One piece suit or jacket and pants?

[SergeantChuck]

The boots don't have to come off and you don't have to find a place to sit or hop around like an injured kangaroo.

I love this comment because that is me. I have the Firstgear Kathmandu and the pants are not the easiest thing to get out of. They are not terrible but I do end up doing some hopping here and there. I carry a shoe horn in my top case to speed up the process of putting my work boots on. I may need to look at this Roadcrafter myself.

 

[Joe A.]

I have a closet full of gear, leathers, textile, mesh etc. finally pulled the trigger on a 'Stich roadcrafter light one piece. I wear that about 85% of the time. I was lucky to pick up a 'Stich Darien jacket from a friend for almost no $ compared to new. when I feel like a 2 piece I wear that with tourmaster lowers. I can't praise 'Stich products enough, expensive but well worth the cost; versatile, tough and better than advertised. My RC light is grey with hi viz ballistics and trust me, you will be seen! even stray dogs on the street do a double take!

 

[MZ5]

I prefer the styling of the Teiz suits & jackets over the Aerostich, personally. Teiz also appears to use about 5x the retro-reflective material as anyone else. Not positive, though, as I've only owned Teiz, not Aerostich or that hideously ugly brand that advertises kevlar material (I can't call their name to mind right now). I do wish Teiz had not gone to slapping their name on the suits in big letters. That's a significant obstacle for me in terms of possibly buying a newer one (mine is from before they started that practice).

I DON'T like the Teiz 'waterproof' liner. It isn't. Not even close. However, it doesn't rain here, so that's not much of an issue for me.

 

[Beemerphile]

...or that hideously ugly brand that advertises kevlar material (I can't call their name to mind right now).

Sounds like Motoport

 

[dduelin]

Sounds like Motoport

People do like Motoport Kevlar gear but I can't get my head around the manufacturer DuPont warnings not to directly or indirectly expose Kevlar to UV (as in sunlight). It degrades rapidly in sunlight. I'm told the material is treated and the gear is constructed in ways to prevent this from happening.

 

[randmun]

I owned a two piece Kevlar Mesh Motoport and it had all the protection in the world. Fantastic on hot summer days and as the weather in Ohio turned cold I just installed the excellent liners.

The down side was that it was very boxy fit and unlike the Aerostitch Roadccrafter you had to laboriously take it off and put it on. So I sold it on Ebay for the same amount I purchased it on Ebay three years prior. You rarely see any of them listed on Ebay. The price of a new suit with liners is over $1400.

 

[treybrad]

The things I didn't like about the Aerostitch?
1. Going to the bathroom (#2 I'm talking here) I didn't like having to take the whole suit off and hang it up to do my business.....

2. Going in a store or restaurant.. I didn't like having to take it off and stow it or look like an astronaut walking around or sitting eating lunch. Stowing a jacket and walking around in the riding pants is much more acceptable to me.

Really good thread, wish I had read more info like this before I got my Scorpion suit on closeout last month. My experience is like netizen's and Strat's. I'm used to two piece set ups, but all you Aerostitch evangelists had me thinking I was missing out on something When the Scorpion suit popped up for < $200 I grabbed it to see how I'd like a one piece before plopping down the serious cash on a 'Stitch.

The two complaints above are my gripes as well. It's pretty quick and easy to get in/out of, and for going straight to/from work or just riding, it's great. But if I stop and grab groceries on the way home or stop to eat I have to take it all the way off, or my usual move is to be bright yellow astronaut man wandering through the store.

With a separate jacket/pants it's easy to stow the jacket in my top case with my helmet and run in. The suit takes up my whole top case, so now I've also got to deal with locking my helmet to the rear seat. If your helmet fits in your frunk I guess that's not an issue though.

It's warmer than my 2 piece gear, which is good because the goofs at Scorpion didn't design a pass-through for my heated gear cord. With the liner in and a fleece jacket underneath I'm fine on my commute down into the 30's. The flip of that is true though, even with the vents open and no liner I'd roast to death in the summer.

