Motoport Mesh Suit Advice

[wera803]

I commute a lot and normally just wear a Joe Rocket mesh jacket in the summer when its hot (along with gloves, helmet and boots). I however don't normally wear any protective pants (just Dockers or jeans). In the winter, I will wear a 3/4 length Joe Rocket jacket and Firstgear over pants or an Aerostich. If it's really cold, I'll use a Gerbing electric liner and gloves too. Work is only 8 miles, so I seem to get pretty laxed when it comes to suiting up unless it's cold.

I've heard stories about the mesh gear melting into your skin if you go sliding in them. Between that and not protecting my lower half in the warm months, I was thinking about getting a Motoport mesh suit. They say it does all temps, but not sure how much I believe that. To get the suit, I would probably have to sell all of my other gear (Aerostich, Firstgear pants, Joe Rocket jacket, etc). Is the suit good enough to replace all of that stuff??

For track days and spirited riding, I still have my 1-piece leathers as well. I am more concerned about commuting here.

I seem to like 1-piece suits for comfort, but the 2-piece would give more flexibility. 2-piece also seems to be a little cheaper, although getting it right the first time is more important if a 1-piece is better.

For those that have one, is it better then a Stich? Suggest 1 or 2 piece? Any other comments or watch-outs?

Thanks

[NVR2L8]

I have a few different Motoport jackets and pants, so I think I can offer a little info and advice.

The air mesh kevlar material flows a ton of air, and I don't think there is any other textile material that could beat it in terms of abrasion protection. I won't go so far as to say it's as good or better than leather, but it's the only mesh textile gear I feel safe in and don't worry that it will shred if I have an accident. Is it as good or better than an Aerostitch?

Yes and no... For starters, like I said the mesh material flows a lot of air, so it works great in hot weather. Unfortunately, it flows so well that I start to get cold when on the freeway riding and the temp drops to 60 or so. Motoport does sell windproof/waterproof liners that help, but they are pretty thin so you'll need the liner along with long underwear to be good to down around 45. Anything colder than that and I'm digging out my heated jacket liner. Also, the jacket liner zips into the jacket and has it's own closure zipper. Motoport also sells pants liners but I think they are a pain to use for commuting. So my advice would be to skip the pant liners and use the mesh pants for the summer, and use another pair of pants for colder temps. FYI...here in SoCal the coldest morning temps we get are about 35 or so, and when it's that cold I use my mesh jacket with the windproof liner inside and my heated jacket liner under that, and I wear Aerostitch Darien pants over my business clothes.

So to answer your question, I think Motoport gear is good stuff (although not the most fashionable), but I really don't think it can replace all your other gear.

[wera803]

Thanks for the reply. A little more about my current habits. Being in Georgia, it gets hot in the summer. Most days I just wear the mesh Phoenix jacket if it is above 65 in the morning. Colder then 65 I wear the 3/4 length textile. When it gets into the low 50's, I wear the over pants. Into the low 40's, I have the electric liner in and that takes me down to about 35 degrees. Normally I don't ride if it is in the low 30's or below. I've been caught riding home at night in the high 20's, but that isn't a normal practice for me. Basically I can use the electric liner for really cold, but want something for the 40-100 degree range if it's possible. Or, as you suggested, go with the 2-piece and keep my current over pants for the cold stuff like you do. I think they are only about $100 anyways. The big money will be from selling the stich.

[NVR2L8]

As far as a jacket or pant, I would think you definitely want one made in the air mesh material, especially for in the hot/humid conditions in GA. I have an air mesh kevlar jacket that is my daily commuter jacket and is sized for layering, plus a Riva AX in stretch kevlar and another in air mesh kevlar that are better fitting which I use for touring. I also have a pair of the air mesh kevlar pants that are overpants, plus a pair of the police pants in air mesh that work great for summer touring. Can you tell I like this stuff? I got a couple of decent deals and for me it works great for commuting and touring trips.

Anyway, I can't say enough about how well the mesh material flows air. Pictures of the mesh products on the Motoport website are deceiving when it comes to ventilation, but when you hold the stuff up to light you can really see all of the tiny openings. And when you first get jacket or pant the mesh stuff is really friggin stiff, but it softens up over time and a few washes. Having said all of this though, the designs are pretty basic and it's not ultra-fashionable gear, so I really think you should find someone who has Motoport gear and see if you like it in person. My opinion is that it's very well constructed, and for textile mesh gear I don't think there is anything better on the market.

BTW...there are also some good threads on ADVrider (http://www.advrider.com), where members have posted reviews of the gear. Just search "Motoport" and you should find them...

[kermitoo7]

I'm going to second everything NVR2L8 has mentioned - including the temp ratings and fashion comments. I have the mesh pants and liners for a year now and his description is bang on. I only have 10min commutes so don't find they're worth putting on, but just the mesh pants would be good over suit pants for 65F+ temps.

For any 1hr+ rides I put on or bring the whole set. The gear is great quality too. I've "tested" the waterproof liners during a multi-day spring ride too. No leaks, no worries.

Another info point, webBikeWorld.com has a couple articles/reviews about it too: full kevlar police pants and an aerostich comparison.

