Newsgroups: rec.motorcycles

In article <> jfh@netcom.com (Jack Hamilton) writes:
|One of the photocopied articles they handed out in my MSF class was an
|article from a motorcycle magazine (sorry, don't know which or when) which
|did comparative studies of several kinds of leather and several kinds of
|cloth.  None of the cloth materials (including the specialty cloths used in
|Aerostich) were even near leather in their ability to resist abrasion.  Is
|that still true, or have the artificial materials improved?

   My experiences with Aerostich:

   I've gotton off twice with the Aero suit on.  Fall 1 was at 35mph
(hidden oil slick on freeway entrance ramp).  Result:  A couple of black
spots on the suit.  I slid may be 30-50 feet, not all on one spot.  NO
abrasion of the fabric whatsoever.

   Fall #2 was at about 45mph after smacking a bdd (big damn dog).  I
slid/bounced about 30' on blacktop, over a crub, across 5' of grass, down
about 10' of sidewalk and onto more grass.  Result:  The seam on the side
of one knee pad started to fray the thread, black spots again and grass
stains in the fabric.  The material didn't grind through at all.

   Most important about these falls:  I've fallen in leathers before and
every time I've ended up with crunched elbow/knee/shoulder that was very
painful.  In neither of these falls did I have any of these injuries.
The pads in the suit are marvelous cushions and spread the force of
hitting the ground.

   I suspect that if you fall off and SLIDE on new CONCRETE at high speed
you'd be better off in leathers.  None of my getoffs has ever been a long
slide, I'm always tumbling/rolling etc.  On blacktop, the suit seems not to
abrade.  Also, when talking about wearing through nylon vs leather remember
when you've gone through the leather you into the skin, when you've gone
through the ballistic nylon you're into the impact padding material, when
you've gone through that you're into the nylon/gortex/nylon layer, then
into the taffeta lining and then into whatever clothing you have on
underneath.  My feeling is that the Aerostich provides adequate protection.

   Longevity note:  I've had my suit for 4 years now.  Other than being
filthy (haven't cleaned it in a while) it could be new.  I have about 2" of
frayed seams (see above), I've replaced 4 zipper pulls (free from Aero.)
and that's it.  The suit has seen just over 60k miles of use and been worn
nearly everyday (8-9 months a year) for commuting/touring.  It's seen sun,
it's seen rain, it's seen camping, grass, concrete & dirt.  Maintenance on
the suit has been:  twice I've pulled the pads and tossed it in the wash
machine.  Then it gets Scotch Guarded and goes back into action.
Cleaning/retreating leathers was, for me, much more frequent and much more
effort.  I used to re-treat my leathers every time they got wet, which was
more than twice a year.

   Comfort:  My Aero suit is cooler and breathes better than my leather
did.  I can wear it comfortably in 90+ degree weather AS LONG AS I'M
MOVING.  It becomes an oven when stopped.  This isn't a problem, however
since it takes about 15 seconds to get out of the suit.  And, I discovered
last year that if I soak down my jeans & t-shirt (and helmet liner) I can
be "swamp cooler" cooled for at least an hour with the Aero suit over the
top.  With just the jeans & t-shirt they are dried out after 15 minutes.
(This is 100+ degree low humidity weather)

   Practicality:  This suit has so many pockets I haven't found uses for
them all yet.  I keep in my suit:  State map, owner's manual,
maintenance/gas log, insurance/registration paperwork, swiss army knife,
sewing kit, bandaids, spare key, clear-fix, matches, spare earplugs, house
keys, wallet and change.  I also keep the open pockets (as opposed to the
rest that have flaps) empty so there's space for stuff on the road.

   Final comment:  My leathers haven't been touched in 4 years (I'm
about to give them to a nepphew), I NEVER ride anywhere without the Aero
suit.  It goes over work clothes (+ sweats in the winter) or denim just
fine.  It keeps me dry and it keeps me from bruising while bouncing. 
It's the most practical motorcyclist's apparel on the market today.
Aerostich, I can't leave home without it!

Sorry, I seem to have gotton carried away...

Ken `2 wheels good' Snyder
Newsgroups: rec.motorcycles