So, it is what it is. I'm glad I have it and it serves a purpose. It's another tool in my toolbox of gear, but like any tool, there's a right (and wrong) one for each job, and you can never have too many

trey

 

[potter0o]

Really enjoying this thread. I have a new found appreciation for a one piece. I think at one point I will get one to have an informed opinion. Another advantage of a two piece I have found is I wear the full gear for my commute to work. I can put on the jacket an go for a walk or in my co-workers car for lunch. Putting on a 1 piece in these situations ...might look a touch odd

 

[Beemerphile]

Another advantage of a two piece I have found is I wear the full gear for my commute to work. I can put on the jacket an go for a walk or in my co-workers car for lunch. Putting on a 1 piece in these situations ...might look a touch odd

No, it would look MAJOR odd! Back in the olden days when I worked for a living, I kept a sweater and jacket at the office for such as that. Wearing even just an armored hi-viz jacket out to lunch with the gang makes you look like a volunteer fireman showing off his turnout gear.

 

[Joe A.]

Really good thread, wish I had read more info like this before I got my Scorpion suit on closeout last month. My experience is like netizen's and Strat's. I'm used to two piece set ups, but all you Aerostitch evangelists had me thinking I was missing out on something When the Scorpion suit popped up for < $200 I grabbed it to see how I'd like a one piece before plopping down the serious cash on a 'Stitch.

The two complaints above are my gripes as well. It's pretty quick and easy to get in/out of, and for going straight to/from work or just riding, it's great. But if I stop and grab groceries on the way home or stop to eat I have to take it all the way off, or my usual move is to be bright yellow astronaut man wandering through the store.

With a separate jacket/pants it's easy to stow the jacket in my top case with my helmet and run in. The suit takes up my whole top case, so now I've also got to deal with locking my helmet to the rear seat. If your helmet fits in your frunk I guess that's not an issue though.

It's warmer than my 2 piece gear, which is good because the goofs at Scorpion didn't design a pass-through for my heated gear cord. With the liner in and a fleece jacket underneath I'm fine on my commute down into the 30's. The flip of that is true though, even with the vents open and no liner I'd roast to death in the summer.

So, it is what it is. I'm glad I have it and it serves a purpose. It's another tool in my toolbox of gear, but like any tool, there's a right (and wrong) one for each job, and you can never have too many

trey

good points! although I generally could give a rats a$$ what anyone thinks, I have to admit the first few times stopping for gas and running in to get a pack of smokes and a coffee I was a tad self conscious! On a trip to VA, an elderly women stopped outside and said "I want to congratulate you for wearing full gear." I asked if she was a rider and she said no but she assumes that riders in shorts and tees are morons and not real bikers and those with full gear are the real ones. Another quick anecdote; I stopped for lunch at a small burger place in a rural town near me and there were several HD's in the lot. I strolled in with my one piece on and the place went silent like in an old western when a gun slinger walks in a saloon. I stopped and looked around at all of the "manly men" and said "alright, who the f#%k looks out of place here?" we all had a good laugh and I ended up eating with these guys.

 

[Beemerphile]

I stopped for lunch at a small burger place in a rural town near me and there were several HD's in the lot. I strolled in with my one piece on and the place went silent like in an old western when a gun slinger walks in a saloon. I stopped and looked around at all of the "manly men" and said "alright, who the f#%k looks out of place here?" we all had a good laugh and I ended up eating with these guys.

I was in the rest room on a gas stop once with the 'stich on and after giving me his best "I smell something" look-over, an American Brand biker standing beside me said "If I was scared to ride the damned thing I'd just get a car."

 

[Joe A.]

I was in the rest room on a gas stop once with the 'stich on and after giving me his best "I smell something" look-over, an American Brand biker standing beside me said "If I was scared to ride the damned thing I'd just get a car."

Being a wise *** on any given day I would probably respond " I have no fear, that's why I need all the help I can get!

