Motoport / Cycleport Ultra II Kevlar Mesh Jacket and Pants

[FazerDude]

I did a ton of research and a lot of agonizing over what protective suit to buy. I can't count the number of reviews and forum posts I read.

The Aerostich Roadcrafter seems to be the old favorite, but it was universally reviewed as too hot in the summer. It came down to whether I wanted mesh gear that I felt sacrificed protection for comfort in the summer, or suffer, but then I found out about the Motoport mesh kevlar that seems to be the best of both words. I went with the Motoport / Cycleport gear as it seemed to promise 4-season comfort.

I upgraded to quad armor. My entire suit is Hi-Viz with black trim and all liners. I also had the reflective fabric added to back, sleves, and pant-legs. I have about 20 hours in the jacket, so far, with about 8 hours in it in one day. Total in the pants is about 40 hours. I have been commuting in the pants for a week and just made my first commute in the full suit today.

It took 4 weeks to get the pants, as they had to be custom made, but the jacket could have been shipped the same day I ordered. I chose to wait for the liners, which were not in stock, and it took 1 week to get it.

I spoke with Wayne when I measured myself for the pants, making sure I was doing it correctly. He thought my inseam was too short, and it was.

I spoke with one of his employee's when ordering the jacket. She thought my sleeve length sounded short, and it was as well. Wayne called me up the next day to verify the corrected sleeve length, because it seemed short for my chest size. It was right, but that sure is great customer service. It turned out that I am on the cusp of L and XL. He felt the L would be tight, but was concerned the XL would have too long of sleeves. It turned out that the XL fits perfectly for me, but the sleeves are a bit long. i think this may have been a problem if I wore over the cuff gloves, but I wear under the cuff gloves, and it works out fine. If I had a more stretched out riding position, it would probably be perfect. At any rate, I could have had the sleeves altered, but figured I'd try it as-is and am happy with it. I think the customer service of this company is first rate.

Some have complained that the kevlar mesh is stiff, but I have not found that to be the case. The armor is a fairly stiff, but I feel that is to be expected. It is a bit harder to swing a leg up over the seat, but I can still do it without dragging the seat. My bike sits about 3" higer than a normal GL1800. Getting into the pants is fairly easy if you have the zippers unzipped, but it is best to be able to brace yourself. Putting on without unzipping the legs is a bit more difficult, and you want to be sitting or well braced against something before putting them on. The main difficulty is that the armor keeps the legs fairly straight. Wayne told me I could wash it and tumble dry it to break it in, but I have not felt the need to.

I have worn the rain liner once, and it is easiest to just put it on first and then put on the pants. Since it has elastic at the ankles, I feel it would make getting the pants off harder. I find the liner to be truly breathable and, while I sweated in it, on a warmish sunny day, while standing still, as soon as I was moving, I felt a cooling effect from the wind. When I got caught in the rain, my legs stayed completely dry, but I do have a good bit of protection on the Wing. The mesh was soaked, but everything was dry in an hour after getting home.

The armor covers the knees and shins, thighs, and there is optional thin hip armor sewn in. The kevlar mesh has a pretty rough texture, such that it will hurt your finger tips if you pull hard on it. I now pull on the belt loops and elastic back.

The kevlar mesh is more slippery than jeans, so I slide around on the seat more easily. One major benefit of the mesh is that it keeps my bottom a bit off the seat, and that increases my comfort quite a bit on all-day rides.

The jacket has the same materials, quality, and armor as the pants. One substantial benefit of the jacket is that it provides chest armor, as well as the shoulder, elbows, and back. With the pant and suit, 65% of the body is covered with armor. The Motoport jacket can be modified to accept a Leatt brace.

Bear in mind that I have a large fairing and windshield. I have ridden in temps from 36 to 70F so far, with the jacket, and have been comfortable with both liners in the jacket up to about 55, and with just the AeroTex liner in the jacket from about 50 to 70F. I think it would be comfortable up to 75F or higher and I believe the jacket would be warm enough to at least 30F. Of course, as it warms up, you can pull all liners and be as comfortable as is possible with this level of protection.

