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By Jimmy, 2010/07/18 11:48 pm

When it comes to helmet brands, the two that quickly come to mind are Shoei and Arai.  Hailing from Japan with both industry-leading quality and feature sets, they also represent some of the priciest helmets a rider can buy.  But what about riders who can’t (read: don’t want to) plop down $300-$800 for a helmet?  Is there a viable option in the $150-$200 range that serves up most of the high-end elements that riders want?  This is a question I’m very interested in answering and here is one of the candidates I wanted to review.

Enter Bell (www.bellbikehelmets.com), a hallmark of protective headgear formed here in the United States.  Well-known for bicycle helmets, they’ve also released a line of motorcycle helmets from the $99 Arrow to the $600 Star.  The reviews for Bell’s Star have been very complimentary, and that got me interested in checking the company out.  Sitting firmly in the middle of the line-up, but offering a stunning array of class-leading features, is the $189 Bell Vortex Roland Sands Design Apocalypse helmet.  It’s a handful to say, but it’s the designer end of their $169 Vortex lid.  The details list is long; the helmet has: a fog-free shield, chin curtain, wind collar, brow vents, magnetic strap holder, and a few other surprises.  The Roland Sands Design Apocalypse version has a somewhat fanciful depiction of angels on horses set against an attractive red and gray color scheme.  With so much to examine about the Vortex, I compiled some highlights.

In short, it’s easy to get caught up in all the details, but the most important things that you should be aware of are the Vortex’s interior proportions and shell size.  I found the Medium-sized helmet to fit on par with similarly-sized Shoei and HJC helmets.  However, the Vortex suffers from the balloon effect, where the company used extra padding to fit my Medium head into a shell that would probably accommodate a Large or even Extra-Large head.  It’s noticeable in the pictures and it turns an otherwise beautifully designed helmet into a middling one.  I’m not sure how many different shell sizes are available (maybe only one or two?), but this seems to be a misplay on Bell’s part.  I believe that the Vortex will be a better match for those with larger heads as the discrepancy won’t be as great, so it’s definitely still very much worth the effort of checking out.  Though, as a reviewer in search of the next killer (and slightly smaller) helmet, I’ll keep on looking.

• The Vortex’s Roland Sands Design graphics look fantastic.  Beautiful light gray background pattern with white angels on horses and red roses along the rear.
• Roland Sands Design tag and logo are present along the sides and upper rear of the helmet.
• The script says “Forever a Servant to the Gods of Speed”.
• The Vortex’s front features numerous air intakes – two at the top, four vents above the brow, and two vents in front of the mouth.
• Intake vents are single-position open or close, but there’s enough movement in the switch to half-open them if careful.
• Vent switches felt flimsy, I wish there was more resistance to opening/closing them.
• There are 4 exhaust vents at the upper and lower back.  These are not adjustable.
• The breath guard is removable.
• The helmet’s chin curtain is not removable.
• There’s an additional foam layer along the bottom of the helmet (wind collar), designed to block additional wind and noise.  The material covering this foam is less breathable (thus better at blocking incoming air).
• The Vortex helmet’s straps closes via magnet, which is convenient when already wearing gloves, although not more secure than a snap enclosure.
• The helmet’s visor is quick-release and anti-fog/anti-scratch/UV-ray protected.
• A quick test of the visor’s anti-fogging showed that it worked slightly better than other stock anti-fog shields.
• The visor allows 15 different positions for opening.
• It’s important to note that there is a large initial opening from closed position (much too large for just anti-fogging purposes).
• A black tab on the left of the visor serves as a (second?) grip, doesn’t allow any sort of visor locking.
• The Vector’s cheek pads were quite thick, although there was a noticeable lack of cushioning in the rear and around the ears.
• The interior liner’s mesh material was more abrasive and lower quality than expected.
• The helmet exterior is rather large – bigger than an equivalently-sized Shoei RF-1100, closer to my L-sized HJC FS-15.

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By Jimmy, 2010/07/14 6:32 pm

I’m sure that most people visiting YPRider have either witnessed or experienced an unfortunate accident while riding.  Mine was relatively painless, although very embarrassing; losing my balance and low-siding.  Ever since then, I’ve been thinking more about protection and relatively easy ways to incorporate it into one’s existing collection of gear.  I recently had the opportunity to evaluate the Alpinestars (www.alpinestars.com) Track Protection Vest and believe it to be a great addition for any rider.  The gist of the vest is that it has foam padding along the chest and sides, along with a hard, CE-approved back protector.  It features stretchable, mesh material that accommodates a variety of sizes and provides a comfortable fit.  The back protector covers a good portion of the back without running too tall/long, and the entire profile of the vest allows it to be worn underneath existing jackets without having to go up one size.  While accidents may occur in any number of ways, I feel that the vest, at a reasonable $189, is a worthwhile upgrade.  Here are some thoughts and pictures.