 

[dduelin]

In the Stich I've been asked by kids if I'm a fireman (twice) and an astronaut once. I guess they wear something similar snowmobiling because of a couple comments to that effect from adults. I don't care much what people think so it doesn't bother me. I made a quick connect web belt I keep in one of the pockets and click it around my waist so I can slip the sleeves and torso off if I don't want to take it completely off for a quick stop or break. To some degree I want to be seen as both a motorcycle rider and a regular human being when in a store, gas station, or restaurant. It's easy for riders to be stereotyped and I want regular folks to see I'm a regular guy.

 

[Brillot2000]

I started out with a one-piece for cold weather riding back in the 90's, we simply called them a riding suit then. I think that one of those that I got at the time was snowmobile suit, it did not have any type of armor that we have some accustom to these days. I did go down while wearing one and it did protect my skin from road rush on a dark road at night. It got torn up to say the least, however my skin did not.

Now I prefer the 2-piece setup and I have one setup of each riding season (Hot and Cold). The fabric technologies used on these gourmets are far more superior when compared to the riding gear that I had over 20 years ago, or should I say that I lacked.

I hope this helps you out.

 

[treybrad]

I made a quick connect web belt I keep in one of the pockets and click it around my waist so I can slip the sleeves and torso off if I don't want to take it completely off for a quick stop or break.

That is a great tip, thanks!

trey

 

[MZ5]

My firefighter turnouts and my riding suit bear zero resemblance to one another.
...I may have mentioned the fashion advantage of Teiz before...
;-)

 

[dduelin]

Aerostich hi viz gets a dirty mustard colored patina after 50,000 miles or so. The cloth color does look like my daughter's turnouts.

 

[Ed Up]

"I want to be seen as both a motorcycle rider and a regular human being when in a store, gas station, or restaurant. It's easy for riders to be stereotyped and I want regular folks to see I'm a regular guy." by dduelin


I went to a hare scramble last weekend. We stopped to get gas and a man came out to look at the bikes. He was wearing leather motorcycle pants, Joe Rocket riding jacket, full finger leather gloves, and worn out tennis shoes. He started telling us about his bike. We didn't see a bike on the lot and asked "where did u park". He pointed towards a car that had more value as scrap than as a car, and replied "my bike is at home, but I may take it out later today". He seemed to be a very proud man and we just told him to have a great day and be safe. We didn't laugh until well out of sight, then we cried we laughed so hard. I just wondered if his helmet was in the front seat.

 

[Gibsito]

What ever you wear ,just make sure you can get your wanger out in time on cold mornings after too many coffees

Ha ha, this made me laugh only because it's true. I've got a two-piece Olympia mesh setup - Airglide 4 jacket with Airglide 3 pants, which zip together in the rear if desired. Both have removable liners (the jacket has a waterproof as well as a thermal liner, the pants only a water/wind liner). When using the pants as an overpant with Levis underneath, taking a leak is a major PITA. The outer pant has a zipper, the liner has another zipper and then the Levis have a zipper. I got to the point where I was leaving everything unzipped except the outer pant. Even with that being the case, it's an ordeal digging through all of that clothing. I find it easier to undo the buttons/snaps as well, but then it all weighs so much that it wants to fall off of you.

I think it's obvious that the two piece suit is more flexible and easier to use during non-riding parts of a ride (stopping at a restaurant), but how about comfort on long rides? The bi-weekly trip south for days off is about 6 hours each way, I would imagine a one-piece would have some sort of advantage there, but I could be wrong.

I've never used a one-piece suit so can't comment on that, but I find the two-piece to be quite comfortable while riding - long ride or not. It's not very comfortable off the bike (bulky, heavy), but while riding it's great and gives me a feeling of being well protected.

 

[Wildfire]

Well I picked up the used Olympia suit yesterday, It is stiffer and bulkier than I thought it would be, but the price was right.

I will use it for the spring and if I find it too hot once it warms up I will get a lighter mesh set. I can see how this might become an expensive "hobby".