The liners are very easy to use. You can zip them together and zip them into the jacket, but I have just been zipping them together and putting the liner combo or single liner on first and then putting the jacket on. I don't feel that the liners would make it harder to put the jacket on though.

I can only compare the jacket to my M2R textile and Vanson Vent Max III jackets. Both of those jackets have CE armor in them, but the Vanson makes the M2R look like a toy in comparison, and the Motoport jacket makes the Vanson jacket look like a toy. The Motoport jacket makes the M2R look like a sick joke. The Vanson is a good jacket though, with leather at all the impact points and larger CE armor than seen in cheaper jackets. It just looks insubstantial when compared to the Motoport jacket. I now consider the M2R jacket to be the bare minimum protection, and would expect it to be destroyed in a crash. The Motoport gear has a 7 year warrantty. If they cannot repair crash damage, they will replace the garment free of charge.

The Vanson does have a more open mesh than the Motoport, and combined with the lack of chest protection it should be cooler, but now that I've ridden with this level of protection, I won't be going back. If it gets hotter than what is comfortable with the Kevlar mesh, I'll be putting a Silver Eagle vest on underneath...

Options include;
Aero-Tex 2 Part Jacket Liner
Aero-Tex Jacket Liner (No Insulation)
Quad-Armor
Leatt Neck Brace Collar
Relfective Down Sleeves
Emergency ID Pocket on Right Shoulder
Right Sleeve Pocket
Left Sleeve Pocket
Clear Plastic ID Pocket on Right Shoulder
Clear Plastic ID Pocket on Left Shoulder

Aero-Tex Pant Liner
Quad-Armor
Hip Armor
Reflective on Calves
Quick Release Suspenders
Zipper to Connect any of our Waist Cut Jackets
No Cargo Pockets on Legs
Cargo Pocket on Right Leg Only
Cargo Pocket on Left Leg Only
Sacrum Tri-Armor(Not necessary for riders wearing ¾ length jackets)
Sacrum Quad-Armor(Not necessary for riders wearing ¾ length jackets)
No Embroidered Cycleport Logo on Front Flap


The only thing that I found lacking in the Motoport jacket, is the lack of a clear sleeve pocket. I went ahead and ordered one from Aerostich. Wayne at Motoport later told me that it is an option, but it is not listed on the site. I think when ordering, you should ask for a breakdown of all options and not rely on the site. I'll have it put on if I ever send the jacket back for alterations or if I have a stretch without riding.



On an all-day, 250 mile ride on twisty roads, I never really noticed the suit. That was one thing I was afraid of, but it was a non-issue. My moto-specific boots took much more adjustment on my part than the suit did. Do keep in mind that the GL1800 has an upright sitting position, so YMMV on a sport bike. I imagine it would be even more comfortable on a cruiser than the Wing, as your legs are not tucked in like with the Wing.

I did find out that I can just fit the jacket and pants in the Wing's top trunk for safekeeping. I need to figure out if it is possible to put one of each in the side bags, as the helmet is a very tight fit in the left bag. It won't even fit in the right bag. The liners take up very little room in comparison. It is all the armor of the jacket and pants tha make them so bulky. I did buy a couple of cable locks to lock them to the bike, but I certainly don't want to do that in San Francisco...

I firmly believe that there is no better suit that provides the flexibility of this one. It can be worn year round in any climate, in as much comfort as is possible with this level of protection. It can be worn over pants or you can wear shorts for the really hot days.


Edit;

After almost a year in the Motoport gear, The only things I would change; I'd get all of the pockets except the zipper pocket removed, have another zipper pocket added and sleeve zipper pocket added, and have a sleeve ID pocket and emergency info pocket added.

I NEVER use the flap pockets.

