Desde La Tierra, Hasta La Tierra

At Horizons Unlimited in October, I met Erin before she and her husband left for their wild adventure from the Sierra Nevadas all the way down to Tierra del Fuego, the southernmost tip of South America via motorcycles.

She needed help finding the perfect outfit to carry her through the chilly temperatures she was about to face. And an outfit that would fit into her $500 budget. 

Although something like the Legacy GTX jacket and pants would've been perfect, they were also way out of her price range (almost $1,000). She emailed me about some used Airglide pants but after telling me that she is always cold and wanted something that would definitely keep her warm, I googled a bit and found gently used Olympia Pro Max waterproof pants on good ole Craigslist for $100 in her size. She preferred to find something on the warmer side, than the cooler, so these would work well. Excellent! 

She and her husband then visited me at Scuderia West's fall open house and we found her the perfect jacket, the REVIT Indigo.  Priced at ~$330, it fit her perfectly and best of all, met her budget and riding needs. 

Piece of cake :)

Have a safe and fantastic trip you two! 

To follow their journey, visit and like their facebook page, DesdelaSierraHastaLaTierra.  

Motorcycle Gift Idea, Cool Moto Tees

 

I was down in Southern California recently and visited a new shop in downtown Ventura called the Iron and Resin Garage. I have to admit, it was like walking into a hipster motorcycle shop. 

But they did have some cool men's and women's tees so naturally I had to take one home (above right). Unfortunately their website  doesn't have any of the women's tops listed. Hopefully they'll add those to the site soon. This was the only women's moto top that I really liked, riding a moto myself. 

Of course, they have a ton of nifty men's tees for that moto man in your life. 

Iron and Resin Garage

What GORE-TEX pants should I buy?

I just got an email from a reader who's trying to figure out which GORE-TEX motorcycle pants to get. 

"Ok so being new to motorcycling a few months ago I bought the REV'IT Ventura pants and Indigo jacket.  I was biking in a freaking downpour up here in Portland (caught heading home) and noticed that i was starting to get cold from the water soaking the outer fabric before it was repelled by the liner.  When it's dry I stay much warmer.  This got me to thinking if I should sell this set and get GORE-TEX gear.  It makes a heck of a drysuit (I'm a whitewater kayaker so is important to stay dry).  :)   Do you think the GORE-TEX is better at keeping one warmer than an additional liner?" 

I'm a HUGE fan of GORE-TEX. I think overall, it's one of the best waterproofing systems available to us as motorcyclists. I've been riding in the REV'IT Legacy GTX two piece and it's simply amazing. The shell features Cordura 1000 denier Ribstop with Teflon coating. Unfortunately, that, along with hip armor is what also pushes the price point higher vs. the Dainese. If you're a 44 in Dainese, you should be 40 in REV'IT pants. I think the Legacy is the ultimate touring outfit given it's versatility. Check out my first impressions on this outfit here. 

There's something about GORE-TEX that is completely different from anything else, especially when it comes to motorcycle gear. It's definitely an investment but well worth it, in my opinion. 

"I was looking at Revzilla sale and noticed the Dianese New Galvestone GTX pants on sale.  I have hips and booty with athletic thighs but nothing crazy.  I fit great in their Firefly(?) leather pants in a 44 (BTW those pants make your butt look really good) so was wondering if you know anything about the Galvestones.  Linda - Portland, OR"

Unfortunately I haven't tried on the New Galvestones in awhile, but the fit is pretty consistent across most of the Dainese line.  I would think that you'll notice a nice difference in warmth and performance vs. the Ventura with these or the Legacy, mostly because the Venturas are a little more curvy friendly and have a trouser fit. Also because the shell doesn't have a lot of windproof/waterproof-abilities built into it. I think if you match up those pants with the Dainese Adina, that outfit would work well.  

I think the advantage to the Dainese outfit is that it'll be a touch leaner and longer, especially with the jacket through the torso and arms. The Galvestone pants will also fit more like a skinny jean with a more tapered leg vs. the REV'IT as well. If you have a longer, leaner frame I'd recommend going this route because the closer the fitment to your body, the warmer it'll be in terms of retaining heat. Whenever you go up in size you're losing heat because of the additional space you're creating between your body and the gear.  If you love the fit of the Firefly's, then you'll definitely love the way their textiles fit. 

I'd also consider a heated vest or liner to ride in the coldest temps possible. You can't go wrong with heated and either of the GORE-TEX outfits from Dainese or REV'IT. That combination will allow you to ride in even colder temps!

Alpinestars Vika - First Impressions

  

Finally, it's here. Is it living up to all the hype? Kind of. 

The Vika by Alpinestars is a fashion leather with armor and a precurved fit. It's a little better than something you'd buy at the mall because it has the armor and a slightly better fit in riding position.

So far I'm neutral about it. It does fit well (although I had to wear a 44 for the jacket because my shoulders were too broad for 40, which I fit in the GP Plus) it's a little 'bunchy'. Not sure if that's because of the leather or because I'm not quite the tall, thin body type that this outfit was made for.

If you're long and lean on top I think this will fit you much better than me. I've only worn this with Betty, in a full upright riding position. It feels comfortable up here but I don't think it'll be as comfy on my SV650s, which is really forward leaning.

The pants seem short, even for my inseam (28.5"). Although, keep in mind you never need your riding pants to reach your full inseam, like you would casual pants. Otherwise, they'll be dragging on the ground when you walk.

It's a really light, thin leather so I wouldn't wear it on the freeway since it's barely keeping me warm at 60 degrees. I also would be weary if I crashed at high speed.

Full review coming after a 100+ more miles riding in it...