• The mesh material is very stretchy and loosely woven, meaning good airflow and comfort.
• I wear an Alpinestars jacket in Large, and ordered the Track Protection Vest in Large.  I’d say that the vest comfortably fits Large, plus or minus half a size.  For me, I am confident that the vest in Medium would also work (doesn’t seem to be in stock now, though).
• The chest area features two layers of foam protection, whereas the lower front, shoulders, and sides have one layer of foam.
• The foam sections to be perforated for ventilation.
• The density of the vest allows it to be worn under existing jackets (no need to go a size up unless you’re already very snug).
• Bionic back protector is CE-certified.
• The back protector is comprised of 5 interlocking plates that bend forward, but resist flexing in the reverse direction (backwards) and side-to-side.
• The back protector plates are perforated and made of a somewhat flexible plastic.  Feels quite sturdy.
• Bionic back protector allows a good range of motion while hunched over – perfect for those sportbikes.
• The back protector itself is removable via a wrap-around zipper.
• The back protector has foam sections underneath for additional cushioning and comfort.
• The vest is washable after removing the back protector.

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By Jimmy, 2010/06/16 8:51 pm

I have to admit it: I’m a REV’IT! fan-boy.  Much like Apple fans that can’t find fault with the computer company’s products, or Nintendo fans that have to buy the latest Super Mario game, I have a fascination for REV’IT! products that is definitely not helping out my bank account.  For those of you new to REV’IT! (www.revit.eu), it’s a Netherlands-based company that arrived on the motorcycle gear scene in 1995.  They have a strong reputation for delivering high-quality gear that covers everything from track racing and off-road racing to riding on cruisers and scooters.  The company has expanded their product line over the years and works hard on releasing incrementally updated versions of their gear.  Case in point, the REV’IT! Sand jacket.  This textile jacket is new for 2010, replacing the popular Off-Track jacket that had been around for 2-3 years.  It features a number of upgrades over the original, utilizing newer materials and production methods seen in the latest REV’IT! gear, as well as items that address user problems/complaints with the Off-Track.  Priced at $429, it’s certainly not a cheap jacket, but one that is designed to offer great year-round coverage and protection without opting for REV’IT!’s top-end Cayenne Pro jacket ($579).  I’ve had the opportunity to ride with this jacket in Seattle through winter, spring and early summer for about 1000 miles – here are my thoughts.

Exterior

The REV’IT! Sand jacket fits similarly to the company’s other touring jackets, the Cayenne Pro and Dragon; it’s slimmer along the arms, chest, and waist than American brands, and doesn’t favor those with odd proportions.  I would describe it as a slightly roomier Euro-fit.  At 5 ft. 7 in. and 160 lbs. with a light build, I’m at the upper end for their Medium-size jackets, and Large would definitely be too big.  I find that the dimensions presented on their website brochure are spot-on, but would still recommend that you initially try both the stated size and one size larger to be safe.  That said, even if the fit isn’t perfect, there are numerous adjustments that can be made to the jacket (explained later).  The sleeve length felt perfect, providing enough material to work with both short and full gauntlet gloves.  Sleeve width and overall torso width was good, feeling snug with all liners in, and not too baggy with the liners out.  The total length of the jacket is on the shorter side for a touring jacket.  The Sand ends just below my hips, which I actually prefer when sitting in an upright position.  This gives the jacket some added versatility for both touring and sport-bike riders while sacrificing a little bit of bad-weather coverage (which I didn’t find to be an issue anyways).

The REV’IT! Sand is comprised of various denier textile fabrics – 500D and 750D in most areas, with 1200D wax-covered material at the elbows and forearm.  The wax coating is designed to improve abrasion resistance over standard high-denier fabrics, and can be considered one step below the SuperFabric panels that come in the Cayenne Pro.  The look of the jacket is similar to other adventure touring jackets, with numerous adjustments and multi-colored panels.  With respect to color-scheme, I opted for the “black-silver” jacket that uses black along the front torso, lower back, shoulders, and outer edge of the sleeves.  An off-white runs on the sides of the torso and on the inside of the sleeves, while gray paneling exists along the upper chest and upper back.  One thing to note is that some promotional pictures of the “black-silver” jacket show a thin red strip on the sleeves; mine doesn’t have this.  REV’IT! branding is kept to a minimum with only the triangular logo present on the shoulders and back, and wording present on the reflective panels.  There is a small “REV’IT! Engineered skin” tag on the left sleeve.  If you take a close look at the snap covers and zipper pulls, you’ll see that these contain the REV’IT! logo as well, a nice touch.  The jacket doesn’t feature any raised foam sections as in the Air or Cayenne Pro jackets, and this keeps the look quite clean.  Stitching also features prominently as numerous sections are double-stitched to improve durability and tear resistance.  You can literally identify all the high-stress parts of the jacket by their stitching and it’s nice to see that everything is put together very expertly.  Overall, the REV’IT! Sand comes across as a smartly-designed and fashionable jacket, without being too flashy.