Pretty minor items considering I've worn this gear almost every day and in almost every condition possible, for almost a year and 18,000 smiles. It's great that I can send it in for custom alterations if I want.

I'm currently using an Aerostich sleeve ID pocket. Makes it a lot easier to get in and out of the refinery gate.

[BigDaddyGoldwing]

FazerDude:

Nice report. You didn't give a breakdown in the total price (and I realize that it is really none of my business) but we all know the ball park figure, I just thought I'd ask to save the time in figuring it out. Totally understand if you don't care to say. I will be ordering my pants soon. Exactly which pants and jacket did you get? Do you feel you could have done without the liners (say if you have the Gerbings or WarmNSafes)? Thanks...

[FazerDude]

$595 shipped for the pants, including quad armor, hip armor, liner, reflective and tax.

$939 shipped for the jacket, including quad armor, 2-part liner, reflective, and tax.

I don't have the breakdowns in front of me, but the price of the options is shown on the pages linked below.

As I already had jackets, I went with the pants, and based on my initial conversation with Wayne, it was the right choice.

Of course, as soon as I saw the pants I had to have the jacket...

I bought the Ultra II Air Mesh Jacket http://www.motoport.com/_product_354...ir_Mesh_Jacket and the Air Mesh Kevlar Pant http://www.motoport.com/_product_354...sh_Kevlar_Pant

I feel the liners are worth it, now that I've used them, but I guess you could make do with others. The stuff that I have takes up a lot more precious space than the Motoport liners do. That is worth a lot in my eyes right there.

I now have more in my everyday gear, including the above, boots, gloves, and helmet, than I spent on my first 3(technically 4) motorcycles combined. Since I am now riding almost every day in the San Francisco bay area, I feel it is a very worthwhile investment

[BigDaddyGoldwing]

Originally Posted by FazerDude

$595 shipped for the pants, including quad armor, hip armor, liner, reflective and tax.

$939 shipped for the jacket, including quad armor, 2-part liner, reflective, and tax.

I don't have the breakdowns in front of me, but the price of the options is shown on the pages linked below.

As I already had jackets, I went with the pants, and based on my initial conversation with Wayne, it was the right choice.

Of course, as soon as I saw the pants I had to have the jacket...

I bought the Ultra II Air Mesh Jacket http://www.motoport.com/_product_354...ir_Mesh_Jacket and the Air Mesh Kevlar Pant http://www.motoport.com/_product_354...sh_Kevlar_Pant

I feel the liners are worth it, now that I've used them, but I guess you could make do with others. The stuff that I have takes up a lot more precious space than the Motoport liners do. That is worth a lot in my eyes right there.

I now have more in my everyday gear, including the above, boots, gloves, and helmet, than I spent on my first 3(technically 4) motorcycles combined. Since I am now riding almost every day in the San Francisco bay area, I feel it is a very worthwhile investment

Ouch! Still, better the financial pain now than the physicl kind of pain later... Thanks.

[FazerDude]

Originally Posted by BigDaddyGoldwing

Ouch! Still, better the financial pain now than the physicl kind of pain later... Thanks.

That's my thinking. After reading all the crash reports on the motoport website and Advriders, it began to sound like a fiscally responsible thing to do...

My fiancee crashed and tore her meniscus. They can help, but they can't really fix it... Got me to thinking real hard. I'll take the risks, but I'm now doing everything I can to mitigate them. I'm even seriously considering a Leatt Brace. Some might say, "If I have to wear that much gear, I'd rather drive a car." but I managed to get in the zone with all my gear on this weekend, and it was the best I've felt in years. I'll stick with the bike...

[FazerDude]

Update;

I have now worn the suit for hours in heat as high as 90F, with 20 minutes or so at 95F.

While it is not comfortable at that temp, it was as comfortable as having no gear on. My clothes did not get sweat soaked, except when having to sit still, and as soon as I would get moving, there would be a little extra cooling as the clothes dried off. I was left wishing I had brought a t-shirt and shorts, but the trip was very impromptu... The idea of having shorts on, on a bike, is not something I am used to, LOL...

