Motoport / Cycleport Kevlar Air Mesh Jacket

Vegan friendly jackets are not particularly hard to come by these days with almost all motorcycle apparel manufacturers including at least 1 fully textile/synthetic jacket.

In the past I have had jackets from Joe Rocket which were quite comfortable and did the job nicely. However, I never tested one against the road. After conducting a fair amount of research into the types of textiles used in motorcycle jackets, it was apparent that most brands were using some form of Cordura and branding it within their own marketing sphere. Cordura is a durable material – however, it seems many manufacturers are not using a strong enough weight. 500 Denier is the minimum which should be used in motorcycle apparel, and this is probably not going to be enough in a high speed slide.

This is when I decided to try the Motoport “Air Mesh Kevlar Jacket”. I ordered my jacket at the same time I ordered my Kevlar gloves. The process was painless, as I gave my measurements over the phone and let the person on the other end decide which size was suitable. I opted out of the optional “aero-tex” liner (which makes the jacket waterproof and a whole lot warmer) as I could not afford the extra $100.

After receiving the jacket and inspecting, it was apparent that this was going to offer far more protection than an ordinary mesh jacket. The shell feels resilient – not that this is any evidence that it IS. The jacket is well protected – with back, shoulder, elbow and ribcage armour.

I currently reside in Florida, so I need a mesh jacket. While wearing the jacket in late summer, it was still around 32 Deg C (90 F) which meant while sitting at lights it was still quite hot in the jacket. Once you are moving the airflows freely through the jacket and keeps you jackets which I have owned, you don’t have to be David Copperfield to remove the shoulder and elbow padding.

My only quips with the jacket is that it does not seem as fitted as my other street-style jackets (personal preference) and that it does not have a belt loop to secure to whatever pants you’re wearing. Still I paid the money because I believe it will offer me superior protection.

Motoport / Cycleport Kevlar Glove

The Kevlar glove from Motoport has been long awaited by vegans worldwide. I was put on the waiting list (or told I was) about 2 years ago. Finally a vegan friendly glove is out there which offers substantial protection from the tarmac. See the detailed manufacturer specs here:

Motoport.

At $129 USD they are on the steep side. However, I didn't think twice about purchasing a pair. The knuckle protection is substantial and has what they call "Ram air" - literally holes which air flows into as you ride. The finger joints have carbon protectors with Keprotec retainer. The top of the hand also features a carbon piece. The palm of the glove is covered with Keprotec in the key areas. There is a velcro wrist strap on the top of the glove and velcro fastener on the gauntlet part of the glove.

Initial impressions of the glove were that they were very stiff. After about 2 weeks wearing them they began to mould to my hand and are now quite comfortable. Initially the Keprotec felt as if it was affecting my grip on the throttle. That too became a non issue once I had broken the gloves in. The gloves are pretty good in warm weather - they're not too hot. However I did try them one night when the temperature was around 0 deg C (32 F) and my hands froze. So in temperatures less than about 10 deg C I would not recommend these without an overmitt (you're unlikely to be using an undermitt or liner if they fit properly). I have not crashed in these gloves so I cannot comment as to their abrasion resistance. Are they worth the $129? They're they ONLY l vegan riding glove out there which offers considerable protection, so in a word - yes they are worth the money.