Ok, first off I want to say that I am in no way sponsored by Pilot. I am a regular guy who rides his bike every day no matter the weather (provided there's not a :hitfan:load of snow on the ground).
If you don't have time to read, visit their website, and believe everything they advertise.
http://www.pilotmotosport.com/If you're still skeptical at the price point, Read on. (Revised from another forum I did a review on, but you guys need to buy this stuff...)
Well, after 3 days of impatiently waiting for UPS to get it here, I finally have it. (Can't complain about the free shipping from pilot tho!)
Initial Thoughts: Holy quality batman... I paid almost $500 for my tour-master transition 2 jacket/pant set, and while it was thicker, the quality wasn't even remotely close to this... At the price point I was a bit skeptical. I've seen other companies make high claims at a low price point, but in reality you got what you paid for... The reviews usually showed that as well.
I posted in a Facebook group of local riders here in OR inquiring about gear recommendations, because I DESPERATELY needed some new gear (Summer and winter) and someone posted up about the pilot gear. I started looking into it but couldn't find much information anywhere. I had seen the prices and was instantly skeptical... Then I found this thread, and one on another forum (I don't remember which one anymore) and people saying truths about what Pilot claimed. So I took the risk of having my wife either at my throat for a costly mistake, or super happy that I got $1200 worth of gear for about $350...
I honestly think based on my try-on and very detailed look at the jacket and pants, that this was a D@MN good purchase! I ordered a large, probably could have gotten away with a medium, but there is enough adjust-ability in the jacket and pants that they will work. (I'm 6'3" 150 lbs, 32" waist, 34-36" inseam depending on brand... Skinny!)
The pants at the tightest setting are big enough that with my jeans on, with my holster IWB, and leatherman pouch OWB, they should stay up no problem. (This is a good thing for me because my last winter pants were VERY tight for concealed carry).
The large jacket has more than enough adjustment to make things work for me. again, I probably should have ordered a medium, but because of my dire need for it now, and the insanely versatile amount of adjust-ability, I'm not worried about getting it exchanged.
The knee and elbow (Knee-bow?) pads are the most comfortable I've ever experienced. Very form fitting, and they sit in a very comfortable position when in a riding position. When standing/ walking, I don't even notice them.
The YKK zippers are amazing. The velcro is INCREDIBLY sticky... Remind me again why you put zippers on there again? Cause holy cow does that stuff grip... I'm sure it will break in with time and be much easier to pull apart... Just another area where they paid attention to detail!!!
If any of you have been in the Army recently, you have the same distain for Velcro that I do... Because when you first get your uniforms, it's nice and crisp, pockets stay shut nicely, and they're reasonably easy to open to get to stuff too. But after about 3 weeks of solid wear, the velcro starts to wear out on the pockets you use most... All of the sudden your missing a glove cause your cargo pocket came undone and your notebook is somewhere at your last firing point / OP because your sleeve pocket opened without your permission... (Just a note: I have never personally lost stuff because of pockets opening... But I know everyone has issues with the velcro staying shut on the ACU's... Not to mention the tactical disadvantages...)
Anyways, I digress... Pilot has taken into account the break-in of Velcro, so I expect that after a break-in period, the velcro will be at its ideal stickyness. (Is that even a word? Screw it... it is now...)
The only (sort of) negative thing I have to say is about the Pants... The hip armor is in two well designed pockets, but they flop around while the pants are off, instead of being attached at the inside. I understand the design idea behind it, being that they have a zipper that goes all the way up to the waistline. I just find it... Interesting. (It doesn't move around at all while wearing the pants tho)
Anyways, sorry about the novel. I will post up a detailed wet weather review when I get a chance to ride in the rain. (It's bound to happen... This is Oregon after all...) I do have an agreement to wear my old jacket for the rest of this winter season, or until the zipper breaks on it too (it's on its way), UNLESS its raining... (She knows the old jacket is not waterproof like it's supposed to be...)
