| Author | Message | ||
     Mikej |
Aerostich is having a "very boring rally" up in Duluth in August. The rider with the most worn out Roadcrafter suit may win a new suit. From their site:
Regardless, a good time should be had by all.  Just posting a notice I received in email in case anyone was thinking of visiting there one day. Their main page is here. | ||
| Bluzm2 |
Mike, Are you goin? I got their email yesterday, sounded interesting in a boring sort of way...... BJ | ||
| Mikej |
Don't know yet. Would (yawn) be fuuuuuu(yawn)uunnnn to go up there again. This could get anoy(yawn)iiiiiiiiiing.  Have to see how the summer plays out. Trying to finish the undergraduate degree in the Fall, and trying to get into grad school for Fall or Spring, and trying to coordinate a vacation back to Washington, and other running around. Have indirect family up in northern Wisc so might just be able to work a Duluth trip into the mix. I'll keep you posted as things sort themselves out. When is the Blues Fest in Duluth? I'll check back in the morning, got an upload to do. | ||
| Awprior |
I recently got an Aerostich, black on black. I haven't gotten to ride in it yet, but it's awesome. Question for the gurus- It's Goretex, if I sew a few patches on it, is it going to affect the waterproofness of the suit? My gut feeling says yes, a little, but I've seen quite a bit of suits with stuff on them and haven't heard any complaints. Anyone have any experience? Thanks, Alex | ||
| Nevco1 |
Check Aerostich's website. They have a multitude of sealers for their suits. Then call them for their best recommendation. | ||
| V2win |
Not to worry. If you get into enough rain for a long enough time, you will be wet, patches or no patches. | ||
| Mbsween |
John, how long (approximate) is long enough? 10 minutes, 1/2 hour, 3 days......? Matt | ||
| V2win |
Matt, Thats hard to say since everyone idea of light, med, heavy, rain may be different. Let me put it to you this way. Racerboy and I left St. Louis on our way down to Deals Gap one year when it was raining hard. Hard enough that cars were pulled over to wait the storm out. Well, I guess we must have been riding about the same speed as the storm was moving because it rained all the way to Louisville Ky. were we met up with Leslie from Buell. 250 miles of "hard" rain equaled wet all over. Boots full of water. No dry spots anywhere. I will ping Racerboy when I get off here and have him add his thoughts to the story. Later, John | ||
| Mbsween |
John, Thanks, I know your idea of hard rain is most people's idea of riding underwater  . In less than biblical type rains, does it keep you mostly dry? | ||
| V2win |
Yep, except for your crotch. Its my understanding that the two-piece suit is better at keeping your valueables dry. I cant say yea or neigh. I do know that my Buell Adventurer suit is better than the Aerostitch roadcrafter at keeping the crotch area dry. I believe that Aerostitch now makes pants with a flap sewn into the fly, like the Buell suit. Special order maybe. | ||
| Racerboy |
Okay...Here's the deal for me...I have two Roadcrafter one piece suits with the back protectors and love them...I slid down the road at 70 mph and you can hardly tell where the suit made contact...It literally saved my bacon...And yeah, the ride to The Gap with Les was of biblical proportions...It rained hard the first half day to Louisville to meet up with Les riding down solo from Milwaukee and all day the second day except for the two hours we were at the dealer in Knoxville to replace my rear cylinder temp sensor...Of course, as soon as the three of us hit the road again, yeah, it started to rain again...So Leslie's intro to The Dragon was in the dark, in a pouring rain...That gal is a RIDER!!!...Was I wet in my 'stich?...No, not wet, I was soaked...The one piece suits leak at the crouch after an hour or so of steady rain…I understand that the two piece suits are much better at this…But, short of sealing yourself like a boat for winter storage sooner or later all suits will wick either from the cuffs up or the neck down…Talking to riders in the LD community the consensus is that some of the First Gear stuff is the most waterproof textile clothing…But in most storms where you ride into and out of them in a bit, the 'stich works great... But I still prefer the ‘stich for all it’s features, vents, usable pockets, water bladder pocket, etc…My frist suit has been returned to Deluth for repairs (not the crash but exhaust burns) and their service is tremendous...That would be hard to get in any other gear...And I commute in the one piece in a shirt and tie and it is the best suit to easily don and ditch…My admin assistant gets a kick out of the “strip” at the orifice and hums the appropriate music…One of these days I’m going to wear my tux underneath the ‘stich and carry a Walther PPK and really impress her… Another thing to remember regarding all of these suits is the thermal and evap protection they provide…There are many on the ST1300 and FJR1300 lists complaining about the heat gen’d by these big water cooled engines and most of the time you learn they are riding in jeans…I’ve worn my ‘stich in 100 degree weather and it’s kind of like the Arab thing…You completely cover yourself to stay cooler and you don’t dehydrate… John and I had a great ride today…Not too many miles as it took us 1 ˝ hours to have lunch served in an itty bitty restaurant in a very small Missouri town but it was in the sixties here so that made up for all the rest…But the best part of the ride was riding with John… See Ya! Bob edited by racerboy on February 28, 2004 | ||
