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Motoport? Anyone reviews?

Joined
Jun 13, 2006
Messages
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Location
Addison, TX
First Name
Michael
Last Name
Smith
http://www.motoport.com/

Anyone have any experiences with this? Is it worth the $$$? Anyone in DFW have it? I'd love to see it in person. 1500 for a full suit with extras and the liner.... that's a lot of moolah...
 
Love my Kevlar Mesh year round.
With the waterproof jacket and pant liners you are set for both of the Texas seasons.
Just gotta remember to take the phone and wallet out of the pockets when it rains.
With a little forethought I could have asked to have waterproof liners made for the pockets.
 
MotoPort has always made quality stuff. Which products were you looking at? I have a Jacket and Pants right now. I had a Canyon jacket 20 years ago.
 
Love my Kevlar Mesh year round.
With the waterproof jacket and pant liners you are set for both of the Texas seasons.
Just gotta remember to take the phone and wallet out of the pockets when it rains.
With a little forethought I could have asked to have waterproof liners made for the pockets.

They HATE to make waterproof pockets as it stops the airflow and feels hot. I just keep a ziplock bag in the pockets ready for rain.
 
I've had a full Motoport two piece for over two years now. I wanted a mesh suit, and because of my hideous misshapen body I wanted something custom made. That pretty much narrows it down.

You can go to advrider and see megabytes pro and con on Motoport, I'll summarize my experience:

cons:

1) Motoport gear is not going to look as cool as Aerostich or European protective suits. The pants will make your butt look big.

2) If you want to be custom fitted, fly Southwest to California and get fitted in person if at all possible. Expect to need some alterations when the suit arrives. In my case it took 2 round trips to his shop to get my pants to fit the way I wanted.

Visiting the shop is also the best way to see and understand his products. You'll also get a full VIP tour of his little factory, and you'll get see suits that are in the repair process after their owners crash tested them. You need to make an appointment to visit the shop.

3) Wayne will stand behind his product, but he can get a bit grumpy about it. If you are sensitive flower with a thin skin take that in to account. To those in the Austin area, he can be almost as charming as Zabor. He WILL stand behind the product.

4) Custom made outfits can't be returned.

Pros:

1) I can't imagine a riding suit that could offer more crash protection than a Motoport with the quad armor. The Kevlar is just about indestructible and the quad armor's thick hard-soft-hard sandwich will clearly absorb a lot of energy.

Some guy on advrider is constantly whining that Motoport isn't CE approved. Wayne doesn't submit his stuff to CE. I have CE approved armor in my Joe Rocket jacket. There's no comparison, Motoport armour is WAY better.

2) Wayne is very willing to customize your suit to your particular tastes. He'll arrange the pockets, patches, reflective tape just as you like them. It's just like Whataburger, he'll make it your way.

3) The Motoport tight mesh is perfect for central Texas riding. It's a much tighter weave than my Joe Rocket mesh. It does pass a noticable amount of air, but if you wear a jacket or liner with you can ride in cold weather. In the winter I wear a Tourmaster electric vest, and can be comfortable down to around 40F, and tolerable below that.

I switch to my Joe Rocket when the temperatures are forecast to be above 95F for long periods, but I've very sensitive to heat. Motoport mesh is as close to all weather gear as you'll find.

4) My suit is very comfortable to wear on the bike. When I first put it on my initial reaction was 'this weighs a ton'! But the weight just disappears as soon as you're on the bike. Wayne fits his gear to fit best in the riding position, not the fashion show runway. For example, I wore my Motoport on a 19 hour SS1000 not long ago, and never noticed the suit, didn't notice the weight, didn't have any chaffing or other issues.

5) I've had no wear issues with this suit. The zippers, buttons, fasteners, etc all work as well as they did the first day. These Motoport suits are made to last a long lifetime.

Let me know if you have any questions.

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"To those in the Austin area, he can be almost as charming as Zabor."

I think I peed a little when I read that. Very funny.

My first real job in the motorcycle industry was for Paul. I learned a lot from that man.
 
My first real job in the motorcycle industry was for Paul. I learned a lot from that man.

If you need a master mechanic, Paul is your man. He will tell you what he thinks, not necessarily what he thinks you want to hear.

Wayne is slightly mellower, but they are cut from the same cloth.
 
Grr, been meaning to get myself a one piece motoport.

So you would recommend riding out to his shop for a day or two to get fitted?
 
I have one pair of kevlar mesh pants and two kevlar mesh jackets from Wayne.

Gear Review:

BMW Rally in Guadalajara, Mexico, I was heading west with the pack of more than 600 riders for the trip to Puerto Vallarta when while in the mountains near Mascota, a driver of a VW bug coming the other direction sweeps into my lane due to a rock in his lane. He thought he left me enough room but I hit the marbles on my side and the back tire slid out from under me. I landed on my left side and slid part way down the roadway.

Other than a broken ankle, I ground the knuckle protectors on my left glove down to the leather.