It is amazing to me that I now have extremely protective gear that works from freezing temps to near 100. Put some underwear on for extreme cold, or a cooling vest for extreme heat, and it would cover every conceivable temperature range. This may not be the kind of thing most people face, but here, I can easily face a +50*F temp spread in the course of a day's ride.

[n9frp]

I Love my Motoport Ultra ll Kevlar suit. Here's some more good reading I keep around for new owners.....

Glad U like the suit. Hope you never have to see how well it protects.

[Themobb]

Nice report Wayne,

I've been looking at mesh pants since it's about time for things to start heating up down here...


Thanks!


Lance

[JMATANDEM]

If you are going to spend that kind of money, and want the most protection for it, you may want to consider an airbag jacket (Google "motorcycle airbag jackets"). They do make at least one that uses a mesh fabric.

There are questions about their effectiveness (do they inflate fast enough to be effective in all crash scenarios, etc.) but there have been some real life cases where they are believed to have saved a life!

I don't have one, so I can't tell you much about comfort, etc. Just thought I'd through this into the discussion.

[FazerDude]

Interesting. I'd be fearful of it handling multiple impacts and/or abrasion, but it seems like it would help with a massive initial impact.

Seems like JUST the ticket for horse riders. Falling off from that height gives you a very high initial impact.

[WestFlDon]

I love my Moto Port airmesh suit for the sweltering heat here in Florida.

Though I dont belive any thing worn, will prevent an Impact injury. The inflatable vest is called a "Hit Air" .

Defining Impact as a direct hit at 20-30 + mph. With no evidence at all, I will presume major injuries will occur no matter what type of suit is worn.

That said, I still wear the best gear I can afford.. with the Idea of preventing abraisions (road rash)

Welcome to the space suit clan, I belive you have allready been taken to our leader....(Wayne) ............Don

[JMATANDEM]

Originally Posted by FazerDude

Interesting. I'd be fearful of it handling multiple impacts and/or abrasion, but it seems like it would help with a massive initial impact.

Seems like JUST the ticket for horse riders. Falling off from that height gives you a very high initial impact.

You are right on! They market the jacket for horseback riders as well as motorcyclists!

I think your concern about multiple abrasions is also accurate. As for impacts without abrasion (unlikely I suppose) all it takes to reset the jacket is a new CO2 cartridge. The 'trigger' seems pretty simple, and not likely to be damaged in an accident.

[FazerDude]

When I speak of multiple impacts, I am talking about impacts within the same crash.

I would consider this to be a throw-away, unless there was some kind of factory inspection/repair program.

That is one of the strengths of the Motoport gear. It is not only repairble, it has a 7-year warranty saying if it can't be repaired, it will be replaced.

Every other mesh gear I know is is considered disposable, one time only, though they are also priced accordingly.

[JMATANDEM]

FazerDude: Pretty soon I'm going to get angry with you. Every time you tell us about a new feature (most recently, repair, or replace for free) I get that much closer to thinking, "I need this stuff!"

Seriously, you're making a good argument that this clothing is highly protective, as well as a reasonable value, even if the initial outlay is substantial. As a relatively new rider (3 years) I have made some mistakes in gear purchases. Accordingly, I have a few sets of jackets and pants, some better than others; in fact, some good enough that I can't see simply discarding them in favor of the Motoport stuff. When I am ready to replace what I have, I will am now predisposed to buy the Motoport. Thanks for the thorough review and follow-up comments.

[rrm512]

Mt wife and I also have the airmesh kevlar pants. We had a rear tire failure which I was unable to completely control. We high sided at about 35mph slowing down from 65. I was convinced to go to the hospital (couldn't put pressure on ankle). When the wheeled me in from the squad there was a group waiting for the MC accident and barely noticed me go by since I was setting up talking to the EMT. The doctor was amazed that I only had some bruising and no abrasions.