| Josh_ |
After I went over my seams twice with seam sealer I haven't gotten wet. Maybe I just haven't been in enough rain. Speaking of boots, my Rocky 911s (no longer made) have never gotten my feet/socks wet unless I forget to roll my pants under the 'stitch. I hope to get the same performance out of the Sidi's. | ||
| Racerboy |
Josh...John and I both swear by our Sidi's...I've actually stood in water that was over a road to turn the bike around and not had a drop in the boots...Okay, so tell me about this rolling up the cuff trick?...How far from the bottom of the suit?...You know the other thread we can start here is if anyone has found a sure way to keep your hands dry?...The only way I know is to put the gloves on first and then the suit...Any other tricks?...John and I use Aerostich's three finger mitts... Bob | ||
| Josh_ |
I just roll the pants up above the lip of the suit (1"  and below the lip of the boot (that was with the Rocky's - the Sidi's are several inches taller). I usually make just a single long roll. Dry hands? Never. I actually have jetski gloves I wear if it's really going to rain. My Widders do a good job tho. Speaking of which, they're about shot. I thought they'd last longer. I think I'll go Gerbing gloves and switch the connectors (sorry Widder but yeah your connectors are rebuildable - 'cause they have to be - they suck)for next winter. I've stood in water with the Rocky's and they're so comfortable I often take them on vacation (sometime as the only footwear) I'm bummed they stopped making them. Waterproof, comfortable, combat boots with street soles. I've had them ... maybe 7 years and worn them on 3 continents plus various islands in the Pacific. Am I opinionated yet? Ok, so what do you wear under the 'stich? I prefer long sleeves and have some nice Nike long sleeve high-tech "wick" sport shirts to wear when it might be too warm for a cotton "T". I also have gel-padded biker shorts for extremly long rides (800+mi) but otherwise I do jeans. How about socks? I need over-the-calf (Sidi's are damn tall) black (so I can wear slip-on dress shoes at work), comfortable socks. prefer wicking and thick but cool. My dad likes stuff from campmor.com but I haven't bought any yet. I am starting to dig my new Shoei RF1000 helmet. but my RayBan's don't work real good with it. We all have our problems. | ||
| Court |
I ahve flags and Buell stuff on all my Aerostiches and have ridden in one torando and many level 4 and 5 thunderbumpers. No problem. There's a bit of a trick that I want to call "pull the crotch up so that water doesn't pond there" but I have no way to phrase it gently. There's lots to know to make a Roadcrafter "work" and how to wash it. Most importantly, get some miles on it soon. The only thing that breaks in more slowly are their combat touring boots. I'd go Garne on boots. Ride safe, Court | ||
| Awprior |
Court, Thanks for the heads up. I have a bit of stuff I'll sew on, not a whole lot though. Which model of Gaerne boots do you recommend? I've only found two street models, and only one is waterproof. I'm going to guess those guys. My Oxtars are pretty comfortable, but not for a trip like I have planned if it rains. Alex | ||
| Fullpower |
Greetings from alaska. we had a nice "spring break" temps up to 36 during the day, so got a quick 500 miles on the XB. Now looking into a real RIDING SUIT. the harley leathers look real cool, and are warm enough when dry. problem is struggling into rainsuit beside the road, then during lunch stop, finding a place to hang all the wet crap and not piss off the waitress. so the real point is: if i get the aeorostictch roadcrafter suit, do i still need to carry rain gear? they recommend scotch gard after washing... does this really work? thanks for the input... dean | ||
| Awprior |
Dean, The Roadcrafter has a Goretex lining. From what I've read here, it's good to go riding in the rain and wherever else your travels may take you. Every other Goretex jacket I've had held up ok after washing with a bit of scotchgard, I wouldn't see why the Stich wouldn't be the same. It looks like a really quality item and, even thought I haven't ridden in it, it's real easy to get in and out of, and I know is more comfortable than my full leathers. Alex | ||
| S2pengy |
Having gone down with an Aerostich on gravel at about 45mph, I can not say enough about it saving my hide... No road rash or broken bones but one side of the suit was torn up pretty good... Repairs were done by the factory and while they were not cheap they were done very well... They don't patch areas they replace entire sections... While the colors are not exact it was once again a suit I was not afraid to use... | ||
| Mbsween |
Bob, do you have a pointer to the LD site? I'm feeling lazy. Geez and I thought I had it bad riding the dragon in the dark behind John. Those rides (especially the next two days) we're some of the best I've done. Could've used the stitch when we were on the Blue Ridge. My TourMaster stuff was pretty useless as far as rain went that day. Thanks again for taking me along and showing me the good roads. Looks like I see a stitch in the future. Now to convince the better half..... Matt | ||
