Check out my girl Cristi's review of the Levante. A fantastic, 3 season, 3/4 length jacket for almost year round riding (depending on how cold your 4th season is). The fit is nice and long, but with the usual REV'IT fitment; flattering yet easy to wear. With a nice pricepoint of $299, this might be your next purchase.
http://moterrific.com/2013/07/02/gear-review-ladies-revit-levante-jacket/
Available at Revzilla.com
Landing in my hot little hands April 1st, this will be the perfect start for summer gear reviews!
Modeled after the Ignition 2, the Galactic ($499) is designed as a sporty summer jacket with a removable waterproof liner.
Of course, for those of us in mild climates like San Francisco, the Galactic would be perfect as a year round option. A couple of differences between this and the Ignition 2 from what I can tell is the fitment: more hourglass through the middle, vs. boxy on the Ignition 2; and sport cut for a full forward riding position. Now that my body shape has changed, I definitely am looking forward to this newer fit.
I'll also be trying out the Challenger insert ($89), which is a cooling vest that zips in. Genius!
I've got a nice list of weekend trips/rides planned to hot places so I'm sure this will come in handy.
My article about the AMA conference back in July was finally published in Kawasaki's online magazine, Accelerate. I had a really great time and hope it comes back in 3 years (since they're every 3).
http://accelerate.presspublisher.us/issue/issue-5-2012/article/amaconf
More photos on Facebook.com/GearChic
Macna is a new line of gear coming out of the Netherlands, distributed through Twisted Throttle. I was able to try on a couple of their women's motorcycle jackets and pants when I visited their store in Rhode Island last weekend.
I don't know what I was doing when that 2nd picture was taken of me in these pants. Probably something like "these fit soooo well".
This outfit is priced nicely under $300 each. The Lily jacket is $269 and the Onyx pants are $249. Both have a very Dainese/REVIT/Alpinestars esque fit to them. They also offer 2 removable liners, one waterproof and one thermal. I'm wearing an XS in both (smallest size offered). The pants felt a lot like Dainese or Alpinestars fit, tapered at the knee and fitted down the leg. But the knees didn't feel nearly as tight as Dainese pants do on me. What's difficult to see in this photo is that the calf has an adjustable velcro panel allowing you to pull it back all the way like I did for a more tapered leg, or let it out a little for more of a 'bootcut' jean fit/look to adjust for varying boot and calf sizes. I'm also wearing them over my skinny jeans without the liners but would definitely be comfortable with thermal baselayers instead.
The Lily has several vents but no mesh panels like it's sister, the Lunar ($379.99)
What's really cool about the Lily is the removable collar system to reveal a meshed/ventilated panel for hot weather riding. I think that makes this jacket a great all around textile. The fit is a little more generous in the arms/elbows and waist/torso. I would recommend this fit for more curvy figures. It does have a 3/4 length cut so on me, this one falls almost on top of my hip bones. With a shorter torso, I would try the Lily above instead.
Another cool feature on the Lunar is an exterior zipper along the cuff to attach the inner liner to the shell. Imagine not having to figure out what snaps go where to put your jacket back together because you can see the zipper on the outside!
Macna offers more women's options including a killer 3/4 length leather touring jacket and pants, but we likely won't see the rest of the line come into the US until they figure out what women riders want/need. If you live in New England near Exeter, Rhode Island, you can visit the Twisted Throttle shop in person and check them out for yourself. They also have a couple of gloves that I didn't have time to check out.
I'm hoping to review the Lily / Onyx combo soon so stay tuned!