Adjustment options on the REV’IT! Sand are many.  To start with, there are strap adjustments on the upper arms and along the waist.  The upper arms are tightened via a closed-loop, whereas the waist adjusters have convenient pull-tabs.  The forearm contains a two-position snap adjustment, and the sleeve cuffs have a velcro strap that runs underneath the wrist.  The sleeve cuffs are designed to put less wear on the velcro, emphasizing using forearm zippers to get in and out of the jacket.  I think it’s a smart design choice and I basically only have had to set the velcro strap once and haven’t touched it since.  Rounding out the adjustability options are two corded straps on the interior of the waist and REV’IT!’s customary 5-position collar.

One (slight) gripe that I have with the sleeve zippers are that they’re low-torque, meaning it only takes light force to get them to open up.  When wearing the jacket, moving my wrists tends to get the zippers to move from a closed position to slightly open (about 1-2 inches).  Since I wear gloves with full gauntlets on them, the zipper opening stays covered and doesn’t really bother me, but it’s an odd thing to see when you first put on the jacket.

For storage, the Sand jacket contains a number of pockets, although these are much larger and less plentiful than in other touring jackets.  There are two velcro flap-over pockets on the front and one fanny pocket in the rear (again, enclosed with a velcro flap).  All three are easy to open and close with gloves on, although I wonder if the velcro will lose its resiliency with more use.  I’d prefer it if there were both velcro and snap attachments on the jacket’s pockets.

As the jacket’s name implies, the Sand features ventilation options that allow it to handle warmer temperatures with ease.  Two zip-down panels in the front reveal mesh panels that feature a new technology for REV’IT! jackets, 3D air mesh.  Seen in a handful of other high-end mesh jackets, this technology filters incoming air over soft webbing that is approximately 1/4 of an inch thick.  The thickness allows air to disperse over a wider area, and so the effect is that the air flow spreads across more of the body than just the area of the mesh itself.  In addition to the 3D mesh, there are two large, vertical exhaust vents in the rear of the jacket and intake zippers along the forearm.  I’m used to seeing ventilation zippers on the upper arm, so I’m not entirely sure if I like the lower positioning of these forearm zippers, but again, here is something interesting that REV’IT! is doing.  The forearm zippers serve a dual-purpose; the upper zipper opens up an air intake, while the lower zipper opens up the cuff for comfort (getting in and out of the jacket, sliding gloves underneath, etc.).  It’s a unique design and one that was conceptualized well.  Opening the intake zipper reveals standard mesh material fastened around the intake, so one can either open the zipper a little, or take it all the way down to the end of the sleeve cuff.  In practice, I think all these venting options worked as advertised with this touring jacket managing to keep me comfortable at highway speeds on some of the warmer days this spring.  I have yet to try the Sand in the full heat of summer – but I’m confident that this jacket could do well through 80-85 degrees Fahrenheit if you’re continually moving.

Reflectivity on the Sand is somewhat minimal; there is one large, laminated strip along the back, and two shorter strips along the chest in the front.  Aside from the lighter-colored sections of the jacket, there really isn’t anything else that will help you get noticed.  I would have preferred to see some reflective panels on the sleeves at least.

As previously mentioned, the collar features a 5-position snap enclosure.  Near this is another REV’IT! staple: a hook and loop that allow you to close the collar in the other direction, opening up the neck area.  As well, the sleeves feature accordion-stretch panels that flex well and are common to REV’IT! jackets.  The front enclosure of the jacket uses a large, self-cleaning zipper that features a zipper guard flap at the bottom (the flap is waxed 1200D material).  The front enclosure doesn’t use any velcro panels to help with the seal, something I would have liked to see.

