Klim versus ???

kneedraggeroldy

kneedraggeroldy

Well-known member
I know this has likely been asked before however, her comes the question all the folks might have an opinion of (you know kinda like @#$ holes...everyone has one :)

president wants to reward me with 10 year gift at the company. Knows I ride and wanted to make it personnel in lieu of a fancy watch.....thinking of riding gear with a small company logo....what suit/jacket/pants etc. is great vs. good? We have tour master (along with my track leathers) but I have never spent the $$$$ for a really good waterproofbreathable suit/jacket pants combo...suggestions? Let the bumping of gums begin! :rofl

Price tag is upwards of 2500.00 total
 
N

NoTraffic

Well-known member
I'd get a Klim or a happy alternative would be a full blown tool set valued at $2500. Tools will last a lifetime.
 
Blankpage

Blankpage

alien
I've had different Klim pants but some of them I didn't even use. The ones I did wear held up well and were well ventilated. The jackets seemed like just shells with no armor.
 
1962siia

1962siia

Well-known member
Would depend on what you were planning to use them for. Stitch for the road, Klim gear for ADV/dirt would be where I'd be looking. Pretty cool of your employer! :thumbup
 
dravnx

dravnx

Well-known member
Love my Klim Badlands set. Plenty of armor, durable, good ventilation, quality build.
Do some research on Advrider. Plenty of threads on gear.
 
mrmarklin

mrmarklin

Well-known member
I'm a generalist rider.

I'd get a great leather jacket, leather riding pants and a rainsuit. Possibly boots too. You could do this for around $2,500 and have top of the line stuff.

Leather>polyester
 
M

Matty D

Well-known member
That is pretty rad. Klim stuff is great quality and I like the fact that they leave the layering to the rider, but like anything, fit is really important and unfortunately Klim is just cut wrong for me. I need an athletic cut, and every Klim jacket I tried was either good in the arms and shoulders but way too boxy and loose at the waist, or a good fit in the waist but way too tight and short for my upper body. I really wanted to get a Klim jacket but just couldn't convince myself to spend that amount of cash when the fit was so off. So, try before you buy (if you can).
 
norcalkid

norcalkid

Well-known member
I have Klim hot weather gear, Induction. I love the jacket, hate the gloves, the pants are OK at best(underwear/ballz always feel scrunched up, I don't like the cut).

Guna sell the pants this spring. I much prefer my Icon gloves and Rocky Mtn ATV Battleborn pants.

Mesh in the snow???
IMG20190424100626 by Norcalkid, on Flickr


Tough to find a nice, last a lifetime watch for $2500 these days. But ya, it's guna last you a lot longer than some gear.
20170406_111858 by Norcalkid, on Flickr
 
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kneedraggeroldy

kneedraggeroldy

Well-known member
thedub said:
For what kind of riding?
Click to expand...

Great question I should have mentioned. We have some good year for street/track but info ride the FJR in the dirt and seriously thinking of selling R 6 for an adventure bike to play more in dirt. I do want something water proof as wife and I ride take 1-2 week rides and this would help. Thanks all for input so far :) Armor/safety is also priority
 
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The Smokester

The Smokester

Old Newbie
Ok. I just went through this and chose a Klim Badlands 2 piece suit.

Reasons were:
- Armor quality and coverage is good.
- Ventilation is good enough for 4 seasons
Note that these are a waterproof, breathable shell so you need layering garments.

The cautions about sizing snd fit given above are real. Hard to get a lot of sizes right now...the common ones seem out-of-stock.

Also, when I got my suit home I discovered that the pants' zipper was sewed in backwards...Thought I was losing my marbles. So now it's in warranty repair.
 
J

JimE

Rider
I bought the Klim Badlands Pro (gen 1) back when you could kit a pants/jacket for about a grand. I've ridden just about everywhere in it. Crash tested in the Himilayas in Pakistan. Ridden the LAB2V twice in it. Moto camping with my woman for many accumulated months. I commute about 10k miles a year in it. It works really, really well for all that stuff. The only thing I wouldn't do is heavy duty dirt or track in it. Get specialty stuff for that.

I recently got a good deal on some used "like new" Badlands Pro Gen 3. I like the pants better but I think the jacket isn't quite as good. The material is better and I'm sure will crash better. What's wrong with my old suit? It needs a little fixing after all that time. A snap broken, liner on inside of the pants coming off at the waist, some TLC items. I couldn't stand the thought of not having a set when I sent this in for repair so when I found a good deal on another I jumped on it. Now I can rotate.

I'm partial to two piece suits because I can take the pants off and strap them to the bike for those straight rides through the blast furnace on the way to the Sierra. That said with a good layering scheme I've been totally tolerable in that suit from 35F to 105F. Under 35F out and I hang it up....

So there's some practical experience, some uses and about 60k miles of advice for that particular piece of gear. Hope you find it useful.
 
Cincinnatus

Cincinnatus

Not-quite retired Army
There's an ongoing discussion on ADVRider, Klim vs Motoport. The advantages of Motoport is that it is all custom fit, not the usual S-M-L-XL, and build quality is reputed to be phenomenal.
Motoport also supplies many LEO units with custom gear.
As a current Klim owner/user, I'm interested in checking out Motoport's rather extensive catalog, as my current gear is aging out.
 
nakedape

nakedape

Well-known member
Cincinnatus said:
There's an ongoing discussion on ADVRider, Klim vs Motoport. The advantages of Motoport is that it is all custom fit, not the usual S-M-L-XL, and build quality is reputed to be phenomenal.
Motoport also supplies many LEO units with custom gear.
As a current Klim owner/user, I'm interested in checking out Motoport's rather extensive catalog, as my current gear is aging out.
Click to expand...

I have MP gear and live close enough to drop in for service and fitting. I’d say the main thing they do better is material. Kevlar mesh is just superior to all others. Lighter, stronger, washable. It doesn’t rain here, but up north I would pop for the liner. Once the rain stops it takes ten minutes to dry out.

Having seen the crashes suits waiting for repairs, the other brands wall of shame (disintegrated gear of all types), and rack after rack of moto Officer customs, I’d say they are simply doing it better. Made in USA. The crew of women that see it all up have been there decades. You can talk to the owner. What’s not to like? Well, the gloves. I don’t like the gloves. Sorry MP!
 
dravnx

dravnx

Well-known member
The downside of MP is they are not waterproof. For touring/ADV riding, it sure is nice when riding into a rain shower, you're already geared up. I can't put up with having to stop and suit up for rain. If your only riding is during the summer in the West it may work or you're OK with a rain suit I like true 4 season gear.
 
F

fubar929

Well-known member
dravnx said:
The downside of MP is they are not waterproof. For touring/ADV riding, it sure is nice when riding into a rain shower, you're already geared up. I can't put up with having to stop and suit up for rain. If your only riding is during the summer in the West it may work or you're OK with a rain suit I like true 4 season gear.
Click to expand...

This is the key problem with Motoport gear and the reason I eventually got rid of mine. Motoport do make waterproof and waterproof+insulated liners. The problem is that the outer jacket eventually starts soaking up water. Everything in your pockets gets wet and, if you're out for long enough, the jacket starts to feel really heavy. Also, without the liner installed the jacket can be really cold on early morning rides along the coast. You'll need the liner for the mornings, but once the sun is up and the fog burns away you'll have to take it off and stow it somewhere so you don't overheat.

Personally, I think that Klim (and Aerostich) are better options that Motoport.
 
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