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My first look at the new Transit 3 two piece riding suit from Aerostich just dropped over at WebBikeWorld. The Transit suit has been out of production for a few years due to sourcing issues surrounding the perforated, waterproof leather (yes, perforated and waterproof). Now it’s back and I’m working on a multi-part review. Hit the link below to see the initial installment of this review.
Aerostich Transit 3 Two Piece Suit: First Look
Just in time for Christmas, I have the new Transit 3 suit from Aerostich in the house (literally) for review. My plan was to do an initial write up covering the details and construction since we are in Winter and I didn’t expect to get on the road with the suit.
As it turns out, the unseasonably warm weather provided the opportunity to get out and give the Transit a proper shakedown today. There’s a lot to cover on this suit so you can expect a multi-part review much like my review of the Cousin Jeremy suit.
Keep an eye here ( and on WebBikeWorld.com ) for the first part of the Transit Suit 3 review to come in the next few weeks.
Happy Holidays!!
The people over at Helite have been cooking up something new in the wearable airbag space for 2020. Currently there are only two major players that make electronically triggered wearable airbag devices for motorcycle riders. Dainese and Alpinestars. As they are very new, first generation products, there are barriers to widespread adoption as prices a re relatively high and if the products do get activated, they have to be returned to the manufacturer for “re-arming”
On the other side of the “airbag” street we have vests from companies like HitAir and Helite. These devices employ a physical connection from the device to the motorcycle, triggering once the rider has left the seat. These type of vests have the advantage of simpler design, ease of “re-arming” by way of a user replaceable cartridge, and cost around the same price as a premium level helmet.
Helite has starting spreading the word that they will be releasing their own electronically activated vests in the Spring of 2020 starting with their race model, the GP, followed by a version of their Turtle 2 vest that will use the same (or similar) electronics.
Why is this important? Helite has taken the best parts of both worlds here by using electronics sensors to detect when an impact has occurred combined with the convenience of user replaceable gas cartridges. Having the electronics means potential for faster start of inflation while the total cost of ownership should be reduced by user serviceable parts.
Below is the info I saw at the ADV Rider forums that was posted by Patrick at Helite. (or at least is claimed to be from him 🙂 )
HELITE will be offering an Electronically Triggered Airbag System besides the already existing Mechanically Triggered Airbag System!
The first available electronic option will the HELITE GP Air Vest. Then the Electronic System will also become available for the HELITE Turtle 2 Vest. We do not expect these to be available until Spring 2020 and pricing has not been released yet either!
The Electronic Systems will feature 2 sensors. One that is decting impact even at stanstill and one motion sensor in the Vest itself. The Vest is instantly re-usable by simply replacing the CO2 cartridge similar to the already exisitng Mechanical Airbag System. No need to send the vest in to have it re-set or re-packed UNLESS, of course, it is damaged and you would like us to check the functionality.
If you have any questions whatsoever feel free to send me an email to patrick@helitemoto.com! As soon as we have pricing information available and a better ETA we will also be accepting pre-orders.
Summary:
The AR Knee Protectors from Forcefield offers an alternative to integrated knee protectors in motorcycle riding pants. Fitting snugly against the knee (under or over riding pants) they will stay in place better in the event of a crash than armor installed in most protective riding pants. Unlike many standalone knee protectors, these can be used for street riding as well as off-road.
For many years now I have employed “ATGATT” when I ride. In my case, especially when commuting, this means I am wearing over-pants or other riding pants that will fit over work clothes. Being roomy enough to handle this situation means that the armor in these pants might not be held securely enough to remain in place in the event of a crash.
To mitigate this situation, for the past several years I have been removing the installed armor in my riding pants and have instead used MX style knee protectors in their stead. I’ve had protectors from Alpinestars, Thor, and Shift Racing over the years and they’ve served me well.
The problem with the aforementioned protectors is that they are not designed for street riding. I have used them with the idea I would rather have protectors I know will stay in place offering some protection, rather than the risk of suitable protectors not remaining in place when I need them.
So is there a better way?
WebBikeWorld was recently offered a chance to review the AR Knee Protectors from Forcefield and I jumped at the chance to try out some armor that might be the best of both worlds. Hit the link here to check out the full review.
Aerostich is bringing back one of their most sought after products this October. The Transit waterproof and breathable two piece leather suit returns to the ‘Stitch lineup and with new products available for shipping this October!
( Images in this article are from the Aerostich website )
The Transit suits were always quite the aspirational riding gear setup for me and many of my fellow riders. I always loved the idea of the durability and protection of a special leather combined with waterproof and breathable qualities. Of course this special blend of features (and awesome looks IMO)came at a significant price at over $2,000.00 (USD) for both the jacket and pants together.
