Before Buying Adventure or Dual Sport Motorcycle Gear... Watch This

Let's talk about the pros and cons of separate vs. integrated armor for adventure and dual sport motorcycle riding. #motorcycle #dualsport #dirtbike #advrider #moskomoto

➕➕GEAR THAT I'VE TESTED AND RECOMMEND➕➕

➕ARMOR➕

➕HOT WEATHER ADV SUITS➕

➕COLD WEATHER / WATERPROOF SUITS➕

➕BASE AND MID LAYERS➕

➕SUPPORT➕
[I may receive commissions which are invested back into the channel]

00:00 Intro
03:06 Separate Pros
06:02 Separate Cons
09:16 Integrated Pros
11:05 Integrated Cons
14:34 Choosing

[BigRockMoto]

Well - do you prefer separate or integrated armor and why?

➕➕GEAR THAT I'VE TESTED AND RECOMMEND➕➕

➕ARMOR➕

➕HOT WEATHER ADV SUITS➕

➕COLD WEATHER / WATERPROOF SUITS➕

➕BASE AND MID LAYERS➕

➕SUPPORT➕
[I may receive commissions which are invested back into the channel]

[donnieyoung]

I'm old enough and riding long enough that I have both options in gear set up. I just go with whatever the conditions dictate. A very useful and informative video. Cheers !

[matt_kelly]

The word I like to use is "modular" gear. I just did a trip from PNW Canada to Mexico (90% highway) - separate armor made the most sense since the temperatures varied pretty widely. I carried a Klim Dakar jacket, a jersey and a rain layer and various combinations of them worked from 35F to about 80F. The problem was it was always a song and dance to get my armor off when I was just stopping off for a five minute taco/coke.

I'm now planning a trip to the artic and it makes the most sense to go with an integrated jacket since the temperatures won't vary as widely. It's also more comfortable to wear since you don't have all the layers bunching up on eachother, which would cause chaffing when I was being active on the bike. I will be doing mostly highway or FSR so I'm not too worried about being stuck in traffic and overheating, which can be an issue as well.

[JirkaMotoVista]

Knox armoured shirt or jacket starting with single A and ending with AAA, can be worn on its own with enough abrasion resistance and impact protection. You can add chest protection… that’s my choice + layering approach. Nice one Ian.👍

[sattvicvelo]

Separate all the way. That being said I had the same concern about abrasion resistance as you mention. I've manage to find two separate armor manufacturers of quality armor layer jackets (both out of EU as it happens) that are AAA (bowtex elite shirt) and AA (Knox Men's Urbane Pro) rated and use both. Each has chest armor, is light weight, breathable and offer the option to be secured via your belt to your pants. For leggings I mostly use certified riding jeans. Depending on the weather / type of ride I bring a variety of outer layers just like I do when mountainbiking, hiking, snowboarding etc.

I come from an adventure sports background, not from riding dirt bikes, but the principle seems much the same to me and layering just seems natural. I hardly ride any dirt to be honest - mostly just enjoy the amazing mountain roads Japan has to offer.

Love your channel and content mate. Thanks for doing this.

[Alexanderpaal]

Thanx for this.
All makes sense.
I ride mostly in the arctic climates of Scandinavia & do approx 60/40 (onroad/offroad).
After My accident that i luckily escaped with «only» a fractured shoulder i have come to realise the importance of proper gear & Adequat protection. During the accident i wore: Klim Carlsbad jacket, kevlar jeans, Klim gloves, adventure boots & Shoei Neotech2. All did its job perfectly. Allthough now i never drive without My Alpinestar airtech 5 vest that goes under my jacket. This allows me to remove the ingrated back & shuolder pads. On a hot day (rarely happens here though) i can use a jersey with added elbow protectors with the airbag vest under or a mesh jacket. Am concinviced the airbag technology is gettin better & more affordable now & way to go.
Safety first…
Cheers from Norway 🇳🇴

[ruedigerfriebel]

Nicely done, I absolutely agree. In winter I swap my armour from the armour shirt directly in the jacket, so go integrated. In summer I go again for separate, it is ways to hot with integrated

[vplph]

very interesting video... alternative setup; tshirt (long or short sleeve) + summer mesh level 2 jacket (still ok for having a coffee on a terrace) + warmer layer with wind protected on the front side + waterproof layer / motorbike jeans + lightweight rain trousers ; light, easy to remove, nothing stays wet the day after, you always wear protection (also on short rides to grocery in the morning where the stupid accidents happen most often), plus the vented jacket with level 2 has a certain thickness that ventilates sweat very well under other layers!!!! tested on looong rides

[chillyinalberta]

Finally someone made this! Cheers. I wear separate armour but it's definitely not always convenient.