But the kevlar mesh on both the jacket and pants, plus the incorporated armor in both, meant I didn't have any road rash nor bumps or bruises.

I mailed the jacket back to Wayne and his people replaced the left sleeve of the jacket at minimal cost. I then also bought a second jacket in a different color with a few different options. One of the current popular options is a red patch pocket on one shoulder made for emergency information.

Yes, they're not stylish and a bit bulky. But you have to decide if you want to dress for the party or the crash.
 
Sounding good so far... I was thinking about the one piece mesh, yes. My current office I can wear whatever I want and change in my office. We're moving to a new "open" environment in a few months so that may mean either changing in the bathroom or moving to a riding suit. And if I'm going to buy a good riding suit, I may as well buy a GREAT riding suit. I was thinking about the kevlar mesh in high vis.
 
Grr, been meaning to get myself a one piece motoport.

So you would recommend riding out to his shop for a day or two to get fitted?

I think that's highly desirable, and the further your body is from a standard rack size the more important it is.
 
... I may as well buy a GREAT riding suit. I was thinking about the kevlar mesh in high vis.

Motoport hi-viz is not as 'bright' as other hi-viz garments, I think because of the nature of Kevlar. If you look at my picture above you can tell the difference between my Motoport hi-viz jacket and the very bright Scorpion hi-viz helmet. Whereas Aerostitch had fading problems with their hi-viz garments, Motoport hi-viz comes 'pre-faded'.

The reflective tape Motoport uses is very reflective, it's very visible at night.
 
I have Motorport mesh jacket and pants, both with the quad armor upgrade. Expensive? You bet. But I'm ALL about safety and when I put my Motorport gear on I feel like I could engage in Motorcycle jousting. The stuff is VERY well made. As has been said, you won't win any fashion awards but you will be well protected in high quality gear. I give it my full endorsement.
 
I think that's highly desirable, and the further your body is from a standard rack size the more important it is.

I'm 6 foot, 170 lb, with ~30 inch waist. For my uniform, I wear a 38R top, and 32L pants.

But if I'm dropping $1,200+ on a suit, there is something to be said about going in person to have someone else take the measurements.
 
But if I'm dropping $1,200+ on a suit, there is something to be said about going in person to have someone else take the measurements.

It is nearly impossible to provide Wayne with accurate numbers. More a matter of luck from my experience.

I wish my jacket arms were about an inch shorter, this after measuring shirts, the actual arms per Wayne's instruction, and an Aerostich that fit well.

Not enough of a gripe to send it back for tailoring, but you'll be happier getting it right the first time.

Give pocket style and location some thought beforehand. I have vertical zipper pockets on each side of the chest (one for gloves, one for wallet), two pouch pockets at the waist (keys, earplugs, cell phone, kerchief, etc.) and again have one on the front of each leg above the knee. I don't use the ones on the legs all that much and might drop them were I to do it again.

Full length reflective on the arms is cheap insurance.

The rain gear works very well for me, but I have to tuck the rain jacket into the waist of the mesh pants (over the rain pants) to keep water from coming up from below in heavy rain at highway speeds.
 
:tab Love mine.

:tab It has been crash tested more times than I would have preferred :doh:

:tab Mine was custom made. Fit perfect first try. I did have to send it back, but that was because they messed up on some options. No cost to me other than the time.

:tab My suit is the two piece Air Mesh Kevlar II. I had them include the zipper so I could attach the jacket/pants if I ever got around to doing a track day. I had them leave off ALL logos and also the top pockets on the jacket (chest high). I did not want them blocking air flow. I use the two lower pockets. Water proof would be nice, but has never really been a problem as I just move the cell/wallet to the tank bag or other water proof location. I have the two thigh pockets as well. I have the reflective striping and it is VERY bright and VERY noticeable according to people that have ridden behind me at night.

:tab It is very comfortable, but I have two gripes. I do not like the wrist/neck closures. They are not real adjustable for size, like when wearing with/without rain/thermal liner. I have not come up with a real good solution to suggest to Wayne for that. I have not looked at any of the new suits to see if that has been addressed. The wrists and neck are a bit tight for my liking when I have the liners in. Without the liners it is perfect.

:tab The rain liner is VERY effective, with one weakness. If you wear a gauntlet cuff glove that goes over your jacket sleeve, rain will hit the liner and run right into the glove. You have to get the glove cuff under the liner. Again, this gets to the adjustability of the wrist opening, which on my suit won't open enough. I've had my suit for 5-1/2 years and haven't gotten that addressed, so it is not like it is major deal breaker ;-)

:tab No gripes about the pants. BUT, they melt real quick if they brush up against a hot exhaust pipe!! It would be cool if he offered some kind of heat resistant liner along the inside of the thigh/calves like you see on dirt pants. I mention this because I use my suit for street and dirt riding.