| Court |
>>>>Having gone down with an Aerostich on I am a believer, own 4 and don't leave home without one. Court | ||
| Knickers |
Thought I'd bring up one of the lesser known benefits to the Roadcrafter. Its one of the few riding suits of any type that comes in long & short versions for every size. Being 6'7" its the only thing off the rack that fits me. I use a 2 piece roadcrafter with the elipse zipped between the upper and lower to make enough room for my long torso. Kurt | ||
| Awprior |
I just picked up a pair of the combat touring boots and have come to two realizations: 1. I really need to stop buying more and more gear and settle with the stuff I have (Roadcrafter, full set of Vansons and a pair of Oxtars), but good gear one thing, great gear is another. 2. The Aerostich stuff is awesome. These boots definitely look like they'll take some time to break in, hope to have time this week to do the puddle stomp and then ride for a while. I like the Oxtar TCS boots that I have, but they're not all that comfortable to wear all day if you're walking anywhere. The Combat Touring Boots are made more like a conventional boot, with its roots as a motorcross boot. I think they will be much more comfortable to walk around in once broken in, and will last much longer than the Oxtars since they are made of very nice, heavy leather. Since they are all leather and don't have any synthetic panels, they'll be a whole lot easier to waterproof as well. I'll let you all know how the breakin for these go... I've heard it can take quite a while. Alex | ||
| Curtyd |
I am just breaking in a set of combat touring boots after prematurely wearing thru the heels of their now discontinued City Sport Boots. Aerostitch gave me a full credit towards the CT Boots, even though the others were 9 months old. I have my first aerostitch 2 piece suit around here somewhere that I bought in 1989 at the factory in Duluth off their discount rack for $275 complete. I know it would win the oldest suit contest but don't think I have time to get away. This is a big year for us with the new daughter and all. The CT boots are fitted a little large but I guess that's better than too small. I need to go out and buy some thick hunting/hiking socks. Aerostitch is my favorite and only moto retailer, followed by RKA in Ca. I don't think there is any need to look anywhere else even with all the copies out there now. You don't often get customer service that accepts back boots 9 months old and takes responsibility for the premature wear and keeps another lifetime customer by doing so. I swear by them now. edited by CURTYD on June 27, 2004 | ||
| Court |
>>>Aerostitch is my favorite Ditto. I've got 4 Roadcrafter suits about here and Lord knows how much other (heated vests, scarfs, luggage) and I've yet to see anyone approach Aerostich. By the way, breaking in a pair of CT boots can be a looooooooooooong process. | ||
| Curtyd |
What do you think of just filling them with water for 15 minutes or so and wearing them until they dry? That's what we always did with our mountaineering boots. It's basically just the fast method of perspiring into the leather until they soften up and mold to your feet. | ||
| Nedwreck |
I'd love to have a Roadcrafter but price is a big issue for me. I still have the Buell suit from way back when but it's turned all sorts of weird colors. It's still a nice suit save for the looks. It's warm, has more pockets than a pool hall but may need to be rewaterproofed. I suppose I could get one of the FXWD(?) suits. It's the same as my old Buell suit but orange and black, has Harley written all over it and is some $300 cheaper than the Roadcrafter. Nah, I'm keep the stuff I got and save up for a Roadcrafter. I wonder how well the Buell suit will take a dye job. =) Bob | ||
| Josh_ |
posted on an FJR site yesterday: Aerostich 1 piece: 40L @ $475 delivered -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Red. Mint condition. Worn 5 times. George 203-323-0175 | ||
| Henrik |
Bob; if you're looking to waterproof your old suit, check out the spray on stuff at Aerostitch. You wash the suit and spray it when wet. Then tumble dry. Works very well; it refreshes the water proofing of the fabric itself, so the gore-tex can do it's job better. Henrik | ||
| S2pengy |
The aerostich suits show up on ebay all the time sometimes brand new... Also on the Riderware (Aerostich) web site they sell overages, custom suits that were not picked up, each batch of material is a slightly different color so they sell mix matched sets ect.. You can save big bucks either way... | ||
| Lornce  |
There's a trick when donning an Aerostich to increase it's waterproofness.... The main zipper has a baffle running it's full length that wants to fold over behind and under the zipper whenever you put the suit on - especially in the leg and crotch - which renders it useless as a barrier. Take the time to ensure this baffle is flattened out and unfolded (it's actually kind of tedious) and the suits weather resistance increases tenfold. I use a Darien jacket and one and two piece Roadcrafters and they're the most comfortable and protective gear I've worn. Being able to ride comfortably and confidently all day without changing or adding "rain layers" through varying wx is a real boon that'll spoil you for lesser gear. |
