Best armored one piece suit for adventure bike.

I know that the go to standard is Aerostich roadcrafter and I have no trouble dropping that sort of dough on a suit or more. But is there something better in the one piece design, that has heavy armor and is hopefully waterproof. The Aerostich is showing its age and is not CE rated, The BMW stuff looks cool but I have no experience with them. All the Alpinestar stuff is two piece I believe and the few adventure suits that I have seen at the bike shop are ~500 bucks and are not really armored that well and from Chinese companies I have never heard of.

Would like to find on in the 1500$ or less range, black with reflective back and front, normal armoring sports plus CE2 back protector and something that will protect my ribs and kidneys as well.

I would like a one piece pullover two piece might be the only way though.

Forgot to add, San Diego riding, occasional light rain. Prefer textile over leather as the base. 5K miles or so a year.

San Diego and you want black? While I love black for it's ability to hide dirt and stains I would pick a lighter color if it were me. That's all I have to contribute. Waiting for more informed replies.

Oh! Have you checked out reviews on www.webbikeworld.com ?

I just picked up this jacket/pant combo... it's not technically one piece but it's textile, guaranteed dry, zips together, super well vented for warmer weather and armored up like the bomb squad. Plus it looks better than the sitch coverall looking things and it doesn't smell like nutsack from 100' away when you sweat in it.

http://www.revzilla.com/motorcycle/klim-badlands-pro-jacket

It takes a little bit to break in (very stiff until I washed it once) and the sleeves run small if you are a power lifter type.

GPS that is exactly what I want it to look like. If it is comfortable and safe then that might do the trick.

As for the black, I like the black with the reflectors because people notice it a little better when I ride up behind them during the day. Also I don't want to look like a power ranger on a Harley, to much attention from the local police.

In reply to wearymicrobe:

It has D30 armor on the knee, hip, forearm, shoulder, back, & chest so it's about as safe as it gets without staying home.

Comfort is one of those things... I tried the XL and L in both pants and jacket. The sizes are odd in that the large jacket fits a 44" chest well but there isn't much room in the sleeves for layers. I got by with it it's fine on the bike but not so much for wearing otherwise because of the chest armor riding up when you aren't in a riding position and fully zipped.

The pants are the opposite. My 34 waist was perfect but the legs were baggy. I had a stitch put into the back of the knee at a tailor ($16) to keep the armor in place when not seated, like say flying thru the air ;) (seated on the bike it's fine).

For me it's very comfortable on the bike for long rides in 25-45F. I've not had an opportunity for anything warmer but the primary reason I chose this over the better looking Rukka stuff was reviews touting the ventilation for hot weather. It certainly has plenty of mesh lined zipper real estate to make the claim believable.

One thing I really like is the jacket has an elastic kidney belt. After a bunch of hours on bumps I get some low back fatigue. I'm hoping that helps a bit.

There is actually a complete set of the KLIM gear in black worn once on eBay right now in my size for 700$. Might try and talk him down a little bit and snag it.

In reply to wearymicrobe:

The only issue is sizing. They fit weird. With Revzilla I sent them back twice until I was happy (as well as a pair of Rukka Aramis that were too warm).

If you are pretty sure about the sizing... it's a significant savings. Bust out the tape and measure. Badlands Pro Jacket + pants are $1400 new ( I got a killer sale on the jacket over the holiday and found pants with tags still on them at ADV rider for half price and I still paid a load more than $700). Make sure that isn't a different set too - there are Traverse, Overland, etc... they look similar.

I've got a klim setup, I've been really happy with it, only complaint is I got fat and now it's tight. Wife has a rev-it, she likes it but it's got loose stitching on a seam in the first season and the "waterproof" pocket let her iPhone get ruined by water (she ate e36m3 into a big mud puddle)

wearymicrobe wrote: Also I don't want to look like a power ranger on a Harley, to much attention from the local police.

I think even the chips would applaud if you were knee dragging a harley through the canyons.....

wearymicrobe wrote: Also I don't want to look like a power ranger on a Harley, to much attention from the local police.

It might get you some cred with the 1%'er pirate crowd.

http://www.tmz.com/2015/02/01/power-rangers-ricardo-medina-arrested-murder-sword/

yamaha wrote:

wearymicrobe wrote: Also I don't want to look like a power ranger on a Harley, to much attention from the local police.

I think even the chips would applaud if you were knee dragging a harley through the canyons.....

In reply to Nick_Comstock:

Lowside crashes don't count.....

Does this???

Nick_Comstock wrote: Does this???

I do not have that sort of skill.

My skill set is more in the fall off the bike, more then likely on my butt somehow, while going around a turn at 15 because someone spilled oil on the street.

In reply to Nick_Comstock:

Might as well be...

In reply to Nick_Comstock:

Bike is hardpointed out though.....just like my Raptor would be....stupid drag pegs, oil lines, and air filter keeping it from leaning very far.

Local BMW dealer had the KLIM stuff in stock and on sale. Fits really well. The BMW stuff fits much better on me but not as big armor and no chest protector for when I borrow a dirt bike from a friend. Did like the BMW integrated water bottle and the holders for the tubing. Not really something I need for a two hour max ride though.

Ordered the Jacket and pants was ~1150$ with tax OTD. Waiting on the pants and jacket to come in. Got it in the silver with the reflective stripes. I like the vents and the straps are easy to use.

In reply to wearymicrobe:

As long as you got it to fit - it's great gear. The day after I got it I rode thru cold rain for two hours at highway speed and the only thing that got wet was my feet (old ass Sidi boots with a broken vent).

Do note though that the front pockets are "water resistant" not waterproof. They have storm seals and do a great job but if you are seriously needing 100% no chance of water in there the right front has a dry bag insert for 100% waterproof storage, otherwise stash stuff inside the gore-tex liner or in the luggage.

GPS

I have a few drybags that I use for keeping stuff on me from my adventure kayaking days. I never trust the gear to keep my electronics dry. Good to hear it has it from the factory.

It fit really well in the store and they have a really good return policy. They were pushing the BMW stuff pretty hard though and I got to admit it might be worth ~400$ more plus what ever a rib guard costs.

I seriously tried to find a good waterproof gore-tex shell with zero armor so I could wear real armor (I have Bohn adventure pants and a Forcefield Pro shirt).

There is really no such thing - it's all off-road racing gear and it's no good weather-wise for touring or abraison-wise for asphalt. Klim was the best overall solution I found - the BMW stuff was great and well reviewed but the cost was spectacular and it seemed like it was going to be too warm for the 70+ sunny stuff. At that price it needs to be "for all occasions".

FWIW, I actually like the Badlands better than the BMW Rally (and the comparably expensive Klim Rally) because it does not have the complicated detachable collar for the Leatt brace, drink bag, etc that I'm never going to wear. It was a bit too "hard core" for me, honestly.