The new Transit 3 jacket and pants come in just under the price of the last iteration of Transit gear with the Transit 3 jacket running $987.00 and the Transit 3 pants commanding $897.00. These prices are still quite the premium over textile suits but for what one is getting, I’d say it’s not “crazy expensive” but perhaps more like “pretty pricey”.
The Transit 2 apparel was discontinued due to what Aerostich called “materials (supply-chain) complications”. The Transit 2 was made from GORE-TEX Pro Shell leather and this must have become hard to acquire. The Transit 3 gear is made from a laminated leather material called CORIUM+. This material is a new one on me and I’ll be doing my best to find out more about in the coming days and weeks.
I have to say I’m blown away by this return of what many considered the ultimate multi-season street riding suit. I have been eyeing my closet full of gear today see how much I can get if I sold all of it to put towards the new Transit 3. I’ll post more info on the return of the Transit as I find it.
-Brandon
Summer is in full swing here in Tennessee and it’s hot and humid. It may not be the most pleasant weather for motorcycle riding in full protective gear but as the saying goes, I’d rather sweat than risk injury from a crash (or something like that).
On the other hand, the heat does provide the opportunity for some evaluation of hot weather riding gear. My current summer riding gear includes mesh riding pants from Olympia, the Knox Zephyr riding jacket, and the well ventilated Scorpion EXO ST 1400.
Of course, something has been missing from my summer gear kit for a few years now and that’s vented riding boots. Somehow I’ve neglected to replace my Alpinestars Recon boots from years ago (I miss those) so I was overdue for some hot weather friendly kicks.
I spent some time back at the start of the Summer pouring over various summer riding boot options and finally landed on a pair that ticked all the right boxes. Among the many boxes were;
So as one would guess at this point, the TCX Vibe Air boots were where I landed. Head over to webBikeWorld.com for the review.
It’s not often that I write a multi-part review but I felt it was necessary in the case of the Cousin Jeremy suit. I wanted to be able to not only describe the details of the suit but also be able to report on how the suit it breaks in and how this impacts comfort and fit.
This installment over at webBikeWorld will also take a look at the protective features of the Cousin Jeremy as well as details on how Aerostich worked with me to adjust the fit of the suit I was sent.
Check out the complete review here: https://www.webbikeworld.com/aerostich-cousin-jeremy-suit-review-part-two/
In that initial review, I offered a detailed look at the suit and took a deep dive into the construction details of the pants and jacket. If you missed the initial installment of our Cousin Jeremy two-piece suit review you can check it out here.
The Nexos gloves to me are the next logical step up in protection from the Orsa Leather MKII gloves which I reviewed previously. Not that the armor and protective features are a huge step above but rather the Nexos gloves have a substantial gauntlet offering protection over a larger area than the short-cuff Orsa gloves.
A black or white and black color scheme is available, with the gloves shown in this review being the latter color scheme. I chose the white as it should be a little cooler on sunny days and, of course, the bright white offers more visibility over the more stealthy all-black version.
Knox offers up the Nexos gloves as either a “Sport” or “Touring” glove depending on how one interprets their website. The description on the Nexos product page refers to them as “The Nexos Sport Glove” but they are listed under the “Touring” category in the product listings. Let’s just call them sport-touring and leave it there.
There are several hard armor pieces on the gloves but they are not as plentiful or large as on a full racing glove. They are also relatively lightweight and flexible which leads them to have easier storage in small spaces over some full-on sport or racing gloves like Knox’s own Handroid gloves.
For the full details head over to WebBikeWorld.com for my complete review.
I have the new Defiant-X helmet from Arai in the house for evaluation and this one is quite the roller coaster ride. There are ups and downs across the board here which isn’t what I expected from a premium helmet maker like Arai.
Make no mistake the paint, graphics, and finish are superb and this Snell rated helmet is certainly tough and protective but close inspection reveals some minor issues. These would be more easily overlooked on a helmet at half the price, but at over $800.00 (USD) in this particular graphic version, I find these disappointing.
Hit the link here for the full review with all the details and photos.
Scorpion’s latest entry in the full face sport touring helmet space is a carbon fiber, feature-filled orb of protective goodness. This lightweight lid has every option I can think of that would be useful for sport touring riders and does this in a stylish and sporty looking fashion. All of the features do of course add a cost in weight so while the ST1400 is relatively light, it is not quite the lightest in class.
This helmet has a lot to offer with only some minor areas that I feel could be improved / changed. One being the optical quality of the visors. Both visors are OK with the main visor being a bit better than the drop down sun visor but I would like to see less distortion here. Also I would like see some other color/graphic options other than the mostly black options available now.
Check out the full review over at WebBikeWorld.com for all the details and photos of the Scorpion EXO ST1400.
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