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The price of the above gears (except helmet).



So I purchased the Solace riding pants too. Cost me 7500/- after discounts. The Solace team provided a discount coupon (Rs. 400/-) since I purchased from the site directly.













The pink one is the detachable rain liner and the fluorescent green is the rain pants(?). Gosh - that's some "colorful" gear they have. :D

Feel:

The product feels very well made and feels good quality (I haven't really checked anything beyond 15K, so the assessment is based on it).

Features:

This has Sastec level 2 protection and among the best in the budget segment (as per the reviews / opinions). It's got mesh and works well in ventilation and doesn't feel hot. It comes with rain / thermal liner and also a rain pant (green). The pants also come with a zip on both sides (at the shin level) to widen the based while wearing the boot. This section also has a Velcro to adjust the width.

The pants has Velcro straps on the waist to adjust and tighten based on your hip size. It also comes with fairly deep cargo style pockets - I believe it's waterproof.

Riding:

I used this for a 3000 kms trip in the last 2 weeks of Dec 2018. The pants is quite comfortable to wear. The only trouble I had was the knee padding coming up everytime you use your foot down to balance the bike. The pants have two Velcro straps to keep this in place, but if used tight, it's uncomfortable while riding. So, once it's way too high, I used to get down from the bike, adjust the length and sit back and ride - serves as a short break too. :)

Purchase Experience:

Majorly positive. I had a lot of trouble during the online transaction with the server getting disconnected. However, the CC is friendly and helped out. The shipping was also fast as the product reached me in 2 days or less.

Link to product: https://www.solacegears.com/89_COOLP...ant-Black.html

PS: I purchased a magnetic tank bag as well, from Solace - will keep that as a separate post.

I generally stand up on foot pegs and ride for few seconds whenever knee guards move up.

A query for the summer riding coming up ahead in a few months:

Am getting curious about the adventure touring jackets with wax cotton outer and the necessary protective inserts that are available abroad under a few select brands.

These are mostly by reputed brands and very pricey but anyone here know much about the abrasion resistance of wax cotton when compared to the varieties of Cordura or 800D polyester fabrics used today?

My reason to look along this direction is that in the upcoming months of heat and the humidity, a riding jacket with a protective outer shell with some sort of abrasion resistant natural fibre mix makes a lot more sense than the pure synthetic fabric outers.

And yes, Mototech has a model with the similar materials in construction - any opinions on the same?

TIA!

I have these Solace pant, purchased a year back, have done few short trips. In my case both liners are black, you got luck to have some colors in life! On a rainy day, the fluro green one would be useful to get noticed on road. And pink liner (!) goes under the pant anyways, could be used during cold season rides, maybe up-north.

In the initial few usages itself, the Velcro was peeling-off at few places (stitching was weaker), and returned to dealer. Got replaced in a month kinda with a new one, though I doubt the actual manufacturing process was really bettered then. Watch-out for Velcro usage on those pockets, and be gentle!

Even I keep having this issue that knee padding (protectors) just keep sliding up towards thighs, and I keep pushing it down after a while - during the ride itself, not good! However, the key is the straps - just find the sweet spot. I slightly tightened those straps and then the problem is solved. Recently I washed the pant - some shampoo water in bucket, kept soaking for few hours, and then rinsed - lots of dirt was coming out. Beware to remove the liners and protectors before washing. The pant dried in a single day when kept in room with fan. However when I again inserted the pads, the setting changed a bit, and again the pads are sliding. Now I know where to tinker.

Few pages earlier I did write about using those Decathlon cycling shorts - awesome stuff, and wear the synthetic t-shirts for rides.

Good luck, and wish you happy and safe riding.

Thanks a lot for this feedback. I am getting my RE CGT650 in few days and I am on a hunt for a jacket for city use and all other options such as Alpinestar, DSG EVo with CE2 ratings are quite expensive. Scala isn't stored in any of the stores in Bangalore (quite surprising). Even official dealer for Scala , Let's Gearup doesn't have it! Looks like Scala Marvel or even Hunter model seems good for my needs. Hunter is too sporty for my taste for city rides.

A question for @akshayhonda: Howz the fit for you? I usually use Medium size for my shirts and wondering which size should i order for Marvel?

Also, any suggestions for helmets with spectacles grooves? I tried few of the models from HJC, Bell and MT...all good ones, but wearing spectacles with the helmet on, isn't working for me. It's a pain in my temples :D. Thanks

I have used a basic Cramster jacket till date for all my rides and am mostly ignorant of the brands/products available when it comes to riding gear. I will be buying a larger capacity motorcycle soon and want to buy some good gear to go with it.

