[fz1]

I have the sport jacket w/ pants and am very pleased with both...I have no complaints regarding the pants, as the reviewer apparently did..keeps me warm and dry under all adverse conditions, and the venting in the jacket allows wear even in 100 degree summer weather...when the pants stay in the closet and the Draggin Jeans come out.

As opposed to the Bozo (Bozette?) posting above, I enjoy your product reviews.

 

[blip]

Yeah, I think I'll buy a Ferrari from all the ad revenue from Tour Master... let's see, it amounts to $0, doh! Can't even get a Matchbox car!



Regardless of who advertises or doesn't, we give great reviews to deserving products, and poor reviews to poor products. Indeed, we have several companies that neither advertise nor behave in a professional manner when we deal with them (and we have to deal with them), and we have companies that're great to deal with, yet we treat them all the same at review time...

 

[CycloneRider]

I looked at the Cortech jacket but bought a Darien

Light primarily because ALL moto-tester types swear by Aerostitch. In the heat of So. Cal's Inland Empire, a Darien Light seemed logical. I was wearing it last month when I hit a tennis shoe on a blind right-hander and low sided. I slid about 20 feet on asphalt and another 10-15 on dirt. The jacket held up pretty well, but, as my right foot was caught between the bike and the ground, I was twisted a bit to my right and slid on my right forearm. It ground all the way through the sleeve (just in front of the elbow pad) and ground up my arm. The jacket is supposed to be worn with a liner, but I only had a t-shirt on underneath. I don't know how much a flimsy cotton or fleece liner would have helped. I think I'll order the Draggin' Shirt and Jeans. My Levi's were shredded, while my Joe Rocket Ballistic Pants (way too hot for year round use) sat in the closet. My Olympia Sport Gloves came apart at the seam between the right thumb and forefinger. Finally, according to the Ortho Surgeon, the Sidi Strada boots (vs. tennis shoes, hiking boots, etc.) saved my foot from major damage. In the aftermath, torn ligaments and two tiny fractures in my right foot and road rash on right knee, forearm and hand. Scan the road (if you can) BEFORE you look through the corner to where you want to exit.

Sorry so long, but the info seems relevent.

 

[056]

Synthetics just can't hack it.

It's true. I crashed this last time in my Roadcrafter, and slid maybe 50 feet on my knee. The outer patch of materiel was worn all the way through, scuffing the much lighter (1000 stich v. 500 stitch) fabric underneath. Another 25 feet and I would have lost some skin. (But much less then if I was wearing nothing- can you imagine what your crash would have been like in JUST a t-shirt? Ugh!)

There was an article in Motorcycle Consumer News comparing different fabrics for abrasion resistance, and the Aerostitch fabric was rated more highly than many types of leather. Well, I've crashed in both, and I don't believe it.

If you want really good crash protection, there is still no substitute for good quality leather.

But under the conditions you described, I don't know if leather would have been much better.

 

[aeroegg]

The Tourmaster set I have has really held up for two years of constant wear. I use my motorcycle for 95% of my transportation needs and have always worn at least the jacket everytime. The suit still looks good, although the reflective patches look a tad beat up. I've been riding to work in freezing weather this winter and the suit keeps me pretty comfortable. However, summertime in the hot Texas sun isn't any fun, but I doubt any suit would be comfortable in triple digit temperatures, save one with a micro climate cooling garment.

 

[James]

I have a Cortech Jacket and it leaks terribly. Whenever I ride in the rain my arms get soaking wet. I have to spray it with water repellent a lot to maintain some sort of water resistance. I live in Hawaii and, even with the vents open, the jacket is really hot. It is also bulky (I am small). I would not buy it if I could do it over again.

 

[mx5]

I have been wearing a cordura set of clothing for the past 5 years. Produced by Moto the concept is very similar to Cortechs.

Good ventilation in the summer with just shorts and T shirt underneath. Its amazing how many bugs end up on the suit especially the black pants, you can often feel them hit!

Cooler months the liner and cross country poly underwear keep me warm. I usually have the bike off the road from Dec to March as our cool wet weather in Vancouver is not too condusive to riding unless you have heated everything clothing wise and big fairings.

Going to work on an almost 0 degree Cel. morning is ok without the underwear, just street cloths under the suit.

I like all the pockets, good for all sorts of stuff like digital camera, wallets etc . All seams are good in the wet.

Check out the photos at , http://ca.photos.yahoo.com/pl1988

Good riding

 

[rickd]

I had a TourMaste Cortech one-piece suit and was unimpresse with it's performance in a get-off. While most of the panels held up OK, the lycra at the knee shredded very quickly, leaving the thin nylon inner liner as the only protection for my knee. Had I slid any longer, I would have been through the nylon and into my knee.