My wife stayed with the bike waiting for the tow truck as since her only mark was where the "color" of the helmet wore thru. We only found the mark on my pants after I put them back on and compared it to the bruise.

If it gets too hot you can wear anything or nothing underneath.

Rick

[WoadWunner]

Originally Posted by JMATANDEM

FazerDude: Pretty soon I'm going to get angry with you. Every time you tell us about a new feature (most recently, repair, or replace for free) I get that much closer to thinking, "I need this stuff!"

Seriously, you're making a good argument that this clothing is highly protective, as well as a reasonable value, even if the initial outlay is substantial. As a relatively new rider (3 years) I have made some mistakes in gear purchases. Accordingly, I have a few sets of jackets and pants, some better than others; in fact, some good enough that I can't see simply discarding them in favor of the Motoport stuff. When I am ready to replace what I have, I will am now predisposed to buy the Motoport. Thanks for the thorough review and follow-up comments.

I understand how you feel about what you have spent. I suggest you go to www.motoport.com and go to the "Save your Hide" page. See what you think after you read that.

[FazerDude]

Originally Posted by WoadWunner

I understand how you feel about what you have spent. I suggest you go to www.motoport.com and go to the "Save your Hide" page. See what you think after you read that.

Thanks, he can get angry at you now.

[JMATANDEM]

I won't get angry with anyone; I'm sure you all have only my best interests in mind. Or is it, 'you have best in mind to spend all my interest????'

[jpooch00]

for posting this comprehensive and illuminating report on this awesome gear!

I've been waffling for months on taking the plunge because of the price.

I'm goin' for it!

Ride safe and never give that gear a real-life test!!

Thanks again,

John

[FRISKY]

The Motoport Kevlar Mesh gear will exponentially increase your chances of surviving a get off or a crash. Other stuff does not compare.

This is worth reading: http://www.webbikeworld.com/r3/motoport/

[The Big Guy]

I second all of the praises for Motoport! I have two sets. The original and the new Kevlar airmesh jacket & pants.
Suggestion on washing - make sure that you use a comercial washer with lots of room. Normal washing machines can rub holes, since there is inadequate space. Don't ask how I know!
By the way, Wayne repaired those also! I guess that says it all.
The Avatar was before I bought the Kevlar airmesh!!

[jpooch00]

Originally Posted by FRISKY

The Motoport Kevlar Mesh gear will exponentially increase your chances of surviving a get off or a crash. Other stuff does not compare.

This is worth reading: http://www.webbikeworld.com/r3/motoport/

Hey, thanks for the link. Great read. If I hadn't already been sold on Motorport, I certainly would be now!!

I'll be ordering mine early next month.

Thanks again & watch out for all those crazy cagers out there.

John

[greyrider]

Great report and comments - Thanks!!

'

[Road Hog]

Nice read, Thanks

[nealts]

Great read. Thanks for the info.

[FazerDude]

Update;

I wore the Motoport gear on a 4,200 mile trip to Reno, Salt Lake City, Yellowstone, Glacier, Bannf, Jasper, Kamloops, Yakima, Richland, and back home to the San Francisco Bay.

I encountered temps from 25F to 105F, plenty of rain, and some sleet.

Using the liners and long underwear, I was able to be comfortable at the low end of the scale, and, with mesh alone, was as comfortable as is possible at the high end of the scale. The breathable rain liners kept me dry in the rain, and warm over a wide range of temps. They also took little space when not in use.

This puts me at over 10,000 miles wearing the full suit, and I am very happy with it. Thankfully, I have not had to use its protective features, but it is nice feeling the armor and the tough mesh every time I put it on.

[FlaWinger]

Thanks for doing so much of the leg work for us. Very thorough and informative review.
Jim

[jpooch00]

Originally Posted by FazerDude

Update;

I wore the Motoport gear on a 4,200 mile trip to Reno, Salt Lake City, Yellowstone, Glacier, Bannf, Jasper, Kamloops, Yakima, Richland, and back home to the San Francisco Bay.

