#rev-it

Once upon a time, textile riding gear was the red-headed stepchild of motorcycle safety gear. Well, the manufacturers got wise and started producing high-quality riding gear made out of something other than the hides of dead critters. With textile gear, you now have the option of some of the most current protection technologies in styles that you’ll be happy wearing for years to come. So, we thought we’d put together a selection gear that shows the full breadth of what’s available from top-shelf gear makers.

Full Mesh Jacket. Like the FMJ, the REV’IT! Traction jacket features an abrasion-resistant outer to protect its softer inner (you). The Traction jacket from REV’IT! is a summer jacket entirely composed of breathable fabric to keep you cool during the summer while also providing a removable waterproof liner for those Spring showers. Not to mention, the jacket looks the business when you’re walking around the urban jungle off of the bike, too.

It’s not Thanksgiving yet but Revzilla’s Black Friday deal is already live, with savings from 20-50% on a variety of products. We’ve highlighted some of the deals that caught our eyes below, including a selection of Dainese gear, but you can see the  full list of Black Friday sales on Revzilla.

This time last October, I was flying through serpentine roads in the foothills of the Sierra just south of Yosemite on board a Ural Gear Up (okay, I was hardly flying) to meet some of my closest friends for a camping trip prior to getting married the following weekend. The temps began to drop rapidly as we ascended in elevation, making me all the more happy to have chosen the REV’IT! Westport Overshirt as my jacket of choice for the ride.

The REV’IT! Ignition 3 Jacket and Pant is a 3-season offering from REV’IT! that combines leather and textile to create a hybrid of sorts. Cristina has used the garments on our 900-plus mile trip to the Quail Motorcycle Gathering as well as a few shorter rides. During our trip to Carmel Valley, we experienced scorching temperatures on our way through California’s central valley, cooler weather near Monterey, and even some dense hanging fog that was more comparable to light rain than merely a cool weather front. That trip alone gave Cristina the chance to use nearly every feature the jacket and pants offer which left us both thankful for the versatility of the Ignition 3 kit.

Lately, motorcycle riding jeans have been popping up like mushrooms on a well-fertilized lawn after a spring rain. That’s good news for riders who want protection but don’t want to look like they’re ready for the track or are wearing a space suit when they’re off their motorcycle. While we have to acknowledge that riding jeans don’t offer as much protection as more technical riding gear, the inclusion of aramid abrasion panels and armor makes them significantly better than the Levis that riders have been wearing for generations. Where selection of denim motorcycle gear was once so limited that we could count the quality riding jeans available on one hand, we’ve now got no less than nine pairs of jeans in one buyer’s guide. We know we’ve barely scratched the surface, but we only wanted to include jeans that we’re actually wearing on a regular basis.

Yeah, we know that we constantly say that you should buy the best gear you can afford. We think it’s time to show you some  glove bargains. So, we’re gonna pull back a little and show you how nice gloves that cost less than a C-note can be. In fact, some of these motorcycle gloves are almost inexpensive enough to buy two pair without breaking our self-imposed ceiling. Our reason for undertaking this exercise is to illustrate the breadth of gear available to riders who maybe just spent all their scratch on a new motorcycle and don’t have much left for gear.

There are many motorcycle gear brands out there on the market these days. Some big, some small. Something to remember though, every brand has a story and an origin. Stories that might surprise you if you took the time to learn them. All too often we forget that behind each company, no matter the size, there were real people who worked hard to found them. More often than not, there are interesting bits of information to learn about the process and ideas that unfolded from these entrepreneur’s creative minds.

Recently I set off on a camping trip near the San Gabriel Mountains for the weekend. I had been assigned to attend a product launch on the Friday prior so my plan was to, after the event, point my front tire hastily toward the Angeles National Forest for some close-to-home camping over the weekend.

I’m not much of a cruiser guy, but this past July Motorcycle.com sent me to my first media launch for the 2018 Indian Scout Bobber ( which ended up being pretty rad). As I have mentioned in previous articles, I am a gear nerd and have amassed plenty of jackets, pants, boots, helmets, etc., over the past 10 years since I began riding. With all of that gear I still found myself without a subtle jacket that one might classify as a cruiser jacket. The folks here at MO tasked me with finding a jacket that might fit the bill and suggested I look at the new line-up from Rev’it!.

Father’s Day is looming on the horizon, and those of you who have motorcycle loving fathers are (hopefully) looking for a way to tell Dad how much you appreciate all he’s done for you and the family over the previous year. If he’s like most fathers, dad has probably avoided buying or doing things that he wanted to, just because the needs of the family outweighed his own desires. For families like that, you already know what to get him – just order that thing he decided not to get for himself. However, if Dad’s moto-needs are a mystery to you, take heart. We’ve put together a listing of stuff that’s bound to make your riding father quite happy. The prices range quite a bit here, so you’re sure to find something within the range of greenbacks contained in your wallet.

In just four short years the Handbuilt Motorcycle Show has grown leaps and bounds. Put on by the folks at Revival Cycles, an Austin, Texas-based moto shop, the creations it has pumped out are enough for a show in its own right. However, the Revival folks team up with some of the most innovative and creative talents in the motorcycle customizing business to display their talents each year at the Handbuilt Show. Scheduled for the same weekend as the MotoGP race at the neighboring Circuit of the Americas, the crowd for the show has been steadily climbing as word of mouth spreads year after year.

Even if you’re wearing fully-perforated or mesh riding gear, you’re going to get hot while riding in summer heat. The minimized airflow inside of less-than-fully-vented leather or textile jackets and pants only exacerbates the problem. However, no matter what protective gear you have on, your body will sweat during higher temperatures. The trick is getting air to flow over the sweat and cool your body through evaporation. Rev’It’s Oxygen Shirt and Pants aim to move moisture away from the rider’s body for a cooler, more pleasant ride.

As part of my job, I wear tons of motorcycle boots both on bikes and walking around at events or on daylong photo shoots. These Rev’It Regent H2O are the first boots in my 20 years of testing gear that have made the transition to becoming part of my everyday streetwear – boots that I choose to put on even when I’m not planning on riding.

For quite a while, I’ve been looking for a two-piece leather riding suit for use on sporting street rides that could also double as track leathers in a pinch. Yes, a one-piece suit could work, but in the world away from the track, I’ve found them to be more than a little inconvenient. (Think bathrooms and restaurants.) Two-piece leathers offer almost the same level of protection while adding the versatility of wearing the jacket with riding jeans or simply taking off the jacket when stopping at a roadside cafe. So, the Rev’It Replica Jacket and GT-R Pants caught my eye.