I can't wait for warmer weather to get here because I WILL be purchasing their mesh jacket as well...
Review Part 2, It's Wet:First off, I am not sponsored by Pilot in any way. I do hope that my reviews generate sales for them tho because a good honest company with a product this good, deserves to make some money!!!
Allllllright... So living in the good old PNW, we get rain, and LOTS of it... Some have called me crazy for having a M/C as my DD. But to be honest, with proper rain gear, it's not really that bad. My requirement for rain gear is it has to withstand a torrential downpour on the freeway at 70MPH for an hour, and me not getting wet. (Keep in mind on the freeway, there's other traffic kicking the water up off the street, into the air, and all over me, so we're talking a TON of water... Like, firehose amount of water...)
I am pleased to share that the Pilot Trans-Urban jacket IS PROPER RAIN GEAR! I tested this a few times over the last couple weeks, and am quite pleased!
For my tests, I will be using the following scale as far as water hitting me goes:
1 = Dense fog.
10 = Southern style torrential downpour (dime-sized water droplets, falling fast and hard!)
Typical rain around the Portland area I'd give a 4-5
All testing is on a 2013 Kawasaki Concours 14 with a Stock windshield 3/4 the way up. (I did part of the first test with it all the way down, wind hitting me about mid chest)
First test: 50 degrees outside, Raining pretty freaking hard (I'd give it a 9) had to ride 30 minutes in one direction to a photoshoot, worked for an hour, and rode back. First 10 minutes of the ride home was dry, last 20 minutes was back at a 8 on the rain scale.
What stayed dry: my legs, torso, and arms. I was extremely warm, and had a tiny bit of sweat buildup in the seat, and top of my legs, but upon stopping the inside of the pants was 100% dry. My jacket I was wearing underneath was also 100% dry. (I still over dressed as I am used to my old jacket that didn't do NEARLY as good a job at keeping me warm...)
What got wet: just a touch around the collar (to be expected, but the neck gaiter I wear when it's raining keeps me the rest of the way dry, but this is a jacket/ pant review, not a neck gaiter review...) and from the end of the sleeves, about 3" up, and slightly inside my gloves when I arrived at my destination....
And here is the only fault I could find with this jacket...
If you look at the top photo, you'll notice the velcro goes up on the sleeve. This creates a gutter of sorts for water to sit in (photo 2) and soak into the fabric. (which the fabric wraps around the AMAZING Reissa liner to protect it, obviously) and that water wicks up the sleeve a couple inches. When you stop (or take your hands off the handlebars at a stoplight that water that was trapped in the "gutter" leaves the gutter and drains straight into your gloves (Photo 3). Obviously this is a very easy fix by switching the way the velcro goes, and having it go down instead of up. I believe that would also remedy the water wicking into the fabric and up the sleeve just a touch. This is a fix I would hope to see this change on the next generation of this jacket, and quite frankly, is the only thing I found wrong...
But let's remember something... This jacket is EXTREMELY warm, and is sub $300, and I stayed dry through a torrential monsoon! I couldn't say the same for my other jacket... (Which i had to wear a gore-tex jacket over the top of to stay dry...)
Do not let that little bit deter you from buying this jacket... It will be money well spent, and if you plan ahead, you can put the velcro strap on looser, than take your finger and flip that gutter upside down so the water falls away from the channel instead of into it. I found this to help a lot in my next test....
Second Test: 35 minutes freeway one-way to the armory, rain falling about 7-8 on the above scale.
I 'flipped the gutter' like I mentioned just above, and everything stayed dry. The gloves were completely dry, no water wicking up the cuff, and when I got off no water channeled down into the gloves. I was 100% dry! (And warm!)
In closing, I am 100% satisfied with this jacket/pant combo... Quite affordable, and protection from the elements of gear upwards of $600+ for just the jacket! You WILL NOT go wrong or regret buying this... I can't wait to see what other things Pilot has in store for us street riders!