[i_needit]

I have the ultra 2 stretch Kevlar pants and I had the mesh waist cut jacket. Let me start with saying very nice stuff:

If you are planning a trip to Cali, visit Wayne and have them size you first. Shipping and handling gets expensive when you do it 3 time to get it right. Very bulky, I ended up returning the jacket, which does move a lot of air, but for me it was to much air and to bulky and didn’t fit very well. I like the stretch Kevlar more than mesh jacket, but still bulky. I have only used the pants a handful of times, middle of Washington DC summer and if you are moving not a problem, but with anything when you are stopped and 0 airflow there warm. The paints are black, but they don’t seem to absorb the light so you really don’t bake. This summer I will be in California and will stop bye his shop and get fitted for the Kevlar jeans.

[alwaysaware]

If my memory is correct Seb posted up some pics awhile back of a mesh suit that made me think twice about wearing one. It was thrashed after making contact with the pavement. Maybe he will chime in and post up the pics if he still has them.

[i_needit]

If my memory is correct Seb posted up some pics awhile back of a mesh suit that made me think twice about wearing one. It was thrashed after making contact with the pavement. Maybe he will chime in and post up the pics if he still has them.

Read a about Motoport Kevlar products, I think it's supposed to be very different material.

[NVR2L8]

If my memory is correct Seb posted up some pics awhile back of a mesh suit that made me think twice about wearing one. It was thrashed after making contact with the pavement. Maybe he will chime in and post up the pics if he still has them.

Read a about Motoport Kevlar products, I think it's supposed to be very different material.

Yea, you can't compare the Motoport mesh material to any of the mesh gear available from the major apparel manufacturers. And I wear this stuff every day and have no doubts when it comes to abrasion protection.

[wera803]

Having said all of this though, the designs are pretty basic and it's not ultra-fashionable gear, so I really think you should find someone who has Motoport gear and see if you like it in person. My opinion is that it's very well constructed, and for textile mesh gear I don't think there is anything better on the market.

BTW...there are also some good threads on ADVrider (http://www.advrider.com), where members have posted reviews of the gear. Just search "Motoport" and you should find them...

I found a local guy that has the suit and offered to let me try it out. XL jacket fits without any liners in it, so I will probably need a XXL (what I normally wear anyways) to do the liners or layer under it. His large pants go on over my dockers, but are tight. Probably need a XXL in those too (which doesn't surprise me either) - I have large thighs from playing football. Construction looks good. He even went down in the suit once (said it was about 40-50 mph) and there are a couple of scuffs, but everything still looks good and solid. I think he sent it back to have it checked and Motoport said don't worry about, it was fine.

I've been reading ADVrider most of the morning. Good reviews on there. :biggrin: Like everyone else said, Motoports website kind of sucks. Looks like 2-piece is the way to go for flexibility and cost. Now the hard part is deciding colors, adding/deleting pockets, type of armor, etc. Oh, and if there really is a 12 week waiting period, summer is going to be half over before I get it which really sucks!!!

[wera803]

If my memory is correct Seb posted up some pics awhile back of a mesh suit that made me think twice about wearing one. It was thrashed after making contact with the pavement. Maybe he will chime in and post up the pics if he still has them.

That's one of the main reasons I was looking at the Motoport suit. The mesh is nothing like anything else out there. I have one of those cheaper mesh jackets and use it now. As long as the jacket saved me, I wouldn't be worried about trashing it. I've heard too many stories about the material melting into your skin which is more my concern.

[NVR2L8]

If you think the Motoport website sucks, you should have seen it before this latest update. When I visited the site a few years ago I was so disappointed that I decided against their gear, but changed my mind once I saw the stuff in person.

I've seen their one piece suit, and I didn't like it. I think it's fugly and way too plain looking, plus it looks funky when worn due to the fact it's made to be a little big to allow street clothes underneath. If you ask me a 2 piece outfit in mesh is the way to go...that way you can mix and match gear depending on the season.

If you decide on the gear though, definitely call and talk to Wayne. Tell him Jeff from Lake Forest sent ya... :rolleyes: ...and explain what you are looking for and your preferences when it comes to gear. I think you should also get yourself professionally measured, in order to make sure you get gear that fits properly. Don't let them steer you into an off-the-shelf size unless it fits good. For the most part I've had good luck with the fitment, although all my jackets have been returned to lower the neck, and my pants were also returned because the butt section was way too baggy. Just make sure you have a list of wants...and not wants...and you should come out okay. If not, you can always send it back for alteration. They are good about making it right if it was their fault, and if not they don't charge much if it's your fault.

They also like to sell their fairly new quad armor... It's nice stuff, but too expensive and really bulky in my opinion. You might consider getting the back protector in quad armor, but the rest of the stuff in their tri armor.

[Knife]

My Olympia Stealth One Piece Mesh Tech Suit just arrived today ($299.99 including shipping). It has gotten very good reviews, and supposedly flows the most air of anything available out there.

I'll use it to commute and for my South Dakota trip. I don't care what it looks like, as long as it's comfortable, offers a reasonable degree of protection (it has CE rated armor), is easy to get on and off, and is tolerable in very hot temperatures. I'll report on it when I've had a chance to put it through its paces.