. If you've searched my blog for Rev'it Marryl pants, you know how fantastic their pants look and fit. If not, here are a few pics to get you up to speed:

revit_womens_marryl_gear_leather_pants

dreibelbis_covered_bridge_pa

I haven't seen the Marryl Evos in person, but I'm confident they will have an amazing fit like the Gear 2's I'm wearing above. Wearing mixed textile/leather pants are the best compromise for hot and cool weather. I wear them with every jacket I own regardless of brand/style or color. I think these will look similar to the Gear 2s since they're also a blend of leather and textile but with a sportier, tapered leg so you can wear them in your boots if you choose to. But they're not for a specific kind of bike. They're for anyone who wants an incredible leather pant with protection and function along with a really great fit.

You might be wondering, well are these going to offer enough protection since they have less leather? My answer is yes, because the leather is exactly where you need them for abrasion: down the leg, full back except behind the knees, hip, knees and the rest of the leg. The stretch panels are strategically placed for breathability and comfort.

Something else that may be difficult is the price point. I want to point out that they offer both hip and knee armor. But not just any armor. Tryonic at the Hip, and Seesoft at the Knees.  Really *great* body armor, not just the cheap stuff.

If you've been looking for really great street leathers that fit beautifully regardless of the type of bike you ride, look no further!

Factor 3 Textile Pants

revit_factor3_womens_textile_motorcycle_pants

$229.99. The Factor 3 pants are a lightweight touring textile pant, with a fully integrated waterproof membrane (not removable). They also come with a removable thermal liner making them a great 3 season pant for wet and cold weather. As with almost all Rev'it pants, these are going to be available in short and long sizes! And to give you an idea of what kind of fit these will probably have, these are 2 Rev'it textile pants that I've worn:

revit legacy goretex womens motorcycle suit

I'm hoping the Factors will fit more like a Sand pant, but I've yet to see them in person.

Bellecour Leather Jacket

 

revit_womens_bellecour_leather_jacket

$479.99. The Bellecour is a retro inspired casual leather jacket which will be available in black or brown. I'm loving the off centered zipper in front.

 

Allure Evo Leather Jacket

revit_allure_evo_leather_motorcycle_jacket

$469.99. The Allure Evo leather jacket is the matching top to the Marryl Evo pants above. The last version of this jacket definitely ran a bit slim with longer sleeves. I saw a sample last year and if I recall correctly, it has a nice regular fit. Not too loose not too slim. We should have a few in the Revzilla Boutique before Summer, so if you're in the area, give us a call or check inventory online.

 

Antibes Gloves

Image TBD

$99.99. For a simple short leather glove, the Antibes will be available in black or dark brown. The cuffs are somewhat in the middle, not quite the wrist but not halfway up. A very simple, casual leather glove. Since they don't offer palm sliders and full wrist coverage, I would categorize these as city gloves and not enough protection for highway/touring.

 

Revit's Spring 2015 line will be available to purchase from dealers around April 2015. So hurry on over to Revzilla.com, pick the size you're waiting for and enter your email address in the yellow box. You'll get an email as soon as they're available to order from us.

 

Back Protector Issue

Reader Emily wrote me recently about a back protector issue she's having while riding 2-up. Check out what she had to say along with my reply:

Hi there, I live in Berkeley (I know you've decamped to Philly) and my b/f and I ride a BMW 1200GS Adventure with me on the back. We recently upsized from an 800GS. Because I found it hard on my lower back to not have no backrest, when he got the new bike he had a box put on the back with the backrest cushioning installed.

Now I am getting a bruise mid-spine from the top of the box (even though it is cushioned as well). I have a FirstGear Kilimanjaro Air jacket that I've liked but the back armor goes down just to the place where the top of the box hits. I went into the BMW dealer in SF yesterday to try their jackets and found they have the same problem. I am 5'8" and long waisted and BMW jackets for women don't come in long sizes, though their men's apparel does. Kent in the BMW store suggested I try Rev'it because they make better apparel for women then BMW (actually he suggested I start my own company making women's motorcycling appa rel).

However, I note in looking at the Rev'it website that the women's gear also does not come in long sizes. Do you know how long the back armor is in the women's jacket (I wear an 8 in the BMW GS Dry) or do you have any other suggestions? We're taking a two week trip in Montana in September and I've got to have this figured out by then or I will be be super uncomfortable.

-April

I have a couple ideas for you:

 

1) Rev'it Levante Jacket + Seesoft Back Protector

This combination gives you two things including a longer cut in the torso and sleeves as well as a back protector that's fairly long. It shouldn't be taller than your shoulder blades but I think it'll alleviate the issues you're having with the top box. This jacket is one of the only ones that work well for women who are looking for a jacket that's multi season (removable thermal layer with a mesh shell) and have a longer torso fit as well a sleeve length. Unfortunately you have to use Seesoft with the Levante because the pocket is specifically cut out for Seesoft. Alternatively, you could also use D3O instead, you'll just have to trim the sides to fit. To find out more about this jacket, check out my tall co-host's review here.

Keep in mind that all back protector inserts will never be higher than the shoulder blades because it's just too uncomfortable in riding position and the jacket just won't fit right. It would really restrict the driver's ability to fully turn their head from side to side.

revit_womens_levante_jacket_detail revzilla revit_seesoft_back_protector_insert

 

2) External Back Protector

If the previous combination doesn't work, try wearing an external back protector underneath like this one by Spidi. I like this one because it's pretty long but really thin. You can also adjust the waist belt to your height via velcro. I think this would fit perfectly underneath the Levante as well.

spidi_warrior_light_backprotector

 

Something we all need to be reminded of.

colorado department of safety motorcycles

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=xNouiE7f4uA

The Colorado Department of Safety (CDOT) released this video showing what the potential is for injury when you aren't wearing any gear. CO doesn't have a helmet law in place, which would certainly help. 

I just wish the end comment by the guy in the video included the rest of his body. 

(video seems graphic, but it's fake)

Motorcycle Gear and Body Armor for Kids

Looking for small body armor options for your kids? It's hard to find gear for them, let alone body armor (except dirt/offroad styles).

Forcefield makes some of the best body armor. They also make a fantastic back protector for women.  To see the full line of products offered by Forcefield, check their website. To order Forcefield products, go to Johnson Leathers' in San Francisco who are the distributors in North America.

Here are a few companies that make a variety of street gear for kids:

Alpinestars - Dirt body armor for kids (they also make a one piece leather suit for kids, but not many stores stock them.  Check out MotoLiberty.com who does.  

Bilt  - Street gear exclusively offered at CycleGear.com

Held - Winter gloves for kids

HJC - CL-Y Youth helmet

Scorpion- EXO-400 Youth helmet 

TaichiMoto.com - Leather and Textile options From RS Taichi 

Vanson Leathers - 2 piece leather suits for kids

I'm sure there are others and I'll update this post as I find more companies that offer street gear for kids.