Modern Vespa

Are you guys ready for the cold weather approaching? Just want to share some good things I have found that work. I recently was looking for a good riding jacket for the cold/wet weather, after tons of reseach I have found the best jacket that gets nothing but great reviews from everyone. The jacket is called " Teknic Freeway jacket", ADV along with some other websites were my consultants. I recently ordered 2 and Both my wife and i wore ours these couple of days without the lining and boy O' boy were they great. If you thought the bike gave you attention try wearing the jacket with the bike lol. The technology is AWESOME, I recently found out the England police use these jacket when riding. Get them while you can, they are selling out due to corporate pulling the line from Distributors.The price of this jacket is $500-600, But you can but it as a close out (2008) from $159-230. Here is the Link:http://www.advrider.com/forums/showthread.php?t=291731
Also the sun will be setting earlier depending on where you are located. We all know that the bulbs for headlights are not bright enough to see a few feet in front of you so I have gone out today and purchase a pair of bulbs, Boy O'Boy are they great and they are the recommended watts. they don't get hot at all and you can see pretty far with them. Here is the link: http://pilotautomotive.com/Product.aspx?ProductID=27370
I paid $20 for them at R&S Strauss.
Let me know what you guys think, My wifes bike and mine are great with these small improvements.

I picked up the Teknic jacket ($159) this summer and have been nothing but happy with it. Started riding w/ the liner a week ago along with the Freeway overpants and have stayed toasty on the highway. The liner does add quite a bit of heft to the jacket.

I'm curious as to the bulbs. What did you do to empirically establish that they illuminate better than the stock bulbs? The reason I ask is because wattage is wattage usually and the amount of light put out is proportional to the wattage. Halogen bulbs have a specific color temperature that is pretty constant across brands. The beam pattern is established by the housing and reflector - not the bulb so that should be unchanged. So - mostly they're all the same. What makes these special and better?

I've been using the Teknic jacket for the past 2 months and am pretty happy with it but I wish the width of the arms was smaller. Maybe I need to get to the gym more but they do seem to be pretty wide. Also, the MSRP of the jacket is $329.99, not $500.

Where did you hear the English police were using it? I am a little surprised as even though it is a good jacket, I would think it comes in at the budget end as far as quality jackets go. According to another thread on advrider, the UK police had a jacket designed for them by Halvarssons. This jacket offers much more protection and is much more expensive. Maybe some forces are cost cutting?

http://advrider.com/forums/showthread.php?t=207629

Interesting video showing the UK police working with Halvarssons/Jofama
http://www.jofama.se/motorcycle_wear/popup/Eng/Jofama.mov

Well, I am glad most of you like the jacket As far as for the info about the UK police wearing the jacket well I guess I was wrong, I was told told that they do and when I looked it up it looked very simular to the jaket that we had just purchased. The head lights are great though and yes I am getting 2 to 3 feet further view. I recently just added L.E.D's to my MP3 where the 2 small head lights are. They are great and give a whitish blue to it. I also put these in the back for the running lights. It totally gives the bike a different look.

If you want some really good prices on Teknic jackets, check out Iron

http://www.ironpony.com/ironponydirect/ByBrandpage.asp/Brand/TEKNIC

I wasn't sure about buying a jacket online but thought I'd try a M2R closeout Freeway jacket. It was only $49 plus shipping. I got it last week and was VERY impressed. Great protection, warm, no way wind can get to you, pockets, padding, removable lining. I told a friend you could wear that in a blizzard (and I lived in Vail, CO, for 2 years so I know a blizzard).

I went back today and ordered the Technic goretex jacket - a $300plus jacket for $119. They are closing out a lot of stuff.

"CLOSEOUTS" are

http://www.ironpony.com/ironponydirect/CloseOutproducts.asp

Just started riding with Tourmaster Solution WP boots and like them a lot. Comfortable, good padding/ankle armor, great water resistance. Sufficiently warm for 80 mph @ 45°F x 20 min.; will need wool socks for colder temps. Will probably be hot in the summer. Sole is like those LL Bean rain boots-good grip on wet surfaces but not very thick, so would probably wear quickly if you do a lot of walking in them.

Wattage is wattage which is a measure of energy, but the issue is how a given light technology uses the energy. A typical incandescant light bulb loses most of the energy in heat. Most of us have burned a finger on one. Different technologies get more light and less heat. Flourescent bulbs give more light per watt and when you touch one it is cool. LEDs are some of the most efficient as as the prices come down they are starting to become common. A flashlight with an LED bulb will put out more light and still have the batteries last much longer.

I bought the Teknic Highway Jacket on closeout. I think it is on sale because of the "Easy Bake Oven" silver foil liner, which some people say rubs off eventually , and the fact that there isn't a lot of reflective material on the jacket.

My solution was to get a shoe repair shop to reverse the lining. It's more complicated that it looks, you have to pull the liner snaps through to the other side, cut out and replace the old zipper, and reverse the big pack-pocket. . Still the jacket only cost me $159, so the $89 (plus $15 tip) I paid didn't kill me. Next step: iron-on reflective fabric over the non-reflective Teknic logo (it looks reflective but it isn't).

Very nice!

Would look good on your bike with your helmet!

I've been wearing my leather jacket in the mornings here in Florida where the temps have been dipping the to high 50's. Brrrrr.

Emptynest - you are sooooo bad.

I live in California and though it is still in the 80's for some unknown reason I have been thinking about what to do in winter besides keeping dry. I had wondered about a skirt for my legs. It is possible to get into the 40s in the mornings (maybe a 30 or two) so I don't know if it is even reasonable to get something.

Dale

Yeah I know that efficiency varies between technologies however the bulbs in question are halogen just like the OEM. So we are comparing apples and apples here. In addition efficiency is affected by how it's directed. Since these bulbs are dependent on the bike reflector that factor is equal also. So given identical enclosures, identical technology - what would make these bulbs special? I maintain that it's snake oil salesmen at work. Just like you see bulbs tinted blue to cash in on people that see HID lights and think in their minds - blue=brighter. I just like to try and save folks money when there are questions on whether the extra $$ is well spent or not.

So what other gear is recommended by you folks? I notice that I have quite the cold breeze on my neck and chin. Discovered that standard insulated leather gloves aren't very good for bikes - the knuckles are stiffer. To compound matters most of the major manufacturers are being slow in getting their winter stuff in - I know Tourmaster and Joe Rocket are both backordered on stuff and the dealers are getting anxious and not getting any reply from them. Maybe something happening in China we haven't heard about.

I find an ordinary Turtle fleece neck warmer does wonders for the neck. A similar balaclava should also work. Turtle makes one with a very thin cap and thick fleece below, so should fit OK under a helmet.

I downhill ski so have all that kinda stuff on hand anyway. :)