[seanhewitt]

I switched to separate armor about 18 years ago. I wear base, armor, any thermal and or abrasion on top. Works well for me. I like the system.

[sfade]

I have been screamimg this concept for a while now after using adv gear and hating it. Glad you did a vid on it! Yes there are some give and takes though

[TheIdlesurfer]

I've ridden a lot of the Trans Euro Trail, from north of the Arctic Circle to Southern Portugal with temperatures of between 4 degrees Celsius and wet to hovering around 40 degrees Celsius in blazing sun. I have exactly the same kit for any trip. Merino long vest and pants, knee braces, Adventure Spec Supershirt, puffy jacket that goes over the supershirt, Klim waterproofs, AS Tech 7 boots. If I'm expecting cold, a light close fitting windproof layer seals the Supershirt up nicely. If I'm mostly road, I'll swap out knee braces for Klim cargo pants and street boots, but for a long trip with variable weather, this kit works. A separate waterproof layer means my kit never wets out.

[Vahu]

cheers for everything Ian!! Hope that you will consider knee protection next...guards, braces and so on.

[davidius]

Greetings from the Czech Republic. Great as always! I just became your supporter. Good luck to you!

[itsallabouttheridekeepingi]

I have my Dual sport system and ADV bike system in Australia. BUT I wear the same separate Armoured, As it’s a KNOX - Urban pro 2 it’s also abrasion resistant on Asphalt as well ( so one Separate Armoured does both ) Summer for both is easy, sweat shirt, Separate Armour and a Fox Legion- in the full or take off to Vest format - Dual sport, enduro and ADV I use the Fly Racing 2XL ( it’s a bit thinker and warmer and water resistant which is better for road and ADV - as a bonus can also take sleeves off and use as vest, With both just need to go up say 2 sizes ) I’m a large and will go up to say 2XL, trousers again Knox - for Dual sport, enduro Knox pants only - abrasion resistant as well - for the trips to the bush . Long Boots . ADV / Road riding my John Doe Stocker Cargo AAA rated and shorter boots - long trips walking around etc . And if it rains Road, ADV my Revit Dirt series- 100% waterproof apparently ( but it’s not 😂😂😂) and Dual Sport just a light weight pull over waterproof compact parts if need to put in backpack. And obviously what warm gear you want to put over Jacket on winter.And agree can be a pain laying over in Armour. Maybe 🤔 with full integrated Jacket in winter and UnderArmour in Summer ?

[plattenschielerlp]

This is the kind of video I always seached for, thank you!

[SquareHelmet]

I switched to separate armor after a fall: I was wearing jacket with integrated armor and it moved out of the way during the fall and I needlessly hurt myself (I did a video on that). I really think separate armor is the way to go: I actually agree with your video that there are no real downsides to it (takes longer to put on or add layer doesn't really count as a downside, maybe just a slight inconvenience). Thank you for the great video!

[MatthewSmith-rqgz]

This was unreal helpful. SO comprehensive for a new ADV rider. Thank you for putting it together.

[wingsqc]

I got a KNOX shirt which is rated second degree protection armor AND abrasion. It is essential here in South Texas to have all the ventilation you can have. I have a sensitive neck which need to be protected from wind and sun. I add a light jacket layer over (bicycle jacket) with a high neck which would not be easy to find with the motorcycle brands. This cycling jacket is also designed for riding position and have a lowered back coverage and the other added gizmos for specialized comfort. I am strict to select full front zippers. I can keep the top layer over the safety shirt and the duo is put on in one go like an integrated jacket. As I do not use highway, this light setup works for me well. Thanks for being in my subscription list! 🙂

[Sabortooftigar]

Coming into motorcycling from wilderness guiding, the layering system integrates better with my existing layering framework, and as a new rider with a small dual sport living in western MT
I also expect to do more off road or gravel than on road for quite some time. I also get too warm much easier than too cold. This was a good video to check this out for an overview of both!