Additionally, the fabric at the cuffs and colar deteriorates over time, eventually allowing the inner liner to come adrift - this is bad becasue it's that inner liner that holds and locates the armor.

 

[rkba]

On May 11 of this year I put my Tourmaster Cortech jacket and pants to the ultimate test. I was cruising up a four lane mountain road near my house at about 70 mph when a brain dead SUV cager swerved into my lane and clipped the front wheel of my Blackbird. After a few tank slappers I high sided. I came down on my left side, rolled once, and then slid on my back about 150 feet before I stopped. Total injuries - numerous bruises, a serious scrape on the palm of my left hand, and a scrape/puncture about the size of a quarter on my right elbow.



Appraisal of Tourmaster gear: Well, thanks to Tourmaster and Shoei, I jumped up and ran off the road - that says alot all by itself! The only "nit" I have is that the divet in the elbow pads which (I presume) is designed to allow articulation of the elbow, is the exact location of where I was bit! However, in spite of serious glazing, tearing, and abrasion of the shoulders, other elbow, front, knees, left hip, butt, and especially the back pad I had no other blood loss. In fact, I attribute the injury to my right elbow to the fact that I came down on my front and then rolled with my right arm tucked in in front of my body.



All the gear was trashed, but after a 70 mph spill I don't find that surprising. I shopped around after the crash to see if I could find anything I liked better, but once the insurance money arrived I decided that short of full leathers there wasn't anything out there which would have done a better job. So, I replaced all the gear with the identical Tourmasters I was wearing when I went down.



Bottom line - My Cortech jacket and pants ( along with my full face helmet and heavy duty boots) saved me significant disfigurement, at a minimum, and probably my life. Unless I someday buy a set of racing leathers, I will never ride one of my bikes wearing anything else.



PS. 6 weeks and $4000 later the Blackbird was resurrected and has since seen around 2000 miles of trouble free riding. I also bought a pair of Tourmaster Racecomp gloves to replace the ones that bit the palm of my left hand.

 

[DVTLatro]

NO NO NO Please people for your own good, do not buy any Joe Racket clothing unless you plan on not falling. I tried the Ballistic 3.0 suit and the sleeve wore through in a very mild lowside (hit sand in a turn). I was not injured except for minor roadrash on my arm where the suit wore through. I must have slid a good 24 inches. Even their leather suits are cheezy when you compare them to AGV or Alpinestar or Z leathers etc.

 

[neko]

Re: Motoport Ultra II

I've done about 45,000 miles in my red Motoport Ultra II jacket and pants, including one crash which included a fall but no sliding. I bought it over the Aerostitch because reviews I read at the time noted that it is cooler than the Aerostitch, which may be true, but that is mainly because it is not waterproof. If you don't want to get wet, you zip in the waterproof (and insulated) liners, which keep you dry but are not usable in warm weather. I have found the Motoport to be comfortable, confidence-inspiring suit, but the quality of construction is not great for the price (nearly as much as the Aerostich). Several snaps have come off, some of them only months after I purchased the suit. Also, my Motoport has no Scotchlite, so I had some put on.

 

[roadlizard]

If the higher priced riding gear offers better weather protection, ventilation and features that the Tourmaster 3/4 jacket, it must be VERY good.

 

[2212]

Purchased a Cortech Jacket and pants with my dealer recomendations and a few readups on them. Just finished a 5,810 mile jaunt up the coast of Maine. One day of riding about a 100 or so miles in a light rain in Maine. Belly got a little wet. Not sure why. Maybe I didn't have the velcro quite secure enuff. Rest was good and dry.

Suit was really warm and widder vest worked good with it when needed. This was without lining.

Venting, well , I was behind a windscreen but the vents did feel better.

In all, I found it to be lighter, warmer and cooler than my old leather jacket and pants. Lots more water resistant also. But, you got to get it off fast when not running. But, that's the same as the leather.

Yes, I would buy them again.

 

[91vmi]

I have the set since 1999. The jacket has always been and remains near frog's ear dry, but the pants have never ever ever stopped anything other than dew on the seat. I fact, I quit wearing the blasted things except in the winter when it is brrrrr. I solved the leaking pants though....I wear a Nigel Dennis Bib pantsuit underneath, cribbed them from my kayak bag!



Im thinking I will get the Aerostitch HiVis this year though, having ridden in Mexico, Puerto Rico, SoCal and DC..Visibilty is a must, screw it if I will look "like a freaking ****" as my esteemed Army student at work says.



Now if I can only find a pair of boots to fit my size 14 feet...