:tab I had two get offs on pavement while wearing the suit. One was a low speed front end washout at a stop sign courtesy of a Mexican border guard tossing a bucket of soapy water on the road right as I was braking :doh: :roll: The armor did its job and I had no soreness or bruising from a pretty hard impact. The other was a deer strike at about 40mph. I hit the ground HARD. The impact broke my left ankle. The left leg was stuck under the bike as it was sliding and spinning down the road, so I was taken along for the ride and did a good deal of tumbling and sliding as well. I had no rash or bruising. The suit wore through where my keys were in the pocket and had a small tear from getting snagged on part of the bike. I washed it and sent to Wayne. We had a discussion about the pros/cons of the suit and he was VERY receptive to my comments. They repaired it, freshened the velcro/reflective stuff and sent it back.

:tab Dirt get offs are usually slower speed... usually... They also usually involve impacts with rocks, roots, etc,... Back at the end of 2011, I had a get off at about 30-35 mph out near Big Bend. I hit the ground pretty hard on a LOT of sharp rocks. I never felt it. What I did feel was my ankle over extending :doh: Not cuts, scrapes, or bruises. I wasn't even sore from the impact (other than the sprained ankle). Fast forward to Early March and I am back out at Big Bend in the NP this time. Speed was not high, but I clipped a BIG shrub with the left bar and got slapped to the ground pretty hard again... on cacti... :eek2: :lol2: Once again, I did not feel the impact... and once again I felt the same !@#$% ankle get sprained (but not as bad as the previous sprain). After removing some cactus spikes, I was back on the bike and able to finish riding. Other than being dirty, the suit really is no worse for the wear.

:tab Since I was going to be using mine on/off road, I did have them make a few modifications. First, I measured circumference of the fattest part of the dirt boots when I had them on, right around the calf muscle. I added 1-1/2" to that and asked them to make sure the lower part of the pants would clear that dimension. Then I had them add straps that would let me pull the pants in tighter for when I was wearing my street boots. This worked pretty well, but they are still a hair snug on the calf, so I probably should have added a bit more. At the time, the left leg zipper stopped at the knee. I had them bring it up to the crotch so that I could get the pants on/off without having to have my boots off. This is INCREDIBLY handy!! Lastly, I had them add hip armor, which was not available at the time. I actually had to argue with him about that one because he said it would keep me from being able to bend at the hip to sit down. We compromised and he put in two layers of the softer armor. It works great. It makes my butt look big... whatever...

:tab I get all kinds of comments from other riders, particularly the non gear wearing crowd. I even had someone ask me if I was a fireman :lol2: Let me tell you though, it seems expensive, and it is a substantial up front cost. There is no getting around that and not everyone can afford to do it. I probably would not have spent the money except that I was able to because of many generous donations from TWT members after an accident a few years back where my gear was ruined. When I think about how expensive a trip to the ER is for even minor injuries nowadays, this suit has already paid for itself many many times over. I just got out of the ER last night for a non bike related issue. Before they had done anything more than start an IV and get my information, a lady from the financial office came in to discuss the bill. It was already at $4000 and they had done NOTHING!! That was just the base fee for being admitted to the ER!! :huh2: :brainsnap It doesn't take much rash to win a trip to the ER...
 
:tab Love mine.
I get all kinds of comments from other riders, particularly the non gear wearing crowd. I even had someone ask me if I was a fireman

I rode to Cane River National Park in Louisiana once. This is an old historic plantation.

After visiting the 'Main House' I was walking wearing my Motoport gear when a little old lady walked up looking very upset. "Was there a fire in the Main House?!!??" she asked me.

I have noticed that the gray pants and Hi-Viz jacket with Texas and American flags on the shoulders does make people sometimes think I'm some kind of authority figure.
 
Scott, you mentioned the large up-front cost, however in the past 2 years I have bought two Olympia one pieces, one ~$300 and one ~$400 if I recall correctly. They are great suits, however they definitely wear, and will have to be replaced not too far down the line.

So, pay upfront or pay over time.
 
Thanks y'all. As soon as I clear my tax bill from 2011 I'm going to take the plunge, I guess. :)
 
I would ask Wayne what his most popular options/upgrades are

Me personally I would not again get "Hi Viz" yellow on any part of a newly ordered jacket. Dirties too easily.

In fact I may send my black jacket back to Wayne and have him take off the hi viz pockets.

But I would get more traditional reflective tape material stuff on a new jacket.

I don't have the red emergency patch pocket on a shoulder but Ron "fish fry" W. does.

You will be happy you got this gear, esp. if you crash in it.
 
I'll just have to be careful to get colors that won't get me grief at the gates... yellow seems to be a color that always get you a pass, even though the regs now state something like "contrasting colors".
 
^

Get the colors you really want, and if need be, just wear a safety vest to get you through the gate.

I wouldn't design a motoport jacket to get me through a military gate.
 
And Wayne is a pro at measuring. Your jacket isn't his first rodeo.

Just send him the measurements he asks for and your gear will be perfect.

No need to go out there unless you need an excuse to go out there.
 
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