I encountered temps from 25F to 105F, plenty of rain, and some sleet.

Using the liners and long underwear, I was able to be comfortable at the low end of the scale, and, with mesh alone, was as comfortable as is possible at the high end of the scale. The breathable rain liners kept me dry in the rain, and warm over a wide range of temps. They also took little space when not in use.

This puts me at over 10,000 miles wearing the full suit, and I am very happy with it. Thankfully, I have not had to use its protective features, but it is nice feeling the armor and the tough mesh every time I put it on.

Please let me add my thanks also. Great report and recommendation! I'm waiting on a bike to come in and when it does, I'll be getting Motoport gear.

Thanks again and ride safe,

John

[jfrazsr]

Originally Posted by FazerDude

Update;

I wore the Motoport gear on a 4,200 mile trip to Reno, Salt Lake City, Yellowstone, Glacier, Bannf, Jasper, Kamloops, Yakima, Richland, and back home to the San Francisco Bay.

I encountered temps from 25F to 105F, plenty of rain, and some sleet.

Using the liners and long underwear, I was able to be comfortable at the low end of the scale, and, with mesh alone, was as comfortable as is possible at the high end of the scale. The breathable rain liners kept me dry in the rain, and warm over a wide range of temps. They also took little space when not in use.

This puts me at over 10,000 miles wearing the full suit, and I am very happy with it. Thankfully, I have not had to use its protective features, but it is nice feeling the armor and the tough mesh every time I put it on.

I have had the same exact jacket for maybe 2 yrs and the only complaint that I have after many miles on the jackets and pants is.Before I say I want to say up front that I knew about the problem before I ordered,and Wayne knew about the problem and was trying to find a solution and he may have indeed solved it by now on his newer jackets.I live in Texas and we have a lot of hot weather and sunshine down here.The jacket has started to fade pretty bad,its color is less bright,other than that it only gets better with age.I always wear ldcomfort shorts under my pants this makes putting the pants on easier.I have suspenders on my pants a option wayne highly recommended and I am glad that I took his advice.I put my riding boots on first,well the shorts are already on.Then I unzip all the leg zippers from bottom to top,right side about 10 inches from top then zip top zipper down to bottom zipper position.Put one foot thru then other stand up and put suspenders over the shoulders to hold pants up because they are pretty stiff from all the pads.I then zip the right leg zipper back up to the top,snap my belt,which after adjusting never seems to need it again.Snap down my cover flap.Then zip the leg zippers down the leg,hold the zipper up and close the velcrow strips around it.I do the same thing with the pants liners just leave everything unzipped until the last part.I have worn these for up to 6 weeks on the road at one time and they only get better,as far as the slipperyness I use a wool covered gel pad except when it is raining.I also carry my electric jacket liner and put it under my jacket liner if it is raining,if not just under the jacket.I leave the liner and jacket seperate also in case I want to leave the liner on when fueling are visiting folks.I have rode in some serious rain and these liners are almost completely waterproof the best I have ever had.It is expensive but it will do what it says it will.I have found in Texas about 82 degrees is ok,but it gets hot from then on up but you will not have sunburn either.I just love my combo,great rides to all..Neverhome

[H-man]

Nylon thread material (Cordura) which is part of the Kevlar/Cordura/Lycra thread blend used to fabricate Motoport/Cycleport suits does very easily fade in sunlight.

The addition of expensive Kevlar to the "mesh" style suit thread blend material, aside from dramatically improving the abrasion resistance, is a primary reason why Motoport/Cycleport Kevlar suits cost more than most competitive brands.

If you continuously use "303 High Tech Fabric Guard" spray, applied every few months and after washings, the fading is minimized. The "303" sacrifices itself to sunlight UV rays, instead of the nylon fading.

Red and Yellow colors seem to more noticably fade.