Interior

One of the biggest selling points with REV’IT! jackets is how nice the interior liners are.  The Sand comes with the 3-layer system that combines: an exterior shell, a waterproof/windproof/breathable Hydratex liner, an insulating thermal liner.  The last two are attached inside the exterior via a system of snaps and zippers, and can be interchanged (Ex. exterior with the Hydratex liner and thermal liner, exterior with the Hydratex liner, exterior with the thermal liner).  While the insulating liner doesn’t have a front enclosure, the Hydratex uses a full-length zipper and snaps to ensure weather-proofing.  I’ve ridden with the Sand through winter and found the use of all three layers to be sufficient in blocking out the cold.  In addition, I’ve ridden through moderate rain with the use of the Hydratex liner and found it to be effective at keeping me dry.  As with all the other REV’IT! jackets I’ve tried, the liner system works great and it’s my personal point of reference when comparing the quality of other jacket manufacturers’ interiors.  With that said, there is one subtle change to note with the liner and the Sand jacket.  Due to the forearm zipper, the Hydratex liner features a connecting snap higher up on the arm (in addition to the standard one near the sleeve cuff).  It connects with the bottom of the mesh panel on the forearm and is actually a welcome change; it simplifies orienting the sleeves when installing them.

Aside from the liner system, there’s isn’t much else to say about the Sand interior.  The main part of the jacket is lined in mesh material with access to velcro pockets containing the jacket’s foam pad and armor.  There is one small interior pocket on the left and each of the liners have this as well.  The jacket features two zipper attachments, one short and one long, for compatibility across a wider range of REV’IT! pants.  The inside of the collar is lined in a soft polyester material.

Protection

The Sand jacket utilizes ProLife CE-approved armor in the shoulders and elbows.  It also contains a foam back pad that can be upgraded to a CE-approved Knox back protector, or a Sas-Tec protector (although you’ll need to manually cut it to fit).  The foam back pad is made of nicer material than most other back pads I’ve seen in jackets; it’s denser and perforated cleanly for ventilation.  However, it’s still a foam pad and it would have been nice to see this automatically upgraded to the Knox protector.  With respect to the ProLife armor, it’s quite flexible and non-bulky, resulting in a lot of comfort in motion and basically hiding itself in the overall looks of the jacket.  Compared to other types of armor, the ProLife pieces provide better coverage, particularly in the forearms where they run longer than expected.  The shoulder armor contains distinct left and right sides that are anatomically different.  As well, the ProLife armor, while they do contain incisions to help in flexibility, lack any perforated holes for ventilation.  All armor is accessible via velcro pockets and I found the elbow armor pockets easy to open due to the large forearm zippers.  While the Sand jacket doesn’t allow any sort of adjustments to the interior positioning of the armor, I found that the external straps allowed me to fit the jacket sufficiently well enough to not make this an issue.

Summary

The REV’IT! Sand jacket is an impressive touring jacket that gets as close to year-round coverage as any I’ve experienced to date.  With great cold-weather protection and acceptable warm-weather venting, it has handled everything Seattle weather has thrown at it (including the rain).  The design and construction are top-rate and while there are occasional gripes with certain design omissions, they’re not enough to prevent a whole-hearted recommendation from this reviewer.  At $429, the Sand is neither the cheapest nor most expensive jacket in REV’IT!’s line-up, but I think it’s their best.  (4.5 out of 5 stars)

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By Jimmy, 2010/05/30 9:01 pm

Spring in Seattle is always rather tumultuous, varying from the pleasant (sunny blue skies) to the down-right depressing (heavy wind and rain).  With my trusty REV’IT! Sand jacket, I have most of those conditions covered.  That is, unless it gets really warm.  I find that a textile-based jacket hits its upper comfort range at around the 80 degree Fahrenheit mark – and that’s when I’m moving on my Majesty at 60 mph.  Settling down for slower speeds around the city or hitting stop-and-go traffic, my jacket quickly heats up and feels like an oven.  Perhaps I need to switch out my touring windshield in favor of a shorter one to flow more air across the front of me; but in lieu of any sort of work to the scooter, that got me thinking about mesh jackets.  Being a fan of REV’IT! (www.revit.eu) gear, I peeped the Air, a mesh-textile summer jacket.  My general requirements for a hot weather jacket are that it flows significant air, features adequate protection (good fitting armor, abrasion-resistant materials in high-wear areas), comes in brighter color schemes (higher visibility), fits well, and be relatively cheap (under $200).  The REV’IT! Air jacket ($179) fits most of those criteria, albeit to varying degrees of success.

First off, the exterior of this jacket is great.  REV’IT! put good thought into the Air, launching 4 different color variations based on a black, gray or white palette with touches of red or silver.  The one I’m wearing in the photos is the “Light Gray/Black” version.  The look is sporty with different textile and reflective panels.  Mesh panels are placed along the chest, beneath the arms, and on the back, allowing the flow of air to easily cool the torso.  500 denier textile material covers the rest, providing basic abrasion protection.  The rear and sides of the shoulder contain a thin, raised section of foam, although I view this more as a cosmetic feature, not protective.