I noticed there are a bunch of brands like Rynox/Scala/Zeus/Scimitar/Aspida etc which seem to be mainly homegrown and are in the sub-15k range. They have impressive specs, with level 2 CE and Knox and what not. Similar specs on the well known foreign brands like Dainese/Alpinestars etc are well over double the price of the latter brands.

How good are these sub-15k brands? I looked at Rynox Stealth Evo V3 and Zeus Viper. Any idea about long term reliability of these brands? How is the fit and finish?
I intend to keep these items for at least 5 years and don't intend on changing them frequently. Are these good purchases to make or would I be better off stretching my budget to pick up something from a more well known brand?

Thanks
Shreyas

I have been using Aspida's touring pants and Hyperion jacket for almost three year now. I have toured atleast 10,000 KMs with them under varying conditions from Western Ghats to Ladak to Kyrgystan. Except the broken tab of the jacket zipper I have not faced any issues till date. I will change more because I am bored with them and not because they have become unsafe. :)
With apparel what matters is the materials used in construction and I think most of the Indian brands speicify the materials and they are not any less than the imported ones. Of course they do not have the perceived brand value of the big brothers.

Got to hear more about this. When did you do this? Some kind of overlanding trip?

Hi This is arranged by a Pune based outfit called Motorover I did this memorable trip last May. I will message since this is off topic.

Hi everyone. I truly believe that the right riding gear is the difference between either walking away from an accident or not being able to do so.

Just wanted to share my riding gear collection



From left to right
Helmet: Scorpian Exo 700 (retired), Bell RS1, Bell MX9 Adventure MIPS, Arai corsair X
Jackets: Cramster K2K 2.0, Alpinestars T-GP plus air, Dainese air frame mesh, Dianese racing D1
Pants: Dainese delta C2 pro, Bullit SR6, Klim Mojave
Gloves: Alpinestar SP1, Puma Dianese racing, Klim induction long gloves
Boots: Orazo safety mids, Dainese course D1
Racing suit: 1 pc Revit Venom

Thats an awesome collection! What are your rides? which one goes on what? :)

Hi. Thanx a lot. My rides are 2012 BMW R1200GS, 2014 Kawasaki Ninja ZX10R and 2017 KTM Duke 390.

The leathers, racing boots and the Arai are for the ZX10r. The Bell MX9 and the Cramster touring jacket are usually used with the GS. All the other gear is used with all the bikes, depending on the weather and type of ride.

Hi,
I just bought a jacket yesterday a gift from the wife. I checked out Rynox, and as far as construction, convenience and safety are concerned they are a compelling choice. The same may go for all the other Indian brands.
This is how it goes most Indian brands offer all weather jackets maybe a mesh or textile outer with a thermal and a rain liner and should be priced between 6 & 8K. They are now using Level 2 armour from a Chinese manufacturer, some even offer back protection. They will wear well and should do a good job if you have a fall.
Where the imported jackets differ are in how they fit and that they are CE homologated. As for the fit the wife and kid outright rejected the Rynox jacket saying that it made me look like a gladiator or a turtle. Whereas the imported ones fit better and do not show the armour so much. CE homologation means that the entire jacket is CE approved as a protective garment and not just the armour as in the Indian ones, the lining, the zippers, and even the thread used to stitch is specified and approved. They are generally lighter and more supple and comfortable to wear.


I was considering 4 options:

RS Taichi: A Japanese brand, very light and comfy but rejected by wife as it was too slim fit for street use.
AXO: Italian brand made in Vietnam (leather) rejected as leather is too hot and not homologated.
Rynox: Very value for money but rejected as stated above
Furygan: French brand bought for the fit and feel even though it has no thermal liner but only a rain liner. Signed off by wifey for the excellent fit.

Hope this helps!

Fit is nice and comfortable. Just like what you need for your daily commutes in the city. I guess they run a size lesser. L should fit you perfectly I feel.

A query regarding using navigation while riding!

I was trying to use Google Maps on my phone two days ago. I set my destination and out the phone in the top transparent pocket of the ViaTerra tank bag - the phone just wouldn't pick up GPS signal! It would show me sitting in the same place as when I'd put the phone in the pocket even after riding 1-2 km.

Why is the phone not picking up GPS signal when atop The tank bag?? The bag pocket is too thick? Has anyone else experienced the same? So is a phone mount my only option?