• Mesh is flat, as compared to the 3D mesh in the newer Sand jacket and other offerings from Dainese.
• There are some adjustability options with snaps along the upper arm and Velcro adjusters by the waist.
• Velcro panels on the sleeve cuffs were considerably smaller than seen on other REV’IT! jackets.
• The collar features a multi-position snap enclosure as seen on other REV’IT! jackets (a nice touch).
• Flex panels are located behind the elbow, but in my opinion, didn’t really contribute to increasing the comfort in sleeve motion.
• The Air jacket does not come with any sort of insulated or windproof removable liner.
• There is one interior pocket on the left.
• The interior material used on the collar is a soft, quilted material (nice compared to the abrasive collar on my Alpinestars Air-Flo jacket).
• The jacket features a short-length pants zipper and a two-snap belt loop.

The sizing of this jacket matches its sporty-styling; the chest fit more snugly for an M-size jacket than the more touring-oriented REV’IT! Cayenne Pro, Sand, or Dragon jackets.  The bottom of the jacket stopped towards the top of the hips, contributing to its aggressive appearance.  Overall, I would say that the Air jacket favors those on the slimmer side, with the snugness creating a better fit for letting air to pass through without having the jacket flap around.

The weakest point of the jacket is probably the protection.  The back pad is good, being constructed slightly differently from what I’ve seen in the foam back pads of other manufacturers.  While made of the usual dense foam material, it contains several large cut-outs in the interior, to improve air exiting out the rear of the jacket.  This is a nice touch to back protection/comfort that most companies wouldn’t usually care to think about.  One gripe that I have with the back protector is the rough cut of the foam; loose sections of threaded foam hanging off the cut-outs, and a section of foam actually missing from the pad (possibly torn).  The CE-approved Knox armor had its own set of issues.  While I found the overall sizing of the jacket to be spot-on, the placement of the shoulder armor was set too wide, covering more of the sides of my shoulder than the tops.  As well, while I think Knox armor offers great protection due to its combination of a hard plastic outer and foam inner, it doesn’t offer a lot of flexibility; this is evident in the elbow sections where bending the arm at sharper angles caused the armor to poke out annoyingly from the sleeves.  The armor is not adjustable, which I consider a big drawback.  It should also be noted that the forearm protectors are longer than those in the shoulders, although there is no difference between the left and right-side versions.

My opinion is that given the low price-point of this jacket, REV’IT! put out a solid product.  There are obvious areas where the company did some cost-cutting, but these can be forgiven.  If your dimensions allow for a good pairing with the protection in the jacket, the Air jacket is hands-down, an excellent buy as a hot weather option.  Otherwise, as most summer jackets will feature similar construction, you may be better off trying a higher-end REV’IT! jacket that utilizes more flexible armor (ex. the Turbine with Sas-Tec or Ignition with ProLife) or an Alpinestars or Dainese jacket, both of which offer good selections at similar prices.

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By Jimmy, 2010/05/16 11:23 pm

I really want to love Icon (www.rideicon.com).  These guys work extra hard to present a brand that acknowledges everyone in the sport bike crowd, and they pump out first-rate gear that keeps you safe while looking good.  Their jackets are visually stunning and well-made, and most of my experience with their other products repeats that impression.  With all that in mind, I decided to feed my recent boots kick with their heavy-duty Field Armor boots.  These mid-height boots are Icon’s most protective footwear option with buckles and armor around the shins, heels, and toes.  I think one would be hard-pressed to find something at the $130 price range that is this sturdy.  The Field Armor boots represent a nice compromise between usability and protection.  The boots are short enough to mean that break-in will enable adequate walkability.  As well, the side zipper allows for ease of entry, and mesh panels prevent your feet from getting too hot.  The armor is substantial and the lug-sole, while not very grippy, seems acceptable.  Here are some points that stuck out:

1. The yellow Icon logo in the rear is rather ridiculous looking.  I’d prefer it if the logo was absent as I’m not a flashy rider and having a cartoonish logo on my heel is not my style.  At least make it black!

2. The buckles were extremely hard to release.  I’m not sure if this will get easier with more use, but for me, it literally required using a screwdriver to leverage enough torque for the buckles to open up.  This almost makes using the side zipper for entry mandatory.

3. I think the shoelaces are unnecessary.  One could simply make the buckles the only means for adjustment.

4. Height-wise, the Field Armor boots will protect up to your lower shin. The front plate feels solid, however there is no armor on the sides or rear at that level.

5. The interior of the shoe is roomy with wide toe space and a heavily-padded tongue.  Comfortable.